Undocument Students and Their Relationship with Schools

A recent lesson was taught in on of my education courses about undocumented students. In this class we heard a story about a student who found out he was undocumented when he went to go apply for a passport because his school was taking a trip to Japan. He was shocked to find out his documents were not real and turned to his favorite teacher for help. She immediately changed the trip destination from Japan to Hawaii so he could go. Teachers like these inspire me because when she found out she had an undocumented student, instead of turning him into the authorities, she did her job as an educator and did her best to educate him to the highest degree.

"The Silent Problem: The Plight of the Undocumented Student" by Nancy Barile sheds light on a problem that almost all undocumented students face. After graduation, many undocumented students are unable to receive scholarships to afford college, therefore they do not go to college. Barile's research found that an estimated 65,000 students out of the 2.8 million that graduate will not go to college based on being undocumented. Only ten states allow undocumented students to apply for in-state tuition , while the rest make these students pay the international cost.

The Dream Act is a bill that, if passed would help many undocumented students to obtain citizenship and attend college under the in-state tuition category within a six year time period.
As a future teacher I believe all kids deserve the chance to learn. Most undocumented students are brought tot he United States at a young age, they can not help if they do not have proper documentation. Helping them to get it would help hard working students to receive the opportunities they deserve and help the United States utilize all their hard working citizens.

website used: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2010/09/silent-problem-plight-undocumented-student

Good Behavior

Alison Baker's blog post, "Child Behavior: Tactic for Good Behavior" discuss strategies to get students to behave well. The targeted age for these tactics is Grades Pre K-8th, however, they can still be used for high school students. Her first strategy is the use of rewards in classroom such as stickers, praise and prizes. In the high school setting when stickers do not really cover it anymore, there are still ways to motivate students. I know that I was motivated with simple praise because if a teacher liked my work I would not want to disappoint their expectations on the next assignment. There is also the strategy of offering bonus points for good behavior and well written assignments. If students know that they can get bonus points to add toward future assignments they may not do well on, is an incentive or them to try hard and behave well.

For chatty classroom, she encourages praise for good behavior again, but also notes that teachers should look at the layout of the classroom to see if moving students around would help stop the chatter. I know that when I was in high school, it became apparent after the first week, who the best friends in the class were. Moving the students around without targeting them specifically would provide a nonchalant way of stopping the talking. If students know they are being moved for a specific reason, this may cause resentment and resentment would not encourage goof behavior.

Finally, she explains that asking elementary school children why they are upset during a tantrum may not be the best tactic. Instead, offering opportunities to calm themselves down such as grabbing a drink of water or taking deep breaths with the teacher could help. For high school students, I would recommend having them take a drink of water, that way they can leave class to calm down without feeling like all eyes are on them. This could be risky depending on what they are upset about because if the student is angry at another student in the school, they could leave the class to go find them. Therefore, assessing the situation for high school students is important.

website used: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/child-behavior-tactics-good-behavior

Technology and At Risk Students

Dr. Frank Smith's article "5 Strategies to Reach At Risk Students with Technology" shows that students do not all learn in the same way. Technology helped students that were in risk of failing by engaging them in ways that they had never been engaged before. Smith explains that availability of devices and a strong internet connection is important because those students who learn better with devices will need them to be available. Another strategy is to use the technology in a way that will use the students creativity and get them engaged instead of spouting out information. This was an important strategy in my opinion because I remember an online class I had that required us to sit and watch hour long lectures then answer questions about it. There was no time in the lecture for me to be involved or do an activity that would help me remember the information, therefore I hated the class. Another important strategy was to make sure the teacher is still involved and helpful while the students use the devices because this promote trust in teachers and makes the student know that the teacher is always there for questions or for synthesizing information that may not make a connection with the student simply through the device. Finally, Smith says that showing students how technology can create things will engage those learners who need hands on experience with materials. He references a study in which students grasped material better when creating a website about it as opposed to students who wrote a research paper about it.

Website Used: from Twitter http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/09/5-strategies-reach-risk-students-technology

Gamification and Standardized Testing

Nancy Barile has the right idea in using gamification to review for Standardized Testing Week. Instead of intensely trying to hammer the information into her students last minute and stressing everyone out in the process, she makes reviewing fun. In her blog entitled, "Getting in the (State Testing) Game" she describes using a trivia game that gets all of her students involved to review key concepts that they might have shown weakness in during previous testing. Students are in groups but each student must answer one question in a pile of questions before the next student can answer a question. The first team to get through their pile of questions wins. She uses this game through out the year and I definitely feel her strategy follows the intent of gamification perfectly. Students remain engaged in learning and  reviewing in a fun and memorable way that will definitely help recall ability when taking a test. Instead of sitting through a boring lecture, students will want to know why they got a question wrong in the game, therefore promoting interest in a topic. Her game is called MCAS and there is a link in her blog in which an example of the game is given for any teachers that want to follow her lead.

Website Used: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2010/10/state-testing-just-one-big-game

Making Movies

Nancy Barile's article, "A Teen Soap Opera to Learn SAT Vocabulary" is a great example of using technology in the classroom. She had her students, who often spoke English as a second language, write and produce their own soap operas to learn their SAT vocabulary. Each week they had to use fourteen vocabulary words in the dialogue of their screen play. This allowed for vocabulary to be learned in a fun and creative way. When the screen play is produced, the context in which the vocabulary is used in dialogue will stick in their heads and allow them to remember the meaning of each word.
This lesson is a great example of using technology in the classroom. It also gave me another idea about how to incorporate technology into literature lessons. I could have students take Shakespeare's plays and modernize them into a short film. Not only would this help in understanding Shakespeare's often confusing language by putting it into modern context, but it also helps students to remember the plays plots for future courses.

website used: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2011/01/teen-soap-opera-learn-sat-vocabulary

Twitter in the 4th Grade

Those who use Twitter often refer to it as social media, but now teachers can call it a classroom tool. Christina Rojas's article, "Tweeting teachers: How one New Jersey Elementary School is Embracing Twitter" acknowledges the many ways Twitter can improve schools. At Springfield Elementary, teachers are using Twitter in various ways to get parents and students involved with school. Each day students are ask to write on a piece of paper, no more than 140 characters describing their day. Then the teachers open the class's Twitter account and input student's tweets. Parents are invited to follow the class on Twitter to stay up to date on their child's learning.
Twitter is helping parents stay in touch with their children's learning and also opening up other possibilities for teachers. Some use Twitter to tweet questions to fellow teachers; therefore improving their skills as a mentor to students. Other teachers are trying to connect classrooms through Twitter and this can be classrooms from the same school or one across the country. I never realized that Twitter could be so versatile in the classroom. When I start teaching, I may use Twitter to keep in touch with parents and I would also like to keep my students up to date with assignments and answer any of their questions through Twitter since it could be more efficient than email.

tiny URL on Twitter: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2015/02/tweeting_teachers_how_one_nj_elementary_school_is.html?linkId=12535846
Following @ScholasticTeach

Looking Like a Teen While Teaching Teens

I will admit that I am at a slight disadvantage going into the high school teaching profession. I am pretty short, so walking through the hallways with authority may be a bit tough if I look like a teacher myself. Earning the respect of my students is the scariest aspect of teaching because I can achieve nothing without their respect. But are teenagers really that different from adults? Do they have a natural rebellious side that wants to come out. According to Andrianes Pinantoan, " most teens are simply trying to fulfill their goals socially and academically while discovering who and what they want to be and how to get there."
This article explains that teens come across as more rebellious because they have more boundaries than adults have. In pushing those boundaries, they are learning what they feel comfortable doing and what goes against their morals. Pinantoan explains that morals will never be learned if a student is not given a chance to test right and wrong for themselves. With a strong support system of family, school and community, Pinantoan explains that most teens will not feel the need to rebel, at least not to the extreme extent. This article tells me that, as a teacher I should not write off the rebellious student as someone who will not listen. I will just have to work harder to understand where they are coming from and establish that I am someone they can turn to if help is needed.

website used: http://www.cerebralhacks.com/brain-myths/are-teenagers-really-more-rebellious/