Entrance Slip for Sept 26th (Orchard Gardens)

The first thing I thought of when reading this article about school gardens is the sense of independence but also collaboration. For the Roots on the Roof program, students who run these gardens probably learn a lot about organization and planning. They can learn skills that help their future if they want to make their own home garden to grow fruits/vegetables. I think it's definitely an  important skill to learn now in our age of processed and pre-packaged foods. Despite these conveniences in society, it's still important to not forget our 'roots'.

A way to incorporate a learning garden in math seems a bit tricky, but easy to carry out some science experiments. Some thoughts that came to mind were that maybe we could get students to analyze the growth rate of some plants (ex.linear,exponential,etc?). I could have students figure out the differences between growth rates depending on different factors (soil,sunlight,water). Another thing could be cost-benefit analysis, is the amount of money and time spent growing this vegetable going to make a profit?

I think the most difficult part of learning gardens would be getting sufficient funding from the school. The school would probably not want to spend money on learning gardens because they may perceive it as something that is not useful. Schools may want to spend their limited funding elsewhere where they deem necessary, and the hard part will be convincing them to fund a learning garden.

Exit Slip #2

This class helped me reinforce my idea that we as teachers are one of the most important role-models in a student's life. After hearing Greta's talk, it made me realize that as teachers we have to spread awareness of the issue on global warming. There needs to be a change in the usage of our emissions, and teachers can help this movement. We are teaching around 200 students a day that we can influence and inform them of these issues. These 200 students can tell their friends and family which will spread the word even more. In order to make a big change, we have to start small. We as teachers are in a position to help start this change and support the movement.

Entrance Slip #2: Moshe Renert

The first thing that made me stop was when Moshe Renert was talking about large numbers, and how its hard for students to even imagine or picture it in their heads. This is also true for very small numbers, it's hard to relate small/large numbers to things in every day life. For subjects such as science, its important that when teaching the magnitude of these small or large numbers that we relate them to real life examples. For example, we can relate the amount of bacteria in a mouth to the population of the world.

Another thing that made me stop and think is when Renert says, "Like most other information about the environment, the statement relies on mathematical reasoning and numbers. Making sense of it requires some sophistication in proportional reasoning." Basic proportional reasoning is something that everybody understands, "the more I buy the more I pay". But to apply it to a larger scale is something that can be an effective tool to get students to start thinking about global issues. People tend to be more engaged when the topics are related to their personal everyday lives.

As teachers, it's important for us to incorporate topics climate/pollution in the curriculum whenever possible. This will help engage students in their own learning of math/science and consider their own carbon footprint. For topics such as proportional/exponential growth we can talk about examples of how methane or CO2 affects the Earth. Our obligation is to educate youth, and at this moment climate crisis is a major issue for the upcoming generation. We have to do our best to spread awareness of this real problem, and to equip students with at least a basic understanding of what they can do to help.

Entrance Slip #1 Grant & Zeichner

Many of the points in this article are still relevant to this day. There are still debates over what the curriculum should include and how it should be taught. Although there is some wiggle room within the methods of teaching the curriculum, there is much discussed about the 'best' method. Some things that 'spoke' to me was when they were talking about the teacher practicum. They spoke about how our supervisors and professors have a big influence on us as prospective teachers. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's important to learn from a variety of people with varying views on education. They gave advice that during our practicum, we should ask questions. Experienced teachers may be doing something that they feel is an every day routine. We should ask questions about why the teachers do things a particular way.

Grant and Zeichner speak about the qualities of a reflective teacher; openmindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness. Being open minded is one of the qualities that I value the greatest. It's important not only in debates and discussions, but as well in teaching. It's crucial for teachers to see different point of views and consider the pros and cons of various perspectives. There is no joy in debates if neither party tries to see the other's side.

They mention responsibility as a factor in becoming a reflective teacher. Of course as teachers, we are tasked with a main role of leadership, most classroom decisions are up to us. Essentially all of our actions as teachers have consequences that can be long lasting in the student's life. This bears an immense amount of pressure, to be in charge of the education of the next generation. We have to think critically as teachers about what is the 'right' way to teach a curriculum. Teachers should always be inquiring and reflecting on things they can improve.

Exit Slip #2

We started off the day talking about the best ways to use classroom time. One of the main ideas that every group had was that group/peer collaboration is very important. Another positive of group work is that, if a student does not understand a concept that the teacher is explaining, sometimes a different perspective from fellow peers will help them. I believe that doing a check-up at the beginning of classes is crucial. It's important to ask students what they understood easily and what they struggled with. With this knowledge, we can divide class time accordingly to make the most efficient use of class time. Learning to be adaptable is a great quality for all teachers.

In the video with Jo Boaler, she speaks about how students who only memorize material performed poorly on exams. Strict memorization can lead to bad habits in students. If they only remember a specific way of doing things, they may not know how to apply the concept to different ideas that are similar. Memorization is important but it must be applied properly, not blindly. Memorization can come from learning the application of such formulas. For example, the Pythagorean formula is easy to remember because students can learn to apply it to real life. It is easy to show them a hands on example using diagrams/models.

Exit Slip #1 (Frank McCourt)

Frank McCourt grew up in Ireland in poverty and non-ideal living conditions. Despite the fact of not having completed a formal high school education, McCourt was able to become an amazing teacher when he immigrated to America. He used his background and upbringings to his advantage in order to connect with his students. His Irish accent was one of the many things that piqued the student's curiosity. I believe that curiosity is an important aspect of learning and 'teacher inquiry'. McCourt used this sense of curiosity from his students understand them on a deep and personal level.

One of the things that McCourt said in the interview was that it was important to take off the 'teacher mask'. He believed that it was important to be honest with the students and not to put up a facade. For teachers its commonly expected that they are all knowing, but I find this is wrong. Teachers are people as well, and sometimes we don't have an answer for everything. For my future classes, if I encounter this situation, I hope to remember to take off the 'teacher mask'. Being honest with students and working together to find a solution is a great way to connect with them.

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