During this spring semester, in addition to the credential program coursework, I have taken on the task of coaching the men's lacrosse program at my school at Mt Carmel. This will be the topic of my PLN. This season I, with addition to the rest of the coaching staff, decided to update the usual playbook by making an online version that would be accessible anywhere students have their phones. From this we created an online playbook that was sent out to the players in the beginning of the season. This online guide has everything from our calls, plays, and even our drills. This prepared players for the season so they were mentally ready for the year ahead. This is a great improvement to hard copies since here we can make players move and we can see how the play would develop much more clearly than with x's and arrows. I am very happy this was done. I believe that it greatly helped out our players with the accessibility as well as the visual component.
This progessive school is showing the world of education that there might be another way to do business. Our day at Del Lago was very informative and there was a flavor of hope in the air. The administration at Del Lago is running their school in a very different manner than most traditional schools have seen. The school works together in an integrated, collaborative, communal, project based manner. With this, students (or scholars as they are called) are the ones running this student-centered type of education where teachers are merely the facilitators in the class.
Classes are grouped for all students so that there is not individualized tracking. I see this move as incredibly bold where results could be great, but then again could go sour. The high students could pull the lower students up high in their project based learning, but I could see difficulty in differentiation leaving the high students too far ahead for the lower students to catch up. One of the points that I liked is their phrase- it is never to late to learn. Here scholars are given the chances that they need to pass their course. Scholars may retake tests to improve their grade so that they will not fall behind and have to take the class over again. I like this way of schooling because it gives students hope about their classes and about their future. I have never had to repeat a course but I can imagine it would be demoralizing. With this method, scholars don't. I like this method a lot and will think about instituting it in my classes in the future. This workshop that we attended was put on by the head of GSA as well as the students who are apart of the group. I was grateful for the students to be bold enough to speak with us about these issues. I know that these are not easy topics to talk about but these students displayed poise, maturity, and courage to not only speak with us, but to be in this group at all.
I liked the workshop that they put on for us. There was a lot of information and I learned a lot from this. The first section we covered was just the vocabulary that these students use when talking about who they are. There are a huge amount of terms that I was not knowledgeable about. One thing that I learned about the terms is that there is a large amount of preference that the person can hold when selecting a term that describes their identity. For example, a person may not want to be considered bisexual, but rather pansexual (which means attracted to all sexes). This confused me at first because I thought they described the same thing, but the individual may choose what group they decide to be with. Every group has different connotations and it is the individual's decision to choose who they decide to associate with. Another thing that stunned me was some of the percentages about gay teens or their discrimination. On stat showed that 60% of gay students hear discriminating remarks from staff. These stats talked about homelessness and violence. They were very severe and eye opening. Other exercises such as the personal stories were also very powerful and made us really look at the circumstances of the students through their eyes. I was glad to be able to attend this workshop. Again, I thank Carlsbad High School and the GSA Club for providing us with this opportunity. This was a very worthwhile set of guest speakers that we had this week. We had three speakers that commented on everything from interview tips to what to expect your first year teaching. The speakers included Dr. Jose Villarreal from SDCOE, Ms. Meg Jacobsen from VMMS, and Dr. Kyle Ruggles from LCC. This panel first introduced themselves and told us a little bit about their work and who they were and offered general advice for Teacher Candidates in our position. Some of the comments that were mentioned that we need to embody are how to be collaborative and reflective. Collaboration is very important at many sights and it is important that we be able to work with our peers to better ourselves as teachers. Reflection is such a major issue with teaching at whatever stage you are at. It is important to be able to look back at your teaching and dissect the things that worked and what did not. Other things that were mentioned would be the importance of getting to know the students and to be able to teach a variety of subjects.
Ms. Jacobsen described some of the process of applying to Vista. There are 4 stages before you can be interviewed. She also remarked on the importance of obtaining solid letters of recommendation. During the interview, she told us that it is important to know the district that you are applying to very well. It is critical to "speak the language of the district." This can all be found on the district website. Then we should also have some questions for the school. However, we should not overload them with numerous questions. When going into the interview there are a few things to remember. One of these pieces is dress. This is a crucial first impression piece that principals will immediately see as you enter the room. This may not secure the job for you, but it certainly can diminish your chances if not approached appropriately. When you open, it is essential that you know yourself to be able to give a solid impression of who you are and what you stand for. A strong closing is important as well. I was very grateful to the principals that were able to come and speak with us. I feel more confident about this process and certainly more informed. That you to our esteemed panel once again. For my usage of the Digital Age assignment, I was able to use the Desmos graphing calculator to demonstrate the impulse equation for my students. This program could express, graphically, what was taking place in the physical world. As described in my previous post, we could change the variables and see the results on the graph. The variables that could be changed were initial velocity, mass, time, and force.
To demonstrate this, kinesthetically and visually for our students, we had one student stand at one end of the room and then I was at the other. I proceeded to throw a water balloon to him. He caught it by gently cushioning it safety in his hands. He threw it back to me and I did the same thing. We continued to get farther and farther apart, cushioning the balloon through the whole demonstration. This demonstration showed them that to decrease the force on an object, you have to extend the time of the impact. This is what it means to cushion the water balloon. By taking the balloon in slowly, it gives it more time to slow down and the impact is not as harsh (the force is less). That is why we instinctively know that we have to gently catch and extend the time of the force when we are catching it. The Desmos graphing program was a great supplement to this demonstration. After the demonstration, I was able to use this program to show how it relates graphically to what they just saw and to the equation, I=∆t∙F, which they already know. Using this program they were able to able to see that as the total impulse stayed constant (the balloon starting with an initial velocity and then it coming to rest), the force would go down as the time of impact increased. This was able to be shown graphically which greatly added to the discussion. The demonstration I believe is the most important aspect of this lesson but I also believe that there is a value to the technology piece that was added. Students were able to see it not only visually, but could then tie it back in with the math and the graphs. This is a very important piece that often gets overlooked. The link is listed below. Impulse Program In this book, Einstein: His Life and Universe, Walter Isaacson describes the personality, life, and mind of Einstein through numerous letters over the course of his life. This bold description of a rebellious student and thinker outlined clearly how questioning conventional wisdom and cultivating his curiosity for the world around him laid the foundations for him to unlock some of the deepest mysteries to the universe that we know today. I think that this was a great book and am going out on a limb to give it a 5. Apart from his findings, which were many, it was the most interesting to learn about Einstein the person. It was truly his creative thinking and firm beliefs in individual freedoms that led to these discoveries. I think that my students would like his views on education and his questioning of authority. It became a much more creative, individual, and intrinsic version of learning and discover than what is given in many of today's classrooms around this country.
With that, the book illustrates very well how Einstein grows up and what his passions were as a student. I look at the top photo and I see some of my students in my class today. To think, could we be teaching the next Einstein? The thought keeps me humble. Next year I plan on putting up pictures of famous scientists with their teenage counterpart picture next to them. I think it is important that students don't get detached from the idea of a scientist that is so far out of reach that they are unrelatable. They all started as students just like we did. As stated, this was a great book full of anecdotes, quotes, and science. This will definitely enrich my class as I will be bringing in quotes, stories, and the science behind the genius. It is highly recommended for teachers of any science. "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." Diane Sanchez came to speak with us the other day about how to build our resume. She was able to give us a lot of information about how to better create this important document that will directly affect our employment. On it she told us to emphasize our work in education and in the credential program. She told us that our work outside of the field is not as relevant and we should not be highlighting it as much if it does not directly relate to our subject area. She told us to mention other languages spoken and to put interests if they are substantial. For example, it would be worth while to put down that I play lacrosse because I would be applying for a coaching position as well. Another thing to consider would be professional development conferences or seminars.
The cover letter is a place to really distinguish yourself in a personal way. You can talk about why you are motivated and passionate about what you do. It is noteworthy to mention that the cover letter is a good place to tell them why you want them- why they have the qualities of a school that they would want. The interview can be intimidating but there are ways to prepare for it. Some things to ask for when you are getting the call for an interview would be, "Who is it with?" "Will there be a panel?" "Is there anything that I should prepare?" For many of the questions they are going to be looking for a response that is similar to the STAR model. S- state the situation. T- state the task. A- state the action takes. R- state the results accomplished. This was a very helpful speaker. She offered helpful tips on everything from the resume to the interview process. I am very grateful for the information that was given. Even though all of the students here in the credential program are required to take a technology class for our prerequisites, this seminar on technology was a good refresher on technology in the classroom. Many programs were highlighted in our discussion that were applicable in any type of classroom whether it be a language arts classroom or a science classroom. The program that she used to show her slides was the most powerful to me. She was able to show slides, visuals, and even problems to ask the students. In this program students could look at their own computers, log into her program and answer questions that were posed in these slides. Then the teacher could see all of their responses and get an idea of how the students were feeling about the questions that she was asking.
She also reminded us of the purpose of technology. She described that it is not about simply using technology for the sake of it, but rather using it to meet a greater end, one that surpasses what we could do without it. I think that this is the greatest part of technology in the classroom. I think that with our ability to use technology wisely and effectively in the classroom, we can train our students to be more technologically savvy and enter into the new generation of business, technology, and art with confidence. This presentation was easily one of the most powerful, dynamic, applicable presentations that I have listened to from any of the speakers that we have seen this year. He was bold and passionate yet let himself be vulnerable an open up about things like his parents and his upbringing. He put classroom management under a whole new lens. He really put the hones on the teacher for virtually everything that happens in the classroom. While at first we might think that it is the student that is causing the problems and the teacher is reacting to try to treat the behavior. However, that treatment, be it detentions or sending students to the office, is at best only a temporary solution to a much larger problem and at worst one more brick in the wall. Autonomy has been a recurring theme in these last few weeks and it's really striking me. Mr. Nakamura touched on this as well. I am trying to think of ways where the student feels that they are in charge of their life and their education. It is clear that students need guidance but I do want to see if I can find more ways to give them a greater sense of autonomy in their education. The last thing that has touched me is the quote from "Invisible Kids." "Locate a resilient kid and you will also find a caring adult-or several-who has guided him." This is such a strong reminder that we as educators can shape a student, no matter what their circumstances, into someone that is strong, bold. and confident. I strive to be able to guide those students. Yes, the students that are already on good paths, but especially the ones that need help. Mr. Nakamura reminded us of that. This is why we teach. We have the ability to save kids. What greater of a responsibility and privilege is that? Being a teacher of physics, there is a great use for technology in the classroom. There are simulations that can be done and videos that can be shown. However, I find that one of the greatest aids that we can give our students is in the area of visualization. If a student can visualize what is happening in the system then there is a good chance they will understand what is happening and they can solve the problem.
My group has been working with a program that can do just that for students. This program called Desmos is an online graphing calculator that can be accessed by anyone, free of charge. With this program you are able to do many things. While most of the functions are mainly geared for mathematics there are many ways that physics students can use these applications. The greatest way that students can use this for understanding and teachers can use for instruction is to show relationships between variables through dynamic graphing that they have available on the site. One of these functions tracks the height of a projectile. The variables that will affect the flight are initial height, initial velocity, and launch angle. To the side they give you the capability of adjusting these functions. By adjusting these variables, one can see clearly what happens to the graph and, in this case, the projectile that is being launched. (This program is listed below.) This is a great capability because students can easily see what is happening in each individual situation as each variable is adjusted. I plan to use this program in a number of ways. First, we can explain a concept and then can use the graphing function. This will reinforce the lecture that was just presented. We can also us this to support a lab that is based on induction. In this case we would first have the students do a lab that would test these variables. They would test these functions and then graph the results. After they have completed this they should have a good understanding of how the variables affect the system. Then after they complete their graphs, we can show them the Desmos graph and they will see how that graph matches their work on the lab. From this they should have an “ah-ha” moment that we always seek to find in physics where they see the connection between their lab and the computer graphing system. When they see this visualization after their lab they will know that they have done it right and the concept will stick so much more in their minds. There are several of these graphs that I have found. Here are some listed below. Trajectory of a Projectile Acceleration vs. Applied Force Impulse and Momentum |