Guided response: Respond to at least two classmates. Think back to the learning module you interacted with pertaining to Paul and Elder’s essential elements of thought and apply some of what you learned in this discussion as you did in Week One. For example, when you respond to a peer’s analysis of this case study ask him or her to clarify the purpose behind what he or she wrote, consider alternative perspectives, examine assumptions, and support thinking with evidence, facts, and research.
classmate one Yolanda Isom
Jun 29 at 7:23pm
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Well I think she should place students in group in which couple are weak and two strong students in each group.Because students also learn better from each other and they can motivate the others as well.
References:
Shean, A. (2012). The Final Step: A Capstone in Education [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
classmate two
Stacey Carachure
Jun 29 at 5:42pm
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Case Studies
What information should Ms. Valdera attempt to gather (about the students and the curriculum) before the class begins?
The acquisition of new skills is directly dependent on the student’s prior knowledge of the material. Once the teacher understands what the student knows, they can begin creating supplemental instructional materials that build on the student’s strengths and address any weaknesses. Ms. Valdera can ask their prior year teachers for their cumulative student data folder, she can give them a short prior skills assessment, also called a performance assessment. “Essentially, performance-based assessment attempts to determine students’ competence by looking at examples of what they do—that is, by looking at their actual performance” (LeFrançois, 2011). I like formative assessment (such as thumbs up/down) because they are quick, simple, low stress. “Formative assessments happen daily in the classroom, both formally and informally, such as through the use of teacher observations, student logs and journal entries, and exit cards” (Honigsfeld & Cohan, 2015). She can also simply observe the students once the class has begun.
Who, if anyone, should Ms. Valdera try to speak with regarding these students and the upcoming class?
Prior teachers, the future teachers, possibly administration but I doubt it, the parents, and of course, the students themselves. This is the students educational team, and they all want the student to be successful, so they are good resources to determine areas of strength or weakness. They can also provide her with valuable information about what motivates the students.
Based on the information in Table 2.1, what similarities and differences do you notice among the ten students?
I noticed that they are all struggling! There are several that may be learning English as a second language, there’s a couple that may have learning disabilities such as ADHD or be on the spectrum, there’s a couple that have family issues to deal with.
To engage her students and tap into their interests, what types of activities should Ms. Valdera plan for the first day of class?
An ice breaker game would be fun. It would help her get to know her students, but also help them get to know each other. She could also have them make an all about me poster of some sort for the first day so she can learn their likes, dislikes, and what might motivate them. Maybe a student is really motivated by jolly ranchers, or having a pj day, it could be anything.
Given the varied learning styles of the 10 students in her class, what types of lessons can Ms. Valdera design in order to help the students be successful learners?
Phonics would be a good jumping off point. The students should have a basic understanding of letters, phonics, and sounds. She should also allow ample time to read to the students and for the students to read books independently. “Teachers can support fluent readers by teaching them to make text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections on a regular basis” (Honigsfeld & Cohan, 2015). She can make a game out of high frequency sight words to support their independent reading.
Given that the class is four hours long for a month, how can Ms. Valdera organize the desks, as well as the time structure the class, so the students’ level of engagement and motivation stay high throughout each day, and over the month?
I would recommend that everyone face each other, such as a circle or semi-circle for class discussions and instruction, and probably either grouped or paired, depending on ability, for projects. I think flexible grouping would be successful in this situation. Flexible grouping is not a permanent configuration, it’s temporary for the length of the activity, and helps the teacher navigate differentiated skill levels.
Reference:
Honigsfeld, A & Cohan, A. (2015). Serving English language learners (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
LeFrançois, G. (2011). Psychology for teaching (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (11th ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Shean (Ed.). (2012). The Final Step: A Capstone in Education [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu