Shake Up Learning Show- Entry #10

How to Get Google Certified (Level 1, Level 2, Trainer, Innovator, and Coach!‪)‬

1. What is something new that I learned? 

The Google Innovator level requires that educators support their certification with a resume that documents their achievements and shows that they are equipped with the skills to help other educators. They can publish new ideas relevant to the Google resources for other teachers to use. 

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I can use resources presented from Google Innovators to help me in my own classroom. These Innovators can publish information and help other educators use the tools in the Google resources to their max potential. These Innovators can also be impactful resources for teachers in their district. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) Google Coaches must report at least 100 hours of coaching experience to keep their certification, which is used to support the Coach in staying up to date and informed. 

2) Levels 1 and 2 must be achieved before one can be accepted to become a Trainer. Additionally, those who apply to become a Trainer must have adequate experience in their resumes to be chosen. 

3) The Innovator program supports educators in developing new and innovative ideas to use in their schools by collaborating with other Innovators.  

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

The different levels of Google Educator status can be used to best meet the needs of both educators and students. I can use these resources to find the best possible resources and accommodations for my own students, much like one would do in finding instructional strategies and accommodations for their learners in their classes. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

The different levels of Google Educators work together, much like the different collaborative teams I have observed in my practicum and internship experiences. Teachers can share ideas with each other and learn impactful information from Innovators, Trainers, and Coaches to shape the instruction in their classroom using the Google Tools. This is just like some of the grade level teams and instructional support groups I have seen in many classrooms. 

The ELL Teacher's Toolbox- Entry #9

Strategies 1-3: Independent Reading, Literacy Conversations, and Graphic Organizers

 1. What is something new that I learned?

I found it very interesting how the author discussed the importance of graphic organizers as a part of daily instruction. I am familiar with the idea of using graphic organizers as part of lessons to engage students, but I really enjoyed hearing how ELL students can use graphic organizers daily to scaffold new learning and organize their thoughts.

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I could apply the use of graphic organizers in my daily instruction by using exit slips, research opportunities, and reading opportunities in coordination with the use of these organizers. ELL students can use these daily organizers to document new learning and organize their thoughts. Additionally, it will be an engaging way for students to work towards new understanding. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) Graphic organizers can be used to support a variety of learning tasks that meet any of the common core anchor standards in all four domains.

2) Book interviews are another way for students to interact with the books that they and their classmates are reading. 

3) Reading self-selected books in pairs can build engagement in literacy.  

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

In Lit. Block, the professors heavily emphasized the importance of graphic organizers in reading instruction. These can also be used to organize and construct writing pieces. By allowing students to use graphic organizers, they can better understand the material they are using and have a hands-on approach to instruction. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

One of my CTs I observed used graphic organizers daily as part of an interactive notebook. This allowed students to have a hands-on, engaging look at the material they were learning daily. Additionally, they could easily organize material in ways that were easily understood, increasing their schema and background knowledge. 

Google Slides Podcast Part 2: Entry #8

 

1. What is something new that I learned? 

You can include resource links when providing feedback to students, instead of just telling the students what they did wrong. This will be a more powerful form of feedback, and will help the students better understand what they did wrong and how to fix the problem correctly. 

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I can apply this skill into my own Google Classroom when I get my own classroom. When asking students to create digital projects, whether it is slides or docs, I can create comments that provide more effective feedback. This will increase the students' learning experiences and be more helpful, especially if I teach in a virtual situation. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) Pear deck has free resources, such as exit tickets and response questions, that you can use in your own Google Slides presentations to assess students. 

2)  You can dictate into the speaker notes, then copy and paste the text into presentations. This can help both young students and struggling readers in creating full sentences in their presentations, even if they can't type yet. 

3) You can link data from multiple sources in charts you insert in Google Slides, which can help you keep data up to date. 

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

Google Slides can be a digital resource to use in my classroom to help students create their own information, just like we learned about in 21st Century Teaching pt. 1. With the many resources available in Google Slides, even young students can create powerful presentations that show the knowledge they have on different topics. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

In order to best meet the needs of my students, Google Slides could be a great resource to use for students to present information, much like I have observed in my internship. While being virtual, it is difficult for some students to be able to finish their work and stay engaged. Allowing students to create their own presentations, using the tools available in Slides, will help students avoid monotonous worksheets and create their own product. 

Google Slides Part 1 Podcast: Entry #7

 

1. What is something new that I learned? 

I really enjoyed hearing about the Choose Your Own Adventure idea in using Google Slides. I feel like this interactive idea is a great way to allow freedom of choice in instruction, while still guiding your learners in the correct direction of instruction. 

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I could apply this idea in my own Virtual Classroom to allow break out groups in which students can independently research and learn more about topics that they would like to. It is a simple, yet effective, way to allow freedom of choice in a focused way. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) You can tag your students in a comment on Google Slides (through the use of Google Classroom) to help point your students attention in a specific place on their projects or your presentations.

2)  You can use your Bitmoji to provide feedback in a visual way by copying and pasting the image into the students' slides. 

3)  You can make your Slides any size you like, so it is useful to whatever you need to use your creation for (like a virtual classroom banner). 

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

I can use Google Slides to provide feedback to students on their assessments. Students can use Google Slides to complete assessments, like portfolios or digital research projects, and I can be updated on their progress in real-time. Additionally, I can provide feedback, tag students in comments, and formatively assess students in a timely, effective manner. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

I can more easily use Google Slides in virtual situations to provide real-time feedback to my students. I can also format my slides in different sizes to create things that are useful for other things besides just a presentation. 

Resources for Teaching English-Language Learners- Entry #6

1.  What is something new that I learned? 

The idea that ELL students should read a new book daily is a fairly understandable but new idea to me. I know how important it is for students to constantly be engaged in independent and guided readings, but I was not aware of the magnitude of importance it held in helping ELLs discover the language itself. 

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I can apply this in the classroom by establishing reading time within my daily schedule to help all students be engaged in reading. This will help the fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary of not only my ELL students, but also my general population. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) When students are engaged daily in structured conversations, they are learning.

2)  The only way students are going to improve at writing ideas and conventions is to actually write. They should practice writing what they are passionate about.

3) ELL strategies are good for engaging all students. That's because they're interactive and focus on the four domains of language -- reading, writing, speaking, and listening -- which all students need support in developing. 

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

I can connect this information to the idea of strategic classroom management that I learned about in my Foundations classes. One of the most important things you can do is to establish routines that allow both guided and independent engaging practice of the skills you are teaching. In order to best meet the needs of my students, I can consider and apply these engaging strategies for reading and writing instruction in my classroom management foundation. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

The information presented in this resource is easily connected to the independent analysis of student needs that I have observed in my practicum experiences. In each placement, CTs have observed the needs of specific students, like ELLs, and have developed hands-on, impactful strategies to boost their learning experience. Then, these educators have considered how the whole class would benefit from these targeted instructional tactics. To best meet the needs of all students, I should engage all learners in interactive literacy instruction. 

Being a Second Language Learner- Entry #5

1. What is something new that I learned?

I really enjoyed how the speaker emphasized the importance of Second Language Speakers learning from their mistakes to improve their abilities overall.

2. How can I apply this in the classroom?

I can apply this to the classroom setting by allowing my ELL students to engage in productive struggle as they encounter and practice new elements of the English Language. This will set the students in the outer range of their ZPD, which will encourage them to strive for success at a greater level. This could be done through independent practice of reading and writing, or through partner opportunities, in which ELLs are able to learn from their mistakes to better improve their skills.

3. What are my top 3 take-aways?

1) As native speakers of the English Language, we must be more empathetic and understanding of the journey that our ELLs are on in understanding the language.

2) To best learn and be able to use the language, ELLs need to experience mistakes in order to overcome them.

3) Second language learners are more capable of applying the language when they can connect it to their own experiences and use it firsthand.

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

This information presented in the TED talk is easily connected to the information I have learned about a student's Zone of Proximal Development. In most of my blocks at JSU, a student's ZPD has been a major focus in scaffolding the students abilities and encouraging them to strive to go beyond their boundaries.

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

The information presented in the TED talk concerning the construction of knowledge through mistakes connects to the Growth Mindset ideas I have learned about in my placements. This mindset ideal encourages students to learn from their mistakes and work to overcome them. This directly connects to the ideas presented in this presentation relating to ELLs in the classroom.

Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for ELLs in the New Year- Entry #4

1. What is something new that I learned?

This article really introduced and highlighted the importance of increasing writing opportunities for ELL students. Before reading this article, I was predominantly aware of the importance of instruction focused on vocabulary, phonics, and integration of texts in teaching ELLs. However, I had never really known the importance of including writing in instruction for these students.

2. How can I apply this in the classroom?

I can apply this idea of increased writing opportunities for my ELLs by increasing the writing my students participate in a whole. I believe that all students should be asked to write every day so that they can learn the practiced ideals of writing, but also share their ideas and create their own work. I would love to include Writers' Workshops and daily Quick Writes to engage learners in the classroom.

3. What are my top 3 take-aways?

1. Teachers can work creatively to elicit background knowledge from students on content topics in order to increase comprehension of the material.

2.  Teachers need to understand how to design the classroom language environment so as to optimize language and literacy learning and to avoid linguistic obstacles to content area learning. 

3. Regular, open and friendly communication from the teacher can make a big difference in ELL parent participation.

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

I can connect the learned information about ELLs in this article to the information I learned in my Lit. Block classes. These classes focused on reading and writing to comprehend or compose texts. In order to help these students best reach their reading potential, students must also be given the opportunity to practice the words they are learning about themselves through their own writing.

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

I can connect the information from this article to some of the teaching strategies I have observed in my practicum placements. Many of the cooperating teachers I have observed have focused on the students' writing in their classes. This was done through a daily quick write, which called upon the students' schema and connections to write about personal topics. This idea would be useful in connecting the knowledge that ELLs have with the information they are learning.

15 Culturally-Relevant Teaching Strategies and Examples- Entry #3

 

1. What is something new that I learned? 

I really found the second strategy, Interview Your Students, very interesting. I have always heard of educators conferencing with students and asking questions about them, but this idea of interviewing students is new and interesting to me. 

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I would love to apply the strategy of Interviewing Students in my own classroom at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. I would use the first interview in the beginning of the school to really get to know the students and discover their backgrounds on a personal, connected level. I would re-interview the students in the middle of the year, after Christmas break, to see the level of growth the students have achieved and compare their answers to the first interview. I would also use this to formatively shape my instruction and the characteristics of my class. Lastly, I would conduct a final interview of the students at the end of the school year. I would use the same questions from the previous two interviews, but would include more specific ones about the upcoming school year as well. I would use these interviews to shape my connections with the students, format my instruction, and include the students' schemas into the classroom as a whole. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) Include different cultures and languages in your curriculum by presenting relevant material, such as movies, about them

 2) Embrace student vocabulary and communal practices by allowing them to teach each other through exercises such as jigsaw activities

3) Present relatable real-world problems for your students to solve, explicitly referencing cultures and communities when applicable

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

In the classroom, specifically in the Children's Literature course, I learned of many resources and teaching strategies to use to connect with students and create a culturally responsive classroom. This course focused heavily on including literature that showcases all of your learners backgrounds. Additionally, it presented many strategies for instruction, such as graffiti walls, Turn and Talks, and Jig-saws, that teachers can use to further student connections and create a culturally-responsive classroom. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

I have observed many examples of instructing students on Social Sciences related to the students' backgrounds in my practicum placements. Many teachers use Theme Units to cover social studies standards by tying the fundamentals of the standard to related topics that the students are familiar with. I could take this observed information a step further by allowing students to present information from their background that ties to the Theme Units. The class as a whole could then conduct studies and projects to connect these standards to their personal lives, creating a more culturally-responsive classroom. 

ESL/ELL Resources to Succeed in School- Entry #2

 

1. What is something new that I learned? 

Through reading this article, I learned that there are five different course levels of language proficiency that can be mastered by EL learners. These levels include Level One (Beginning), Level Two (High Beginning), Level Three (Intermediate), Level Four (High Intermediate), and Level Five (Advanced). The students can progress through each level as they grow in their proficiency in mastering the English Language through targeted instruction and courses.

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I can apply my new knowledge of these levels within my classroom by analyzing the students' proficiency in different categories to assign a level of mastery to each student. I could then use this collected data to place students in different levels according to their needs. This would help to keep instructional targets more aligned to students' needs and help to focus on what each student requires in their learning experiences. 

3. What are my top 3 take-aways? 

1) As of 2013, Spanish speakers comprised 71 percent of all English Language Learning students in the United States.

2) Since less than one percent of all public school teachers are qualified to teach ESL, many students do not receive the instruction they deserve. This means that I should work harder to meet the needs of my future students by seeking out appropriate professional development. 

4. How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

In the classroom at JSU, I have learned about so many resources available to help educators meet the needs of their students. Specifically, I have gained so much insight into the Google Translate options in many of the Google apps that help educators communicate with students and parents. I can use these apps to help me communicate with all Levels of EL learners to best categorize their needs and target my instruction in the future. 

5. How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

In my practicum placement, I have observed a school ELL Resource Team. This team was made up of educators and administrators from the school that compiled and shared resources to facilitate effective instruction for these students in their school. I can use these personal experiences to build my own team of collaborative educators (TESOL's) to help me gain the resources and information I need to reach my students. 

The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners- Entry #1

 

1. What is something new that I learned? 

Before reading this article, I was unaware of the importance of home visits in connecting with your English Language Learners. This article highlighted the deep connections that can be made with your students and their families through home visits. To best facilitate these learners' needs, it is of the upmost importance that teachers know their students both educationally and personally.

2. How can I apply this in the classroom? 

I can apply this new information about the importance of home visits in connecting with your students in my own classroom in the future by implementing effective parent communication and establishing relationships with my EL parents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of in person visits, I can send information and resources home with students through my virtual classroom. Additionally, I can utilize a video call app to speak with students and parents as allowed.

3. What are my top three take-aways? 

1) Collaborate with other specialized educators to create an establish community of responsible educators. 

2) Conduct on-going monitoring and provide targeted re-teaching strategies to address student errors  

3) Implement engaging activities that help you get to know your students in order to better meet their needs

4.  How can I connect this information with something I have learned in the classroom?

While reading the information presented in this resource, I thought of how I could connect it to the LETRS training I am currently implementing. In order to best meet the needs of the students', LETRS speaks heavily of the schema connections and engaging activities that you should implement to best meet the needs of your EL students. This resource focused heavily on the background knowledge that teachers should become familiar with and use as a resource in teaching their EL students. I have seen this importance firsthand, and plan to continue to use the strategies and information in this resource to further implement my LETRS instruction.

5.  How can I connect this information with something I learned in practicum/internship?

In one of my previous practicum placements, I was made aware of the difficulties that many educators face in connecting with both EL students and their parents. This article discussed many positive ways to create a nurturing environment. I plan to use this information to shape future relationships with EL students and parents and learn from the observations I have made in previous placements.