Communication

One of the focuses in Exploring Teaching is communication. We have been examining how to effectively communicate with both students and parents.

Today, we discussed obstacles to communication and how to over -come them to clearly and accurately communicate with students.

We began with “Bubble Gum Instruction” where each student was given a piece of gum and instructed to blow the biggest bubble possible. The students with the largest bubble then stepped out and in pairs of individually came back and instructed the class on “how to blow the perfect bubble.”

This activity helped illustrate the need to clear communication and how details and a common language are necessary when providing instruction. Students were able to use demonstration as a teaching method as well and showed how examples are helpful for learners.

 

 
Students then paired up and completed two communication activities. First, students got into pairs and assigned an “instructor” who would be in charge of giving directions and a “builder” who would be responsible for listening and following the directions given to construct a design.

Below are some pictures from this activity.
 

Students were able to effectively give directions to their peers. We discussed how these activities are similar to teacher/student communication and came up with strategies such as checking for understanding, repetition, following students' nonverbal cues, and asking students questions that students can employ to communicate effectively as a teacher.

Guest Speaker 9/15

Today we were very fortunate to have Karen Bevis and Sharon Brown the elementary education advisors from Emporia State come to our classroom. Karen Bevis oversees both the Johnson Country Community College and Kansas City Community College partnership program that allows students to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Emporia at these satellite locations. Sharon Brown is the Advising Office Coordinator for Emporia State’s College of Education.

They were able to answer many questions and explain the program in greater detail.  They provided information on the options for earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Emporia State: attend all classes at the Emporia campus for all 4 years, beginning at JCCC for 2 years and applying for the 2+2 partnership and complete your last 2 years in Johnson County, begin first 2 years at Emporia, transfer to 2+2 partnership for last 2 years and student teach in Johnson Country or complete any of the options at KCCC.

A benefit of Emporia is that you are in the classroom, working with students each semester in block classes. You will take methods and part time student teaching throughout the program to make sure teaching is really for you. Emporia also requires 2 full semesters of student teaching to prepare you for your 1^st year from beginning to end.

The education program requires 100 hours of contact with children before you are admitted to block 1 and the Teaching Internship hours count towards these hours.

 

Each student was encouraged to schedule a college visit and meet with an Education Advisor to make sure the program was for them.

 They also passed along the following links:

http://www.emporia.edu/teach/ncate/documents/SecondaryEdflierfolded.pdf

Secondary programs at ESU

http://www.jccc.edu/campus-visit/schedule-tour.html

 JCCC campus visits

http://www.emporia.edu/elecse/undergrad/

Undergraduate Elementary Education Home Page

 

 

 

Meet the Interns Part 2

Ms. Jacklyn

After GEHS Ms. Jacklyn plans on going to Johnson County Community College and then Emporia or KU. She wants to teach second grade, but after my first day with Mrs. Barth in my internship she thinks she might want to switch to teaching younger children possibly.

Jacklyn is interning with Mrs. Barth at Madison Elementary, 3-5 year olds.

·         Favorite Time of the Day:  The night time is my favorite time of day.

·         Favorite Color: My favorite color is Purple.

·         Favorite TV Show: My favorite TV show is charmed.

·         Favorite Movie:  My favorite movie is Twilight.

·         Favorite Animal: My favorite animal is a horse.

·         Favorite Thing to do on the weekend:  Last but not least my favorite thing to do on a weekend is sleep in and spend time with loved ones.

 

Ms. Casey

Ms. Casey  is planning on going to JCCC. She hopes to become a 1^st grade teacher and will be interning with Mrs. Simmons

·         Favorite Time of the Day:  The night time is my favorite.

·         Favorite Color: Purple or Blue

·         Favorite TV Show: Greys Anatomy

·         Favorite Movie: When in Rome or Letters to Juliet

·         Favorite Animal: monkey

·         Favorite Thing to do on the weekend:  my favorite thing to do on the weekends is to watch Netflix and lay in bed.

 

Ms. Sam

Ms. Sam plans to attend JCCC then Emporia or Fort Hays. She hopes to teach High School or maybe College and is  interning with Mr. Watchous

·         Favorite Time of the Day: Is twilight

·         Favorite Color: Purple or Blue

·         Favorite TV Show: Doctor Who, 4400, Sherlock

·         Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Day after Tomorrow

·         Favorite Animal: cats and dogs

Meet the Interns

Ms. Lori

After GEHS Ms. Lori is planning on attending college at either JCCC or Fort Scott for two years and then transferring to Emporia. She hopes to become a kindergarten teacher and will be interning with Ms. Armentrout this year.

·              Favorite Time of the Day: Afternoon

·              Favorite Color: Green

·              Favorite TV Show: Gossip Girl

·              Favorite Movie: Beauty and the Beast

·              Favorite Animal: Penguin

·              Favorite Thing to do on the weekend: Hangout with friends or sleep

 

Ms. Stefani

After GEHS Ms. Stefani is planning on attending Baker University or Briar Cliff University!

She is hoping to teach either 1st or 3rd grade and is interning with Liz Long and Erin Brown!

·          Favorite Time of the Day: I love the night time!

·          Favorite Color: My favorite color is orange!

·          Favorite TV Show:  My favorite TV Show is The Fosters!

·          Favorite Movie:  My favorite movie is Frozen!

·          Favorite Animal: My favorite animal is a giraffe!

·          Favorite Thing to do on the weekend: My favorite thing to do on the weekend is spend time with my niece and nephew!

 

Ms. Shelby

After GEHS Ms. Shelby is planning on attending JCCC and then KU. She plans on being an English Teacher and will be interning with Mr. Ben Ryan this year.

·         Favorite Time of the Day: Night

·         Favorite Color: Orange

·         Favorite TV Show: Dexter 

·         Favorite Movie: The Fault In Our Stars

·         Favorite Animal: Cats

·         Favorite Thing to do on the weekend: Hangout with friends, sleeping and watching Dexter

Teacher Interns: Assisting at Wheatridge Middle School

This Week, August 26-29th the Teaching Interns left GEHS and traveled to Wheatridge Middle School to help set up a classroom.

This helped students see how difficult and time consuming setting up a classroom to ensure organization and optimal use of space. Students assisted in the FCS classrooms and helped create posters, inventory supplies, organize and set up kitchens.

Students will being going to their placements Tuesday, September 2nd.

 

 

 

Ice Breakers

Objective: “Establish a positive climate to promote learning”

Over the first two weeks of school each student designed an “ice breaker” activity and taught the activity to the class. We did these activities to help meet our learning objectives:

· Establish a positive climate to promote learning. (KPES 5) (Domain 2.2a) 15.1

  · Establish respect and rapport to foster positive social and intellectual interactions.  

Some of the activities we did include:

· Year of the Coin, the Shoe Game, Brown Bag activity, Adjective Game, Dice Game, I Have Never. . .,  Human Scavenger Hunt, Telephone Name Game, Snowball Fight, What Would You Bring to the Picnic, Down by the Bank, Would You Rather, Freeze, Remember Me?, Red Rover, Deserted Island, Spider Web, Alphabetical Name Game

Exploring Teaching will hopefully allow students many opportunities to develop respect and promote learning in a variety of ways.