https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct A collection of my learning throughout this course en-us 2020-01-20 02:08:14 UTC 2026-01-08 08:48:40 UTC hello@padlet.com lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/433498028 On my identity web one of the words I wrote was patient. Over the course of this week I have realized that patience is a piece of my identity that can shape the relationships in my classroom and within my school. This can be teacher to student, student to student, and even teacher to teacher. Without being patient I am unable to meet my students emotional needs thus killing the relationship as the TED talk mentions. This creates space for an unsafe space within my own classroom. It is very easy to let the pressures of what needs to be accomplished that day over shadow the needs of my young 5 year old students. When my students do not feel heard by me it is easy for them to longer want to hear their classmates. On days when I am struggling with patience I witness my students bickering and arguing with each other more often. I really can set the example and tone for what is acceptable in our classroom. And it is important to remember this when I am in front of my students.]]> 2020-01-20 02:32:35 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/433498028 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/433502017 Two more words on my identity web this week were American and Hispanic. As a person who has grown up in American and Hispanic culture it is very easy to assume that my cultural experience is relevant to my students. For example as an American I have always celebrated Christmas by putting up a Christmas tree in my own home. And during the previous holiday season I decided to have my students create a Christmas tree on paper that was hung up to create a giant classroom tree. What I failed to realize at the time was that not all of my students participated in this Christmas tradition at home. Although they were all excited to make their piece of the tree it did not reflect the multiculturalism and diversity within my own classroom. From this experience I have realized that a classroom should focus on the culture of all of my students not just the ones that can relate my cultural experiences. ]]> 2020-01-20 02:55:07 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/433502017 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/436216586 This week I realized that my current job chart can serve more than one purpose. After reading Are Classrooms and Playgrounds serving Boys and Girls Equally I resonated with the idea that "Boys dominate not only classroom space, but also classroom talk.:" (Larremore 2018). It brought me back to the current boys in my class. Typically to begin a classroom discussion on a lesson I ask students to raise their hand, Think Pair Share, or Turn and Talk. I usually stay in the same space to listen to the discussion of whoever I hear or prompt a specific group to answer the question to me while others groups share. Often the boys in my classroom talk more often on what we are discussing than most of the girls even if they are confused about the topic. Many of the girls in my classroom have to be prompted to share their thinking. If they are confused they do not want to share, if they are too shy the result is the same. It can be difficult to make sure I am reaching students equally during this time. But then I read  "Randomly drawing student names using Popsicle sticks will ensure students have an equal opportunity to participate and share their responses." (Larremore 2018) and it made me think back to our classroom job chart. It currently has a list of all my students and could be utilized in picking students names at random to respond to classroom discussion questions. I believe this would allow me to reach those quite girls in my room with consistency. As well it will equalize the amount of time the boys respond.

]]> 2020-01-27 01:05:48 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/436216586 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/436226388 This week I also realized that my views of flexible seating in kindergarten were closed minded. My current school has many choices for flex seating including bouncy balls, wiggle stools, clipboards, and common spaces. When I first came to this school in 2017 I put out bouncy balls for meet the teacher. I immediately regretted that choice after watching children completely disregard their parents instructions to continue bouncing. It made me feel anxious about using this tool in the classroom as a new to the school teacher in her second year of education working with a new grade. After that experience I took out all of the flexible seating options in my room and stick with what I felt confident using tables, and sit spots. As the year went on I opened up to the idea of using a common space and started allowing my students to go work out there in small clusters. But I still had reservations about flexible seating. I had many unanswered questions and anxieties that prevented me from wanting to try it my own classroom. I did research to try and find answers to these questions but came up empty handed. Because deep down I still felt it was not appropriate to provide 5 and 6 year old students with that choice. It seemed unnecessary and I believed my classroom would function fine without it. After reading No Reading No Grade Is Too Early for Flexible Seating I related to the quote "I noticed that kindergartners could learn while standing, kneeling, huddling under a table, and even sitting in a wooden cubby." (Thomas 2017) In the last three years of working with 5 and 6 years old students I have seen some of the most engagement and critical thinking occur when students are allowed to move and choose where they learn. Even this year as I walk around the classroom I witness many students who can not sit only on their bottom when they work. Some students choose to stand, some sit on their knees, some even choose to stand with one leg and rest the other in a bent position in their chair. This article has impacted me by forcing me to be more open minded in regards to flexible seating. I would like to open up designated spaces that students are able to use clipboards in. I would like to do so with my students on where to designate these spaces. I still have concerns with managing this. I'm wondering if there is a system that can be created to help manage the number of students using clipboards at one time. I'm also wondering if there is a nonverbal signal that can be created for students to use to the classroom know when they are leaving their flexible seating choice. I'm wondering what can I add to these designated spaces to make it easy for students to access pencils, crayons, glue, and scissors. ]]> 2020-01-27 02:15:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/436226388 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/439250182 As said by Whyte (2008) You Can't Teach a Class You Can't Manage The physical environment of the classroom matters, but the emotional environment is important too. Children need to feel that the adults and other children in the classroom care about them. (p 5) Am I providing enough opportunities within my classroom that let my students build a community? The following artifact is an example of an intentionally planned moment where students were asked to act out part of a folktale. In doing so students were able to work on academic and social skills. I think to answer my previous question, No I am not providing enough. Within my own lesson plans I can provide more academic opportunities within my classroom to let students build community.]]> 2020-02-02 06:42:28 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/439250182 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442857982 As said by Ripp (2018) in The Sound of My Name They should not be forced to give up, to be fine with their name not being pronounced correctly. I think as a teacher it is so easy to be ignorant of the importance of correctly pronouncing a student's name. It can remove a students positive identity when we fail to honor this aspect of themselves. Am I providing an opportunity every year that allows my students to take ownership of their own name? One book that can be used every year is The Name Jar by Julie Graham. It can serves as a strong reminder to my students and myself that names are so important. And it can begin the conversation of honoring students with names that are difficult to pronounce. And instead of trying to brush past the difficult pronunciation taking the time to learn and practice how it should sound. This is not something I currently include in my lesson plans but is a tangible practice I can start including every year. ]]> 2020-02-10 05:08:39 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442857982 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442860651 As said by Entenmen, Murnen, and Hendricks (2006) Teachers can enact strategies other than simply reading a book out loud to students.(p 12) Through role playing in response to situations in the book students can practice how to respond before they are put in that situation. I recognize that this alone will not stop children from experiencing bullying or witnessing it. But can help better prepare them for these situations and show them how to respond.  ]]> 2020-02-10 05:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442860651 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442863429 As said by Minor in The Heartbeat of Your Classroom(2018) When we introduce texts and various activities that are center in equity, we must do so in a way that underscores the heartbeat of our classrooms: the need to belong, to feel safe, to be supported, to connect to matter. When your work becomes about those things, all the content your kids need to learn becomes stronger. Your responsiveness to the way your students learn becomes more fluent, and when you uplift the classroom community into a loveful space, equity holds your students tight. 

Specific ways I can plan for positive guidance are creating an interactive morning message. And tailoring these messages to focus on social skills, self control, and important concepts like activism and diversity. Another specific way that I can plan for positive guidance in my classroom is through redirection. When students are experiencing anger and want to hit someone or something I can provide an area in the room for them to use play dough, color, or use puppets. Expecting children to just know how to use these tools and master these skills will not work. Students need appropriate modeling and guidance for mastery and understanding of these skills and concepts. And also for using these tools to be appropriately redirected.]]> 2020-02-10 05:45:42 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/442863429 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/446158557 Over this week I have learned that one tangible practice I can implement in my classroom is books that teach children how to be resilient. Below is an example of such a story that emphasizes making mistakes and being okay with that. ]]> 2020-02-16 22:36:37 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/446158557 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/446225787 Over the course of this week I have come to realize that I am the most influential factor in my own classroom. I have the power and the responsibility to help my students develop or strengthen their resiliency muscle. Am I providing enough direct teaching of this word resiliency and it's importance to my students? Am I directly modeling resiliency when we work on academic skills that I know some students struggle with?]]> 2020-02-17 03:53:56 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/446225787 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108591 In my first year of teaching I got upset when a student yelled the f word in frustration at what I was asking of him. At the time my first reaction was anger, and the desire to discipline the student for using that word. I failed to realize the why behind his use of that language. And at the time I was not aware that this type of language was used around the student often. At home he did not get in trouble for using this word. My second year of teaching I worked with a principal that saw students sleeping as a reflection of our teaching. She told our staff that no students should be sleeping in class, and if they are we are required to stop teaching to wake them up. When the day came that a student fell asleep I immediately panicked out of fear she would find out and rushed to wake them up. But then it became a problem almost daily. At the time of this I was unaware that the mom was letting him stay up late because she had just fought off cancer and was trying to spend every moment with him that she could. The article below lists three specific ways teachers can commit racial microaggressions in the classroom. Again this unit is making me realize that I have a great influence on microaggressions within my own classroom. What other ways am I committing microaggressions within my own classroom? And what other ways are members of my school community also committing microaggressions?]]> 2020-03-04 03:46:57 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108591 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108635 From this module I learned there are many intentional ways that I can promote empathy within my own classroom. I can create discussions around empathy and kindness, provide examples and set clear boundaries and expectations. But I can also model kindness and empathy for my students. And provide them opportunities to practice and role play these skills. Children at a young age learn so many thing through play, and empathy is a skill they can practice during play with puppets. This article has an idea for an activity that will reinforce children's understanding of empathy. ]]> 2020-03-04 03:47:05 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108635 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108661 My learning from this module has helped me determine that Activism can be taught to young learners. And that 5 and 6 years old is a great time to introduce activism because students are developing their ideas of fairness.  This book provides useful examples of community. It will provide visual for students to help them process their own understanding of the word. And serve as a great engagement for the discussion of the word community. I have learned that developing a strong understanding of the words community/activism/results of activism is just a small part of promoting activism within my classroom. My take away from this module is that to promote activism I must help them to find problems in their own community and guide them in the process of solving them.]]> 2020-03-04 03:47:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108661 lapplegate33 https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108680 As said by ADL in 10 Ways Youth Can Engage in Activism Our country has a long history of youth-led movements that brought about significant social change. Young people have advocated for child labor laws, voting rights, civil rights, school desegregation, immigration reform and LGBT rights. Through their actions, the world has changed. Because young people often have the desire, energy and idealism to do something about the injustice they see in the world, they are powerful agents for change. From this module I have learned that students can utilize technology to be inspired into activism, or learn about real examples of youth activism. From my own research I have discovered there are specific ways students can utilize technology to spread their activist message with others. This can be done through generating awareness, social media, and to educate others through various digital media. The video below is an example of how social media (youtube) can be utilized to spread awareness, and promote activism in young children. ]]> 2020-03-04 03:47:18 UTC https://padlet.com/lapplegate33/i2a7aoayfnct/wish/454108680