Allie's Blog

Having different games to play in your classroom can be very beneficial to new learners. But, there are many things that must be considered while choosing an educational game for students. It is important that the teacher play the game first to make sure it is appropriate for both the curriculum and development level of the student. The game should not be too challenging but challenging enough for students to have to think while playing the game. Overall, the game should be educational along with beneficial to new learners.

The website that I found for my game is education.com/games. Throughout this website, there are many different language arts and math games you can play. These games are categorized by the game itself, grade, subject, and/or topic. Once you select what you are looking for, there are a handful of games that fall into that specific category. This website also offers printable worksheets, activities, songs, stories, and guided lessons/lesson plans. What I like best about this website is every game that you choose, goes along with a common core standard. You are able to click on any game and at the bottom will be the standard that is being practiced throughout.

The game that I chose was “Bubble Buster: Addition to 10.” This bubble buster game is designed for first grade students who are looking to practice their skills with adding to 10. The student will be asked to click on two different numbers that add to 10 as quickly as possible. If the student is too slow, the bubbles will fill up the screen and they will lose. If the students are adding to 10 quickly, they will graduate to more challenging levels as they play. When I first started to play this game, I found it to be a bit slow just because there are only so many different ways to add to 10 and the game gives you quite a bit of time to do it before another bubble falls down. After moving up to different levels, the bubbles get faster and faster so a student really has to know their facts to fulfill that level. I do like this game because I believe it is a quick and easy way for students to practice adding to 10. I also believe that the students will be motivated to play this game because there is a challenge providing many different levels of speed. A way to better this game would be to have numbers other than 10 to add up to. This way, students are able to practice with many different numbers and they aren’t just adding to 10 all of the time. A way that I would use this game in my classroom is to make it competitive and more fun for students. I would do this by giving each child an iPad and having this game on the screen to play. I would put a timer on for a certain amount of time and at the end, students with the highest score/points/level can pick a prize. By presenting the game this way, you can move the game along by just having it be played for a short amount of time. In this time, since students are competing with other students, they will feel motivated to play the game as well as practice their addition skills.

 

Personal information
1. My name is Allie Chimera

2.  I am from Buffalo, NY.

4. My favorite thing to do in my free time is to try new recipes. I love trying new foods as well as cooking many different new things. I also like to go shopping and hang out with friends/family. During this semester, I hope to make deans list.

Learning Style and more:

5. For me to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a course, I must have a full understanding of what is going on. If I don’t have a clear explanation of what is expected, I may become shy when it comes to taking different risks in a course. What also helps me to take risks, is when I am close with the class, as well as the professor. I am able to be more creative when I know who I am presenting in front of.

What have you been reading?

6. http://theconversation.com/how-parents-and-teachers-can-make-school-a-happy-place-for-kids-53314

This article explains how parents and teachers can make school a happy place for kids. As a future teacher, my goal is to make sure that all students are always comfortable, safe, and happy in the classroom. It is crucial for children to be in the right environment to be able to grow and succeed. This article gives many examples for parents and teachers to refer to, to make sure that their children are successful.

About Dr. Shutkin:

7. One question I have about the class is will it be more group orientated other than the blog posts? Or, is the class more individual? Another question I have is what is your favorite course to teach at John Carroll?

 

Implemented in 2001, “ The No Child Left Behind Act” introduced new standards to the American education system. The goal of the act was to improve federally funded school’s academic standards nation wide. The act has produced many good results, but has many drawbacks as well. Because of this, the effectiveness of the act has been highly debated in recent years.

The act has increased the quality of education in America. By introducing standardize testing and content, children are held to higher academic standards in order to proceed through school. Also, the act increased bettered learning environment by increasing teacher qualifications. Previously, teachers could utilize more excuses to alleviate blame for poor student performance. Further, the act looked to improve children’s lives attending unsafe or failing schools. Parents in these districts could choose other public schools or take advantage of free tutoring being offered. Throughout the years the act benefited many American Children.

Though the act has many positive aspects, there are also many disadvantages. Schools had to meet certain adequate yearly progress requirements (APY) in order to keep receiving funding. After two straight years a school did not meet APY standards students were given the option to transfer to other schools. This allowed many bright students to leave the school district. With many people leaving and continual decline in overall performance many schools were forced to close. Also, the act left a student reliance on testing instead of actually obtaining knowledge. This leads to all sorts of problems. Other negatives included a decrease in teacher’s salaries, though standards for being a teacher increased and not many accommodations for students who needed them.

After reviewing the No Child Left Behind policy, though flawed I still believe the act was a good thing. The act started us on a track for academic improvement in America. However, I do believe provisions could be added for overall improvement. In high school, I had a few friends that did not pass their AP tests, though received A’s in their classes. As they did not pass the AP test, they were not able to receive credit for their courses in college. This caused them to spend extra money to retake classes they did well on because they could not receive a certain score on a standardized test. As this cost my friends, I feel this is something that could be changed to improve the system.

There are two main categories that teachers should always have in the back of their mind while interacting with students. One is the demonstration of love and respect. Teachers are with their students more than the students are with their own parents and families. Considering the classroom is like a home to these kids, it should also feel like one as well. Walking into a loving and respectful environment will make it easier and more comfortable for each individual to voice their views (whether it entails queer theory or not). The second category that should always be portrayed is teachers remaining neutral on issues. Teachers should always remain neutral to simply educate their students into holistic people and to endorse all thoughts and ideas. If a teacher voices her beliefs out to the students and they have a different opinion then it may lead to questioning the validity of their thoughts. Children will always be growing and developing so when it comes to their thoughts and ideas, it is very important to be respectful and remain neutral to help discuss and educate these students to become the best version of themselves as possible.

 

The more viewpoints that are discussed with a student, the more that student will understand which will help with the growing as a child. Students will relate with others and create bonds, further developing their identities and coherencies. While the teacher is participating in these discussions while remaining neutral, students will most likely buy into the authenticity and feel a lot more comfortable in the classroom environment. In my opinion, the best way to create an inclusive classroom and combat injustices is for the teachers to give each individual the respect that they deserve and to also remain neutral in complicated issues.

 

When it comes to “heteronormative standards in the education system,” it is always a good thing for teachers to talk about different relationships that they have in their life. Obviously not too personal but it is always good for the students to hear what is going on outside of the classroom, especially to grasp what a healthy relationship looks like with all aspects of gender. Though it may feel pressuring, talking about the debate of gender is healthy for a classroom setting.

 

In my high school, all of my teachers were pretty open about most things. I always felt comfortable and respected to go talk to them if I ever had an issue. What was also really nice was we usually had assemblies talking about different issues that would go on so it was more of a whole school thing rather than just something that was discussed in the classroom. We also had many clubs that you could join and many after school activities that had teachers actually stay later just to discuss certain topics with students that chose to stay with them. There are many ways to dismantle these socially invented categories and we as educators need to focus on doing so with each individual in the classroom.

The main difference between African American students and Irish American students within the education system is the way students “see.” Some students may see one thing while others may see something else.

Depending on what the student may see will depend on what they learn or the different techniques that each individual can provide for the classroom.

Though these two groups have many differences, they are still in the same classroom learning the same things. Whether they came from the African American culture or the Irish American culture, they are now adapting to the same culture and learning the same material together within the classroom.

There are many steps that we can take to eliminate prejudice against all groups of students in the American education system. The overall goal would be for schools to have a “tolerant curriculum.” Tolerant Curriculum is a way of students expressing exactly who they are without the fear of racism or prejudices. Each student will represent themselves in their own way depending on what they choose that way may be. There isn’t any bias in tolerant curriculum. A big step that needs to be taken to get to the result of tolerant curriculum is having the students be self aware of who they are, confidence in how to express who they are, and positive social identities. Each student will also need to understand how to recognize and understand the dangers of unfairness, and have the skills to act against prejudice and discrimination when it may come up. I don’t believe there is a way to eliminate prejudice against all groups of students in the American education system all together but I do believe that there is a way to act on it and to teach students how to act on it in a positive yet powerful way.

In the article Can Service Learning Reinforce Social and Cultural Bias? Exploring a Popular Model of Family Involvement for Early Childhood Teacher Candidates, Maylan Dunn-Kenney explored cultural biases we may have. Several cultural biases became apparent in the article.

Poverty stems from individual or family failure- This commonly held bias the belief that they alone are responsible for their situation as if it were a choice. The belief that poverty is due to failure as opposed to a lack of solutions for these families. “Instead of understanding how societal structure played a role in social isolation, punitive surveillance, and lack of access to resources.”

Children living in poverty are unloved and cannot be happy in their home- This bias focuses on the belief that children living in poverty are not loved by their family and live in total unhappiness. The belief that these children cannot be cared for properly. Also the belief that a great deal of violence is present in the home.

Children living in poverty are at risk- This bias involves the thinking that not only are children of poverty in danger of not progressing academically but also the belief that their parents do not care. There is a tendency to make judgements about their abilities as opposed to looking at developmental milestones. Instead of hope there is a bias that these children just cannot be helped due to their family situation. The belief that we can make things better with the mere extending of a hand with material resources as opposed to having a true understanding of each individual.

In my service experience I am spending time at a shelter for abused women and children. This shelter has women and children who have had varying lengths of stay. Some families I have met are new to the house and others have been there for some time. I spend every Wednesday evening there. The most eye opening part of my service work was the process we needed to go through prior to actually going to the shelter. At the time I didn’t understand the reasons for the confidentiality or the fact that we did not even have an address. However, once there, I understood that these are women and children that have experienced extreme abuse. They have feared for their lives and the lives of their children.

I think long and hard about my time at the shelter. It is not a place where you can come and go and only think about it when you are there. I now understand the danger these women have experienced and the significant impact it has had on their children. I have the privilege of spending time with the children there. Play time. However, what we plan is not always what we do. Every time I have gone, I have experienced something that I have never experienced before. I am beginning to understand that it is not about the plan or the activity. It isn’t even about how “fun” I can make it. It is about each child. What they may need or what they want at any given moment. It is also not about me talking—-it is about me listening and being present.

I am learning to understand that I have biases. I was raised in a very sheltered world. When I was reading the article mentioned in this blog, I could hear myself thinking or saying things about “showing appreciation for the help I am giving.” I know how I felt the first time we didn’t complete a craft I had prepared.  I feel like I am beginning to understand my role in service. My role is to be present and aware. Aware of each child’s need at any given moment.

In late February of 2018 the West Virginia strike began causing 20,000 classroom teachers shut down schools against all 55 countries. Protestors lined the street with signs demanding higher pay and the anti-union committees were dissembled. About two weeks into the teacher strike, the teachers got a 5% pay raise by West Virginia’s government and the anti-union committees were dissembled as wished. After other teachers heard about this strike that was the talk of the country, they started following the actions of West Virginia teachers and protested strikes of their own.

In the article by Maxine Greene, she discusses the concept of “wide-awakeness” which refers to the idea that individuals that are “wide awake” know about the life occurrences outside of that specific individual. To be wide awake means not being narrow-minded. These specific individuals not only know how to express themselves but also how to express their knowledge and make their knowledge also everybody else’s knowledge. Greene would say that teachers today are organized enough to be able to speak out for their beliefs, showing that they follow West Virginia’s lead.

Teachers that are for the strike proposal are in fact “wide awake.” Greene states that today in modern society, individuals have the feeling of being dominated and powerless. She also suggests that “such feelings can to a large degree be overcome through conscious endeavor on the part of individuals to keep themselves awake.” This “wide awakeness” from the teachers proves that they are capable for standing up for what they believe instead of just doing what the union insists they do.

When I watched the Sesame Street Video at first, it just appeared to me as Sesame Street characters just dancing around like usual. I didn’t see how this could be related to education at all other than the counting blocks and ABC blocks shown during the video. After watching the video, a couple times, I realized that it goes along perfectly with the Common School Model.

The Common School Model is defined by everyone receiving an equal and common education. Sometimes education and the education students may receive is questionable because of family backgrounds. Some students come from a high- income family while others may come from a low- income family. The Common School Model shows that no matter what the family background is or what type of income your family receives, each student will get the same education. Rich and poor families are mixed together in the same schoolhouse and have a greater equality of opportunity.

In this video of Sesame Street, it shows that no matter what size, color, where you live, or what you believe in, you will still receive the same education as everybody else that may be different than you. Though there is competition, you will not be discriminated against because of where you come from or the background that you portray. Everybody in the same school as you will have an equal chance to succeed. Your family background may impact how you act as a person but it will by no means impact the type of education that you will receive as a student.

Through my K-12 years, I always went to a public school. Both of my parents, being public school teachers, they never really thought anything else other than sending me to a public school. This was always a huge debate between my friends and me because half of us went to public schools and half of us went to private schools. Each of us thought we were right in where we were going and didn’t really understand the other side of things for the others that went to private schools. In my opinion, this will always be a strong debate and I don’t see anything changing in the near future.

When being in a public-school district, you can’t pick what school you go to. You go whatever school is closest to you so the school isn’t set on goals or making the students happy. Since you’re paying to go to a private school, the schools want to make you educated and happy so you keep coming back to that institution. Many people don’t realize or understand the argument over “school of choice.” There are two separate sides of freedom on this specific debate. One side is based on market choice when the other side is based on democratic participation. In this article, people like DeVos will most likely assume that organizing students in public schools will lead to beneficial outcomes. This is not necessarily true because supporters of “school of choice” ignore all of the political ramifications that are really going on in the educational system.

1. My name is Alessondra Chimera but I prefer to be called Allie. My pronouns are she, her, and hers.
2. I am from Buffalo, New York.
3. I plan on teaching Early Childhood and hopefully Special Education as well for grades K-3.
4. Something I plan on doing that is new to me this semester is working out and eating healthy. I just recently started working out at Burn Bootcamp in Beachwood. It’s a day to day 45-minute workout with special trainers that put you through a high intensity work out and get you on the right path to a healthy body. I do it with 4 of my closest friends and not a lot of people do it so it’s really unique and special to me.
5. The one thing that matters most to me is family.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/to-the-person-who-has-lot-of-friends-but-doesnt-belong-anywhere

My family and I are really close and always have been so I don’t know where I would be without them. I have a younger brother that is 16 and since we aren’t that far away in age, we get along really well and talk about everything together. Without the love and support from not just my immediate family but my extended family as well, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

6. For my course-approved service activity, I enrolled in the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center (DVCAC).
7. For me to take intellectual and creative risks in a college classroom, I like knowing that the professor has an open mind. It is always hard volunteering or raising your hand in a class and getting something wrong if the professor makes fun of your answers. Also, it is easier when I know someone else in the class. I’m more open to volunteering or sharing my ideas to the rest of the classroom if someone I know is in there with me.
8. Where I live, for years now, it has been hard to get hired in the education field. The district that I went to school in has been cutting teachers for 5+ years now so I’m just concerned that I won’t be able to get an immediate job when I get my teaching degree. Also, since I will only be certified in Early Childhood Education, I’m concerned that there will only be a limited number of teachers that will be needed in those specific grade levels.
9. What is one significant thing that I will be taught in this course that will help me become an amazing teacher?