Educational Blogging

Educational blogging is a blog created for educational purposes that facilitate reflection, question self, and others, and provides context for higher-order thinking. Educational blogging promotes various benefits such as; sharing resources with others, reflecting on lessons, sharing work, and much more. It is important to consider who the audience is that you are speaking to and to have goals for why you are blogging and the points that you want to make. Educational blogging can be a quick resource for teachers to share with parents what the students are learning and the purpose behind it. Also, it is nice to write about things you know and are passionate about, and educational blogging can be a relief for educators to get the word out there.    

Girl reading while sitting on top of books.

Educational blogging has opened up more opportunities for me to learn about classroom management, check-in and check-out methods, and proximity control. Starting the day by checking in with my students allows me to be able to understand where my students are emotionally that day. This allows me to create plans for my students that need extra emotional support when having a bad day. I also have a better understanding of new ways to manage my classroom and techniques that other teachers have incorporated. For instance, there is a wall of rules given at one school so when students get in trouble they have to go to the wall of rules and look over them again. Proximity control is something I was unsure how I could accumulate in my classroom in a professional way and I have been able to gather a new understanding of implementation through others' research.                                                                                                                      

Blogging has been new for me, but enjoyable. It is quite easy, but an excellent resource for research and publishing information that I feel passionate about. I would like to incorporate blogging in my classroom for myself as a tool, but also a tool for my students to blog about what they have learned and taken from instruction. This will enhance my understanding of their comprehension, yet also be a tool for me to share updates, ideas, and content with my students and their parents. 

Family Factors / Home Environment

Family factors and home environments are the circumstances and social climate conditions within families. Family factors and home life are incredibly important when it comes to the classroom. Many students face a lot at home, which can affect how they perform when they come to the classroom. Home environments can have an effect on students' grades, assignments, motivation, self-confidence, attendance, and behavior. It is significant that teachers are aware of student's home life in order to help best serve them in the classroom. With trusting communication, teachers can work with students to determine what kind of day it is going to be in the class. An example would be, maybe not calling on a student to answer as many questions so they can work independently and at their own pace that day.                                                   

Students engaging in the teacher's lesson

Family factors and home environments are two important aspects to me. I feel strongly about taking care of students first. Not all students get the best home life, so it is very imperative for me to do daily check-ins. Some students may not want to share personally what is going on, but check-ins are a great way to let the teacher know that they need a little bit more care that day. In my experience, I sub part-time and have observed in low-income elementary schools. There are many students in these schools that have expressed to me difficulties at home. I have had the opportunity to observe mentor teachers and see how they treat the situation. One student, in particular, did best on bad days working alone and staying to himself. He completed all of his work in a timely manner and still raised his hand if he needed any assistance. Another student was given three options to decide what worked best for their situation. They were given the opportunity to sit out in the hall for five minutes to gather, pass on doing the activity, or continue to do the activity with a partner or individually. I loved the idea of giving the students choices and allowing them to decide what works best for their feelings. A student's education is incredibly important, but also making sure that they are doing well is just as important. 

Classroom Management

Classroom management is the process teachers use to ensure that classroom lessons run smoothly without disruptive behavior from students compromising the delivery of instruction. It can be defined as the actions teachers take to establish and sustain an environment that fosters students' academic achievement as well as their social, emotional, and moral growth. Classroom management isn't necessarily keeping everyone quiet and in their seats, but it's about building strong relationships with students, encouraging them to take part in their own learning, and sharing a little about yourself along the way. Effective classroom strategies for students include offering praise, allowing students to help establish guidelines, document rules, and much more. Communication is fair and clear, and the classroom sustains an orderly environment for the students.                                                            

Students raising their hands

Classroom management is an educational topic that I love to learn more about. In my experience, I have been adjusted and used to having a behavior clip chart growing up. Even in my elementary classrooms, we had to pull a card or clip due to our behavior that day. At the end of each day, if we remained to have good behavior or clipped up, we got a treat out of a surprise box to reward our good behavior. Rewards are something that I have learned to be huge, especially for an elementary-aged classroom. They love to earn points, stars, treats, and more when it comes to good behavior. Something I have learned is to always stand by your students, and give them praise, and options as much as you can. I believe that classroom management is an excellent thing, and it allows teachers to have control over their classroom behavior. Students come in every day with a clear routine of what is expected of them because of classroom management strategies, and this allows things to run smoothly. Classroom management strategies can change from year to year, but creates a safe and comfortable classroom environment to meet all students' needs. 

                                                      

Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent manner. They are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are predetermined and scored the same for all students. In the USA, students are now required to take standardized tests beginning in elementary school. According to an article by Burrows, standardized tests are used  to determine students' academic readiness in higher education. As you approach higher education and look into the future, you have to research which tests are required for admission to each school. Examples of these tests include; ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT. Standardized tests are performed across the United States to scale the performance of how students perform and continue to promote scholarship opportunities, college acceptance, and more based on their test results.                                                                                      

 Students taking a standardized test

Standardized testing was not always my favorite throughout my educational experience. I have always done exceptionally well in the classroom on quizzes, assignments, group projects, and more. When it came to taking large tests I gathered a lot of anxiety. Though I could tell you the given material at any time, test scores showed that I did not know the material. I have never liked the idea of a student's knowledge being based on a test score when so many factors tie into that score. Maybe a student gets anxious or didn't get breakfast that morning, or maybe had gotten into an argument in the car before arriving at school. Many factors can affect these test score results. This is why it is imperative to encourage students so that they know they are more than their test results. It is important to test students on prior knowledge, however, it would be beneficial to use other strategies where they are not labeled by their score. I hope one day we can collaboratively find a way to enhance students' understanding of their academics, without stressing so much about a score.