Monday, April 28, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
The Fear of Failure
The fear of failure is beginning to control todays society. Many see it as a positive, because it causes people to work harder to prevent themselves from failing...but this concept is wrong. Without failure, how do you really learn what true success is? Without failure how do you appreciate success and its worth?
As a current student, weirdly enough, failure is one of my good friends. The more I fail, the more I realize that I have room to grow. If I were to never fail, I would have no want or need to try harder. And without the want or need to try harder, I wouldn't push myself. Just because you aren't "failing" doesn't mean that you are succeeding. To succeed, you must fail. And to fear the stepping stone to success is just illogical.
I've also put thought into how this would come into play as I begin my career as a teacher. And my stance stands strong. Failure is a teacher and one must learn from it. If I expect my students to learn from their teacher, then I must learn from mine. Failure is a good teacher... it doesn't just tell you what you've done wrong, but also shows you what you can do right from now on. I hope people don't take this teacher for granted. When I embark on my career, I plan on showing my kids that failure isn't something to be afraid of...because it has all the right intentions. Failure is purposeful and exists to make life easier. It isn't there to be bothersome but instead, to help you see what you did wrong so you don't trouble yourself and repeat it.
Many students believe that a bad grade indicates failure, but I disagree with this as well. A bad grade doesn't indicate failure, it indicates that the student doesn't fully understand the topic or that they didn't have time to finish it, or maybe even that the teacher didn't teach to his or her ability...but it doesn't indicate failure from the student. To say that a bad grade indicates failure would be to call all of my students failures. Everyone gets a bad grade every now and then and it has no reflection on their level of success.
Many students also believe that their grades indicate their knowledge. This in certain circumstances can be true, but very rarely. The grading system is simply the easiest and most effective way to evaluate a students progress at the moment. It can not gage a students intelligence. Intelligence is a concept that is far too broad to be held down by a grading system. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
And lastly I want to touch on criticism. Criticism can be used as the sticks and stones or it can be just what someone needs. The key is to keep it constructive. If criticism is used for the pure purpose of critiquing then it isn't needed. Sure, it's a good tool to learn how to take criticism such as this and to not let it effect you...but if one has to purposefully block out or strategically take in criticism so they don't get hurt, then is isn't useful and I would advise to against using it.
Failure shouldn't be feared. It should be viewed as a friend. "Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement" - C. S. Lewis
As a current student, weirdly enough, failure is one of my good friends. The more I fail, the more I realize that I have room to grow. If I were to never fail, I would have no want or need to try harder. And without the want or need to try harder, I wouldn't push myself. Just because you aren't "failing" doesn't mean that you are succeeding. To succeed, you must fail. And to fear the stepping stone to success is just illogical.
I've also put thought into how this would come into play as I begin my career as a teacher. And my stance stands strong. Failure is a teacher and one must learn from it. If I expect my students to learn from their teacher, then I must learn from mine. Failure is a good teacher... it doesn't just tell you what you've done wrong, but also shows you what you can do right from now on. I hope people don't take this teacher for granted. When I embark on my career, I plan on showing my kids that failure isn't something to be afraid of...because it has all the right intentions. Failure is purposeful and exists to make life easier. It isn't there to be bothersome but instead, to help you see what you did wrong so you don't trouble yourself and repeat it.
Many students believe that a bad grade indicates failure, but I disagree with this as well. A bad grade doesn't indicate failure, it indicates that the student doesn't fully understand the topic or that they didn't have time to finish it, or maybe even that the teacher didn't teach to his or her ability...but it doesn't indicate failure from the student. To say that a bad grade indicates failure would be to call all of my students failures. Everyone gets a bad grade every now and then and it has no reflection on their level of success.
Many students also believe that their grades indicate their knowledge. This in certain circumstances can be true, but very rarely. The grading system is simply the easiest and most effective way to evaluate a students progress at the moment. It can not gage a students intelligence. Intelligence is a concept that is far too broad to be held down by a grading system. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
And lastly I want to touch on criticism. Criticism can be used as the sticks and stones or it can be just what someone needs. The key is to keep it constructive. If criticism is used for the pure purpose of critiquing then it isn't needed. Sure, it's a good tool to learn how to take criticism such as this and to not let it effect you...but if one has to purposefully block out or strategically take in criticism so they don't get hurt, then is isn't useful and I would advise to against using it.
Failure shouldn't be feared. It should be viewed as a friend. "Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement" - C. S. Lewis
Click here to view some more inspiring quotes on failure!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Web 2.0 Tool: Blabberize
Web 2.0 Tools bring lessons to life!
I am going to use Blabberize in my classroom!
Blabberize is a website that allows limitless creativity to explain or teach anything you would like. In blabberize you pick any picture and crop the mouth out to create the allusion of a moving mouth. You then record your voice and blabberize does the rest. The website creates the movement based on the recording and it appears as if the picture is talking. Click here to go directly to the Blabberize website!
Here is Blabberize's cute introduction!
Watch this tutorial so you better understand this tool!
How do you establish an account one may ask?
1. Open the application and click register
2. Create a username and password
3. Let the creativity begin
This program is completely free and doesn't require parent permission nor does it have any age restrictions.
Applying it to real life:
I am using this web 2.0 tool in my 8th grade English class. I will be using this to liven up a vocabulary lesson. The class will be divided into groups and each group will be given a iPad. They will all log into my personal Blabberize account for convenience. (Blabberize allows you to log into the same account from different devices at the same time). I will then give each group five SAT words, each word having a different level of difficulty. The students will then need to give a definition of the word in their own words and put the word into a sentence being as creative as they can. All of which they can make fun and unique by using silly pictures and voices, thanks to Blabberize. Then once the class has finished, each group will show their Blabberize videos explaining their words so that the whole class learns the other words as well!
I wouldn't use this in high school for the students to do... but I would definitely use it as a teaching tool. I plan on randomly inserting funny blabberize videos into my lessons to keep the students interested. So whether it be for student use or teacher use, this is a great tool!
I picked this tool to present because though it may sound simple, it can work for ANY subject and any introductive activity. It is a very handy and versatile tool.
Here is an example of it working with History!
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Truth about Rigor
Rigor- the quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate.
How do you include rigor in your classroom?
First read this article to get a better understanding rigor. This article shows the most common myths of rigor and how to avoid them.
I plan to involve rigor in my classroom by lesson planing to include lots of critical thinking. I do not plan of including lots of work. More work doesn't mean more rigor. Though my assignment may seem short or even easy to the wondering eye, it will involve lots of deep thinking to create a stronger understanding. I think this is one of the funniest parts of teaching! As a teacher it is you're job to be creative and not only give assignments that cover the material but that cover it in a way that involves a higher level of thinking while keeping all of the students interested. And that is what real rigor is.
How do you include rigor in your classroom?
First read this article to get a better understanding rigor. This article shows the most common myths of rigor and how to avoid them.
I plan to involve rigor in my classroom by lesson planing to include lots of critical thinking. I do not plan of including lots of work. More work doesn't mean more rigor. Though my assignment may seem short or even easy to the wondering eye, it will involve lots of deep thinking to create a stronger understanding. I think this is one of the funniest parts of teaching! As a teacher it is you're job to be creative and not only give assignments that cover the material but that cover it in a way that involves a higher level of thinking while keeping all of the students interested. And that is what real rigor is.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Creativity
My views on creativity and how it impacts education.
Before I even started watching the TED Talk I really thought about my own opinion of creativity and all its effects. I started from the beginning. What is creativity? To me creativity is the capability to be able to think of original material or ideas. Creativity is the basis for individualization. Without creativity everyone would be the same and we would be stuck in a monotone world. Creativity not only makes things fun but it finds a way to apply an idea or even material to every individual specifically. Education would be lost without creativity. Students would be without interest and engagement. Some wouldn't understand anything because their learning style isn't being met. Creativity is a must in education. It keeps needs met and interests peeking.
After the TED talk, my original beliefs were confirmed. But that's not all... This video showed me that creativity has more of an impact then just keeping the students attention or meeting basic needs. Creativity can determine someone's whole future. If a teacher isn't being creative to help an average or a creative student then that teacher is potentially ruining that students future. Creativity unleashes aspirations and goals for students. It reveals capabilities that may have not ever been seen otherwise.
So be creative. Teach creativity. And inspire others to be creative as well... because without it not only education, but people, are doomed.
Click here to view the interesting TED Talk that reminded me just how important something as simple as creativity truly is!
Before I even started watching the TED Talk I really thought about my own opinion of creativity and all its effects. I started from the beginning. What is creativity? To me creativity is the capability to be able to think of original material or ideas. Creativity is the basis for individualization. Without creativity everyone would be the same and we would be stuck in a monotone world. Creativity not only makes things fun but it finds a way to apply an idea or even material to every individual specifically. Education would be lost without creativity. Students would be without interest and engagement. Some wouldn't understand anything because their learning style isn't being met. Creativity is a must in education. It keeps needs met and interests peeking.
After the TED talk, my original beliefs were confirmed. But that's not all... This video showed me that creativity has more of an impact then just keeping the students attention or meeting basic needs. Creativity can determine someone's whole future. If a teacher isn't being creative to help an average or a creative student then that teacher is potentially ruining that students future. Creativity unleashes aspirations and goals for students. It reveals capabilities that may have not ever been seen otherwise.
So be creative. Teach creativity. And inspire others to be creative as well... because without it not only education, but people, are doomed.
Click here to view the interesting TED Talk that reminded me just how important something as simple as creativity truly is!
Monday, January 27, 2014
My thoughts about Wendy Davis' educational plans for Texas... click here to read the article for yourself!
Though Wendy Davis may have only good intentions for Texas and it's education programs, I do not fully agree with everything she has to say. Wendy states her number one rule in her plan for Texas as, "High school students in the top 20% of his or her class during junior year who commit to teaching will be guaranteed early acceptance to college and a guaranteed teaching job in a Texas classroom upon completing his or her requirements and certification". Sounds nice to me as a junior in the top 20% of my class planning to become a teacher... but one must realize that not all juniors, in the top 20% or not, will make an adequate teacher. People should be hired on their capabilities and teaching skills... not on their high school ranking and or their plan to become a teacher. On the other hand, I do support one of Wendy's others rules being to "Reestablish the educational aide exemption to help teachers aides go back to school for certification as full-time teachers". I know many fantastic aides that would make incredible teachers but unfortunately they weren't able to go back to college. So if she would stay true to her word and really support aides in this way, I would be impressed. She has a plan for teachers pay being to "Attract and retain highly-qualified teachers by bringing Texas teacher pay in line with the rest of the country". Though I love this as well, I am a bit skeptical of this due to it being seemingly impossible without raising taxes.
I think Wendy Davis has some fixing to do with her planning before Texas should follow along, but I will agree that she has some good ideas when it comes to the education system.
Though Wendy Davis may have only good intentions for Texas and it's education programs, I do not fully agree with everything she has to say. Wendy states her number one rule in her plan for Texas as, "High school students in the top 20% of his or her class during junior year who commit to teaching will be guaranteed early acceptance to college and a guaranteed teaching job in a Texas classroom upon completing his or her requirements and certification". Sounds nice to me as a junior in the top 20% of my class planning to become a teacher... but one must realize that not all juniors, in the top 20% or not, will make an adequate teacher. People should be hired on their capabilities and teaching skills... not on their high school ranking and or their plan to become a teacher. On the other hand, I do support one of Wendy's others rules being to "Reestablish the educational aide exemption to help teachers aides go back to school for certification as full-time teachers". I know many fantastic aides that would make incredible teachers but unfortunately they weren't able to go back to college. So if she would stay true to her word and really support aides in this way, I would be impressed. She has a plan for teachers pay being to "Attract and retain highly-qualified teachers by bringing Texas teacher pay in line with the rest of the country". Though I love this as well, I am a bit skeptical of this due to it being seemingly impossible without raising taxes.
I think Wendy Davis has some fixing to do with her planning before Texas should follow along, but I will agree that she has some good ideas when it comes to the education system.
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