Lesson Planning & Teenage Brain

Learning about how the brain works and how it controls our actions is fascinating. Adolescents go through a lot of brain development during school years, as teachers we have to plan our lessons to help shape their teenage brain. Creating enriching environments that foster critical thinking is very important, in addition a teacher should teach to multiple intelligence to reach every student. Repetition is a key factor to help the brain grow, "When a neuron receives a message repeatedly, the connection is strengthened". To help release good brain chemicals a teacher can motivate the students through various ways such as humor, kindness, giving students choices, and positive interaction with peers helps boost these good chemicals. To help students retain information, as a teacher I try to access their active working memory and their long term memory. Developing strategies to access these lanes of the brain is very important; a teacher can accomplish that through designing graphic organizers, encouraging peer collaboration, summarizing, repeating, and most importantly trying to make emotional connections with concepts. Emotional memory is "The most powerful memory. If it takes over, you lose logic". Playing music in the class is a teaching strategy that helps access emotional memory; moreover teacher enthusiasm and knowledge of students and their interests are very important.In my lesson plan I try to incorporate this knowledge and implement teaching strategies that support my students' growth and development. Engaging students in conversations and meaningful debates about concepts is a goal of mine when designing a Math lesson. Making connections with our surroundings through Mathematics is essential to access my students' brains and motivate them to learn. Repeating concepts, summarizing, using gestures, and creating a positive atmosphere through humor and kindness are my key factors when designing a lesson.

Management Plan

Classroom Management Plan

Introduction

I believe all students are capable of learning and effective teachers can reach to any student. As a teacher I am working on improving my teaching strategies and management approaches regularly to create a harmonious classroom environment. My educational philosophies that most represent me are Essentialism and Reconstructionism. These philosophies will reflect on my classroom management strategies. I identified with various discipline approaches of classroom management; cooperative discipline, inner discipline, synergetic discipline, and positive classroom. I believe through implementing these approaches in my classroom misbehaviors will diminish and students will enjoy class and further cooperate to reach success.

Preventive Approach

Preventive management approaches set students up for success, as they are implemented to avoid misbehaviors and encourage better behaviors. My preventive strategies come from the cooperative and inner discipline approaches.

1-      Catch them being good (Albert, 1989-1996). Giving students complements and showing appreciation when they are doing something good is a great way to set them up for achievement. As a teacher I keep an open eye for good behaviors, I commend them for doing a good thing and show that I noticed their action. I believe through implementing these strategies, students will show more good behaviors and therefore I am leaving less room for misbehaviors.

2-      Teach them to ask for attention (e.g. "Notice Me, Please" cards) (Albert, 1989-1996). This strategy is very helpful as it steers students to ask for help without being a distraction or an interruption. Using “notice me cards” or “help flags” students will be able to get the attention they need without disrupting the flow of the lesson.

3-      Develop rules to guide the class (Coloroso, 1994). Developing basic rules that guide the students towards meeting expectations and making better decisions is essential. Students can also share their input and develop class rules themselves to create the classroom environment they want and expect.

4-      Hold class discussions on the rules, their implications, and their consequences (Coloroso, 1994). I believe this goes hand in hand with “Class meetings to address class activities and behaviors” (Kohn 1996) .Regular classroom meetings and discussions are crucial to maintain an ongoing flow of the lessons. Coming up with new rules or adjusting previous rules to fit current needs is very important. Reminding students of class rules and asking them on which rules they think works or doesn’t work is a very good approach. I believe this reflects my Reconstructive educational philosophy.

5-      Include students in decision-making & problem solving (Kohn, 1996). This reflects my previous point as to students developing their classroom rules as well as the teacher. Coming up with rules that fit everyone is vital for preventing misbehaviors and promoting ownership of the learning process.

6-      Creating spaces in the classroom where our students can feel comfortable (Jackson, 2010). Appreciating students’ different strength and skills and respecting their background and culture is very important, doing that will help students develop a sense of belonging to the class. Creating a classroom community where all students feel valued is a great approach to prevent any behavioral issues.

Supportive Approach

Supportive management approaches are very important to maintain a positive classroom environment. I have come to understand that supporting good behaviors through showing my appreciation and commending students for their actions is key.

1-      Classrooms with a sense of community are more likely to develop caring and responsible students (Kohn 1996). Through regular classroom meetings students can develop a sense of community where they feel responsible for their own learning. I will work on implementing this strategy by having classroom meetings weekly to discuss with students current problems and promote good behaviors.

2-      Establish classroom discipline upon a basis of dignity and hope (Mendler, 1983). Giving students hope that they can succeed even if they are experiencing struggles is very important. Supporting them and directing them towards facing these problems is very important, realizing that ignoring their struggles will lead to misbehaviors, and pushing them towards the right path while respecting them and acknowledging their effort is essential.

3-      Class meetings to address class activities and behaviors (Kohn 1996). Maintaining regular class meetings is very important. I plan on being consistent with these meeting to support and promote good behaviors.

4-      Give students opportunity to solve their problems. Ask them how they plan to do so (Coloroso, 1994). Allowing students to make their own decisions through evaluating their problems is very important. I can be the guide that direct them towards a good decision by asking them questions, yet is they come up with the decision themselves that would be best. Respecting them and giving them the time and opportunity to solve their problems will help them beyond academics.

5-      Teacher must immediately begin to emphasize a developing sense of family in the class (Charles, 2000). Developing a sense of family allows students to get a sense of belonging to the class. I can do so by having conversations with them regularly, getting to know them beyond academics, and gaining their trust.

Corrective Approach

When misbehavior occurs, a teacher is responsible for correcting it while maintaining good energy in the classroom. Corrective strategies that I identified with strongly demonstrate cooperative discipline and synergetic discipline. I believe the following approaches reflect my Essentialist philosophy as I do emphasize classroom rules and consequences, yet they also reflect my belief of Reconstructionism because I strongly identify in joint decisions between teacher and students.

1-      If a rule is broken, the teacher should concentrate immediately on the behavior and consequences (Coloroso, 1994). This also reflects reasonable consequences when teacher and student jointly agree on a set of reasonable logical consequences (Coloroso, 1994). Being consistent is the major component when correcting a behavior. Reminding students of the consequences and allowing them to correct the behavior is an essential step when misbehavior occurs. When students further misbehave, I follow the consequences and class rules that we all agree on.

2-      Give written notice (Albert, 1989-1996). Written notices are very important because it doesn’t suddenly put the student on the spot. It allows the student to notice his/her misbehavior and correct it accordingly. It is a great strategy and I will certainly implement it in my classroom.

3-      When misbehavior does occur teachers identify and deal with the cause, keeping an attitude of gentle helpfulness (Charles, 2000). Keeping a calm tone when correcting a student is vital, it is a focus of mine that I don’t disrupt the trust I have with that student. Explaining to the student that I am helping them is very important for student cooperation.

4-      Do the unexpected (Albert, 1989-1996). When misbehavior is a general theme where the entire class is being off task, turning off the light or playing a musical sound is a good approach to get their attention again.

5-      Target-Stop-Do (Albert, 1989-1996). This strategy is good when a student is consistently being disruptive. I call the student’s name and ask him to stop the current behavior and focus on the task given. This is in my opinion a good but risky approach because over using it will cause it to lose its power.

Conclusion

I believe that a cooperative approach allows students to develop a sense of belonging to the classroom and have ownership of their learning process. Including students in decision making reflects my Reconstructionist educational philosophy. Giving the students the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas is essential for the harmonious classroom environment that I am striving for. Listening is a big element of my teaching strategy; appreciating students’ input and respecting their decisions is my focus as a teacher. I believe the discipline strategies I listed will steer me towards achieving my educational goals.

Accurate (i + 1) Assessment for English learners

Maggie is an ELL level 2 (Early Intermediate). The assessment is i+1 "Intermediate level"

Intermediate ELD Level, Comprehension and Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication

Participate in social conversations with peers and adults on familiar topics by asking and answering questions and soliciting information.

Writing: 1ES: Recognize elements of characterization in a piece of writing and apply the same techniques when writing.

(Cognitive/ Affective/ Language)

 ASSESSMENTS

A. Diagnostic/ Entry Level

During the first 5 minutes of the class, students will be asked questions about the topic to assess their level of understanding and their previous knowledge.

B. Formative/ Progress Monitoring

Teacher will monitor students’ discussions and encourage all students to participate and share their ideas.

C. Summative

Students will write the definitions on the graphic organizer, illustrate their understanding with drawings, and turn it in at the end of class.

Assessment Rubric for ELD

Levels Criteria	1	2	3	4	score
Definition of term ELD Standard: Intermediate 1ES	Uses basic vocabulary to describe the term	Uses some formal vocabulary words introduced in class	Writes correct definition with few spelling or grammatical errors.	Writes correct definitions with no spelling or grammatical errors
Visual representation	Draws a visual representation of few terms without labeling	Draws visual representation of all terms labeling some	Draws visual representation of all terms labeling all with few errors.	Draws visual representation of all terms labeling all coreectly.

SDAIE Strategy

SDAIE strategies are very important in everyday lessons. My Cooperative Teacher uses graphic organizers for each new topic he teaches. He gives students graphic organizers at the beginning of the lesson so that when he introduces a new word they can write it down for reference. He explains the new term and gives a definition, students write the definition down in their own words to help them remember what the word means. My CT models for them by writing a definition on a similar graphic organizer and displays it using a projector. There is also a column in the graphic organizer where they draw a visual representation of the term. If possible, he also tries to break the word down to meaningful parts and explains what each part means. For example "EQUILATERAL Triangles" he breaks it down to "EQUI" which means equal since these type of triangles have equal sides and "LATERAL" which means side. Students copy the term using correct spelling, write a definition and draw a visual representation. I believe this strategy helps students remember what the term means and learn how to correctly spell it.

Survey

I created this survey using Google forms. This quick and easy assessment helped me get to know students' literacy habits, strengths, and struggles. It helped me modify my teaching strategies to be able to reach all of them. I was happy to see that most of the students were okay with giving an oral presentation to the class even if they answered that they're not very good with English. Students are willing to learn and progress if given the opportunity. Encouraging them to participate in discussions and collaborate with each other will certainly improve their literacy. I believe that these students when challenged they can reach their full potential.

Injustice

These pictures of injustice represent some of the challenges students face in schools today. While technology is rapidly advancing, students can't even access up to date technological tools. Students use this "computer lab" to work on assignments. These computers are very old and most of them don't even work.

My Name

Noha is my name. It was chosen by my mom's friend. My mom told me that she had picked a name for me before I was born, "Lobna" was the name she picked. She wanted to name me after a popular Egyptian actor, however my dad didn't like the name "because it has no meaning he said". Therefore, I had no name when I was born, till later that day when my mom's friend came and suggested "Noha". My mom loved the name and my dad was convinced after he found out that the Arabic word Noha means "the mind".

My name is always misunderstood and mispronounced as Noah. Although Noah is a masculine name and Noha is only used as feminine, they are pronounced differently, and written differenlty, people still confuse them.
A couple of years ago I applied for a job online and was called for an interview. When I arrived at the company for the interview, I sat next to a lady, also waiting to be called in for an interview. Across the room there was a gentleman sitting also waiting to be called in. The interviewer walked to the room looking at the gentleman and said "Noah?", the gentleman said "No". Then I had to shout "Yes, this is me". Althouh it wasn't me, my name is Noha not Noah!

But still..If I could choose any name it would defininelty be Noha!! Because it's me. I love the meaning behnd it. I just hope people can say it right. :)