EDN319--BLOG 7

1.       Reflect on the DIBELS activity. Which two areas did you choose to practice scoring? How did you do? Was it easy/difficult? Upload pictures of your score sheets.

I chose to practice scoring the first sound fluency practice and the oral reading fluency practice. I found the first sound practice to be more difficult. I don’t understand they get 2 points for noting the beginning sound, yet only get 1 point if they take the sound farther, closer to the actual word. For example, if they say “p” for plate they get 2 points, yet if they say “pla” they get only 1 point. I realize the purpose is because it is focusing on the beginning first sound, but it seems to me detrimental to mark them down a point because they said the sound of first letter group. I recorded 16 two-point responses, 2 one-point responses, and 2 incorrect responses. I marked her incorrect for stream because she said shhhh, and there’s no “h” sound in the word. I also marked land incorrect, but I think it didn’t count in the assessment, because teacher reminded her to say the sound, not letter. I only gave her one point for plate because she said “pla”, and one point for thank because she said “th”. I found the oral reading fluency scoring to be much easier. Out of 55 words, I marked the little boy correct for 53/55 words. The only words he had trouble with were “younger” and “fancy”, which makes sense being that he’s a first grader. Unfortunately, as for retelling details, I had to give him a “1” because he provided only 1 detail, that it’s about a jumping rope contest. I can see it would be difficult for me to write him as a “1” if I was his teacher, because his reading was so good.

2.       List two benefits of using Curriculum Based Measurement (e.g., DIBELS) to monitor students’ reading progress.

1. Teachers can examine data collection to see how an individual student’s performance compares to other students in the class, academic standards, or others in the same intervention group. Looking at overall results will also help teachers determine the effectiveness of their instruction.

2. This is very helpful for students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties because their intervention is determined based on the student’s individual needs.

3.       How can you use these data to discuss a student’s progress with her or his parents?

These recorded assessments make it much easier to give parents specific details into their child’s reading. In the past, teachers just commented on their reading at conferences. Now, they can explain in detail to parents. The assessments like first sound fluency and oral reading fluency, all require teacher record on paper specific sounds and words a child is struggling with. This makes it so that parents can also be helpful outside of school because they know exactly what words their child doesn’t know, or what sounds they can’t pronounce when encountering.

4.       Based on the readings and videos, list three benefits of MTSS (RTI and PBIS) as it relates to preventing and intervening with academic difficulties and challenging behaviors.

1. RTI allows schools to provide teams of people to help students that are struggling in the regular classroom. Since it has been implemented at Blue Ridge elementary, the children have really grown as students. Teacher’s expectations of children’s performance has increased, and their own confidence as students has also improved greatly.

2. Parent support and involvement is necessary from the beginning of deciding to intervene and following up with the intervention. Parents feel very included, as this process requires good communication with them. School personnel is able to give them very specific information as to their child’s strengths, weaknesses, and individual needs.

3. Oftentimes struggling with academics and behavior goes together. By implementing RTI and PBIS, educators are effectively closing the achievement gap of youth with behavioral or emotional disorders through their multi-tiered levels of support and intervention. Before recent implementations of these new processes, that achievement gap was much wider.

5.       Watch the videos and answer the following question:

o    What can (or will) you do to motivate your students? 

Those videos were so cute I shared one with my facebook 😊.

I hope to someday motivate students academically and behaviorally.

Academically

                Just like the kid said in the video—not be boring. I will try to incorporate fun variety in my classroom. For reading, I will let the students select their own books (except for assessment levelled readers). Reading is always enjoyable when one reads about a topic that interests them, or they relate to. For math, I will try to have variety in my teaching. Instead of just taking notes, then doing practice problems independently, I will try to apply their math to real world situations. For example, if we are learning about fractions, we might try a mixing ingredients activity. Instead of having students complete those worksheets with pictures of coins, we will try using real coins and “go shopping” in our classroom. I may do something my partner teacher does frequently, mini in-school “field trips”, often for science. For example, to figure out distances a ball rolls on different surfaces, like grass versus cement, the class walked around to various places in the school. When learning about soil, minerals, rocks, and plants, there are so many ways to take the classroom outside. History (my favorite subject) can come alive for students in so many ways. They can act out plays, explore vintage media (old radio shows, newspapers ads, and past t.v shows), and explore other cultures (also one of my favorite topics). When learning about other cultures, we don’t just read about them in out text book, we try to experience them, whether through music, food, dance, and folklore. There really is so much to learn in the world, and it definitely does not need to be boring.

Behaviorally

This will be my least favorite aspect of teaching—correcting incorrect behavior. I know I definitely do not want to use a visual behavior chart (as we learned possible detrimental effects) in last module. I will spend more time focusing on what we’re supposed to do versus what focusing on what we’re not supposed to do. I will have a respectful relationship with my students, meaning even though I am their teacher, I value and respect them as fellow human beings, as I hope they will respect me. One thing I will not tolerate in my classroom is bullying, more so than any behavior, because everyone knows the mean things bullies say will stay with one through their whole life.