Goodbye Spring 2015!

       

    
       Before walking into Dr. Smirnova's Social Studies Methods Course, I heard from my peers how much work it is, but they kept reminding me the wonderful outcome they had with their experiences. I was nervous at first, especially because we were a small class and I knew I would have to participate a great deal. I have noticed throughout my courses that the smaller the class size is the more comfortable I am with participating and I always have a greater outcome with knowledge, rather than a larger class. Taking this course with a total of seven students, was the best decision! Since we were a small class, we got to work with everyone and in small groups as well as presenting information and building our presentation skills.  I came into the course with some knowledge of the different types of assessments and lesson plans, but there was some confusion that I never realized how it all connected. 
           In the beginning it was very hard for me to participate, but being that it was such a small class I knew I had to at some point. However as the semester went on, I was becoming more confident with sharing my thoughts and comments with Dr. Smirnova and my peers. I started to ask questions as well as answer others. I gained knowledge of Bloom's taxonomy and now truly understand why it is such a significant role play in teaching. As I mentioned in another blog, I have only taught direct lesson plans, therefore when it came to fieldwork and I was teaching inquiry-based and cooperative I was nervous but knew I would be able to do it. Being an Information technology major, I am fortunately exposed to more technology tools and programs than many of my peers. However the tools I learned in Dr. Smirnova's class I then implemented in my Information technology courses to practice and spread the the technology. 
          

Social Studies Methods-Spring 2015

       Writing six lesson plans and implementing three in a fourth grade class, reassured me that I am going down the right road for my future teaching career. I put 110% into this class and what you put in is what you get out. I can honestly say that this has been by far the best semester for experience and self-reflecting for me. I learned from observing my peers and watching my video of when I was teaching. Although Lindsay and I had a difficult time getting the student's attention the first day, we learn from the mistakes we make. As a student at Mount Saint Mary College, I am constantly listening and soaking in all the information that is provided for me and I try to take as many opportunities that I can to get more experience. 
       As I mentioned that in the beginning of this course I was confused with how to implement the three different types of lesson plans, however walking out of the fourth grade classroom door, I can say that I can identify and implement each type of lesson plan. Through observation I can see the flow in which the class is going and how to adapt to it, but I will only gain more experience over time and practice. According to James Howell "We learn by teaching" therefore I will continue to use the skills that Mount Saint Mary College has taught me when I student teach next semester. 

The Road to Miss Bosi's Future Classroom

       

My future classroom will be filled with knowledge that I will use to engage and challenge my students. I will remember the five powerful teaching elements when discussing social studies. I will implement Kahoot, Socrative, Symbaloo, Voki, and Newela into my classroom. I used each tool this semester and can see how it could be useful to interrogate throughout various subject in my classroom. I plan to use diagnostic, formative and summative assessments in my classroom throughout each social studies unit. After learning and teaching the three different types or lessons, I will continue to use the knowledge I gained from those lessons I taught. 



To read each lesson more in depth, please view the following blogs:

• Was the Domino Effect Effective?
•  A Little Investigation
• Collaborating the Big Idea
• Implementing Current Events in the Classroom 
• Discovering the Past Through Artifact Bags

To me it is very important for students to be engaged and want to learn. Using interactive games, such as Space Race, Kahoot and Whack-a-Mole students will learn the material quicker and also all them to forget that they are still learning while having fun. 

Today technology is at their finger tips and as teacher candidates if we can begin to implement the use of technologies in schools, the students will have the 21st century skills they need. Dr. Smirnova showed this YouTube video the first week of classes and it has stuck with me throughout the semester. I hope that one day I could be that teacher that is engaging, motivating as well as guiding students to create higher-order thinking skills. I walked in being nervous and overwhelmed, but I walked out with experience and can not thank my peers and Dr. Smirnova for the feedback they have given me throughout the semester.

I hope that I have students that can fulfill these aspects of learning in the 21st century!

Thank you for reading,

Works Cited

Nesbitt, B. (2007, November 28). A Vision of K-12 Students Today. Retrieved May 11, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

Teacher Sayings and Quotes. (2002). Retrieved May 11, 2015, from http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/teacher-quotes.html