EXTREME WEATHER and EXTRA WORK

Another beautiful day to me!! I am learning new things everyday, although I might know some of topics before. Students always learn different stuff from different teachers!! I finished my breakfast at 8:45....so food was still in my stomach when I arrived in the classroom. Dr. Babb did not start class right away. She told us some useful information about ways to start our classes as becoming teachers with some mind maps and questions. I like how Dr. Babb models her teaching to remind us to remember teaching techniques.

I now learned how to do repetition in different ways to help students review what they learned. The repetition is important and necessary in learning. I hope I can find information like what activities go with certain MI (multipleintelligence). Sometimes I made common mistakes that the activities I designed often go with my own learning style. It is so important that teachers should be aware of other MI besides of her owns. I realized that I rarely design activities which require analytical skills or math skills. How can I improve this weakness? I might need to know what activities involved math skills. I need to bear in mind that teachers need to accommodate different learner’s needs to help them learn well with their special talents. That really makes teaching a job to stay away from being dull and challenging!!

Another thing that stood out to me in today's class would be to prepare for a natural disaster. After receiving the pamphlet from ODPM office I learned that there are so much needed in a preparedness plan. There are so much things that need to be prepared and put away for any natural disaster that may occur. Being prepare is the key so secure valuables and get you emergency kit together before a natural disaster may affect you. EVEN IF YOU SCARED BE PREPARED!!!!

Geo Class NEXT TOP MODEL!!!!

Today was K Knights official presentation for our working model on the layers of the atmosphere. 

Working with a group is often very challenging in UTT but nevertheless, learning to work well with others is important for anyone who plans on pursuing a career in any business. One of the primary things my group did well was working together. Our meetings were extremely productive and every group member promptly completed their designated tasks. Another thing we did well was gathering information. Our group certainly could not have done a better job at presenting the information we collected and using our model to illustrate. We made our model for diverse learners within the classroom so it can attract the eyes of the students and engage them in our lesson. In my honest opinion I think our group had the best model since it meet all the criteria required. Furthermore, although my public speaking had gotten a lot better during the first weeks of the semester, I still felt somewhat uncomfortable speaking in front of the class. As a result, I tended to rush my speech and there were a few times when I forgot what I was saying. Overall though, my group did a fairly good job with our presentation on the working model. I plan on learning from our mistakes and speaking in front of people as much as possible to improve my public speaking.

My group members and I were able to produce a good presentation mostly because of how well we worked together. After being assigned this assignment, we immediately began brainstorming topic ideas. After deciding to make a model on the layers of the atmosphere which was one of the first lessons that stood out to us from the beginning at the semester. As a result of our good collaboration we were able to find plenty of information to support our topic. This experience taught us to take advantage of each group members individual strengths when working as a team. For example, we delegated each task so each member would get something to do and each task would be equal. Unfortunately for us having good information and a well made power-point does not guarantee a successful presentation. My group members and I practiced this presentation twice to ensure everyone know who was saying what and when. Overall our speech had good content but we should of learn our parts properly so we need the paper in front us.

My personal strengths and weakness were mostly consistent with those of the group as a whole. I feel I did an especially good job of sorting through this information to find what was most important and relevant for this presentation. In class we often discussed the importance of maintaining the attention of the audience. By including only what is important I feel I did a good job of keeping the audience engaged. Like the group as a whole my weaknesses involved actually delivering the presentation. When speaking before an audience I have a tendency to speak very quickly. During this presentation when I noticed myself talking to quickly I tried to slow down to a more natural pace. There was more than one occasion when thinking too much about the pace of my speech resulted in me forgetting what I was about to say.

Over the course of this semester, I felt more and more confident each time I presented before the class. With more practice I have no doubt that I can become an effective public speaker. Completing this project has taught me how to give an effective presentation. Perhaps most importantly I learned that the way you present your information is actually more important than the information itself. Being a good presenter requires that you prepare well before each speech and practice speaking in front of an audience as often as possible. Learning this important fact and practicing how to work well with others made this project extremely worthwhile for myself and my fellow group members.

So You Think You Can Teach ???????

I have completed my field experience in this school a year before this practicum, and recognized that the teacher I worked with had a lot of the qualities that I wanted to improve in myself. I knew I could learn a lot from her mentorship, so I requested, and was granted, a placement in her classroom.

My mentor teacher has been so accommodating and helpful throughout my entire student teaching experience. She’s given me invaluable advice on everything from effective lesson plans, extension activities, and student accommodations to planning field trips, filling out reporting cards, and working well with parents.

One pleasant surprise about my practicum experience is just how well I’ve been able to get to know the students. Like their “real” teacher, I’m with the students every day and have become familiar with their individual personalities and learning styles. I feel like I’m able to teach much more effectively than I could when implementing lessons during my field experience hours, when I was only in a classroom for a short period of time. The result has been a much more rewarding and meaningful experience. 

                                             

Observing her has helped me to feel more comfortable and has better prepared me to handle all the things that pop up in a regular day of teaching that you don’t get to experience in class sessions.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my practicum experience thus far. I was a little nervous that I’d feel like an intruder in another teacher’s classroom, but I was welcomed to her classroom and the school with open arms, and I really do feel like a member of staff. I’m learning a lot and am gaining the confidence I’ll need to manage my own class one day.

 I have learned so much in this experience as well; everything from the tricks to in chart making to how to effectively manage a class. Although I saw scared when my lecturers came to view me, I still use both negative and positive feedback. The lessons I have learned are endless and invaluable. The negative aspects of my field experience probably has to be frustration working the copy machine, getting sick from being around so many students all day long, and probably having to write a student a referral for inappropriate behavior. While these things were probably my least favorite parts of this experience, they are all necessary learning experiences.

There are several things I will need to do to be successful in my student teaching. First, I will have to be organized and prepared.  To do this I have to be diligent to prepare all of my lessons ahead of time, not procrastinate, and have several back up plans. Second, I need to ask questions and ask for help when I need it. I need to establish a good relationship with my collaborating teacher and other teaching mentors in order to be successful and be comfortable asking questions and asking for help. Finally, I need to establish a classroom environment where students feel comfortable to ask questions and participate but also listen to directions and actively participate. To do this I need to be enthusiastic about my teaching, be open to student comments and assist them when they need help. Overall, This has been an amazing experience and I hope my student teaching is just as exciting and rewarding. 

                                                          

SURVIVING PRACTICUM

Practicum has been an enjoyable and fun experience thus far and I'm learning and improving myself to become a better teacher. At Barrackpore West,  my cooperating teachers are always helping me to improve my lessons. I'm  teaching  Social Studies,  Geography  and History so I could gain experience in all these fields. I'm learning how to deal with the students and incorporate different types of learning activities within my lessons. I distributed a biodata sheet to get to my students a little more so I could know all their learning styles, what makes them enthusiastic about learning and what makes them bored in the classroom.  

With this I was able to create activities to meet their needs and make learning fun. I know that this is not what they are accustomed too because from observing it's more chalk and talk. The students does not even get a chance to express themselves and in my lessons I give them the opportunity to discuss and express themselves. The feedback I got is that they enjoy the lesson and the group activities as well.

                                              

Practicum is almost over we are already in the second week which is going so fast. Trying to cope with all the struggles of being a teacher and trying to complete school assignments has been a challenge. With four other courses to take into consideration,  and all have assignments not just individual but group. Meeting group embers has been difficult also with the strange weather conditions that happened last week it was difficult to meet and even go to school. I was one of those who were affected by the floods. Although nothing happen to my home, I was trapped or stranded from leaving my home. I couldn't go out, all the routes were flooded out.

PRACTICUM

Most of us do not sleep very good the night before the first day of school. Memories of those first day fears flooded over me the week before practicum even begins. More than anything, though, my excitement overthrown my fears. Am I excited to learn how to be the best teacher I can be? Absolutely. Am I excited to learn the culture and procedures of Barrakpore West Secondary school? Absolutely. Am I terrified? Absolutely. I have, however, been supported in many ways that made me feel that no matter how nerve-wracking this experience will be, I know I will be able to handle it and come out as a better educator.

Within the first day, I went around to the various classes I was assigned to so I can introduce myself and get to know my students a little more. The staff members are so polite and friendly towards us. I work with a wonderful teacher who is willing to share her classroom and students with me. And as it turns out, I don't have to be afraid to make a mistake. When things do not go according to plan and I apologize, my cooperating teacher politely corrects me: "Ms. Ramtahal, you aren't making mistakes, you are learning from your experiences." And she is absolutely right.

I've learned a lot from the in-class sessions for practicum so I have a chance to put that learning into practice, to experience those "aha" moments. For example, by using "think-pair-share" experiences during my lesson to ensure students remain more engaged. It's a better strategy than just calling on a few students, also it keeps the lesson moving. As well as repeat the topic to be discussed multiple times and ask students to close their eyes and think about what they will say. This strategy gives the students sufficient processing time to really think about what they want to say. My lecturers are very accessible and encourages us to contact them when we feel we might be at a point where we need some serious guidance and reassurance. I think consistently reflecting on your practice is critical if you want to be the best teacher you can be.

Synoptic WHAT!!!!!

Looking at this picture, I would have never depict that this chart can show the weather. A synoptic chart is the scientific term for a weather map. Synoptic charts provide information on the distribution, movement and patterns of air pressure, rainfall, wind and temperature. This information is conveyed using symbols, which are explained in a legend. Who knew that you can so much information from this chart?

All these elements like temperatures, wind direction, pressure, clouds and precipitation are shown on the synoptic chart. After visiting the Met office in Piarco, I was really interested in becoming a meteorologist because I was interested in all the various equipment to test the various elements of the weather. I found out that I will have to go Barbados for 18 months to do a meteorology degree. I enjoyed this session a lot because I was able to learn so much in a short period of time. I think meteorology is a good field to get in since it is not an easy thing to master. Everyone think forecasting the weather is so simple and easy, they don't know behind the scenes the real drama that these meteorologists have. 

PLANETARY WINDS

In this session, I now finally understand how the earth’s tilt is so important. The fact that the earth is tilted on its axis is what's responsible for giving us different seasons. And it's why the southern hemisphere is getting ready for winter at the same time the northern hemisphere is heading into summer. I never understood why the seasons happened in the way that they did but this was actually a mind-blowing experience. Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air by which heat is distributed on the surface of the Earth. The wind belts and the jet streams girdling the planet are steered by three convection cells: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, and the Polar cell. These cells contribute so much to the weather and climate of the various regions of the world. Therefore knowing these cells can make any learner understand simple weather forecast as well as determine the atmospheric conditions at any given time. Wind is caused by differences in the atmospheric pressure. When a difference in atmospheric pressure exists, air moves from the higher to the lower pressure area, resulting in winds of various speeds. On a rotating planet, air will also be deflected by the Coriolis effect, except exactly on the equator. This expression so meant in a previous geography course so it brought back some memory. Who knew that winds could be so important to us? After this session, I now have acquired how more knowledge than before and can now apply this to make lessons when teaching this topics as well as the various activities to engage my students’ interest.

As a prospective teacher, knowing all this content about winds and the atmosphere is very important. As a teacher in training, I would share this knowledge to my students so they to can understand how the Earth works and how they it can relate to the causes of weather and climate. These winds help the seasons that we know, and gives account for the various natural disasters like thunderstorms, cyclones and hurricanes, everything in geography works hand in hand and are connected in one way or the other. My love for geography has grown over the years and my thinking and perception has changed since geography is everywhere and in everything.