Week 7- McLean (response)

I agree with much of what Janine said in her initial blog post.  I too am enjoying using the readings to relate to actual circumstances that we may encounter as future teachers.  The practical application is very clear in this prompt.  While reading the “What do you think?” blog post, my initial reaction wondered what kind of relationship these students had with the teacher and their peers.  I also wondered what kind of classroom environment is set up for the children.  These types of contributing forces can make a big difference in children’s learning and success.  This was clearly seen in the Marcus article where there was resistance to succeed for a few reasons, one of which being a poor relationship and classroom environment in his first grade classroom.  As a result, it is very important to consider having a safe and supportive classroom community. 

To begin with, Lupita actually seems to be very intelligent and needs socio-emotional support.  The teacher should take the opportunity to call on her in class to allow her practice answering questions and using her speaking skills.  When she does this, she should be sure to do it at a time of day, like calendar time, where she would be familiar with the routine and the answers acceptable.  This time should also be highly verbally scaffolded for her to allow for success (Mohr).  In class, the teacher could support her by assigning partner work to allow her to work one-on-one with a student and practice her language, while also forming a relationship with that student.  Because she struggles some with her verbal language, she may do well with picture cards to help her communicate her wants/needs and engage in more communication (Breitfelder).

Secondly, Jonathon could benefit from implementing reading into his mathematics curriculum.  He could be asked to solve multiple story problems, or even create a math problem from a specific book (like the three little pigs).  He would have to read the story first and then use writing skills to draft a math story.  It seems that he needs more motivation for engaging in reading/writing.  By integrating some of his many interests with literacy, he will have more success.  The teacher could learn more about him as a student and more about his interests by sending a letter home to his parents, like in the Maples article, and have the parents describe their child and his interests at home. 

Finally, Eddie reminds me of Marcus from the article we read.  He also had trouble sitting still and I agree with Janine, he seems to have a mild case of ADHD.  However, as a teacher, I think it is great for him to use this to help his learning.  Incorporating more movement into his learning may be beneficial.  Maybe this means having him act out the stories to show comprehension, having him take multiple sensory breaks in order to facilitate his learning, or even holding a fidget in order to concentrate during group time.

These are some examples of how to help facilitate these children’s full learning potential.  Just like the Scott article stated about children in urban schools, these children need to be held to high expectations, engage in hands on learning and participate in authentic and motivating classroom activities.  Trying these suggestions are one way that may help these children become more successful.