Kirsten's Blog

           Being that I knew that I was going into this semester as a remote learner, I knew that a lot of my work was going to be online rather than in person. Although we were sent home in March, this was the longest time that I have been out of a physical school environment, for summers and other breaks are no longer than 3 months.            It has been 9 months since I have been on my college campus and the motivation to complete school, while also working full time was definitely a struggle at times. Since being home, I have had the opportunity to remain working at the daycare that has been my summer job for the past 4 years. The students that I had started in school, and then went full remote in November for the remainder of the year. Because I have been the e-learning teacher for grades 2-5, I have been able to learn so much during this time. Not only have I learned about new applications that I can bring to my classroo...

    Manipulatives are a great way to get students to visualize how they are solving a problem. I truly never understood how teachers at younger grade levels go from encouraging their students to use their resources, to taking away the manipulatives that they are using and asking them to completely change the ways that they have grown so comfortable with. Since being an education major at Bradley, I have come to realize way teachers teach the way that they do. Education is a continuous process, and the lessons that students are taught are meant to be for cumulative purposes. Once something is taught in the classroom, it is not meant to be forgotten, rather is it to be built upon. As teachers, we know that students are transferring their understanding when they feel that they can complete a given math problem individually. When the students finally feel comfortable enough to step away from the way that they are used to and explore a new challenge, that’s when we know that it...

  Mistakes are made on an everyday basis, whether they are academic or not. When it comes to making mistakes in a classroom, mathematics is typically the subject for these errors to happen. Math, at the younger grade level, usually requires students to find a right or wrong answer. For example, all addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems have right answer. What students do to get that answer is how mistakes occur. Visual representations and manipulatives is the best way to get students to learn, especially at the elementary level. When a student physically sees something taken away or something added onto what is already there, they are more than like to be able to figure out the problem rather than reading a bunch of words and taking a guess. With that being said, I have had the opportunity to teach a class full of students that are undergoing e-learning practices at the same time that I am taking this class. I go to class in the morning and then right to w...

    As an elementary education major, I will be certified to teach students from first to sixth grade. It is important to note that the academic requirements for each grade level are extremely different from one another. We cannot expect students to know how to multiply and divide at first grade, for there are other skills that need to be taught before that manipulation is introduced. Likewise, we should not be doing single digit addition and subtraction in sixth grade. Mathematics is meant to be built upon, for as students grow older, they are to be challenged differently. Students are not going to find math worth learning if they do not feel that it is something to pay attention to. There are already numerous stereotypes in math that make it out as content that is not worth learning about, for students question when they will actually learn something like the quadratic formula in real life. Although you may never have to truly know that, it’s the challenge that promotes ...

           Technology is something that is constantly developing. I feel as if it is especially worth mentioning today because of the circumstances that we are facing as a nation. There are many school districts resorting to remote learning, which therefore causes students to spend a lot of time online in order to achieve the requirements necessary for educational purposes. It is not ideal to assume that every household has computer access, but most schools have provided their students with the technology that is required.           The fact that technological practices are heavily relied on nowadays can be a good and a bad thing. The internet has a whole load of information in itself and it is being placed right at the students fingertips. Although students are allowed to complete their assignments and participate in school in the comfort of their own safety, technology can provide a whole new level of issues for students, especial...

           School is something that students are required to be a part of for twelve years. During that time, teachers develop lesson plans that assist their class with the understanding of subjects such as: math, language arts, science, and social studies. When it comes to understanding the content that is discussed in the classroom, it is not all nonsense like it is stereotyped to be. Each school district has certain rules to follow, just like each state as certain standards to fulfill.            The criteria that is taught during a child's years of education, especially at the younger ages, is extremely beneficial. Ultimately, the content builds upon one another and is used continuously throughout the child's schooling, therefore, making sure that what is taught is understood. As teachers, we can not expect our students to understand a new concept on the first day.           It may take days, weeks,...