Reflection #7-Cipher Needs
In order to support the learning needs of the students in my future classroom I must familiarize myself with each child’s background and evaluate their cognitive development. My ciphers Delmar and Rachel are both quite different according to family background, strengths, and weaknesses. Delmar is a Somali immigrant who is artistic and religious. He is learning English at school. Delmar’s religious beliefs are reflected in his artwork. The meaning of his artistic works has caused the art teacher to not display Delmar’s work and hurts Delmar’s feelings. Rachel is an African American girl with family distress and academic struggles. Her distress is expressed by the use of profanity, which has been reported by other students in the classroom. Developmentally, she is still struggling with identifying letters of the alphabet.
At this point of my integrated lesson plan I will be integrating a few technology based tools. After research and experiences within the elementary classroom, I feel it is necessary to modify a comprehension/fluency lesson plan through technology integration. We will use iPads and Laptops to formulate Voice Memo’s and Popplets. Specifically, Voicememo on the iPad will be used to record a student’s voice and then be replayed for the student to hear themselves reading. This will allow the child to understand fluency and progressively strengthen their reading skills. Popplet will be used to assess comprehension of a passage or a short story students have read. The student will be expected to adequately formulate a main idea and supporting details graphic organizer as evidence of comprehension. These assignments will be carried out in a group setting.
This lesson applies to both of my ciphers because one is in the process of learning English and another is struggling with letter identification. Integrating technology will allow for the students to better understand reading comprehension/fluency within the diverse classroom environment. These technology tools will be engaging to my ciphers by keeping them busy and lessening the impact their emotions have on them during instructional times. These tools are applicable to Rachel’s performance because she will be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet she misses by recording a VoiceMemo and formulating a Popplet of the letters she is currently missing. Delmar’s fluency performance is evaluated by the Voicememo by allowing him to strengthen his English skills. I believe a group setting is necessary for these students. Delmar has faced rejection within the school from the art teacher. Acceptance is made possible in a group setting with fellow peers using the technology within the lesson. The group members will use these tools to critique one another and progressively transform their weaknesses into strengths.
Reflection
In my Educational Media 3300 class at Auburn University we were assigned weekly reflections. Specifically, reflection number seven was based upon the needs of our assigned ciphers. My professional decision making process follows the GAME Plan method. This plan includes a list of goals, a plan of action, progress monitoring, and evaluation. I began to evaluate and identify each student based upon classroom performance, interaction with peers, environment outside of the classroom, etc. My students, Rachel and Delmar, were evaluated based upon the descriptions that were provided to me. I researched their needs and encountered a few helpful resources. Upon research I synthesized various classroom techniques and modifications to meet the specific needs of each child. A few of these techniques and modifications are provided in the artifact above. As seen above I believe in technology integration within all aspects of the classroom. Therefore, I found resources online that adhere to this belief. Lastly, as a future educator I must implement these modifications within the classroom. I will further reflect upon and alter the modifications that are considered ineffective.
Research
Click the tabs below to view the resources I found while conducting research on the classroom environment. These resources are applicable to my assigned ciphers described above.