Lesson 6

It was amazing to learn how math and music are related to each other! I learned how to play the piano at a young age (I didn't stick with it and am not very good but I can pluck out some songs) and I never realized how similar it is to math! I am a big math person and I never understood why the different music times and sequences didn't make sense to other people. Now I know why! If you struggle in math or music, you are probably going to struggle with the other one as well.

Being a teacher though, I can use music to help my students. Finding music that increases their energy or relaxes them throughout the day can have an impact on the classroom environment and help to encourage learning. Also during the lesson, I realized how important it is to have music classes in our schools. It is important for all students to have at least some exposure to music and learn a little bit about how to play instruments. With so many budget cuts that have been occurring there are some schools that are losing their music programs. I think this is one program that is very important to keep and encourage students to be a part of!

As a big math person, I appreciated the information it gave on relating math to the real world. I think playing games in the classroom is an excellent idea of teaching basic math concepts. Games like "Sorry" and "Chutes and Ladders" are simple games but they do require a knowledge of counting. I think it would be great to incorporate these games into the classroom.

Lesson 5

While going through this lesson I was actually reflecting a lot on my own family. We are expecting our first baby this fall and a lot of the things that we have talked about in raising our children were brought up in this lesson. My husband speaks Spanish and so we have debated on whether or not to teach our children both Spanish and English. I also love to read and already have a large collection of children's books that I am building to help develop that love in our children. So it was interesting for me to consider all of these different pieces of information from a teacher's point of view.

As an adult I tend to speak to younger children with simpler language. However, this lesson brought to my attention that it is important to use more complex language to help children develop their language skills. There are times when I teach dance and use bigger words and those big words always grab their attention. I think by introducing new vocabulary it keeps kids excited and engaged. However I also think it is important to not introduce too many unfamiliar words at once as that could be overwhelming for the students.

I also really liked how it stressed the importance of reading and reading together. It is important for kids to hear how words should sound while seeing the word at the same time. I also think it is important that children get to choose what they are reading. My husband used to hate reading but I introduced him to some books that I thought he might find more interesting. He has found that he actually loves to read when he has the right book in front of him! I think if more children were able to choose what they read they would develop that love of reading as well.

Lesson 4

The main thing I think of when I hear "relational" is finding ways to connect with your students. I think it is really helpful to find common ground between you and the students. For example, about a week ago I was teaching a lesson on quadrilaterals. We got to the square and I asked my students if they ever played 4 Square when they were in elementary school. Several of my students got excited very quickly telling me about their experiences playing 4 square and then some students started saying that they loved to play tether ball. I used to love to play tether ball in elementary school so we all started talking about those memories together. It was a brief, maybe 5 minute interruption, to our lesson, but it helped me not only connect with my students, but it also allowed my students to relate what we were learning about to something that was familiar to them.

This is something that I think is very important. Students need to know that their teachers care about them as individuals and not just what their test scores are. Offering support and advice for things that have nothing to do with what is going on in the classroom is a great way to build confidence and trust in each other. By building that relationship, you are creating positive experiences for that student and building up the image they have of themselves. In return, the student will be more responsive in the classroom and more willing to be a hard worker. 

Connecting with our students is so important. So many students need an adult that they can trust, and as teachers we have an opportunity to provide that support. 

Lesson 3

Lesson 3 involved watching videos about attention and emotions. I will be the first to admit that I think ADHD is over diagnosed. I think that often times parents want an excuse for their child's behavior or poor grades and ADHD is something to blame it on. However, I do think that there are children who have significant issues with focusing. For these children, I do think it is important to be aware of them and their needs. One way to combat this issue of keeping a student's attention is to keep the day entertaining. I think it is important to keep changing what you are doing. I teach dance to young girls, and we don't do the same thing for more than 10 or 15 minutes simply because they get distracted and need to keep going. I think the same thing is true in the classroom. The activity needs to be changed often. Children need to be allowed to get up and move around. One thing that I plan to do in my future class is do ZUMBA every day. I want the children to get some exercise, get their blood flowing, and have something different to look forward to.

I also thought it was interesting how much our emotions can have an affect on the development of our brains. Children that are exposed to homes where there are high stress levels and depression are being exposed to toxins for the development of their brain. As a teacher, I need to make my classroom as stress free and inviting as possible. I want my students to come to class and feel relaxed and know that I care about them. But for me to do that, I need to make sure that I am taking care of myself as well.