I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Week fourteen… This week we had a guest speaker, Susan Waddell, who has been teaching for a total of thirteen years. She is very familiar with the different subjects but she started out as a English teacher and wanted to give us a few take away tools. She talked about four literacy strategies that help with students comprehension. These strategies were see-think-wonder, comprehension log, concept pattern organization and remix.  Being able to receive advice from teachers who are very experienced in the the field of teaching, is very helpful for a future teacher.

In our zoom meeting with Mrs. Waddell, she asked us about our semester and how it is going. A lot of us answered "stressed". This week I found an article from edutopia, that talks about avoiding stress, anxiety and burnout. Here are five strategies that can help to keep calm now and as a future teacher.

1. Engage in positive self-talk and self-reflection
• Identify strengths and reinforce a positive, can-do attitude.
• Don't have negative thoughts or doubts. Always try to stay positive and give yourself compliments.
2. Make it manageable
• If you start to feel overwhelmed, make sure you stop and realize your priorities - what should be done and in what order. Then, figure out a step-by-step plan to get the work done.
3. Embrace the joys of teaching
• When there are the "aha!" moments wether its in something you're doing or when a student understands something.
• Stay in those happy moments.
4. Become more resilient
• Be able to bounce back when there are setbacks.
• Try to stay calm during stressful moments.
• Take control over your actions.
5. Set your problems aside for a while
• Identify your problems that are distracting you.
• Ask yourself if you have control over the problem. If "no", leave the problem somewhere you can't find it. 

This article relates to Standard 5 when teachers reflect on their practice. It is very important for teachers to be able to reflect on the work of students. This also can help teachers when they are stressed and feeling worn down. It is very important to keep focused and not worry and stress over the little things. 

Are we there yet?

Even though we didn't have SSED 307 this week, the work amount has still ben the same. This week we finished and turned in our virtual museums. This project was very challenging but very fun to create. I've never heard of doing a viral museum or even creating one for that matter. However, I will say that it was pretty fun to do. I really enjoyed getting to explore a museum, learn important information and make it come to life through technology. Being able to bring a place to the classroom can expand a students learning and it cost hardly anything.

The article I found this week focuses on creating a 21st century classroom. The article was written by Mary Wade. She gives five different elements that make-up a 21st-century classroom, along with examples that teachers can use.
Element One: Zones
Create a space that is flexible for students to do different things all in one room. Design certain places in the room for certain things such as small groups, work zones, relax zones and other places that give students places to do different types of learning.
Element Two: Accessibility
Arrange the classroom for everyones convenience. Ask students for their opinion to see what they would want to have in the classroom to benefit them.
Element Three: Mobility
Make the classroom environment flexible for everyones needs, no matter the learner. Create a tech station in the classroom for students to use different apps to increase their learning.
Element Four: Inspiration
Create a zone that students can create and expand their creativity. Give students the chance to do something of their own that is not a grade or something that could set them up for failure.
Element Five: Respect
Allow students who don't like school or act up just for attention to understand and know the real reason why they are at school. Let them know that school is suppose to be a safe place to leaner and grow.

These are some things to consider while trying to think of creating a 21st century classroom. This article relates with standard 2 of the NC Teaching Standards. Teachers can create a respectful environment for all students to learn and succeed in the classroom.