PPSEL 2011-2012 5/6 Crew: Measuring and Remeasuring and some trekking...now that's how to think!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Measuring and Remeasuring and some trekking...now that's how to think!!

The 5/6 Crew has 5 Interns this year from the UI College of Education. These young people, our next wave of educators, are fun to have in the classroom. The kids get to know them and learn from with them. Ms. Barry and Ms. Chinnock (pronounced Chennick) came with us on our Field Work day. The other 3, Mr. Myers, Ms. Huggins, and Mr. Alt have all worked with the 5th grade in math. It is fun to watch and listen to the conversations they are having and the good thinking coming from these interactions. The UI students are with us for 3 hours once a week.

Guiding Principles from Responsive Classroom

There are 7 principles that have been researched and followed by educational theorists and experienced classroom teachers. These principles guide my best practice techniques. It is necessary to be absolutely purposeful in cooperative learning methods.

1. The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.

2. How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and Content go hand in hand.

3. The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.

4.To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

5. Knowing the children we teach-individually, culturally, and developmentally-is as important as knowing the content we teach.

6. Knowing the families of he children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education.

7. How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.