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Week 7 & 8 Reflection

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In Week 7 and 8 of ELEC 316, we discussed concepts in statistics and practiced analyzing data in Excel. Additionally, we determined the difference between quantitative and qualitative data. Now that I understand the importance of collecting and interpreting data in the early childhood setting, I plan to incorporate this practice in my future classroom.  During class time, I identified many statistics terms that were familiar to me and a few terms that were new or unfamiliar to me. Vocabulary including standardization (definition: raw scores are converted to compare scores), norming (definition: process of creating norms), and criterion-referenced tests (definition: scores are compared to standards) were relatively unfamiliar to me in my study of statistics. On the other hand, mean, median, mode, population, sample, etc., were very familiar to me. Analyzing data using statistical measurements can be highly invaluable in any career. Particularly in education, data on test scores can ...
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Week 6 Reflection

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     During Week 6 of ELEC 316, we learned in detail about the process required for planning a meaningful lesson and the importance and variety of assessments that can be administered in the classroom setting. On Wednesday, September 28, we discussed the concept of alignment in lessons, activities, and classroom experiences. I learned that it is crucial that a teacher begins planning by considering the academic standards. By doing this, teachers can create purposeful objectives that scaffold and expand upon student learning. After the objectives are formed and clearly written, instructional activities can be designed to help the teacher assess their students in a variety of ways. When the standards, learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessments are aligned, teachers can present a wonderful learning experience in the classroom that challenges and encourages students in their learning. In my future classroom, I will begin my planning by looking at the acad...
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Week 5 Reflection

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  During Week 5 of ELEC 316, we talked about learning objectives and the importance and value of using them in the early childhood setting. Learning objectives are statements that describe what the student should be able to do and/or accomplish after instruction. These objectives address criteria according to state standards and should aim to be student centered, actionable, and measurable. For example, a learning objective may state, “Students will be able to judge if the teacher correctly ordered a list of five fractions, with a partner, at 90% accuracy.” Learning objectives are essential for planning lessons, administering assessments, and creating activities. A useful tool to use when writing effective learning objectives is the ABCD formula. A stands for the audience and focuses on the targeted group of people (e.g., students, learners). B stands for the behavior and describes what the audience will be able to do following instruction. C stands for the conditions and describes...
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Week 4 Reflection

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     During Week 4 of ELEC 316, we discussed Bloom’s Taxonomy, Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK), and their value in the early childhood setting. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical framework that focuses on students' level of mastery, while Webb’s DOK is not a hierarchical framework, but instead a process that focuses on knowledge gained through learning. In addition, we considered how these two models are useful to teachers and their instructional practices.      Bloom’s Taxonomy consists of six levels: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. Each level must be mastered before a student attempts a higher level of cognitive tasks. The higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy encourages students to dive deeper into metacognition and to develop a well-rounded understanding of the content by developing something new. This framework is used for instruction and emphasizes the verb (e.g., describe, sketch). Webb’s DOK, however, consists of four levels:...
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Week 3 Reflection

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During Week 3 of ELEC 316, we discussed the importance of and the different styles of documentation in the early childhood setting. After reflecting on the content covered in class, I now feel that I can use documentation to report the learning and progress of my future students.  When considering documentation, teachers must have a well rounded understanding of its purposes. Documentation leads teachers to reflect on the effectiveness of their teaching strategies, and provides insight into what children are learning and thinking. I appreciate that there is an opportunity for growth and improvement through documenting the learning of students. As a future teacher, it is important to me that I can see my student’s progress and comprehension through documentation so that I may improve my practices to meet my students' needs. Within documentation, there are several approaches and styles teachers may use, including the conventional style, Reggio Emilia style, or project style. Each app...
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Week 2 Reflection

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  During Week 2 of ELEC 316, we discussed the importance of observations and the ways in which they can be measured. Observations may be recorded via running records, anecdotal records, time sampling, event sampling, checklists, rating scales, and rubrics. It was noted that observations can be objective or subjective in nature, however, observers should consider that objective observations are better measured than subjective observations because they exclude all personal opinions and feelings. Observations are crucially important in the early childhood classroom as they inform teachers of student learning, engagement, and higher-order thinking. Teachers observe to gather information about behavior and learning, to inform their instructional plans, and to help understand the student’s thought processes. In my future classroom, I’m most excited to use anecdotal records which focus on the what, where, and when of a single event, and rubrics which focus on skills and behaviors at each ...
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Week 1 Reflection

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During Week 1 of ELEC 316, I gained a wealth of knowledge about the importance of assessment and the different types involved in the early childhood classroom. In my own words, assessment in education is observing children, recording their progress, and making critical decisions based on their development that influence teaching instruction. As a future teacher, I appreciate the use of assessments, but I also understand that not all assessment types effectively measure student thinking and learning.  In my future classroom, I plan to use assessments to measure student progress and inform my teaching practices. While formal assessments are useful in that they assess the performance of one student in relation to another student's performance, I’m more drawn to informal assessments. Informal assessments are low-stakes assessments created by the teacher and used to gauge individual performance. A few informal assessments that I’m excited to use in my future classroom include project-ba...
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