by Hayley Flynn (May '08 graduate)
Over the course of the Senior II Student Teaching experience, it is expected that we all teach countless lessons across content areas, establish our own classroom management plan, and have contact with parents and families. In addition to such requirements, I have also created, implemented, and reported on an action research project.
As a Special Education major, it is required that I do an action research project. Action research is one way for teachers to make sure that they are practicing effective teaching methods that benefit their students. In beginning an action research project, the teacher must identify a problem, either behavioral or academic. The teacher must then identify an intervention, or a way to correct the problem. Research must be done on the chosen intervention by gathering information from sources including peer reviewed journals. Once a research based intervention is chosen, baseline data must be gathered. Baseline data is the student’s current level of function including the frequency of a given behavior or a group of scores on a test. At this time the intervention can be implemented. Throughout the intervention, it is important to gather data to chart the student’s progress.
This semester, I chose the topic of multi-sensory instruction to increase spelling scores of basic sight words. My baseline data showed that my students had difficulty spelling basic sight words. My intervention had the students go to multi-sensory based centers to work with a group of 10 basic sight words. In one center, students use whisper phones to spell words (auditory). In the second center, students use sand trays to spell out the words (tactile/kinesthetic). In the third center, students spell out words using magnetic lettering (visual). Prior to each center time, students are given a spelling test probe to chart their progress throughout the intervention. So far, the intervention is showing promise, specifically with students with learning disabilities.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Photos from the School of Art, 2007-2008
Photos by Robyn McLawhorn (rising senior)
Every year, undergraduates in ECU's School of Art and Design have many opportunities to show their work, in addition to the senior show each one of them will host. There are currently a handful of art education majors in the ECU TF/MS program, and they're all quite active in the SOAD community as well as in the TF/MS program.
Rising senior TF Sarah Wittmer, a former art education major who never quite could give up art & design courses after switching to history education, works at the Printmaking Guild's table at the annual School of Art and Design Holiday Sale. Each individual program in the School of Art has a Guild, which coordinates each program's extracurricular activities. About 10% of Holiday Sale sales go to the guilds, while the other 90% go straight to the artist.
Rising senior Robyn McLawhorn, an art education major, is doing her required concentration in photography but had great success in her metal design survey course as well. Her work was accepted to the spring SOAD Undergraduate Show, an annual extravaganza of the finest undergraduate art & design work.
Every year, undergraduates in ECU's School of Art and Design have many opportunities to show their work, in addition to the senior show each one of them will host. There are currently a handful of art education majors in the ECU TF/MS program, and they're all quite active in the SOAD community as well as in the TF/MS program.
Rising senior TF Sarah Wittmer, a former art education major who never quite could give up art & design courses after switching to history education, works at the Printmaking Guild's table at the annual School of Art and Design Holiday Sale. Each individual program in the School of Art has a Guild, which coordinates each program's extracurricular activities. About 10% of Holiday Sale sales go to the guilds, while the other 90% go straight to the artist.
Rising senior Robyn McLawhorn, an art education major, is doing her required concentration in photography but had great success in her metal design survey course as well. Her work was accepted to the spring SOAD Undergraduate Show, an annual extravaganza of the finest undergraduate art & design work.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Surprise! Some Things You May Not Have Considered Before Beginning Your Student Teaching
by Patrick Hales (May '08 graduate)
The following is a list that I wish to pass along to those of you embarking on the strange and fantastic journey that is student teaching. Consider each of the following points and take them to heart. I feel that they will be of some assistance to you in your dark times.
1. You will have dark times. Don’t kid yourself. If you didn’t second guess, kick, or otherwise mentally abuse yourself at times, you would not be a good teacher. It happens. What you’ve got to remember and hold onto when you feel like you want to give up is this: you grow from failure, not from success. Without failure, success is nothing.
2. All your students will not want to know you or learn from you. A sad, but true fact. Many students could care less. The magical thing about a good teacher, though, is that we can trick them into learning.
3. You will be told that your primary job is not teaching. Many administrators will switch your primary job’s focus from day to day. Monday, it may be to keep accurate attendance. Tuesday, it may be accommodations. Wednesday, it could be to clean up the cafeteria for all you know. Long story short; be true to yourself and your students. If, at the end of the day, your students can leave better off than when they came in, you’ve done one heck of a job no matter what the administration says.
4. Number three being said, you’ve got a lot to keep up with other than actual teaching. You have to keep attendance, grade books, lesson plans (hard copy and online), IEP’s, 504’s, health action plans, emergency evacuation plans, and a whole lot of odds and ends. You’re a secretary, administrator, counselor, nurse, everything really. In my student teaching alone, I’ve had two pregnant students, three with severe asthma, one with a imbalance that makes her pass out if she stands up to fast, one with low blood sugar, and one who was the first person to successfully receive this special type of transplant, all of whom I have had to be trained on how to handle in specific situations. Also, I have about 5 students in each class that have to leave every time I give a test because their IEP’s say they must either get it read aloud or they get a separate setting. I realize that number four has gone long, but I say all this to say: you’ve have got so much more to deal with than you ever thought. Be prepared. And in the words of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic.
5. They weren’t kidding, you are underappreciated. People don’t think you do anything because they can’t see our results with their eyes. Everyone in the world thinks they can do our job. Just grin and bear it. You’ll see results and you’ll love it.
Thank you all for reading and choosing to be what you are, which is evidently amazing people. It takes that to do our job. Remember, you’re not alone out there. Don’t give up!
The following is a list that I wish to pass along to those of you embarking on the strange and fantastic journey that is student teaching. Consider each of the following points and take them to heart. I feel that they will be of some assistance to you in your dark times.
1. You will have dark times. Don’t kid yourself. If you didn’t second guess, kick, or otherwise mentally abuse yourself at times, you would not be a good teacher. It happens. What you’ve got to remember and hold onto when you feel like you want to give up is this: you grow from failure, not from success. Without failure, success is nothing.
2. All your students will not want to know you or learn from you. A sad, but true fact. Many students could care less. The magical thing about a good teacher, though, is that we can trick them into learning.
3. You will be told that your primary job is not teaching. Many administrators will switch your primary job’s focus from day to day. Monday, it may be to keep accurate attendance. Tuesday, it may be accommodations. Wednesday, it could be to clean up the cafeteria for all you know. Long story short; be true to yourself and your students. If, at the end of the day, your students can leave better off than when they came in, you’ve done one heck of a job no matter what the administration says.
4. Number three being said, you’ve got a lot to keep up with other than actual teaching. You have to keep attendance, grade books, lesson plans (hard copy and online), IEP’s, 504’s, health action plans, emergency evacuation plans, and a whole lot of odds and ends. You’re a secretary, administrator, counselor, nurse, everything really. In my student teaching alone, I’ve had two pregnant students, three with severe asthma, one with a imbalance that makes her pass out if she stands up to fast, one with low blood sugar, and one who was the first person to successfully receive this special type of transplant, all of whom I have had to be trained on how to handle in specific situations. Also, I have about 5 students in each class that have to leave every time I give a test because their IEP’s say they must either get it read aloud or they get a separate setting. I realize that number four has gone long, but I say all this to say: you’ve have got so much more to deal with than you ever thought. Be prepared. And in the words of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic.
5. They weren’t kidding, you are underappreciated. People don’t think you do anything because they can’t see our results with their eyes. Everyone in the world thinks they can do our job. Just grin and bear it. You’ll see results and you’ll love it.
Thank you all for reading and choosing to be what you are, which is evidently amazing people. It takes that to do our job. Remember, you’re not alone out there. Don’t give up!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Women's Conference Basketball Tournament - Orlando, FL
by Anthony Hingley (rising junior)
Right before Spring Break kicked off this year, the ECU Lady Pirates Basketball team went down to Orlando, FL to participate in the annual C-USA Conference Tournament hosted by UCF. The winner of the tournament was guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Women's Tournament. Last year, our team won the tournament. This year, the pep band, cheerleaders, and dance team all went down to Orlando to support the Pirates. We left Greenville on that Wednesday at around 4pm. We finally got to our hotel in Orlando around 2:30am. It was a long bus ride, but we were excited, the game was going to be a blast.
The next day, we had free time until around 7pm when we had to meet at the hotel to load the bus to go to the coliseum. So after spending the day just walking around and relaxing, we were ready to go cheer the Lady Pirates on. When we got to the stadium, there weren't too many people there, but that meant that we had to cheer even louder for our team. In a disappointing game, ECU lost, and we were all not looking forward to another ten and a half hour bus ride after just arriving. To the rescue comes Terry Holland, who asks all of us if we would rather stay in Orlando for another day. We, of course, all said yes.
The next day, about half of the group decided to buy tickets and go to Disney World, while the rest of us opted for another day of relaxation. When it came time for us to go home, we reluctantly loaded the bus and headed back to Greenville. The team didn't win, but we still managed to have a good time and enjoy ourselves.
Right before Spring Break kicked off this year, the ECU Lady Pirates Basketball team went down to Orlando, FL to participate in the annual C-USA Conference Tournament hosted by UCF. The winner of the tournament was guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Women's Tournament. Last year, our team won the tournament. This year, the pep band, cheerleaders, and dance team all went down to Orlando to support the Pirates. We left Greenville on that Wednesday at around 4pm. We finally got to our hotel in Orlando around 2:30am. It was a long bus ride, but we were excited, the game was going to be a blast.
The next day, we had free time until around 7pm when we had to meet at the hotel to load the bus to go to the coliseum. So after spending the day just walking around and relaxing, we were ready to go cheer the Lady Pirates on. When we got to the stadium, there weren't too many people there, but that meant that we had to cheer even louder for our team. In a disappointing game, ECU lost, and we were all not looking forward to another ten and a half hour bus ride after just arriving. To the rescue comes Terry Holland, who asks all of us if we would rather stay in Orlando for another day. We, of course, all said yes.
The next day, about half of the group decided to buy tickets and go to Disney World, while the rest of us opted for another day of relaxation. When it came time for us to go home, we reluctantly loaded the bus and headed back to Greenville. The team didn't win, but we still managed to have a good time and enjoy ourselves.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sophomore Trip: Asheboro, NC
By Bradley Baggett (freshman)
Photos by the ECU TF/MS Staff
Captions by the ECU TF/MS Blog Editorial Staff
The Sophomore Teaching Fellows, Maynard Scholars, and new office assistant Pam Fisher (this was her first trip with the ECU Fellows and Maynard Scholars) visited the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro on February 23, 2008. They departed ECU at 8:30 am and took two ECU transit buses. The Fellows and Scholars explored the zoo. Upon departure of the zoo, the group went to Timothy's, a casual fine dining restaurant, where they were treated to dinner by the ECU Teaching Fellows Office. The Fellows and Scholars were all glad to have this bonding experience and were just as appreciative, if not more, for the meal.
Our office staff has fun on trips, too! Dr. Mary Beth Corbin, who recently stepped down as the campus program director, isn't above goofing off for the camera.
Sophomores take a day trip every year to a city in North Carolina as part of the ECU TF/MS program. It's fully funded by the program and is designed to further broaden our students' horizons, exposing them to a new and exciting place in our state. Previous years, sophomores have traveled to Raleigh and to the Outer Banks. Each trip location is voted on by the class, and each trip is planned by the Travel Committee.
Photos by the ECU TF/MS Staff
Captions by the ECU TF/MS Blog Editorial Staff
The Sophomore Teaching Fellows, Maynard Scholars, and new office assistant Pam Fisher (this was her first trip with the ECU Fellows and Maynard Scholars) visited the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro on February 23, 2008. They departed ECU at 8:30 am and took two ECU transit buses. The Fellows and Scholars explored the zoo. Upon departure of the zoo, the group went to Timothy's, a casual fine dining restaurant, where they were treated to dinner by the ECU Teaching Fellows Office. The Fellows and Scholars were all glad to have this bonding experience and were just as appreciative, if not more, for the meal.
Our office staff has fun on trips, too! Dr. Mary Beth Corbin, who recently stepped down as the campus program director, isn't above goofing off for the camera.
Sophomores take a day trip every year to a city in North Carolina as part of the ECU TF/MS program. It's fully funded by the program and is designed to further broaden our students' horizons, exposing them to a new and exciting place in our state. Previous years, sophomores have traveled to Raleigh and to the Outer Banks. Each trip location is voted on by the class, and each trip is planned by the Travel Committee.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Reflecting on Senior II: Math Ed.
By Karlee Fee (May '08 graduate)
It was not long ago when I was sitting in my desk, looking up at my teacher, and paying attention in my high school math class. I cannot believe that now I am on the other side of that picture, and I now I am responsible for teaching roughly eighty students the concepts of geometry and advanced functions. It just amazes me that my journey at East Carolina is almost complete, and soon I will be entering the “real world” as an educator.
I am not nervous. In fact, I feel that I have been prepared in so many ways. Since I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at ECU, I have attended countless seminars and participated in a variety of volunteer work to help prepare me. Granted, at the time I might have been begrudgingly going through the motions. But now, as I have reached the near end of my college experience, I can honestly say that the seminars, cultural events, etc. have really helped me become a better teacher.
There is so much more to teaching than learning the material you are going to teach. A teacher is not only an educator, but you play the roles of comforter, counselor, motivator, friend, manager, and so much more. My university classes may have taught me the mathematics I need to know, but being a Teaching Fellow helped me develop into the educator they knew I would become all along. So, thank you Teaching Fellows! And underclassmen, do not take for granted the wonderful opportunities you have been awarded.
It was not long ago when I was sitting in my desk, looking up at my teacher, and paying attention in my high school math class. I cannot believe that now I am on the other side of that picture, and I now I am responsible for teaching roughly eighty students the concepts of geometry and advanced functions. It just amazes me that my journey at East Carolina is almost complete, and soon I will be entering the “real world” as an educator.
I am not nervous. In fact, I feel that I have been prepared in so many ways. Since I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at ECU, I have attended countless seminars and participated in a variety of volunteer work to help prepare me. Granted, at the time I might have been begrudgingly going through the motions. But now, as I have reached the near end of my college experience, I can honestly say that the seminars, cultural events, etc. have really helped me become a better teacher.
There is so much more to teaching than learning the material you are going to teach. A teacher is not only an educator, but you play the roles of comforter, counselor, motivator, friend, manager, and so much more. My university classes may have taught me the mathematics I need to know, but being a Teaching Fellow helped me develop into the educator they knew I would become all along. So, thank you Teaching Fellows! And underclassmen, do not take for granted the wonderful opportunities you have been awarded.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
More Photos from Spring '08!
Photos by Jaron Cox (rising sophomore) and Mary Beth Steimel (rising sophomore)
To start off your June right, we have an assortment of photos to share with you from a variety of events ECU Fellows and Scholars participated in this past semester.
ECU Fellows Jaron Cox and Grayson Woodcock, both music education majors, participated in the ECU Percussion Players concert earlier this year. Music education majors spend a lot of time studying performance as well as pedagogy - it seems like there's always an ensemble performing somewhere!
Many of our ECU Fellows and Scholars donated blood this semester. The American Red Cross holds blood drives on campus and at student housing complexes off-campus fairly regularly, and students in the Health 1000 courses often get extra credit for giving blood. The ECU community still hasn't forgotten the gracious assistance of the Red Cross after Hurricane Floyd devastated our campus in 1999, and although none of us were here for that disaster, we still give back however we can.
Freshman Tatum Weaver organized a ECU Teaching Fellows/Maynard Scholars Relay for Life team this year, showing that there are leadership opportunities even for freshmen. She did a fantastic job; our team raised a lot of money and actively participated in the Relay's festivities. The team had a lot of fun at the event, held one weekend in April.
To start off your June right, we have an assortment of photos to share with you from a variety of events ECU Fellows and Scholars participated in this past semester.
ECU Fellows Jaron Cox and Grayson Woodcock, both music education majors, participated in the ECU Percussion Players concert earlier this year. Music education majors spend a lot of time studying performance as well as pedagogy - it seems like there's always an ensemble performing somewhere!
Many of our ECU Fellows and Scholars donated blood this semester. The American Red Cross holds blood drives on campus and at student housing complexes off-campus fairly regularly, and students in the Health 1000 courses often get extra credit for giving blood. The ECU community still hasn't forgotten the gracious assistance of the Red Cross after Hurricane Floyd devastated our campus in 1999, and although none of us were here for that disaster, we still give back however we can.
Freshman Tatum Weaver organized a ECU Teaching Fellows/Maynard Scholars Relay for Life team this year, showing that there are leadership opportunities even for freshmen. She did a fantastic job; our team raised a lot of money and actively participated in the Relay's festivities. The team had a lot of fun at the event, held one weekend in April.
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