Paul Potts Britain's Got Talent

INSPIRATION

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OF PAUL POTTS ON BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT PRIOR TO READING THIS POST


INSPIRATION

Many educators are discouraged because of the state of our school systems. There is a lack of parent involvement, student motivation, resources, learning tools, funding, and support.

Like the singer in the video we immediately look at the state of our schools and say nothing is going to work. These kids will not be successful. They are unteachable!

As the singer is not confident in himself, educators are not confident in the capabilities of their students.

I believe if you give students a chance and show them that you believe in them, they will become motivated to succeed. They need an opportunity from their teachers to to be successful.

Behavior in some classrooms hinder the success of students and it understandably disheartens teachers. In spite of all the issues we face as educators, it is our responsibility to teach. We're not just teaching academics, because many of our students lack the life skills needed to function socially in an organized environment. We are also teaching children confidence and perseverance.

Help your students persevere through life's challenges and see past negativity.
Remember to always give your students an opportunity, a chance, and most of all hope.

Paul Potts was given an opportunity despite his appearance, background, and lack of confidence. He is now a world renowned opera singer and winner of Britain's Got Talent.

The Definition of Curriculum

My definition of curriculum is currently more comprehensive and no longer based on a generalizations. I understood the curriculum to be a set of academic tools designed to educate and prepare students for the future. Based on course readings and class discussions, I view the curriculum as not only being a set of academic tools but also a comprehensive guide and implementation structure for all education stakeholders to follow. The curriculum should be used alongside other documents in order to effectively meet the state standards. The curriculum includes all that is written, tested, and taught. The written is based on the curriculum guidelines, common core standards, curriculum standards, and professional standards. The taught is implementation of the curriculum, and tested is the assessments decided to ensure that the written and taught were implemented and addressed effectively.

The curriculum helps school stakeholders to plan, organize, and implement instruction. It serves as a guideline which gives a specific outline of what academic material should be taught. Although it outlines academic guidelines, in order to implement the curriculum effectively it takes the efforts of all stakeholders. The curriculum is just a document without the expertise of administrators and teachers, the participation of student families, and all stakeholder's support in providing and maintaining the necessary resources to implement the curriculum.

At my school, teachers in testing grades 3-5 are encouraged to focus on teaching areas in Reading and Math that coincide with state test content when we should be focusing on the curriculum itself. The guidelines provided in the curriculum, if implemented correctly, will help students be successful in all tested areas. The curriculum should not be isolated to the specific guides but it should encompass everything that helps execute the curriculum.

I define the curriculum as a body of documents that help promote student achievement. It's not only the curriculum guides, state standards, and curriculum, but it should also include professional standards that hold teachers accountability and promote family and community involvement in education. Curriculum is a group of documents that guide the academic success of students through effective implementation and participation of all stakeholders. The content of curriculum and implementation should change and be redefined based on new technologies and discoveries in education. What is written should be followed but flexible, what is taught should be aligned with stakeholder accountability, and what is tested should coincide with continued student success on a global scale.

Instructional Technology for 21st Century Learners

As a school administrator and instructional leader I would expect to see instructional technology used that coincides with the curriculum and standard expectations. The instructional technology should also help general and special education students gain full access to instruction and enhance learning in classrooms.
To meet the needs of all learners in the 21st century I would incorporate instructional technology that students may use daily and make it useful to their education. The use of blogs, computer programs, interactive learning tools, and other traditional strategies would be useful in reaching all learners and help maintain student interests.
Through the written curriculum students can use technology to practice handwriting through "Writing without Tears", teaching general writing techniques through interactive games, and practice Reading strategies using Imagination Station. Students can also use instructional technology by using computer Word programs to write an electronic journal. Students could also use supervised blogs for writing lesson reflections. Books on CD and modified reading materials presented on smart boards would also be helpful in reaching learners with special needs.
Teachers can use instructional technology tools such as smart boards to demonstrate lesson information and to assess what is learned.
I use board maker, Istation, Study Island, and a Smart board in my classroom. My students use the smart board during morning meetings to identify time concepts, practice previously learned skills, and to practice journal writing. It serves as a visual representation of what is usually written on paper or on a chalkboard. The smart board allows interactive learning and it keeps them engaged with the pictures and multiple functions. My students seem to use the smart board tools more effectively than paper and pencil materials. The smart board also helps meet my students sensory needs. I would also promote using computer programs such as Isation, Starfall, and Study Island. These programs help students practice what they've learned, assess what they have retained, and it automatically tracks data to monitor their progress.
As suggested by Jacobs, I would incorporate graphic organizers to help with comprehension and understanding difficult concepts. Lessons would be derived from themes to help students see the broader picture and how small concepts apply to one idea. Venn diagrams with pictures could also be used to help students with special needs compare and contrast and gain a better understanding of differences and similarities. Students can complete these activities using smart boards and projectors.
Meeting the needs of 21st century learners involves being mindful of all learning styles and meeting students where they are in order to bring them to where you want them to be.

The Purpose of School

School is an environment where students should gain knowledge in order to be successful. Students should serve as a safe haven for students to learn academics, develop social skills, and nurture a foundation for learning. School should encourage and motivate children to excel and become life-long learners. Schools teach students of how to communicate with one another, problem solve, and work together. Educators should be mindful of their interactions and how they effect students. As Kindergartens learn how to share in school, high school students learn about work ethic and responsibility. A school is the foundation for the development of essential life skills children need to be successful.

Students should be taught subjects that will help them understand the world around them and knowledge that will help them continue to seek that which they do not know. All subjects are important as students should learn the basics of science and social studies. Reading is key as it helps students gain access to other subjects. Many students struggle through school because they lack the necessary skills to excel in Reading. This subject should be continuously stressed and nurtured on every grade level. Students need to be able to read and comprehend in order to learn. Teachers should investigate their student's learning styles and implement the curriculum based on their findings. While this is not an easy task, educators should be mindful of how successful students will be if their learning styles are targeted.


My work demonstrates my beliefs because I modify and accommodate the curriculum daily and sometimes throughout a lesson in order to help my students learn. I focus on reading through comprehension exercises, reading logs, and vocabulary enrichment. Learning should not be something that students fear, they should walk into their classrooms excited about learning something new. I created a classroom environment that rewards risk takers and embraces mistakes. My students gain knowledge and skills needed to obtain knowledge.

School shapes children for higher learning, the work force, and life. Educators must embrace the responsibility of providing the skills and and academics students need to be successful. Nurturing minds and preparing students for the world is a school's purpose.

Post-Conference Analysis

After reviewing the observation, I realized that the location should have been in an office instead of a classroom. An office would have been a more appropriate setting for a person in leadership as the teacher being observed should take the post observation seriously and recognize the authority of the administrator. A classroom was more comfortable for me as I still conduct myself as a teacher and not an administrator. Although my notes were well-organized and thorough, I read them directly from from my observation notes which caused me to look down or at my computer instead giving the teacher eye contact. I gave my results in a structured manner and not in a conversational tone. I gave feedback as if it were a tape recording instead of talking to the teacher. I did however compliment the teacher and I allowed her to provide feedback. I also gave the teacher a copy of the observation tool which caused her to read along with me. In the future I would prepare bullet points on strength areas, challenges, and recommendations. I would pause after each in order to engage the teacher in the discussion and ask questions. I would begin the post observation with compliments and ask the teacher their opinion of how the lesson went.

The teacher integrated the objective throughout the lesson as requested. Instead of working on the skills separately, throughout the lesson she went back to the main objective and. The sight words introduced in the beginning of the lesson were addressed throughout instruction. She used a suggested technique given during a previous post observation. I told her to use "listen-up cards" throughout the lesson. Each student was given a card with a sight word. When the word was mentioned throughout the lesson, the student would stand up and state the word.
The teacher made instruction and assessment plans for each student in her class and was well-versed on her their individual needs. The teacher was well prepared as she had a copy of the previous observations and tried to address her challenge areas. The teacher was able to address questions related to specific students and she did not appear confused. She was more prepared for push back opposed to other post observation discussions.

I used a Directive approach incorporating Presenting, Reinforcing, and Clarifying. I stated the results of the observation by listed strengths, challenges, recommendations, what worked, and student/teacher engagement. Afterward, I gave the teacher specific instructions on how to improve and what should take place in the future. I also allowed the teacher to clarify and explain why she used certain strategies with specific students. I reinforced by stressing the need for implementing best practices while teaching and exposing students with special needs to the VSC regardless of their ability level.
I think I could have also Incorporated Collaborative behaviors in order to give the teacher an opportunity to develop effective strategies and share them. This teacher seems to be dependent upon others for help therefore collaborating would allow her to create instructional tools to share with colleagues and become more confident in her work. She could possibly collaborate with other colleagues as well as an administrator to develop effective instruction tools and work on implementation.

Classroom Arrangments

Classroom arrangements help create an atmosphere for learning that is comfortable for students and that aid in classroom management. If staff members are given a standard outline of how a classroom should be arranged, teachers will be on one accord and they will have a common baseline as to how their classes are presented to students and parents. Although each teacher is able to add their own creativity, each class should have a baseline for uniformity.

During my walk through, I noticed that the common classroom setups hosted general education students and unique setups were inclusion rooms or self-contained classrooms for students with Autism. The classrooms were all setup based on the needs of students.

Some commonalities found in the classrooms were computer centers, word walls, and teacher's desks in the far back corners. All of the classrooms have computer centers with at least 2-3 computers. The computers are set up with the screens facing the wall which allow students to use the computers and not distract others. Smart boards are mounted to the chalkboards with a projector and laptop facing them. The teachers


When viewing the classrooms I noticed that most teachers have designated centers for reading, a lounge area for reading, and a word wall. The classroom chairs are set up to allow the teachers to walk through the students with the students facing inward. This is an effective strategy because it gives the teacher access to the students and it integrates the stakeholders. The teacher is not on one end while the students are on the other. Teachers have access to all students and they avoid having a trouble area in the back of the classroom with talkative students.

Classrooms that service students with special needs have visual schedules and less wall decorum. These are the more unique classrooms. As soon as you enter, an obvious difference in the room’s arrangement is noticed. There is one reading table, a sensory area with mats and bean bags, and the desks are separated for each student. These classrooms have less furniture which allows the teacher to have immediate access to students. The walls are mostly bare to avoid distractions and to promote focus on simple tasks. These classrooms also have an open space for students to walk around, jump, dance, and exercise. The unique classrooms display pictures instead of words for schedules and instructions. Classroom items are labeled with pictures and words, and students have pictures along with their names on their desks.

For professional development, staff members can collaborate on effective room arrangements, what systems work, how to accommodate large class sizes, and creating a comfortable inclusion environment. At this particular school there are several inclusion classes for students with Autism. Teachers expressed difficulty in setting up a common classroom for general education students, while keeping in mind the needs of the students with Autism. The inclusion classroom setups are a median between the common and unique classrooms. They are not as busy as the common setups, but they have more decorum than a unique or Autism classroom. They use the visual aids of a unique classroom, but they also use centers, various table setups and all students sit with one partner opposed to the desks being individually placed.

Room arrangements should be based upon a teacher’s preference abiding by standard guidelines. All classrooms should be required to post class rules, the names of adults and students, objectives, exit signs and have standard equipment such as computers, desks, chairs, and tables. The standards can be supervised but I believe teachers should be allowed to arrange their rooms based on what is comfortable for all classroom participants. It should be an environment that encourages learning and teaching. Once all of the standards are in place, a teacher should be creative with the setup of their classroom keeping in mind student needs and classroom management.