blog 11

Blog 11:  With your group - pose a new question about teacher comments.  What categories + codes would you use to answer this question?  What patterns do you see in our data set with respect to your new question?

·        What’s are the comments that bring changes students performance?

o   Comments that are positive in nature:

§  Praise notes- its boost their self-esteem

§  Decreased disruptive behaviors because it adds to a positive classroom.

§  Classroom motivation- (ex: more participation in discussions)

§  Self-efficacy

§  Academic learning success because it increases their knowledge.

§  Their writing abilities improve.

§  When students are being praised they are more likely to repeat the good behavior. 

Categories/Codes:

            The above statements are all features of positive learning community.  This learning community is essential for all learning to occur.  Students will be able to enhance their work when positive feedback is given.

Codes:

·        Teachers would underline words or sentences with a distinct pen but would not cease praising (ex: red).

·        Teachers would leave comments at the end of the paper stating the good things that were well done and things that need improvement.

·        Teachers could be more in detail with their feedback on students work.  With technology now teachers are able to leave comments on the side of the paper, and or, after a sentence. (ex: “A new idea seems to start here, elaborate more on the idea or give an example.”)

·        Teachers can enforce doing drafts so the student can know how to enhance their final paper.

Patterns on Data Set:

·        Language:

o    We see a pattern in the code examples provided, which all are part of a positive learning community.

We see that language creates things. We see a pattern of positive language usage.  When a teacher gives back positive language (feedback) then you will see the changes develop in the students work.  When students receive the positive feedback they will want to continue to improve their writing and their behavior.  This helps create the learning community

Blog #9

Blog 9: With your group (one post per group) do the following:
1. Identify which questions assess which learning outcomes (some questions may apply to more than one learning outcome) (For this task - you should list each of the 19 questions under one or more of the 5 learning outcomes).
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of each question in terms of what it allows students to communicate about the knowledge, feelings, and practices they might have with respect to each learning outcome. (for this task, you should produce some comments that account for WHAT information each question provides with respect to the learning outcome it is listed under, and some observations about how well it provides that information)
3. Note (make a list of) any information about the 5 learning outcomes that the Department might need = but that will NOT be gathered through these questions.

Additional questions:
What definition(s) of "writing" and "learning" is assumed by this survey?
Are those definitions a good match for the definitions assumed by the student learning outcomes? Are they a good match for the way the students taking the survey will define writing and learning?
How might you change this survey so that it could provide a more accurate reflection of what students learn in this program? List your suggestions.

 Student Learning Outcome 1

1,5,7,15,

Student Learning Outcome 2

1,3,4,7,8,9,11,13,

Student Learning Outcome 3

2,4,6,9,

Student Learning Outcome 4

8,10, 13,

Student Learning Outcome 5

3, 8,9,12,

The survey covers what students are knowing and learning. We believe it asked the basic questions about English. Most of the questions offered how the students feel about their writing. I believe if the teachers understood how the students felt about their writing they could get a better understanding on how to teach. It covered all the objects but We think they could of added more about learning then writing. There were a lot of questions on writing but not much on the learning process.                    
Writing is express in the survey when you introduce the questions on how a student might be able to revised their work. Also when you ask the students about their brainstorming process this also will enhance a students writing ability. Learning is involved in the survey when the questions ask how they are able to grasp the different information they learn in the different English classes.This is a good match because it shows how the children will be using these definitions when furthering there learning in this major. There could be more information on learning as there is with writing. I would change the survey by adding more personal questions regarding writing on student’s spare time. Also I would add more questions to suggest how their writing style is because when they do the survey the second time you could see if their writing style has changed or not. I will also add more questions on how their writing reflects to their other courses besides English.

blog 5

State of Purpose 
To see if classroom environment in elementary schools have an affect on the way children learn.

Detailed Statement
All classrooms are set up in different ways, some teachers have desks in a circles others have the desk grouped up. Also some classrooms are filled with vibrant colors and pictures all around while others are less creative. In my research I want to see if the environment of the classroom affect the way the children learn. Since the rooms are more vibrant are the students more interested in learning? Is it better to use a smart board or an old fashion chalk board? All these questions and more will be added in my research.

Information needed
I need to first understand how children learn. I want to first focus on how children comprehend the stuff they learn does different effects help them learn better. I also need to research how visual affects have on a way a person can learn. I need to look at different classrooms and compare them to each other.

Sources
I found an article How Classroom Environment Can Ignite Learning and Cultivate Caring by Elena Aguilar, she speaks on this one classroom she visited and how the colors and the different stations set up are helping the children learn and helping them interact with each other better. The article shows pictures of the classroom and you can see the vibrant colors and the different words she has in her classroom.

Plan on gathering information
I plan on studying elementary students in various classrooms.
I will be collecting the information at Park Avenue Elementary School in Orange NJ
I want to try to at least look at four different classrooms who have different environments.
I want to intervew teachers and see there opinion and also pass out a survey to the children

5 1/2

In the classroom everyone was trying to pay attention to the professor and trying to jot notes. I noticed students looking around the classroom and laughing once the caught eye contact. As professor T talked to Jillian about her project she joked saying "i should change my project" Once Professor T said something about 200 pages.  Professor T mention that everyone were trying to write down there field notes and participate and the class started to laugh. Janida and I both commented that no one was doing nothing and its nothing to write, as Professor T was talking. Krista was explained her project on college students that were bullied and how it affect them. She explained to the class but i believe no one was really paying attention because they were trying to write down the stuff that was going on. All you see are students heads to there notebooks and giggles being passed around because no one knows what to write. Professor T continued to write on the board and ask the students questions. You could read on a lot of students faces asking why would she ask us questions if we are trying to write down what people are doing.

The project i will like to study is elementary environment and how it affects the way children learn.

• Does the way the desk section, does that affect children.
• Do the vibrant colors around the room help children learn.
• How does the pictures and colors around help children gain more knowledge.
• Does new technologies in the classroom enhance children learning.  

blog 4

How does the language used in the string story build up suspense before the ending.


Significance
    How is the piece of  language being used to make certain things significant or not and in what ways.

•   The joke starts off with a string walking into a bar.  First a string does not walk into so your focus is first on the string being able to walk into a bar. The language is very simple and this explains that people will understand the joke. Unlike the other jokes were you need to think more and possible re-read the joke to understand it. This joke was straight forward and soon as you read the first sentence you understand that a string is walking into a bar and looking for a beer.

Relationships
   What sort of relationship or relationships is this piece of  language seeking to with others (present or not)

• The relationship of the string joke shows that a person must pay attention when reading the joke. At the end when the author puts frayed knot you have to listen to fully understand what is being said.
• The author i show personification in this joke giving the string human characteristics.
• If looking closer into the joke you will notice discrimination.
• If you take away the string and replace it with a human this will count a prejudice.  

How does the language used in the string story build up suspense before the ending.
To go back to my original question the author builds up the suspense with the language by having the string go to different bars asking the same question and still receiving the same answer. It makes the reader want to hurry to the end to see if he will continue to go to the bars. The readers is going to read until they find out what really happens. The suspense is build so much that a reader will not just stop reading it. Instead of just going home he was tied into a knot and that how he described himself to the bartender explaing what he was. But when you read it out loud it sounds like I'm afraid not.