week 7 monday 10/07/13

Just wanted to let you know I'm surviving Just wanted to let you know I'm surviving. I'm loving teaching, but it is hard. I arrive early, stay late and work through lunch. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten to have a little fun. I recently went to visit Purdue with my boyfriend and got back into college mode quick. Back to work Monday was a little bit of an adjustment. I also volunteered to sponsor cheerleading for the 6th, 7th & 8th grade girls, which starts up soon. I'm excited about that. Tell everyone hi! Liz ‘12 

8: why children find school learning difficult young children (87-90) actively try to make sense of the world; sense of purpose & intention sense of possible and impossible from without to within what spoken about precedence over how can recognize intentions; develop and learn within personal relations

children’s thinking directed outwards—success in school requires turning inwards (90) learning to read may encourage conscious reflection—apprehension of language as a distinct system (95) “control of a function is the counterpart of one's consciousness of it" (96) written word may also encourage awareness of one’s own thinking, the development of intellectual self-control

ibasho place of peace, security, acceptance, belonging, coziness mimamori: watching over carefully as a protective figure, avoiding interference or correction that inhibit free exploration and developing sense of responsibility. jibun (self): my share of the shared space between us anshin: sense of security achieved through trusting relationships

project advice Don’t expect amazing questions and mind-blowing statements when you begin. If you get nothing from them for your web, read books, talk about it for a few days—then go back to your web. Have passion for the topic. You will live it, breathe it, dream about it every night. Something you want your kids to love as much as you do. Have a little bit of everything. Some kids love art, some love getting dirty, others love pretend play. Incorporate your topic in every area of the classroom at some point. My kids loved the actual baking, so we ended up trying lots of recipes and baking throughout the 3 weeks.

Plan lots of activities Plan lots of activities. A thousand ideas will pop in your head—at 3am, tossing and turning thinking about the sensory table: sand? Noodles? Or water… but with water they have to wear smocks. Are there enough smocks for painting and water. Limit the number of kids if water? Leaf rubbings at the art table! That would be a great idea! Things add up. Ask your co-op and other teachers for resources. Don’t buy things you can get in the classroom. But you’ll have to get some things on your own. Just don’t freak out when you add up all the things you’ve bought.

wed Donaldson ch 9 What can schools do—make a list "Another way is to say that the one who is hard to help is the one who needs help more." (104)  Compare to "readiness." “a failure to see the difference between understanding the nature of a system and mastering all the individual patterns of relationship."  role of error

Donaldson ch 10 "a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under deliberate control." (116) coping and defending?  relate to young children and schooling. "two grave risks" attending rewards. (121) distinction between reward and recognition? (123) Donaldson's "only one way out of this dilemma"? (126)