Bruce, thanks for posting. In setting up this blog, we have tried to tweak the usual format slightly. What matters here is not the "entry" at the top, but the "comments" that follow in chronological order down the page.
I had no problem logging on, but I’m familiar with blogspot and have used it before.
I’d like to share my response to a question Arthur Powell posed to us on the very first day of training in Manhattan, “What parts of ourselves do we use to work on the activities of the workshop?” I’ve noticed that the way we have been learning math with Arthur and Paula has drawn on my ability to problem solve, find patterns, and work on the virtual level. I’ve learned to visualize the rods and manipulate them in my head to solve problems. For me, math has become a big game. The rules are constantly changing and though the challenges may seem like they are increasing in difficulty the solutions are always just within reach.
Arthur’s question then made me wonder what part of myself I use to work on the activities of the writing workshop. Like in math, I believe writing too draws on my ability to work on the virtual level. In my head, I choose the words I want to use and then organize them in a way that would make sense to a reader. I then transcribe my thoughts onto paper or a computer. I usually go through several drafts of rewording and rewriting. Take this post for example, by the time I’ve come to this sentence everything leading up to this point is completely different from what it was when I first started typing. For me writing has no right or wrong answer, which may be why I don’t feel as comfortable with my results as I do with math.
Our time with Arthur has been very enriching. I cannot believe all the math concepts that I have learned. I now feel comfortable verbalizing and showing the processes used in solving common problems. For example, I never understood the reason behind placing a zero in the ones place while solving two-digit multiplication problems, until the rods! I am looking forward to spending more time on writing. I hope to find the same flexibility with the word charts that I've found with the rods. I also look forward to practicing different strategies by engaging in different writing activities.
I have never used this blog before, and I think this is so cool! These past two weeks have been an eye opening and rewarding experience for me. Through the use of vital tools such as the rods, and the charts I have been able to completely transform my views on education. My views have shifted from the eyes of the educator to the eyes of the student. I can now see how important it is to form a bond with each and every student. This bond is created through communication, respect, belief and trust between you as the teacher and your students.
When I learned these topics in school, it was not an enjoyable experience. My experiences were filled with anxieties and feeling like everyone else in the room was better than me. However, over the course of these two weeks I have been able to observe and practice a method that has the ability to completely eliminate these negative feelings from the learning environment. It makes learning truly fun and an enjoyable experience. This joy comes from not just getting the right answer; it comes from the journey you take to figure it out on your own and constantly surprising yourself. The subordination of teaching to learning creates a learning environment where making mistakes is not only acceptable, but it is a vital part of the education journey. With this teaching technique the student is able to form connections on their own, which are concrete and meaningful to them. I wake up every morning and I am so excited to see what we are going to learn next, and how we are going to learn it.I am even more excited to put it to practice, so other students can experience the excitement of education the way I have.
Jackie, Talar, Christina, thanks for posting. Beth, hope you will try again and post a messge. Jennifer and Antonette, hope you will also join and share in the discussion.
It has been an unusual day in the city so far. The ordinary sounds of traffic have been muffled by the snow. As my daughter and I walked her dog this morning just before 7 a.m., rays from the rising sun lit up windows on the New Jersey side of the Hudson and gave them a rosy glow, in contrast to the unrelieved whiteness of everything on the New York side of the river.
Normally, I enjoy a snow day, but I am a little disappointed that our fourth day together has to be postponed. Hope everyone is enjoying this unexpected holiday from school...
Hi everybody! I've finally managed to make myself a blog account. It's really nice to have a place to all keep in touch! Today was our first day where we got to see the method in play while we worked with three 5th graders on math. It was exciting to see the students in action with the rods. Antonette was so great working with the children. It was interesting to see the way the children interacted with not only the rods, but also with eachother. I was amazed at the mutual respect that they had for eachothers ideas and also the way that they were completely comfortable exploring and verbalizing the relationships they were encountering. It was a wonderful experience, and I am eager to continue working and learning with the children.
Hi everybody! As I'm posting this I'm thinking about what we talked about today in terms of organizing the wikispaces and the blog. As I am not too savvy on the technical manipulation of the sites, I will leave this to those of you that know what you are doing in that regard. I see that Jackie is working on the wiki and I think it looks awesome so far! Thanks, Jackie. I’m also wondering where I should be posting this – should I be making a new thread, or are we going to continue on the welcome thread? So, that’s that with the housekeeping. I also wanted to post a little about today, as it was a big deal in terms of us being placed into our groups. I am very excited about going into writing with Bruce, and this next phase of our training beginning. I am also a bit sad that the 6 of us new teachers are no longer going to be together all day like we have been up until now. Of course, it’s not like we’re going to opposite ends of the earth, we’re still going to be running into each other all the time. I’m glad that we will all still be available to each other, and will be able to share and discuss our experiences on a regular basis. Being brought into the world of “Gattegno” in this sort of cohort group I think was wonderful, and I feel like we’ve created these bonds with each other that we never could have otherwise. Also, I feel that being able to discuss and see the method of the Subordination of Teaching to Learning from others perspectives was key in my understanding and developing of my own notions on it. Being able to bounce our ideas off each other and off everyone from the school that has been working with us has created in me this comfortable feeling of being vulnerable in front of others and of self-exploration with others that I was not at all expecting to develop. When I look back at last month’s experience, I feel so lucky to have been invited into this opportunity, and I still can’t get over how everyone we’ve been working with is so willing to work on such personal levels with each of us. I was expecting more of a “now this is how you teach this – watch me and copy” model, and instead I’ve been immersed in a climate of respect and thoughtfulness and been given a chance to explore Gattegno’s work and not just apply his methods blindly. Through the workshops we’ve been in since we started I’ve learned so much about myself and the way I learn, and this has opened up a whole new realm of understanding of teaching and of the way the children I teach experience their own learning. Can’t wait to go in tomorrow to see what our new days will be like. -Jennifer
Today,Friday, Frebruary 4, 2011 our first day apart. Jackie and Beth are at the Annex with Arthur, Christina is sick and had to go home. This leaves me, Talar and Jennifer together. This is so strange!!! Question: in a situation like this, what would Gattegno do?
I’ve been thinking about what awareness means, after Jackie and I worked on writing up last week's lessons. The more I think about the term, the less I seem to understand it (as other concepts we’ve been encountering, such as Knowledge). I think it has to do with something Ted identified as a possible pitfall, that we have to be wary of fitting what we are learning into the box of what we already know. The problem is that when you let go of the steadying quality of what you already know, you feel so lost, or at least I do.
Please post a Comment.
ReplyDeleteHi -
ReplyDeleteThis is me, Bruce, logging on for the first time.
How is everyone? How did the first day go "on campus" w/ Arthur and Paula? See any connections to what you experienced last week?
Tally ho -
Bruce
By the way, was it easy for everyone to log on?
ReplyDeleteBruce, thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteIn setting up this blog, we have tried to tweak the usual format slightly. What matters here is not the "entry" at the top, but the "comments" that follow in chronological order down the page.
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI had no problem logging on, but I’m familiar with blogspot and have used it before.
I’d like to share my response to a question Arthur Powell posed to us on the very first day of training in Manhattan, “What parts of ourselves do we use to work on the activities of the workshop?” I’ve noticed that the way we have been learning math with Arthur and Paula has drawn on my ability to problem solve, find patterns, and work on the virtual level. I’ve learned to visualize the rods and manipulate them in my head to solve problems. For me, math has become a big game. The rules are constantly changing and though the challenges may seem like they are increasing in difficulty the solutions are always just within reach.
Arthur’s question then made me wonder what part of myself I use to work on the activities of the writing workshop. Like in math, I believe writing too draws on my ability to work on the virtual level. In my head, I choose the words I want to use and then organize them in a way that would make sense to a reader. I then transcribe my thoughts onto paper or a computer. I usually go through several drafts of rewording and rewriting. Take this post for example, by the time I’ve come to this sentence everything leading up to this point is completely different from what it was when I first started typing. For me writing has no right or wrong answer, which may be why I don’t feel as comfortable with my results as I do with math.
Our time with Arthur has been very enriching. I cannot believe all the math concepts that I have learned. I now feel comfortable verbalizing and showing the processes used in solving common problems. For example, I never understood the reason behind placing a zero in the ones place while solving two-digit multiplication problems, until the rods!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to spending more time on writing. I hope to find the same flexibility with the word charts that I've found with the rods. I also look forward to practicing different strategies by engaging in different writing activities.
I have never used this blog before, and I think this is so cool! These past two weeks have been an eye opening and rewarding experience for me. Through the use of vital tools such as the rods, and the charts I have been able to completely transform my views on education. My views have shifted from the eyes of the educator to the eyes of the student. I can now see how important it is to form a bond with each and every student. This bond is created through communication, respect, belief and trust between you as the teacher and your students.
ReplyDeleteWhen I learned these topics in school, it was not an enjoyable experience. My experiences were filled with anxieties and feeling like everyone else in the room was better than me. However, over the course of these two weeks I have been able to observe and practice a method that has the ability to completely eliminate these negative feelings from the learning environment. It makes learning truly fun and an enjoyable experience. This joy comes from not just getting the right answer; it comes from the journey you take to figure it out on your own and constantly surprising yourself. The subordination of teaching to learning creates a learning environment where making mistakes is not only acceptable, but it is a vital part of the education journey. With this teaching technique the student is able to form connections on their own, which are concrete and meaningful to them. I wake up every morning and I am so excited to see what we are going to learn next, and how we are going to learn it.I am even more excited to put it to practice, so other students can experience the excitement of education the way I have.
test
ReplyDeleteJackie, Talar, Christina, thanks for posting. Beth, hope you will try again and post a messge.
ReplyDeleteJennifer and Antonette, hope you will also join and share in the discussion.
It has been an unusual day in the city so far. The ordinary sounds of traffic have been muffled by the snow. As my daughter and I walked her dog this morning just before 7 a.m., rays from the rising sun lit up windows on the New Jersey side of the Hudson and gave them a rosy glow, in contrast to the unrelieved whiteness of everything on the New York side of the river.
Normally, I enjoy a snow day, but I am a little disappointed that our fourth day together has to be postponed. Hope everyone is enjoying this unexpected holiday from school...
Hi everybody! I've finally managed to make myself a blog account. It's really nice to have a place to all keep in touch! Today was our first day where we got to see the method in play while we worked with three 5th graders on math. It was exciting to see the students in action with the rods. Antonette was so great working with the children. It was interesting to see the way the children interacted with not only the rods, but also with eachother. I was amazed at the mutual respect that they had for eachothers ideas and also the way that they were completely comfortable exploring and verbalizing the relationships they were encountering. It was a wonderful experience, and I am eager to continue working and learning with the children.
ReplyDeletetesting
ReplyDeletetesting gmail account.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody! As I'm posting this I'm thinking about what we talked about today in terms of organizing the wikispaces and the blog. As I am not too savvy on the technical manipulation of the sites, I will leave this to those of you that know what you are doing in that regard. I see that Jackie is working on the wiki and I think it looks awesome so far! Thanks, Jackie. I’m also wondering where I should be posting this – should I be making a new thread, or are we going to continue on the welcome thread?
ReplyDeleteSo, that’s that with the housekeeping.
I also wanted to post a little about today, as it was a big deal in terms of us being placed into our groups. I am very excited about going into writing with Bruce, and this next phase of our training beginning. I am also a bit sad that the 6 of us new teachers are no longer going to be together all day like we have been up until now. Of course, it’s not like we’re going to opposite ends of the earth, we’re still going to be running into each other all the time. I’m glad that we will all still be available to each other, and will be able to share and discuss our experiences on a regular basis. Being brought into the world of “Gattegno” in this sort of cohort group I think was wonderful, and I feel like we’ve created these bonds with each other that we never could have otherwise. Also, I feel that being able to discuss and see the method of the Subordination of Teaching to Learning from others perspectives was key in my understanding and developing of my own notions on it. Being able to bounce our ideas off each other and off everyone from the school that has been working with us has created in me this comfortable feeling of being vulnerable in front of others and of self-exploration with others that I was not at all expecting to develop. When I look back at last month’s experience, I feel so lucky to have been invited into this opportunity, and I still can’t get over how everyone we’ve been working with is so willing to work on such personal levels with each of us. I was expecting more of a “now this is how you teach this – watch me and copy” model, and instead I’ve been immersed in a climate of respect and thoughtfulness and been given a chance to explore Gattegno’s work and not just apply his methods blindly. Through the workshops we’ve been in since we started I’ve learned so much about myself and the way I learn, and this has opened up a whole new realm of understanding of teaching and of the way the children I teach experience their own learning.
Can’t wait to go in tomorrow to see what our new days will be like.
-Jennifer
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell this day had to come.
ReplyDeleteToday,Friday, Frebruary 4, 2011 our first day apart. Jackie and Beth are at the Annex with Arthur, Christina is sick and had to go home. This leaves me, Talar and Jennifer together. This is so strange!!!
Question: in a situation like this, what would Gattegno do?
Everyone please join our Wiki!
ReplyDeletehttp://bronxbetterjumpstart.wikispaces.com/
I’ve been thinking about what awareness means, after Jackie and I worked on writing up last week's lessons. The more I think about the term, the less I seem to understand it (as other concepts we’ve been encountering, such as Knowledge). I think it has to do with something Ted identified as a possible pitfall, that we have to be wary of fitting what we are learning into the box of what we already know. The problem is that when you let go of the steadying quality of what you already know, you feel so lost, or at least I do.
ReplyDelete