Thriving Minds

My school placement is at Williston Central School in the Swift House. This house is comprised of 6-8 grade students. Myself and two other St. Mike's students go once a week, for an hour, to gain firsthand experience of working with ELL students. We are usually there during their writing time, which is an excellent opportunity to work with ELL students. It is important to note that while other districts in the greater Burlington area may have a large spectrum of diversity, Williston Central does not, as there are only about 3 ELL students in the Swift House. Before I met the students I've been working with ( a 6th grade boy and 7th grade girl), their teachers explained to me that they speak English at a very high level . In fact, they are fluent and can understand and react appropriately in a normal classroom. Their teachers told us that what designated them technically as ELL students was the fact that they speak a different language at home. This was important for me to kn...

The Socratic Seminar method is a conversation model which aims for deep understanding and dialogue about a topic or text. It is student centered and encourages students to lead the conversation rather than the teacher controlling the conversation. There are a few different ways to run a Socratic seminar, some being more structured than others. The type used in our Adolescent Development class had two circles-- an inner and an outer. First, the inner circle discussed the text while the outer circle sat on the outside, and had specific behaviors they were observing, such as body language, how the group deals with confrontation, etc. This outer group was not allowed to contribute to this conversation, they were merely observing the mechanics of the conversation. After a certain amount of time the two circles switched, and so did their roles. Now, the initial inner circle sits on the outside observing. This allows both groups engage thoughtfully in the text AND observe the positive behavio...

 One theory of  development that I am interested in learning more about and eventually incorporating in my classroom is constructivism . The idea that a majority of new learning is built from prior knowledge  aligns with how I want to encourage my students to approach learning. This concept can also be applied outside of the classroom. From a young age, students can use the skills they are learning and keep building upon them in new and dynamic ways. This also encourages  a growth mindset which  I believe to be a healthy way to approach challenges both inside and outside of the classroom.    There is also a focus on allowing students to shape the way their brain is developing, which empowers the individual, and gives them a sense of ownership of their education. As an educator, my role would be to help guide this way of learning and create learning opportunities that can support these ideas. My one worry on this approach would be how to engage students...

As a hopeful future educator, it is important to acknowledge the fact that it can be extremely difficult for a student to focus on and learn from classroom instruction if their personal and psychological needs are not being met. It is simplistic to believe that a student going through a personal crisis will be able to focus on and interact with content material in the traditional way.   Jasmine Wanga addresses this in her YA novel, “My Heart and other Black Holes”. Aysel, a 16-year-old growing up in a small southern town, is convinced that her father’s prison sentence for homicide against a hometown hero is inescapable. Feeling tightly wound to the sins of her father, she sees suicide as the only option. The “black slug” inside her, which is how she refers to her depression, follows Aysel throughout the day, and creeps into the classroom. She acknowledges its presence in her English class, as she is frustrated with the seemingly petty interpretations of poets her peers. While...