Today's practicum was a little different than usual. Because the election is on Tuesday, the whole middle school used the advisory block to run different election workshops. I decided to stay right with Mr. Scott because he was having students play a game called Win the White House. This game is run on an app on their iPads where they learn about the electoral college system. They create their own character who will run for President. They choose which political party they belong to, which issues they will focus on, etc. They participate in debates where they defend or attack certain issues, they run positive or negative campaign ads, and really go through the process of trying to win over each state. Within a couple of rounds, the students really began to understand the role of money and campaigning in addition to how swing states work and the entire election process. Watching them play this game made me realize that this technology is a great way of teaching students about the process. They didn't quite understand how it worked as far as getting those votes until they went through and played the game on their own. It's a great teaching tool, in my opinion.
Afterward, I spent my time outside of the classroom to interview the special educator that works with the team. In order to prepare for my Entry two, I spent a significant amount of time getting to know what services the district offers to students, learning about the identification and referral process, and generally just hearing about what a "typical" day looks like - although I quickly realized that there is no such thing as a "typical" day as multiple interruptions took place in what would usually be down time for her as a student needed assistance, the student support center needed to speak with her about a student's progress, and a phone call came in for her to the office, all within the first seven or eight minutes of our meeting. The interruptions were great, though, because it gave me more of a real look at what her job can look like sometimes because it really isn't realistic that she would have much free time when she has a caseload of over 20 students with IEPs and various students who are on 504 plans or receiving other assistance. In the next week, I will be spending more time with her and a special educator from the neighboring team to really get a feel for the services provided at the school.
It was a great morning. It was odd spending so much time outside of my classroom but I learned so much from my time with the special educator that gave me insight into the workings of Mr. Scott's room. I realized that many of the structures of the classroom were very intentional and were there to support the students who need services to allow them to stay in the classroom and be successful. Middle school students generally don't want to be taken out of the classroom and made to be different than their peers so I now have a better understanding that Mr. Scott was intentional in the format of some assignments and in breaking down to the smallest details that way the learning is accessible to all students. It seems so obvious, but it is so well done in his classroom that it is difficult to really even notice that such adjustments are being made.
"I realized that many of the structures of the classroom were very intentional and were there to support the students who need services to allow them to stay in the classroom and be successful. " This is huge. We often don't get to see the inner workings of a classroom from this perspective until we're in it as teachers, so I'm glad that that assignment afforded you the opportunity to do so.
ReplyDeleteI want to try that election game. It sounds like a great way to incorporate simulation into your teaching in an engaging way.