Hello all Community Mentors:
I found the articles you chose about education and mentoring to be very interesting. Some of you found some good tips and strategies that I think will be helpful to share with each other. Please post one or two ideas that you found in your first article. Then if you like, please respond to someone else's post.
We will use this blog as a way for all Community Mentors to have a discussion. I will post topics from time to time, and all of you can too. Please check back occasionally to see what is happening here. You need to have a Google account in order to post comments.
Thanks, and I look forward to reading more from all of you.
Linda
A helpful tip for other community mentors that are one on one mentoring a student is to ask them a lot of questions while you are teaching them the lesson. I have noticed that the more questions you ask the more they end up understanding what you are teaching them.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Wilson :)
this is assignment #4 btw
DeleteYes this is assign. #4. Thanks for your tip about asking questions-- perhaps open ended questions will get the student thinking the most?
DeleteYeah I do believe that open ended questions work the best
DeleteMy article focused on how to better our education system, mostly in terms of teacher qualifications. A main idea that I found interesting was that in order for teachers to be more successful, they have to 1) start out being more qualified than some teachers currently are, 2) focus on specific content knowledge that will be helpful for a given subject, and 3) focus on the practical knowledge necessary for the classroom contexts they plan to teach in.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good idea, however, it seems like it would make the process to become a teacher more difficult. But it promises better education!
DeleteThank you for your insights Emma. Most teachers do have to take graduate level college coursework in the subject in which they teach and also pass a test for an endorsement to teach in Oregon. However, I think the requirements for student teaching and hands-on experience may vary from college to college. Also, some colleges and universities offer more mentor supports than others. In addition, not all personality types are suited for teaching-- and unfortunately some people do not realize this until they are in the field working. And this happens in almost every professional field, law, medicine etc.
DeleteI believe that a community mentor should not act as a teacher but as someone the students should look up to. You shouldn't scold them or tell them to pay attention you should act as someone that is there for them and someone that they can go to. Each person learns in a different way and it's critical that you find an in between where you can help guide the student and the student feels comfortable learning in this particular way.
ReplyDeleteNice observation Ally-- Community mentors are not teachers, however they are helpers. Your idea of helping to "guide the student" in his or her learning is spot on.
DeleteThe article I read earlier focused mainly on effective teaching strategies specifically for high school students. A few of the most importants aspects of this article discuss what motivates students to learn and participate in school. One of the most important things, I think, is to have a good student-teacher relationship. In our case, I think being open to help students is essential in the students being comfortable with actually asking for help.
ReplyDeleteSophie, yes "being open to helping students is essential" for the freshman students feeling comfortable enough to ask for and receive your help. Nice observation.
DeleteAs Sophie and I read the same article, I will be adding on to the response. The article also emphasized the importance of assignments related to real life. We all know a student who frequently complains, "But when will we ever use this?" Teachers should work on connecting the material to the students' lives in interesting, practical ways. Of course, this is easier said than done, but I think that the Community Mentors will be able to help. We all were freshman recently (more recently than the teachers, at the very least) and know how the material connects to future assignments.
ReplyDeleteNikki, I really the idea you raise that all of the community mentors were freshman more recently than teachers and "know how the material connects to future assignments." And yes, we all like to have authentic assignments and tasks instead of completing busy work. Although, what sometimes seems to be busy work can actually be good practice to help process new concepts.
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ReplyDeleteMy first article talked about how classroom sizes are and are becoming to large for teachers to communicate and help students one on one, and in order for teachers to start implementing strategies as mentioned by my peers the classroom sizes need to lessen. the other article that I read focused on other school systems near the portland area beginning to implement after school programs for all levels of schooling. These programs provide transportation to and from the school where it takes place as well as a snack, numerous tutors, and other activities.
ReplyDeleteSloane, perhaps you have felt the effect of larger classroom sizes this school year. Community mentors such as you can play an important role in offering students one-to-one help with their academics. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteSloane, perhaps you have felt the effect of larger classroom sizes this school year. Community mentors such as you can play an important role in offering students one-to-one help with their academics. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteMy article talked about how drop-out rates are one of the main problems we have in school. It tells us that teachers should act more like social service providers to students who are doing bad in class. That this would help the problem more than changing classroom instructions. Most student that are having problems in school have nothing to do with academics but the problems at home.
ReplyDeleteThanks Zavier, interesting concept and one that I think most teachers do deal with on a daily basis.
DeleteThe article I found was called, The Mentor's Way Rule #3: Create a Safe Place. It mentioned successful tips for mentors, incuding ways in building a relationship and partnership. You have to create a safe environment for the students where both you and the students can feel free to express emotions. This will help in building trust in your relationship. As a mentor, you have to take risks, get to know the students and also be patient with them. These are essential tools in building relationships.
ReplyDeleteGreat article Alissa. It seems to contain some very helpful tips and ideas that I'm sure have aided you as you are working with the freshman students. Perhaps you can share some of the more helpful tips on the Schoology.com site as well. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Deletemy article was similar to Zavier's, in that it talked about chronic absenteeism and the real issues behind it.
ReplyDeleteYes Aaron, being absent from school does have its repercussions and greatly hinders the continuity of learning new things. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteMy article was about how educators now days need to be able to relate to students and connect with them. It said that the key to successful teaching was actually teachers who are closer to their students because students will be more engaged and willing to learn if they're more comfortable with their teachers. Even for an older teacher, they can still attempt to be interactive and communicate with students. It is important to try and break the mold of the typical, strict student-teacher relationship and try to befriend students.
ReplyDeleteGood article Michael. I think the movement today is to meet students where they are in their world of discovery instead of trying to impose esoteric concepts into their heads. And yes, building relationships is important. Thanks.
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