Alternate Assignment for Field Observation

Junilda Antoniou

EDU 201

05-02-2021
Junilda Antoniou

Video #1: How to Make Effective Videos for Learning

https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-make-effective-videos-learning

Instructional videos are powerful tools to enhance student learning at home, but too often, they

lose their effectiveness because teachers make mistakes. According to research, videos are often

too long, too confusing, too unengaging. The longer the video, the less likely students will pay

attention. I agree that the teachers should break the lessons into segments and organize the videos

into chapters. They should use a casual tone and speak encouragingly. It is important to make the

students feel like they are in the classroom.

Question # 1: What common mistakes do educators make while preparing instructional videos?

Question # 2: How can the effectiveness of the videos increase?

Question # 3: In what way can students become more engaged with the videos?
Junilda Antoniou

Video #2: Counting Down to Restore Calm in the Classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/video/counting-down-restore-calm-classroom

Kaitlyn Lawler, a first-grade teacher, explains the Count Down to Calm exercise. It is her

favorite way to help kids when they're feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It is performed in the

following way: Start with a deep breath in, and out. Look around you and notice five things you

can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, one thing

you can taste, or want to.

I think this is an awesome exercise to be used when one of the students is having a hard time

regulating, or with the whole class to help them settle down. The body stops producing stress

hormones when you shift your focus away from worrying thoughts to non-threatening things in

your immediate surroundings. The brain resets and it is easy to go back to learning.

Question # 1: What is the Count Down to Calm exercise used for?

Question # 2: Please explain how is the Count Down to Calm exercise performed.

Question # 3: How does stress relate to learning?

Video #3: Debunking the IQ-Dyslexia Myth

https://www.edutopia.org/video/debunking-iq-dyslexia-myth

Children with dyslexia who have difficulty reading often believe they are not intelligent enough

to comprehend the material. However, evidence indicates that this is incorrect. IQ and reading

ability are connected in typically developing children, they follow each other over time and

reinforce each other. Children with dyslexia, on the other hand, have a difference in their IQ and

their reading capacity that occurs in the early grades and then widens over time.

Reading abilities are not connected to intelligence in children with dyslexia. They have the same

intelligence as other students. It is important that teachers be patient and encouraging. They

should offer a range of tools to the children with this condition and focus on their strengths.

Question # 1: How is IQ connected to reading ability in children with dyslexia?

Question # 2: What happens overtime with the gap between IQ and reading ability that appears

in the early grades in children with dyslexia?

Question # 3: What would you do as a teacher to help children with dyslexia?

Video #4: Using Driving Questions to Propel Literacy Skills

https://www.edutopia.org/video/using-driving-questions-propel-literacy-skills

Project-based learning units start with a driving question that's authentic and makes students

want to learn more. Rather than have people feed information to them, it allows students to take

ownership in their own learning. The kids get excited about reading when they are excited about

the topic, because it is something that is related to what they are trying to figure out. The driving

questions bring this sense of curiosity. It makes them want to know more about the topic. The

teachers feel that they truly benefit their students' reading and science skills. I like this method a

lot and I completely agree that it will help to make the students amazing citizens for the rest of

their lives.

Question # 1: How do good project-based learning units start?

Question # 2: How do driving questions impact reading?

Question # 3: How would you use driving questions in your classroom?

Video #5: Using Hand Signals for More Equitable Discussions

https://www.edutopia.org/video/using-hand-signals-more-equitable-discussions

Discussions in a physical classroom can be difficult to handle but performing them by video

introduces an entirely new degree of difficulty. An agreed-upon set of hand signals can help

avoid interruptions, give students more time to think about their thoughts and provide a positive

environment where all students can participate. The extension of the pinky and thumb shows

agreement with the speaker. A raised pinky finger indicates that the student is asking a question.

Conversations that use hand signs can be more inclusive because they encourage students to

communicate both verbally and nonverbally. Students can easily refer to the hand signals if

teachers post them in the classroom or upload them online. I believe that by inviting more

students to interact in ways that are convenient for them, the signals will increase participation

and lead to more equitable conversations.

Question # 1: Illustrate the features of good discussions.

Question # 2: How do hand signals correlate to discussions?

Question # 3: What kind of visual reminders of the hand would you create?
Junilda Antoniou

Video #6: How to Create a Mistake-Friendly Classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-create-mistake-friendly-classroom

Very often students see mistakes as a source of embarrassment, stress, or even humiliation. Brain

scans, however, indicate that making mistakes triggers productive brain activity, according to a

2018 study. Any time a mistake is made, a synapse is developed. Mistakes and learning are

closely tied, therefore classrooms should be mistake friendly. Teachers must identify and

confront self-destructive thoughts to combat anxiety in classrooms and replace the thinking, "I

am stupid," with the thought, "I am learning." Students should be permitted to ask questions,

make mistakes and then revise without worrying about being right or wrong. Teachers should

emphasize the fact that talking via ideas that are not entirely established is beneficial. One of the

major obstacles to classroom innovation and productivity is the requirement that all student work

must be graded. I think that teachers should grade fewer assignments to free up time and promote

a stress-free classroom environment.

Question # 1: How do mistakes relate to the brain?

Question # 2: List some components of a mistake-friendly classroom.

Question # 3: What do you think about grading of the assignments and its correlation to

innovation and productivity?

Video #7: 3 Ways to Assess Math Understanding More Deeply

https://www.edutopia.org/video/3-ways-assess-math-understanding-more-deeply

Math assessments by giving students quizzes and grading them are not sufficient. I agree that

there should be a mix of assessments to include open-end methods, proposing innovative

solutions, or even making mistakes and working to fix them. Teachers may ask the kids to

explain a math concept or strategy to a classmate instead of giving them a traditional test.

Alternatively, students can be divided into small groups with specified roles and work together to

solve a difficult math problem. Another strategy is to connect the lessons to real-life situations.

This will help the students with mastering the content and will be a productive way to

demonstrate their understanding.

Writing is an effective way for students to organize and articulate their thoughts. It identifies

areas in which they need assistance, strengthens reading skills, and makes thoughts clear.

Teachers will see students' talents as mathematicians rather than simply their abilities to get the

correct answers as they use writing to discuss math.

Question # 1: What are some kinds of assessments you would like to use?

Question # 2: Identify a better alternative than handling kids a traditional test.

Question # 3: How does writing correlate with math?

Video #8: 5 Activities to Get Kids Writing in Every Subject

https://www.edutopia.org/video/5-activities-get-kids-writing-every-subject

According to a 2020 report that analyzed decades of data, writing improved learning across all

grade levels and various subjects. The explanation for this is that the act of writing increases a

student's ability to remember facts, make new correlations between concepts, and synthesize

information in creative ways. Without a doubt, writing is difficult, and often students struggle to

put their ideas on paper. I think that teachers should use low-stakes methods that deemphasize

grading and allow for a lot of rough draft thinking to keep the students inspired.

Five writing activities can be used in any subject. Asking questions to provide an entry point to

the lesson will also help the students in an informal, low-stakes way. Creating articles around the

topics the students are learning is an engaging activity. Writing stories that combine science

concepts with creative storytelling, activates multiple regions of the brain and induces

engagement in a more personal way with the material.

Question # 1: How does writing relate to learning?

Question # 2: How would you motivate the students to write?

Question # 3: Identify some engaging writing activities to use in any subject.

Video #9: The Science Behind Brain Breaks

https://www.edutopia.org/video/science-behind-brain-breaks

Breaks during the school day are more than just a chance to relax. According to studies, students'

productivity, creativity, and social skills will all benefit from well-timed breaks. I agree that

breaks are an important aspect of learning because they enable students to consolidate memories,

make connections to other ideas, and find connections with others. Breaks also help students'

brains stay sharp, balanced, and active by reducing stress and increasing blood supply and

oxygenation to the brain. According to a study, numerous ten-minute lessons were much more

successful for elementary students than fewer thirty-minute lessons. Plan for many pauses during

the day for high school students, with fewer as they grow older, to enable students to process

their learning. Allow time in the day for several quick exercises or movement breaks, as well as

unstructured play, for middle schoolers.

Question # 1: What is the impact of periodic breaks throughout the day?

Question # 2: How do breaks influence learning?

Question # 3: What is the impact of physical activity breaks on the students’ brains?
Junilda Antoniou

Video #10: New Studies Link the Arts to Crucial Cognitive Skills

https://www.edutopia.org/video/new-studies-link-arts-crucial-cognitive-skills

Focus, spoken and written language, self-control, and empathy are only a few of the cognitive

and social functions that arts improve. Over 10,000 students were monitored as they danced,

acted in plays, or participated in music and visual arts programs in a 2019 survey. Researchers

concluded that they were well disciplined, showed great compassion towards others, and were

more engaged in school, in addition to performing better on writing tests. Drawing what you're

learning is far superior to writing, according to a 2018 study. The arts are powerful tools for

making sense of the world. It should go without saying that having the students draw as they

create stories or learn about cells or solar systems would pay off in the end. In a TED talk, Kuhl

claims that music affects executive function. According to her, babies who have had exposure to

music have better attention spans.

Question # 1: How does art affect the brain?

Question # 2: What is the impact of music on attention?

Question # 3: Compare drawing with writing, regarding their impact on learning.