BEACH!!

Dutch

Well on the Horse front, dressage is going well, he is really starting to push from behind and develop a top line. However, he doesn't like to stretch into the bit, I can get stretchy after about 45 mins of work or if I completely throw the reins away.

This shows up in his jumping work as well, he tucks his chin and rushes the last stride no matter what the excersize is... this is just another symptom of how much my first trainer screwed him up. He doesn't trust the bit not to hurt him and he cannot relax when jumping because he feels like if he slows down he is going to get trapped.

Our solution - breast plate/ neck rope and riding on the buckle.

For the next 2 weeks to a month he is doing to go around with the lighted contact on his face as possible- all half halts with be done through the breast plate or voice, which he listens to well. At least 3 times a week we will trot over cross rails and halt in a straight line, if he gets fast we will walk them. We will also do lots of ground poles. No straight lines (on the flat) and no collection until he decompresses.

Will post video and pictures soon... especially a weight and a conformation critique. He has changed dramatically from this winter.

Reflection pt 4

I think it is hard for me to comment on true differentiation, because I do not feel that I saw the teacher using it. He says that since all of his assignments are done in daily journals collected weekly the students that need more time or support are able to find the time to get it before the assignment is due. He says that he also grades on a sliding scale that takes into account each students achievement level. “Seeing all the work together in a journal lets me easily compare to earlier work and make sure that each assignment has adequate effort.” There was no teacher directed grouping, no alternative assignments, no real feeling of planned differentiation. I think that although I really liked sitting in on his classes and it is obvious that his students improve, I could never teach like he does with minimal planning and no lesson plans. I do feel that I can take many of his ideas and activities and apply them to my style. I really liked that he has found a way to allow students more time if needed without drawing attention to the fact that they need help or special needs. I loved that he found so many innovative uses for what could be very boring sources! All in all, I think that while I did not see traditional effective planning and lesson implementation, this experience has given me a lot of confidence to try new things.

Reflection pt 3

The biggest difference I saw in between the regular and AP classes was how much more open and honest the teacher was about their personal short comings. He would willingly say that he was a very traditional writer that like to read traditional essays, and admitted that he had to fight that bias all the time as a teacher. I think that his honesty about his own short comings made the students more open and honest when they shared. I went into this class expecting great scholarship and effort on the side of the students but was surprised by the fact that these were his laziest classes and the least likely to turn in any homework. He said that for most lower level students they know that they need to work to understand and get better while advanced students are often so cocky they think they can fake it. Again the classes were mainly centered around the mechanics of writing. He also used the provided test book again, and modified the activities. My favorite was the group essay, he had all the students build a class essay by writing one sentence at a time and voting on which was the best. It really got all the students involved, and allowed them to play with form and function in a supportive environment. Again the teacher stressed to me the importance of using what you have but making it fun.

Reflection pt 2

The classes that were the most interesting to me were the regular English classes; they followed the same lesson plans and were consecutive throughout the day, but they were so different from each other. The classes I observed mainly focused on preparing for the 10th Grade Writing Test. The teacher said at his school this course has really turned into a prep course for next year. “It's hard because when we get them they are such babies and unless they have to take a literacy course we only have 2 semesters to make them proficient writers. I do not think that is possible without cutting corners.” He is a very traditional teacher in that he thinks in order to improve your reading and writing you have to do a lot of reading and writing. However, despite mainly teaching out the test books provided he let the students make their own meaning in what they read and tried to group texts together into “mini-units.” The classes were so different due to the student involvement: one class had active participation, in the other if 4 people talked in a class it was a major achievement. It was good to see that even in a teaching environment that really enforces route drill and skill there are ways to open it up and really get the kids thinking about what they are doing. The best moment for me came during small group discussion, after writing the required essay. I was sitting in on one group and they had identified the main surface conflict of the text- the effects of war. The story the had read ended abruptly and instead of rehashing the basic essay they had written previously the teacher had them get together and decide what came next. The group I was sitting talked about PTSD and the issues some soldiers might have when they came home; then they hit the big stuff. In the end of the story the protagonist kills his brother, in the group I was sitting in really got into the psychological effects that this would have on the main character and between them created a story that I would have read. The teacher shared after the class that activities like that were very much outside his comfort zone, but that he tried to do as many as possible because he knows how much the students enjoy and learn from them. I think that that was one of my biggest take aways, do be afraid to do things that scare you and not to be afraid of failure. The students appreciate any deviance from the norm and will really support you if you try to meet them half way.

Reflection pt 1

I observed 4 classes taught by the same instructor: 2 regular English I classes and 2 senior AP English classes. I found this teacher frustratingly bipolar in his teaching style, looking at the whole of his teaching he is a very 'one size fits all,' but he also is very aware that many students that have learning disabilities or are on a lower reading level have different goals. He is very protective of his students and pushes them to preform better. I found that many of his insights, both reflective and concrete, to be infinitely helpful to me both in my course work and in my thinking for the future.