My driving question could impact the world (bold statement I know) if my findings show my question has a true relationship. My driving question is: What is the relationship between socio-emotional journaling, executive function, and ACE? If socio-emotional journaling has a positive impact on executive function then this could benefit students all over the world.
It looks like there has been a lot of research lately on ACEs. It's really a booming topic which is good since many adults and children could benefit. I haven't found too many articles on the connection between ACE and executive function, however there are many articles linking ACEs to other negative health issues. Honestly reading through them is pretty heart wrenching. In my study students will be shown videos (through GoNoodle mostly) about growth mindset, yoga breathing techniques, and mindfulness. After watching the videos students will journal about how they can use the various strategies within their own lives. I still yet to determine assessments to measure students ACEs and executive function. But I know I will being using district benchmark assessments as well as CAASPP data.
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I have been in a constant game of "tech catch up" since I was a kid. We never had internet at our house like my classmates did. They would watch YouTube after school, talk about what they saw the next day, and I would have no way to contribute to conversations when they turned to tech. Thankfully in my classroom this hasn't been the case. While I am still considered a new teacher I have always tried to use technology in my classroom, especially since getting a class set of chromebooks last year. Technology makes the 4Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) second nature in my classroom. Students are able to help one another, discuss similar issues they've come across, and create different products through a variety of websites where they are not just limited to a paper with pencil. It's just the beginning of the school year and we are working up to these things and discovering students' tech strengths. But the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to incorporating tech into the classroom.
Unfortunately tech intimidates a lot of teachers (myself included), however as we as a school site are becoming more tech savvy the teachers who were reluctant to use it in their classrooms do not want to see their students left behind and are beginning to reach out for more support. There is much still to do and try in the classroom. Recently I was trying to create new student accounts on EduTyping by having all students use the class code generated on the site. It back fired miserably when students couldn't remember their passwords from last year, but we paused, took a deep breath, I thanked everyone for trying, and we moved on with our day. Even though it's scary and we could totally lose classroom control if a tech issue comes up it's still important to try. Having reviewed the IRB, what do you need to know to address your Essential Question? Why? What are your Need to Knows and how would you measure them?
I need to know baseline data for all of my students so I can measure growth across the school year. I need to gather possible strategies to use with students who have faced trauma and decide how to measure them. Since trauma effects each person differently I may need to ask families who are willing to share if there has been a distinct difference in students prior to and after facing trauma. This information may also be found in the students' CUM file. There are some components that I still need to decide for my research. Will I focus on math, reading, or writing? Will there be a control group to compare data? I think writing will be a concrete medium for students to show growth. I have already collected several writing samples from my students this school year. But another question is what strategies I be will implementing to engage students. I have to do more digging in order to decide. Wow, so many powerful videos and information to process this week. Some of the key elements my classrooms needs are: believing in children, providing a broad spectrum of classroom experiences not limiting students to only math, science, and reading, and lastly investing in high caliber teachers is a strategy for rebuilding broken systems of education. These components may seem like a no brainer to most individuals, however the education system we have in place needs much support to reach its goals and these are some small changes educators can make.
Young students believe what they are told. If we tell them that we believe they can have a successful future eventually they will start believing it, too. Much like Adora said in her TedTalk video: isn't it strange that a children's publisher did not want to work with a child author? Should we not be celebrating the fact that a child had the moxie want her work to be published? There are a handful of books in my classroom library that are written by children and my students are always blown away that kids like them are writers. Similarly, if we strive to have well rounded students then we must have a well rounded curriculum. Some districts have put a major emphasis on STEAM. Students should be encouraged to show their knowledge on a variety of platforms, not just multiple choice or short answer essays. A well structured piece of art can have the same educational impact from a student as a solid essay if the student is able to explain their work. And technology should be playing a large role in our classrooms. Our students already know way more about phones and tablets for entertainment purposes then we did at their age. We need to use their technological strengths as a positive in the classroom. The last step is a tricky one. Data shows that students being taught by teachers with high quality educations perform higher than those who do not. I know that experience also plays into the quality of education a teacher is able to give. I feel much more confident in my classroom skills now than I do my first year of interning. As an intern the only experience I really had in the classroom was as a student. The students I had my first two years really did not benefit much from my presence other than having adult supervision. This year I really want to push myself to attend more professional developments and dig as deep into this program as much as I can while still saving time to be present for my students. In recent years students have come into my classroom having seen things at home that would have broken an adult. School is the only place that provides a sense of stability in their lives. Sadly, some of these students still fight with this stability and lash out to gain attention in the only ways they know how. While finding the root of the trauma can be useful information, students may not always be willing to provide it. What would be useful is knowing strategies to engage students and family members to provide a meaningful education. I already know that students who have faced trauma process information differently. Maybe they seek attention in negative ways. We educators often label them as behavior students since what they do might not be our classroom norm. We are asking a lot of these students. We are asking them to put aside the things they have seen or heard or experienced and to participate in something that may be very low on their priority list at the moment.
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Catie GoldsteinInnovative Learning Master's Student. Teacher. Napper. Dog Petter. Archives
June 2019
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