Technology Tuesday: You Tube

Dear New Teacher,

With all the demands placed on you as a beginning teacher, it is easy to forget about some of the teaching tools that you can use in your classroom, especially technology. Every Tuesday I will showcase a new technology that you can integrate into your teaching, either as a resource for your own learning or as something your students can use as well.

This Tuesday we will start with a technology that I am sure many of you are familiar with: You Tube. You Tube has been beneficial to me as a teacher in two ways,

1. As a resource for my own personal learning.

Often when I am looking for inspiration, either for a lesson or teaching in general I will turn to You Tube. One of my favorite video’s is from a TED presentation by Sir Ken Robinson in which he asserts that schools are killing students creativity.

There are many other videos out there with insight like that presented by Robinson. Do you have any favorite inspirational or motivational videos? How do you think a video like this could be used in a classroom setting?

2. As a resource to be used in my classroom.

This video is about 10 minutes, which is generally as long as I try to let video clips get. It provides a great introduction of the American Revolution that can either serve as an intro or a way to activate prior knowledge.

Pros: A wealth of videos to choose from, easy to use and free.

Cons: Many schools block You Tube, also contains videos that may not be appropriate for adolescents-requires monitoring if student’s are accessing site.

*It should be noted that You Tube is not the only video resource that can be utilized as a resource. In the coming weeks, other video based sites will be discussed as well.

For those of you who have the available technology, a great project would be to have students create their own video on an assigned topic. This is a bit advanced; so don’t feel overwhelmed if you don’t feel ready to tackle something like this right away!

Happy Teaching!

Mallory

Tips About Physical Development

Dear New Teacher,

Depending on the stage of adolescence your students are in, they may be just starting the period known as puberty or much further in the process. Puberty can be a difficult stage in adolescence for a variety of reasons, from physical changes to an increase in hormone production. Unless you are teaching health, you probably won’t need to get into the nitty gritty of puberty with your students, but there is one area that all teachers should have knowledge of in regards to physical development: body image.

Adolescents, and many adults, make choices that are related to how they feel about themselves. “Those who feel good about themselves are likely to avoid harmful behaviors, whereas those who do not, may not” (Dolgin, 2011, p. 98).

One of the main issues that comes into play is the fact that adolescents are often measuring themselves against unrealistic ideals, most frequently presented through the media. Body image is tied to self esteem and self perception, low levels of both are tied to depression and poor performance in adolescence (Dolgin, 201, p. 99).

Teachers can help students develop positive body image in a number of ways;

• -       Be conscious of how you present yourself. I will never forget a high school teacher I had who constantly was commenting on how “fat” she was, though she was actually quite skinny. It doesn’t even have to be as overt as this example, just know that students hear every word you say, and sometimes the ones you don’t.
• -       Be mindful of the images you use in your classroom, whether it be in videos you use or images in presentations. Try to use a variety of “real life” examples.
• -       Watch for bullying in your classroom, and be pro-active about stopping it.
• -       If applicable, a lesson on critical media theory would be a great learning tool. Look at the images the media is constantly bombarding teens with and address how unrealistic these images can be. 
• -       Recognize that poor body image happens to both boys and girls. So much emphasis is placed on girls and their body issues that it is easy to overlook the fact that adolescent boys struggle with similar issues.

When it comes down to it, be open and willing to reach out to your students if need be. If you are uncomfortable talking with students about body image or other physical development issues seek out the expertise of the school nurse or a health teacher.

Can you think of any issues you had as an adolescent in regards to physical development? Did you feel that you had teachers who supported you, or that you could have gone to for assistance?

Best,

Mallory 

Source

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.).Boston, MA: Pearson.

A Changing Social Landscape

Dear New Teacher,

Do me a favor, think back to when you were an adolescent. How did you communicate with friends? Did you have to work to support yourself? What was your family situation like? Was violence a part of your reality?

Chances are good that your experience as an adolescent is markedly different from that of the students sitting in your classroom. The face of the American adolescence is constantly evolving, and there are important elements that you should be aware of as an educator.

Kim Gale Dolgin (2011) presents seven societal changes that are or will affect the experiences of modern adolescents;

• the prolongation of adolescence,
• the presence of the Internet and other new communication tools,
• the changing economy,
• the ever-increasing need for a prolonged education,
• alterations in the makeup of the family,
• shifting sexual values and practices,
• and new concerns for health and safety (p.9).

Now you might be thinking, “Aren’t these things that occur outside of the classroom, leaving me little control over them?” Yes, they are societal shifts however as an educator you must be aware that they are a reality of the adolescent experience in order to better understand and connect with your student.

A question for you: What are the benefits of understanding the evolving social context of adolescence? How does it impact your role as an educator?

Best,

Mallory

Welcome

Dear New Teacher,

First, welcome to my blog, Mallory’s Missives! Second, congratulations on choosing one of the most important and fulfilling career choices, that of a teacher.

This blog was started as a way to share some of my experiences as a teacher, as well as provide more technical information about adolescents as you begin to navigate the waters as a new teacher.

There is a lot to keep in mind, and at times you may feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us! The information presented at Mallory’s Missives will be short, easily digestible and pertain to a wide variety of issues that deal with adolescent development.

This is also meant to be a place for sharing tips, tricks and tools of the trade. Each letter will end with a question for you. Please share your thoughts and ideas too, I am not an expert by any means but simply wanted a venue to share what has worked for me and hear about what works for others!

If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact me through the email link on the right tool bar.

Happy teaching!

Mallory