Blog Post #7 - 11/12/2015

I think the most apparent core curriculum that I've seen implemented in Miss Gledhill's classroom is Science. I've observed other subjects, but this one seems to be most obviously related to common core standards. I say that because the way that science has been taught feels so mechanic. I think the common core is good to reinforce what everyone should learn at school, but I feel that kids don't need to know how to define a barometer. I've seen the subject of weather be taught in two ways: Magic School Bus and writing down definitions. I feel as if these exercises allow Miss Gledhill to follow the standards, but the curriculum honestly hasn't been all the stellar in my opinion. 

I've seen a lot of reading followed up faithfully in her classroom. I think the one-on-one interaction is so great because that kind of learning is personalized and internalized into things that they'll remember the rest of their lives! In comparison to the science curriculum, I think Language Arts in Miss Gledhill's classroom kicks butt! 

Blog Post #6 - Late 11/01/2015

I feel like this blog post is hard to account for, especially because specifics for each student is kept confidential, but I will write what I've observed. 
I honestly haven't seen a lot of  adaptations for students in Miss Gledhill's classroom. The only account that I can recall is with Emma. She is a fourth grader who really struggled with subtraction. So Miss Gledhill actually had me work one-on-one with her, while using blocks to coach her. We worked for about twenty minutes and by the end of our session Emma had nailed subtraction. Emma's needs were met in a way that was different from the rest of her students. I like that Miss Gledhill initiated the session in such a way that the other students didn't seem to notice, so Emma wasn't embarrassed and the others went about the normal routine of things. 
I know from personal conversation with Miss Gledhill that she is striving to incorporate different methods of teaching to reach out to different kinds of learners, like kinesthetic, visual and so on. 
I feel like. as a teacher, it would be hard to meet all the distinct needs of every student if the needs aren't spelled out in paper for you. Some parents are quick to work with teachers for the benefit of the teacher and the student. This most often happens with distinct needs, like mental, physical and linguistic needs. Other needs are much more personal and might the difficult to approach without input or guidance from the parents or students themselves. 
Maybe this is what Miss Gledhill is balancing. Trying to address all of the needs, while trying to figure them all out at the same time.