Sarah Kroese

            To find a person who loves that same book as you is a wonderful and enjoyable experience.  Often, the books we discuss with others are part of an elite group of novels called the classics.  Most people have at least heard of these books, even if they have not read them.  One of these novels is Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.  This famous tale of love has been hailed as a classic for decades, touching millions of hearts.  However, what makes this book a classic?  This is the question Calvino, in his article, “Why Read the Classics?” seeks to answer.  Why are some books, specifically Far from the Madding Crowd, considered classics while other books are left in the shadows?  In this paper, we will look at the idea of classics with the help of Hardy and Calvino, as well as what it means to have our own classics.           Calvino states that cla...

  Module 5: Classroom Anxiety, Group Discussions, and Journals Concept 1: Classroom Anxiety Summary In Chapter 12 of Woolfolk, classroom anxiety was shown to have an affect on school performance. Woolfolk said that "Students do poorly because they are anxious, and their poor performance increases their anxiety, creating a vicious cycle of the learner" (Woolfolk, p. 488).  This is a deadly loop that so many students find themselves stuck in.  However, we as teachers can help them break this cycle by helping them employ strategies.  They can learn to identify the source of their anxious feelings, self regulate their emotions, and set reasonable goals that make school less daunting (Woolfolk, p. 489).  By aiding in this process, a teacher can effectively reduce a student's anxiety and improve their academic performance.    Reflection  I appreciated this section of Woolfolk because anxiety in students is a very relevant topic.  This generation is...

  Module 4: Critical Thinking, Cooperative Groups, and Modeling Concept 1: Critical Thinking Summary In Chapter 9 of Woolfolk, we learned about the importance of critical thinking.  This idea was defined as "Evaluating conclusions by logically and systematically examining the problem, the evidence, and the solution" (Woolfolk, p. 364).  Students need to learn to think in a critical manner.  How can we, as teachers, help them achieve this goal?  First, they need to internalize the standards of critical thinking: "Clarity, accuracy, logic, fairness, significance" (Woolfolk, p. 365) and more.  Student must them use these skills to solve problems and come up with new ideas.  Do to this, Woolfolk recommends that teachers use "Dialogue, authentic instruction, and mentorship" (Woolfolk, p. 365).  These strategies, when used well, are the tool to create critical thinkers in our classrooms.   Reflection This section caught my attention because my...

Here is the link to my Teacher Interview.   As new teachers, we should all be looking to the previous generation for advice on how to manage a classroom.  They have had years of experience and they know what works and what does not.  I have many teachers in my family so I interviewed my mom, Mrs. Kroese.  Even though we have talked about teaching many times, we had never discussed classroom management.  This was a wonderful opportunity for us to have this conversation.  In this blog post, I will reflect on a few key ideas from the interview.   The first idea that stood out to me was Mrs. Kroese's philosophy of classroom management.  She said you have to be able to enforce reinforcements and punishments.  In Chapter 7 Woolfolk (page 269), we learned about the importance of reinforcement and punishment as a way to make a behavior more prevalent or make a behavior disappear.  However, these strategies are completely useless if we...

Module 3: Reinforcement, Positive Practices, and Participation Structures  Concept 1: Reinforcement  Summary      In Chapter 7, reinforcement is defined as "the uses of consequences to strengthen behavior" (Woolfolk, p. 267).  The consequences are commonly referred to as reinforcers, and they make a behavior more likely to occur again.  There are two kinds of reinforcement: positive and negative.  Positive reinforcement is when a child is rewarded or given something to encourage what they just did.  Negative reinforcement is when a student is able to get out something unpleasant as a reward.  For example, a student might get a homework pass so that they do not have to complete the homework for that day.  Instead of giving the child a reward, something unpleasant is taken away.   Reflection      This section was confusing to me at first.  When I read "negative reinforcement", my mind ...

Module 2: Labels, Groups, and Gender Concept 1: Labels for Disabilities  Summary      In Chapter 4 of Woolfolk, the author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of labeling students based on their disabilities.  One position holds that "Labels can become self-fulfilling prophecies" (Woolfolk, p. 122).  In other words, when students are told they are autistic, they give up because they see the label as a defining limit on their abilities.  The other position says that "Being labeled as 'special needs' protects the child" (Woolfolk, p. 122).  They can receive the support they need and people will be more understanding of their characteristics.  Which way should our schools lean?  Reflection      I think labeling disabilities is a complex issue.  I do not stand with either of the positions above.  Rather, I take more of a middle ground.  Yes, students should be diagnosed with their disability so that ...