Speaker Reflection One

Today, our class had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Jodi Newton as she presented her
research entitled What Great Teachers Do Differently. This presentation was enlightening and
fascinating. There was a lot to be learned!
Throughout her experiment, Dr. Newton looked into the practices of successful teachers,
interviewing those whose classes had achieved at least twenty percent achievement rates on their
SATs for at least three consecutive years. Dr. Newton and her partner observed five common
qualities among the teachers they studied. Looking at these qualities, I cannot help but think
about my own experiences in education, as I have been taught by some of the greatest.
The first observed quality, Dr. Newton pointed out, was that each teacher ensured that all
of his or her students understood what it took to get better. When I look back, relating this to my
own experiences, I think of my eleventh grader history teacher, Ms. Thea Ford. Ms. Ford was
perhaps one of my favorite teachers in high school because she went out of her way to help each
and every student reach their personal goals. As I remember my time with her, I remember
fondly the way in which she approached each successful and struggling student to ensure they
were getting the assistance they needed.
Dr. Newtons fifth and final observation was that each teacher sent the message that they
and their students were on a journey together. Relating this back to my education experiences, I
cannot help but think of Mrs. Lesa Gibson, my eleventh grade English teacher. (Looking back,
eleventh grade must have been an excellent year!) Mrs. Gibson not only knew her students on a
professional level, but a personal level. She not only cared about the happenings in our lives, but
was quick to share her experiences with us, allowing us to become close as a class.

Dr. Newton finished her discussion today by emphasizing the importance of balance:
between tradition and innovation, student autonomy and teacher direction, student need and
student interest, and structured skill building and the allowing of self-discovery.
I am hopefully in prayer over my first few years of teaching, that I will be able to balance
all of the items discussed today while truly sparking and maintaining the interest and respect of
my students, taking full responsibility for students knowledge along the way.
Speaker Reflection Two
Today, in class, we had the opportunity to view a video covering several different aspects
of classroom management. Since we will not be enrolled in an actual classroom management
course until our senior year, I love that we got a dose of what classroom management is and the
ways in which it is carried out.
Of the five strategies we viewed today, I found the second one- establishing and
maintaining classroom rules and procedures- to be the most significant. I found this strategy to
be the concept that is perhaps most easily related to the world outside of the classroom. No
matter where students may end up, there will be rules and procedures in their environment that
have to be established and maintained, whether those rules and procedures are created by them or
their superiors.
In my own life, I have had the experience of being both a leader and a follower. One
leadership position I have the opportunity to hold is that of Resident Assistant. Through that
position, I am responsible for establishing and maintaining certain rules and procedures on the
hall, making sure that fifteen freshman girls are safe in their living environment.
While I am a leader in some aspects of my life, I am a follower in others. For example, I
am currently employed by the Department of Residence Life at Samford University. Because

Lauren Taylor and all of her subordinates are my superiors, they have established and maintained
a set of rules and procedures for me to follow as a Resident Assistant.
Now that I have made this (hopefully clear) point, I look back on my experiences in
school. If I had never been taught the appropriate way to memorize and practice certain
procedures in the classroom, I very well may have never become a productive member of
society.
I of course believe that establishing and maintaining rules and procedures is imperative to
classroom management. However, I truly hope that I can look beyond that when I have a
classroom of my own. I am not only establishing and maintaining procedures to make my job a
little easier, but to prepare the students for the lives they have ahead of them. By establishing a
foundation on which they can begin, I can prepare the students in my class to go forth and be
active, responsible members of society: whether that society is the classroom the following year,
or a big city thirty years down the road.
By establishing a physical classroom environment that is conducive to learning, creating
a small set of rules to be followed, involving my students in classroom decisions, reviewing the
procedures that have been instituted, and meeting with students to discuss management issues, I
hope and believe that I can make a difference in students lives. If I combine this with the other
methods discussed in class today, I am certain that my students will be unstoppable.
Speaker Reflection Three
Today, in class, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Rogers as she spoke on
professional dispositions. Dr. Rogers discussed the characteristics of a good teacher, three
essential ingredients to effective teaching, and the research that shows teacher dispositions to
have a significant influence on student learning.

The item that stuck with me the most from Dr. Rogerss presentation today was her
opening question: Can anyone be a teacher? I have found myself asking this question a lot
throughout my time in ESEC introduction courses. Dr. Rogers seemed to come to the conclusion
that, yes, anyone can get a degree in education, but, no, not everyone has what it takes to be a
good teacher.
I agree with Dr. Rogerss statement entirely. Unfortunately, it seems to me, that many
women (and men) choose to go into teaching because it is easy or they do not know what else
they want to do. I find that to be scary. I think that anyone who goes into the field of education
quickly discovers that it is not easy, but rather one of the most challenging work environments
one could enter. However, even humbled by that fact, there are many teachers in todays
classrooms who quite frankly do not want to be there. Because they had nothing better to do,
they are now negatively impacting hundreds of students, students who may never recover from
their negative experiences.
Fortunately, there are also good teachers in the world: teachers who strive to give their
very best to every child each and every day. I want to be one of those teachers. I realize that, in
order to be one of those teachers, I must have a significant knowledge base and teaching skills.
The most important tool I must keep, however, is a good disposition. I truly want to be a teacher
that is remembered for providing a solid support system for my students. I want to be nurturing,
kind, personable, and Christ-like in all that I do, specifically in the classroom.
I know that there will be times that I will mess up. I know that there will be hard days
when the end seems to be nowhere in sight. I know that I am not, and will never be, perfect.
However, I am fully aware that I have control over my actions. I have complete say as to how my
classroom runs and what type of learning environment it provides.

My greatest goal in education is to show my students that the good can far outweigh the
bad, both in classroom experiences and later in life. Through having good dispositions in all that
I do, I genuinely feel that I can accomplish that goal.
Speaker Reflection Four
Today, in class, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Julie Hannah as she spoke on the
topic of assessment. Dr. Hannah is an expert on this topic, as she has had an incredible amount of
experience with it throughout her time in elementary schools, universities, and the Alabama State
Department of Education. I found what she had to say to be very enlightening!
Because I grew up in Alabama, my heart sank a little when Dr. Hannah opened her talk
with an apology for the way Alabama schools have been shaped for the past several years.
Unfortunately, it seems, my time in public schools was not nearly as effective as the education to
be received by public school attendees to come. As I look back selfishly at my time in Hoover
City Schools, I look forward in anticipation to what the future has in store.
From what Dr. Hannah said today, I can gather that teachers in this state are being shown
a new approach to take concerning assessment. It seems to me that less emphasis is being put on
the assessment itself, and placed upon the life of the child behind the assessment being
presented. I find this to be incredible. So incredible, in fact, that I do not know why this approach
was not taken sooner.
As Dr. Hannah spoke today about students she has observed, I could not help but think of
one of my sweet students I had in 3K this summer, Justin Lopez. Justin Lopez, like a child Dr.
Hannah discussed, has a very limited vocabulary, on top of being an English Language Learner.
Previously in the state of Alabama, it seems that even though Justins situation clearly presents a

problem and a solution, he would have been labeled a failure based solely on standardized test
scores.
Today, by Alabama standards, it seems that Justin Lopez and many children just like him
will be able to get the education they deserve because of the goal that the state has set for
graduates: every child a graduate, every graduate prepared. Because of what Dr. Hannah showed
us today, I believe that Justin will be able to go on as far as is necessary in his education.
Through tools such as the ACT, he will have the opportunity to grow in a way that has been
unheard of previously. All of this will be possible because the focus has been taken off of the
assessments and placed on the child at hand. Rather than being identified by a number, students
will be identified by name; their story will be heard and understood.
I truly believe that the education style of the future is going to make the world a much
better place. Dr. Hannah was very optimistic in presenting research and findings. I am optimistic
right along with her, and look forward to what is to come.
Speaker Reflection Five
Today, in class, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Patti Wood as she discussed
gifted education. Dr. Wood began with a discussion of the myths and realities of gifted education.
To my surprise, much of what I had previously thought to be true is fictional. Dr. Wood went on
to discuss the identification of a gifted learner and proven strategies to help incorporate them into
the regular classroom community. It was an incredibly interesting seminar!
When discussing the identification of a gifted learner, Dr. Wood pointed out several
defining characteristics: characteristics of both a high achiever and a truly gifted individual. A
high achiever is a student who knows answers, follows rules, strives for the top grade, and is
motivated to do what is asked of them. Oftentimes, a gifted student will be the opposite: a

student who asks questions, challenges rules, thinks nonchalantly about the grading system, and
is particularly unmotivated in the classroom.
Thinking back on my own school experiences, one name comes to mind when thinking of
gifted students: Kevin Turner. Throughout our time together in our fourth, fifth, and sixth grade
classes, Kevin was highly disruptive as a result of what I thought was ADHD. It turns out that,
while Kevin was indeed hyperactive, he was also incredibly gifted. He did not strive to meet
teachers expectations, but rather got caught up in independent projects, especially those that
involved music and writing. I know that our teachers must have had an incredibly difficult time
creating assignments within his zone of proximal development as he was so far ahead of the rest
of us.
When discussing proven strategies to help gifted learners, Dr. Wood not only spoke on
each, but also gave us good examples. She not only taught us what differentiation is, but also
gave us excellent tools to use when implementing it in the classroom. We discussed one method
in particular that I found neat: the tic-tac-toe method. Through this method, a teacher taps into
the multiple intelligences of her class by creating nine different assignments for a unit, presenting
them in a block format, and having students choose three in a row (horizontally, vertically, or
diagonally) to complete over a given period of time. Through the incorporation of a number of
Blooms Taxonomy verbs, each student is given a higher chance at being successful.
I was especially fascinated by this strategy because I have seen it work before. My
brother, Thomas, is a sixth grader at Pizitz Middle School. In his Language Arts class, they have
a vocabulary unit each week and are assigned a set of activities from a tic-tac-toe chart. Thomas,
who is quite intelligent while not being considered gifted, is able to do the projects that he is
interested in during each unit. The more interested he is, the more he learns! Because of this, I

believe this method would be a great tool to use for all students, not just those who are gifted
learners.
Dr. Wood truly inspired me today through her clear passion for gifted education. I feel
more prepared to go out into the world and deal with a diverse population of students because of
what I learned today in class. I hope to be a teacher who provides the very best for all of her
students, gifted or not!
Speaker Reflection Six
Today, during class, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Bluiett as she discussed
reading assessments. To guide us in reflective learning, we filled out a KWL chart at the
beginning and end of Dr. Bluietts lesson. I knew a few things about assessment before class
today, but wanted to learn more about proven types of effective assessment. Thanks to Dr.
Bluietts presentation, I was able to learn a lot!
Dr. Bluiett began today by discussing the significance of assessment and six principles of
reading assessment that all teachers need to know. As she discussed the six principles, I looked
back on my time in school. Fortunately, most of my teachers seemed to follow these principles of
assessment. Unfortunately, I can remember several assessments throughout my time in school
that did not have a specific purpose or that were used to replace instruction.
Dr. Bluiett went on to discuss the four types of reading assessments and their purposes. I
learned that outcome assessments survey the achievement of the entire class; screening
assessments provide initial information about students; diagnostic assessments provide in-depth
information about strengths and needs; and progress-monitoring assessments provide ongoing
and timely feedback on individual students and their responses to instruction. Looking at all

these elements, I can remember several circumstances throughout my time as a student where
these assessments were used, not just in reading, but in other content areas as well.
Toward the end of the presentation, Dr. Bluiett introduced us to several well-known,
effective reading assessments. I was excited to take a look at these, particularly the Concepts
About Print Test or CAP. I enjoyed looking at this test because it takes what we view as such
simple content and examines it at a deeper level. It is humbling to remember that some students
do indeed have trouble with something as basic as holding a book the correct way.
Dr. Bluiett is obviously an expert in the reading content area. I appreciated all that she
had to say to us today. I look forward to working with students in this area and putting some
suggested practices to good use!
Speaker Reflection Seven
Today, our class had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Underbakke, a third grade teacher
at Trace Crossings. He came to talk to us about some of his favorite books, and boy, was it
interesting! Dr. Underbakke spoke with an enthusiasm unlike anything I have ever seen. I
thoroughly enjoyed hearing him speak.
Dr. Underbakke first told us about the importance of reading aloud: not only the
importance of the activity itself, but of picking reading material that students would never be
able to comprehend on their own. For this reason, Junie B. Jones should not be read to a second
grade class. They need to be more challenged than that!
Dr. Underbakke went on to explain the importance of reading aloud for twenty minutes
each day, even if there seems to be no end to the material being covered. He explained to us
that nothing builds community quite like a shared text. The material can wait. It is important to
take a few minutes out of each day to read together as a class.

Dr. Underbakke described his favorite books with an unparalleled love. It was fascinating
to see his passion for childrens literature. He spoke about many of the books I have read before,
such as The Giver, that all of Simmons Middle School read in seventh grade.
Throughout my time in the Hoover school system, I was read a countless number of
books. I do not remember a day in elementary school when I was not read some sort of book for
fun. I think it is important for a teacher to know she can read a book to her class without making
a diorama. Some books are just read for the joy of reading.
I would hope to be the kind of teacher that Dr. Underbakke clearly is- a passionate
teacher who loves literature. I feel that by modeling my own love of reading, I can lead my
students to feel the same way I do, and therefore lead them to greater success in later life.
Speaker Reflection Eight
Today, in class, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Dianna Cheshire, one of the
Associate Deans of the School of Education. I have only every spoken with Dr. Cheshire in a
casual setting, because I am her daughters RA in Pittman Hall. I was very happy to hear from
her in a professional environment as she spoke on assessment.
Dr. Cheshire began her talk using a formative assessment on all of us, speeding through
some quick background information to access our prior knowledge. She brought up some points
that I have not necessarily thought about before, such as the fact that, in modern day schools,
assessment is being looked at in three distinct ways: as assessment for learning, assessment as
learning, and assessment of learning. She also reiterated the fact that assessment is an ongoing
process while evaluation is the giving of a mark; but learning and grades can indeed coexist
peacefully. It is important, when assessing, Dr. Cheshire says, to remember the plant analogy:
one can measure a plant all they want; it is not going to affect how that plant grows.

After Dr. Cheshire spoke, she led us in an activity in which we were put into groups to
analyze student work. She gave each group a packet of math assessments, with three student
answers to one math question at each grade level, first through fifth. We looked at the students
answers in each piece and then discussed why we believed those answers were correct or
incorrect, and, if incorrect, where the student may have gone wrong. Each time, I feel, the blame
made its way back to the teacher. No matter what the situation, there was something presented on
each page that went back to the way the information was presented. Some questions were
unclear; some work was unorganized; and some students simply guessed what the right answer
to the problem might have been.
Dr. Cheshires talk today made me take a step back and think more critically about my
job as a teacher. I have heard a lot about assessment this semester, but her talk has been the most
influential because I can now apply the knowledge transferred to my own lesson planning in the
second grade classroom. Assessment, so very often, has a negative connotation. Assessment, so
very often, is only completed for a teacher to have something to put in the grade book. I want to
change my students opinions on assessment, showing them that it can be fun. I want to change
my opinion on assessment, showing myself that it must be high quality and worth my while.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Dr. Cheshire today. I hope she can come back to speak
again soon!
Speaker Reflection Nine
Today, at Trace Crossings, we had the opportunity to hear from several members of the
faculty and staff. Each professional that spoke with us has a specific, unique role that they play in
the Trace community. It was exciting to see each of them present their work so passionately.

Mrs. Barber: Principal

The principal at Trace Crossings Elementary, Mrs. Barber, came to speak to us in the
middle of several presentations. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her talk in this setting, because I
had heard her speak several times prior when she was my sixth-grade principal at Simmons
Middle School. Mrs. Barber began my complimenting the Samford program and all its aspects,
and then moved on to discuss her role as a principal. Out of her forty-nine years in education,
thirty-five of those years have been spent in administration. Mrs. Barber explained to us that she
strives to change the view students and teachers alike have of principalship. She does not want to
be a disciplinarian, but rather a resource for both students and teachers.
Mrs. Barber went on to explain that she feels the most important part of her job is hiring
good people. She insists that, when she hires good people, her job becomes so much more
enjoyable. She believes in hiring people she trusts, and people who are going to bring something
unique to the table. Every member of her faculty and staff was hired for a reason, and she
ensures that that reason is acted upon in the classroom or office each day.
Mrs. Barber encourages those who work beneath her through an analogy of a wheel.
Trace Crossings is a wheel, and each member of the faculty and staff is an important part. In the
center of the wheel, there is the child. All faculty and staff members must operate appropriately
so that the wheel can continue to turn around the child at hand. I have clearly seen the wheel
working properly throughout my time in clinical placements.

Ms. Drake: Bookkeeper

The first speaker we heard from this morning is Ms. Drake, the bookkeeper at Trace
Crossings. I found her talk to be quite interesting because, so very often, pre-service teachers are

not given the opportunity to discuss a schools financial operations. Ms. Drake made several
good points about the inner workings of Trace Crossings School.
Ms. Drakes job as a bookkeeper is to hold all of the teachers at Trace Crossings
Elementary accountable in their financial obligations. The obligations can be found in the
Alabama Educators Code of Ethics: Section VI. This job sounds rather scary, but actually is not.
Ms. Drake has created a manual for teachers to refer to if they have any questions or confusion,
so they are able to address any issues independently before involving Ms. Drake at all.
Ms. Drake contributes to student instruction by giving each teacher what is known as a PCard with his or her funds for the year. A P-Card, in 2015 is credited with $373.29. This is the
amount of money the state gave each public school teacher to spend on instructional materials
during the current school year. This amount was distributed to teachers on October 1st. The
amount will be deducted from until May, and can then roll over to be used before the end of
August.
Ms. Drake is responsible for the management of funds, but also for lots and lots of
paperwork. She is the woman responsible for ensuring partnerships between Trace Crossings and
venders are kept cordial and also for heading the Care and Needs account, which is a fund
allocated toward sending low-SES children on field trips and to do other school-related activities.
I feel that it is easy to assume that teaching is a creative job, not a job with lots of
paperwork and financial management. Clearly, that is not the case. Ms. Drake helps all faculty
and staff members at Trace see that!

Mrs. Pfeiffer, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Houston: Title I

Our class also had the opportunity to hear from Mrs. Pfeiffer, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs.
Houston, the new Title I teachers at Trace Crossings. All three of these women have worked at
Trace Crossings for many years. In fact, all of them taught me: in first, second and third grade!
For that reason, I enjoyed hearing them talk about their new role and the leaps and bounds they
are making with students.
Mrs. Pfeiffer, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Houston work with Tier II students who might not
necessarily get the intervention they need in the regular classroom. They are able to work with
students through the Title I program, a national program that allocates funds to schools with high
levels of poverty. The students that these teachers work with are not necessarily below the
poverty line, but the funds to work with the students come from the fact that forty-seven percent
of Trace Crossingss students receive lunch for free.
Mrs. Pfeiffer, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Houston created the small groups they work with
based on the SCANTRON testing done at the beginning of the year. Combined with ACT Aspire
scores, this assessment provides a plan to follow with each student that is in need. Mrs. Pfeiffer,
Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Houston work with students in the areas of reading and math, in hopes of
moving them out of Tier II instruction before the school year is over. Even those who are moved
out of Title I, however, will continue to be monitored and assessed to ensure they are performing
well enough without intervention.
Because all of these teachers are new to this job, they have been making several
adjustments to their teaching strategies as they go along. They are getting the hang of this and
doing an excellent job. I am looking forward to seeing the final results for this school year in
May.

Mrs. Page: Instructional Support

One of the most interesting parts of our professional development time was hearing from
Mrs. Page, the head of Instructional Support. Mrs. Page has a job that varies in consistency from
year to year. This year, she spends seventy percent of her time working with students, and thirty
percent of her time working on paperwork. Both aspects of her job are crucial to the Trace
Crossings community and to instruction.
Mrs. Page works with students each day in a variety of settings, including the regular
classroom and a classroom of her own. She works in a variety of settings, with a variety of
students, including those with learning disabilities, anger issues, and exceptionalities such as
autism and Down syndrome. For all of these children, there is a file full of legal documents
around which the childs education is based. All of the students Mrs. Page works with are cases
that should not be taken lightly.
I found Mrs. Pages job description to be fascinating because she gets to lead one of my
favorite things ever: a social group. I would love to lead a social group! The group that Mrs.
Page leads, in the past, has been for students with autism. This year, the group includes students
from a variety of backgrounds. I think that it would be so incredibly interesting to lead a social
group, because there are leaps and bounds to be made for all students that fall outside of
academics. I would love to foster an environment for social growth in my future classroom, or
even outside of it if ever given the opportunity to lead a group like Mrs. Page does.
Mrs. Pages role is a tough, but rewarding one to play. She is clearly so passionate about
it and does a fantastic job.

Mr. Pitts: ELL

Along with Mrs. Page, comes Mr. Pitts. These two spend a lot of time together because
Mr. Pitts works with students learning English as their second language. All of these students,
like the others Mrs. Page works with, have an IEP. Mr. Pitts is part of each of his learners IEP
team, and therefore works with Mrs. Page quite a bit.
Mr. Pitts began by giving us his job description, which is very similar to Mrs. Pages in
that it varies from year to year, and even day to day. Mr. Pitts works with a variety of students
from all around the world, who speak languages ranging from Spanish to an Indian dialect, the
name of which is incredibly difficult to pronounce.
Mr. Pitts identifies English Language Learners through a home language survey that is
completed when a child registers in Hoover City Schools. The identified child is required to go
through a series of assessments, and then is written an IELP. The student is automatically eligible
for services if their need is clear, but the parent or guardian of each student must accept those
services. Most ELL students at Trace Crossings have accepted, and therefore work with Mr. Pitts.
Mr. Pitts works through a wide range of programs, designing a curriculum based on the
WIDA English Development Standards. The standards provide groundwork from which to build
with each individual case. In the regular classroom, Mr. Pitts explains, there are several ways in
which teachers can accommodate English Language Learners. WIDA is an excellent place for
those teachers to start, as well.
Mr. Pitts insists that he has the best job in the school. He enjoys the spontaneity and fun
of working with the English Language Learner population. I can see why, as I have enjoyed
working with them in my second grade classroom this year.
Ms. Robuck and Mrs. Northcutt: Specials

Ms. Robuck and Mrs. Northcutt came today to speak with us about specials at Trace
Crossings. Ms. Robuck teaches music, and Mrs. Northcutt teaches art, but the two spoke on
behalf of the librarian and PE teacher as well.
Mrs. Northcutt began her discussion by explaining that art, just like general education,
follows a set of national, state, and district standards. Children in Hoover City Schools are
required to receive one hour of art instruction each week. At Trace, half of this comes in art class
and the other half is made up for in regular classroom instruction. Mrs. Northcutt informed us of
two websites that the teachers are Trace Crossings use to implement the art standards in their
classrooms: dickblick.com and deepspacesparkle.com. Dick Blick is an excellent site for art
resources and materials. Deep Space Sparkle is a great lesson-planning resource!
Ms. Robuck continued the discussion with her music class. She chose to model for us
what a normal day in her class would look like. She made sure to emphasize that her curriculum,
although following its own set of standards, related directly back to what might be taught in the
regular classroom. Ms. Robuck encourages teachers to implement music content in their
classroom instruction, because the special teachers and general educators must function as a
team.
These two women spoke on behalf of Mrs. Farnlacher and Mrs. Culberson, the librarian
and PE coach. Both of these women left us with the message that they are meant to be used a
resource, and with a reminder that, while special classes serve as a break for classroom teachers,
it is important to remember that their curriculum is just as significant to each child.

Mrs. Collins: Lunchroom Manager

Mrs. Collins, the Trace Crossings lunchroom manager, came to speak to us as well. She
immediately combatted the thought that the lunchroom is not an important place in a school, by
letting us know that it is perhaps the most important. If children are hungry, she reminded us,
they will not perform the way we want them to. That was a very good point!
The central office and the USDA monitor everything the lunchroom does at Trace
Crossings. There are several detailed codes that must be remembered when serving food to
students. This ensures all student breakfasts and lunches contain an element from each main food
group, and that childhood obesity is not fostered by the food the students get at school. A lot has
changed about the lunchroom in Mrs. Collinss fifteen years at Trace, but she understands that it
is for the better.
Mrs. Collins spoke passionately about her job, saying that she would not want to be doing
anything else. Cooking for students relays a message of love to them, and Mrs. Collins
guarantees that all students go home full and happy at the end of each day.
Speaker Reflection Ten
Today, we had the opportunity to hear from Mrs. Joyner, Trace Crossingss STEAM
coordinator, once again. We met with Mrs. Joyner during two separate periods to discuss the
incorporation of math into all classroom content areas.
During our first interval of time together, Mrs. Joyner introduced the days topic with a
video about Mr. Math, a- perhaps progressive- teacher who has successfully incorporated a
variety of content into his math curriculum. Through participation in activities such as math
songwriting, Mr. Maths students have become far more engaged in the content to be learned.
Mr. Math is still meeting all of the standards set for him at the beginning of the school year; he is
just doing so in a fun way, taking a path that his students genuinely enjoy.

Mrs. Joyner also shared with us a few examples of her favorite math resources, including
links to four websites: Aplus Check, OGAP Math, youcubed, and Mathbreakers. Each of these
technology tools can be used to enhance learning through extractable equations, word problems,
and games. Along with the websites, Mrs. Joyner brought up a few good resources to be put to
use on the interactive whiteboards in Trace classrooms. I can see myself using several, if not all,
of these resources in future lessons.
In our second meeting with Mrs. Joyner, we were divided into teams and assigned a
STEAM task: to connect to two different chairs using skewers and zip ties, creating a bridge
(although it was not called that) between the two without the materials touching the ground. We
completed the task successfully, despite some minor difficulties. When this was completed, Mrs.
Joyner explained the art of giving directions: those that are limiting, and those that are open
ended. She went on to explain that, through this task, we could easily incorporate math, science,
and art into one simple, fun lesson. Although I am hesitant to facilitate an engineering project
such as this, I look forward to the challenge that I will surely face in the future.
Mrs. Joyner is always a good speaker, and makes a lot of sense. I enjoyed hearing her
discuss a topic, about which she is so passionate, today.