The Cake and Its Ingredients

MACT Synthesis Paper

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Teaching Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University

Larissa A. Skulte PID A !"#!$" %o&em'er (!) (!*"

Passion. The +ord passion defined is) ,a strong feeling of enthusiasm or e-citement for something or a'out doing something. /passion) (!*"0. I ha&e t+o passions that directly relate to one another. I ha&e a strong passion for teaching and a strong passion for 'aking. I ha&e al+ays lo&ed to 'ake e&er since I +as a little girl and I still 'ake today for family) friends) and my hus'and. 1inding it rela-ing) it allo+s me to e-periment and get messy +hile doing it. There are a fe+ components to 'aking and teaching that I 'elie&e go hand in hand +ith one another. The first step in 'aking is the ingredients) 2ust as teachers need students in their classrooms. 3ithout ingredients there is no 'aking) and +ithout students) there is no classroom. The ne-t step is com'ining the ingredients to mold and shape them to the recipe. Teachers mold and shape their students to meet the curriculum standards and goals. %e-t) as our ingredients prepare for 'aking) some of them might need more preparation. Some of our students need e-tra support. It4s important to remem'er that each ingredient and student may 'e completely different and they 'ring different components to the recipe or classroom. The last part of our recipe is 'aking the ingredients. As the o&en heats the cake +ill either rise or sink. 5ust like at the end of the school year. Teachers gi&e a 'ig sigh of relief and think) ,I made it6. Then +e ask oursel&es) ,Did I successfully prepare my students for first grade7.) ,Do I feel like the school year +ent the +ay I +anted it to7. 8eflecting allo+s us to rethink and ask oursel&es questions) ,3hat +ould I change for the follo+ing year7 3hat could I ha&e done 'etter7 9o+ can I learn from my mistakes7. 3hen +e 'ake +e reflect the same +ay. 3hen my recipes don4t turn out the +ay I +anted them to or the cake didn4t rise. I go 'ack through the recipe and see +here I might ha&e made a mistake) and think) ,9o+ can I change the recipe to make it 'etter for the ne-t time7. 8eflecting is 2ust as essential in the 'aking +orld as it is for teachers. Meeting the Ingredients:

At the 'eginning of e&ery school year) each teacher spends a great amount of time setting up their classroom. 3e decorate) arrange ta'les) make co:y reading areas) and add our special touch to make the coming year special and successful. 9o+e&er) the one thing that seems to 'ring the greatest challenge is preparing for our students. 3e look at a list of names that tells us their age) +here they are from) ho+ many si'lings they ha&e; 'ut +e really don4t kno+ ,+ho. they are and +hat lies 'eneath. %o matter +hat each child 'rings as they +alk through our classroom doors) +e create a safe) +arm) and nurturing en&ironment despite any differences they might ha&e. As a 'aker) +e follo+ a similar tasking as teachers. 3e prepare our kitchen 'y arrange ta'les) clean our utensils) and lay out our +ork station; much like the preparation that goes into making a classroom. The one thing that is difficult for 'akers is +ondering +hat our ingredients are going to 'e like for the day. 3ill there 'e a 'ad egg7 Is there going to 'e an ingredient I don4t kno+ ho+ to use7 In order to really kno+ +hat kind of ingredients +e are +orking +ith +e need to get to kno+ them. 3e find out +here they come from) +hat they taste like) +hat they look like) and ho+ they interact +ith one another. In T<=!$ /Artifact (0) I +as a'le to spend time reflecting on the strategies I used to get to kno+ and 'uild relationships +ith my students and their parents. 3hat I reali:ed only after I had proofread this paper +as the amount of ups and do+ns I had to really find out ,+ho. my students +ere. It +asn4t an easy process) 'ut the information that I had unfolded +as the most &alua'le. I +as a'le to use this information to create solid lesson plans that incorporated their interests) 'eha&iors) and any other adaptations that might need to 'e made for each student. Parents are delicate 2ust like ingredients. 3e ha&e to 'e careful on ho+ +e approach them) talk to them) and address their child4s 'eha&ior or de&elopment.

5ust like ingredients students in my classrooms come from all o&er the +orld. 3hich is +hy incorporating multiculturalism into my classroom is &ery important to me. <ach of my students +hen I +as +orking in China represented a different part of the +orld. 5ust as ingredients do. They 'ring their o+n culture into our classroom. They speak different languages) ha&e different skin colors) and +ear different clothes. The part that seemed to ama:e me the most +as that not one of my students e&er thought differently of the child ne-t to them. The team at "e International School 'elie&e that the students +ho attend this school ,are more likely to 'ecome adults +ho ha&e fe+er 'iases against others +ho are different to themsel&es./"eik.com0. This is something that you don4t see happen e&ery day. <&en if you teach in a school +here the population isn4t &ery di&erse you can still incorporate multiculturalism into your classroom. >y simply reading 'ooks that illustrate and talk a'out all races and cultures; you create a print rich en&ironment that represents people from all around the +orld. Sometimes our ingredients and students only see the +orld from one perspecti&e. Most of our students came from middle to upper class families. They ha&e all the latest gadgets) fashion) cars) and &isit the most ama:ing places for &acations. In T<=?* /Artifact *0) I had the opportunity to create a lesson plan that incorporated glo'al education. 3hat I reali:ed from implementing this lesson +as that my students didn4t kno+ that other children may not ha&e all the food) games) toys) and lu-uries that they are graced +ith. As you read Artifact * you +ill see the different acti&ities and lessons I created to help open their eyes to this. I +as a'le to ha&e my students take a completely different outlook on China from the perspecti&e of a child that doesn4t ha&e food) toys) and a car to use to get to school e&ery day. I myself +as also fortunate enough to li&e o&erseas most of my life. As I gre+ up and mo&ed 'ack to the @nited States I +as pu::led as to +hy students didn4t reali:e that in China they speak Chinese and not 5apanese. I also +ondered

+hy they kept asking me) ,3hy don4t you look Asian7. T<=?* and my e-periences helped me see that glo'al education is e-tremely important to incorporate in our classrooms. 3ithout it our students might not e&er learn a'out the ama:ing foods that some cultures eat) or the clothing that different people might +ear. If +e don4t incorporate glo'al education into our daily lessons +e are then teaching our students to li&e in a 'u''le and frankly) I think that +e should help them see the +orld. Shaping the Ingredients: As the school year carries on and +e continue to 'uild solid relationships +ith our students. 3e 'egin the process of shaping and molding our students. 5ust as 'akers com'ine their ingredients. They need to shape and mold them until the ingredients are the right consistency. 3hen 'akers 'ake they use a recipe or some 2ust use their memory. In education +e follo+ a curriculum and set goals for oursel&es and our students. In the education +orld there is al+ays a lot of talk a'out curriculum and the standards. <specially) standardi:ed testing. 3ell the same goes for 'aking there could 'e a million different recipes for 'anana 'read) 'ut ho+ do you really kno+ +hich one is going to 'e the 'est7 3e only kno+ 'ased off of +hat people say and the re&ie+s people +rite. In the education +orld +e actually allo+ people +ith no educational e-perience to decide +hat is 'est for our curriculum and our students. Schools end up teaching to the test 'ecause they get +rapped up in the competition to 'e the 'est school +ith the 'est scores in standardi:ed testing. Luckily) at "e International School I didn4t ha&e to teach to the test in this +ay. I actually spent time focusing on my students <nglish &oca'ulary. Through a test called the PPAT /Pea'ody Picture Aoca'ulary Test0. This test places each child on a stanine scale of +here they are in their &oca'ulary and language de&elopment. As I +orked +ith many <nglish Language Learners this test helped me see +hich students ha&e a lo+ amount of <nglish and

+hich students ha&e more <nglish &oca'ulary. 3e are held accounta'le for our students4 de&elopment in the <nglish language and the amount of &oca'ulary they learn. It is our 2o' to impro&e their scores and help them mo&e up to a different stanine. If students are 'elo+ a certain stanine +e ha&e to de&elop a language plan to help them de&elop their <nglish &oca'ulary. The difference for us is that +e don4t make it into a competition. 3e also don4t teach to the PPAT. Instead +e incorporate the &oca'ulary through each theme and lessons +e are planning for our classrooms. T<= ( /Artifact "0 taught us ho+ to reflect on important components to incorporate into our classrooms. This artifact focuses specifically on &oca'ulary and fluency +hich directly correlates +ith the PPAT testing +e use at "e. I took this course the summer 'efore I mo&ed to China. I +as a'le to research and gather strategies to help impro&e my studentBs fluency and &oca'ulary. A teacher can ne&er ha&e enough strategies in their list of resources. 3e +ill al+ays encounter a ne+ set of students that might ha&e different needs that need to 'e shaped and molded in order for them to 'e successful. As +e mi- our ingredients +e reali:e that a fe+ of them may need an e-tra push or ha&e a fe+ lumps and 'umps 2ust like our students may. 3e create indi&iduali:ed plans to help find the right strategies they need to +ork 'etter in the classroom en&ironment. In C<P ="( /Artifact #0) +e spent time finding the right strategies to +ork +ith a target student that had a specific 'eha&ioral issue. This little girl >eth that I descri'e in my plan caused me to feel &ery frustrated +ith her 'eha&ior. I didn4t ha&e the right strategies to use +ith her. As I took C<P ="( this fall I +as a'le to de&elop a plan and strategies that might ha&e helped >eth +ith her 'eha&ior. @nfortunately) I +asn4t a'le to implement my plan +ith >eth due to mo&ements around the glo'e. 9o+e&er) C<P="( has e-panded my kno+ledge on ho+ to deal +ith pro'lem students. I

no+ ha&e the resources) kno+ledge) and strategies to help students indi&idually that might need it. >efore) I felt lost) unsure) and less confident than I do no+. Through the MATC program and especially through C<P="() I +as also a'le to learn strategies to help myself mo&e into a more effecti&e stance +hen +orking +ith children. 3e all ha&e come across and ha&e had a fe+ difficult students) 'ut +hen it comes to dealing +ith your emotions they can 'e hard to hide. I +as a'le to 'uild strategies to control my anger) frustrations) and use selfCtalk skills to cope. 9elping to mo&e myself into a more positi&e and professional stance +hile teaching. Baking the Ingredients: It is no+ time for the school year to come to an end and things are starting to +ind do+n. 3e hold our 'reath in hopes that our students are ready for first grade and that they ha&e 'ecome successful learners. 5ust as 'akers finish com'ining all of their ingredients; they hope that the ingredients are the right consistency and are ready for the ne-t le&el. 3ith their fingers crossed they hope to ha&e a cake that has risen) isn4t 'urnt) and is moist inside. 3ith our 'est +ork) and a 'usy year) +e +ish for our students to 'ecome confident) successful) first grade students. Inside the o&en electricity) in turn heat +orks to help the cake rise and 'ake all the +ay through. 3ith technology 'ecoming a huge part of todayBs +orld +e must incorporate it into our classrooms. 3hen I first +rote my focus pro2ect for T<= ( /Artifact ?0 on the effects of the TA program) Between the Lions) on children4s early literacy de&elopment) I +as apprehensi&e a'out using technology in the classroom. 9o+e&er) after many courses through the MATC program I actually find myself using technology more in my classroom to enhance my instruction. These courses opened my eyes up to a +hole ne+ +orld of fascinating technologies. I found myself using the <lmo in +ays I didn4t kno+ possi'le. In one e-ample) +e focused in on li&e silk +orms) a skeleton of a cicada) millipedes) and a dead 'ee. It +as truly ama:ing ho+ close +e

+ere a'le to see each creatureBs 'ody. Dur class +as also a'le to o'ser&e a silk +orm and +atch as it 'roke do+n the mul'erry lea&es +ith its 2a+. %ot only has technology 'ecome a useful resource in my classroom) I also find it a &alua'le resource to help further my de&elopment as a student and a teacher. I use T+itter to get a dose of daily updates on +hat is happening in the educational +orld from a +ide array of different educational people. Additionally) I use different forms of technologies to 'uild pro2ectsE +i-.com) 'logger) +ee'ly) +iki4s) etc. Technology is one of the most &alua'le tools for our students to learn and for teachers to 'uild and create engaging) moti&ating) and creati&e lessons in the future. That is +hy +e need to take this opportunity to prepare them for this digiti:ed +orld. The Cake: At the end of the year +e take our time to look 'ack on the school year and think a'out +hat +e might +ant to change) +hat +ent +rong) and ho+ +e could impro&e for the ne-t school year. As +e pull the cake out of the o&en +e do the same thing. The cake might 'e 'urnt) dry) didn4t rise) or it might ha&e 'een one of the 'est cakes yet. The important part is that teachers and 'akers reflect on their +ork. Did I add too much sugar7 Did I not +hip it up to the right consistency7 >akers look 'ack at the recipe and think a'out +here they +ent +rong and +hat +ould they do differently ne-t time. 8eflecting is the single most important skill that a teacher needs to o'tain +hile teaching. Any lesson) acti&ity) or assessment +e use needs to 'e reflected and re&ised. In doing this +e strengthen our teaching strategies to 'etter oursel&es for our students. 3hen I +rote a letter to my past) present) and future students in T<=*= /Artifact 0) I +as a'le to sho+ my students ho+ much I am committed to their learning and +hat I &alue as a teacher. I +as a'le to illustrate to them ho+ teachers e&en use +riting as a form of e-pressing oursel&es. Through this letter I teach my students one of the most &alua'le lessons. It is okay to

make mistakes and e&en teachers make mistakes. 3hat4s important is that +e learn from these mistakes and +e ne&er gi&e up on +hate&er +e might not get right the first time. Conclusion: As 'akers 'ake their cakes and teachers prepare their students for the ne-t school year) +e reflect on the crucial components of 'aking and teaching. 3hile other 'akers and teachers might ha&e different components and tools they &alue and that they feel are essential to their passion) these &alues are the foundation of their processes and success. As a teacher) I &alue the importance of getting to kno+ my students deeply and de&eloping relationships) multiculturalism) and 'uilding and creating a curriculum that reflects all of my students indi&idual needs. To do this +e create lessons and acti&ities that are e-pressi&e) creati&e) and use today4s technologies to make their learning e-perience passionate and re+arding. Lastly) +e must reflect on our practices to identify) learn) impro&e and share +hat +orks and +hat does not so +e can continue to 'uild and 'etter our 'akery) or school6

8esources passion. (!*". In Merriam-We ster!com! 8etrie&ed %o&em'er *=) (!*") from httpEFF+++.merriamC+e'ster.comFdictionaryFhacker A'out "eE Philosophy. "E #nternationa$ Schoo$! 8etrie&ed %o&em'er (!) (!*") from httpEFF+++."einternationalschool.orgFenFa'outFphilosophy