Jessica Oliver
Teacher, Learner, Thinker
Student Artifacts
Student Artifacts
Student Artifacts
Student Artifacts
Moving Forward - One Behavior at a Time: Positive Behavior Intervention Support Presentation
Positive Behavior Intervention Support is a best practice approach that gives students the motivation and encouragement necessary to improve behaviors, and in the process educational achievement. Learning more about this approach helped to better equip me, and consequently my whole school, with strategies and plans to create a positive school environment that fosters learning, respect, and success! Not only that, but presenting the strategies behind PBIS and making them applicable to my particular building was, and continues to be, helpful to my collegues, parents, and of course, students. The full presentation can be find below.
A Synthesis of Children's Literature and Film
Film has become a integral part of most children's lives. Looking at the relationship that film has with traditional literature is a skill that both teachers and students should learn. In the following written reflection, I had the opportunity to critically examine and later synthesize both books and the films that accompany them. Some of the books and films I looked at are ones that I share with my current students (Charlotte's Web, Jumanji, Polar Express, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), while others can be applied to different grade levels that I may teach in the future (Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter). Being able to understand the terminology, perspectives, and creator decisions is crucial in truly understanding the stories at hand. This is something I am able to bring forth in my classroom and instill in my students each year.
Literacy Case Study
This case study allowed me the opportunity to focus on a particular first grade student and his struggles within the area of literacy. Throughout the semester, I identified that he struggled with decoding, specifically blending and segmenting words. From there, I worked one-on-one with him using direct phonological instruction. Having the foundational skills to move forward in reading and writing is monumental to the overall educational experience. As an elementary teacher, my job is to help students discover each step in the literacy process. This is one example of the differentiation that occurs in my classroom on a daily basis in order to ensure student success in all realms of literacy. The link below details my work, my findings, and my final conclusions.
A Showcase of Literacy and Motivation:
Below you will find a compilation of pieces I completed throughout my work in the MAED program, as well as strategies and skills I use in my own classroom. Two areas of education that I am extremely passionate about are Literacy and Motivation. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are all skills that are necessary across the curriculum. The research and practices that support them are ever-evolving in the educational setting. Each year I strive to move forward with these changes and, in the process, instill a love for Literacy within my students. Motivation is crucial to the academic and behavioral success of students. Through positive methods and individualized instruction, I also strive to encourage and engage my students on a daily basis. It is my true belief that Literacy and Motivation are at the heart of any great classroom. Therefore, much of my work is concentrated on these two fundamentals. Each artifact showcased below is a result of my beliefs and served as a stepping stone to furthering my learning, improving my teaching, and igniting my thinking!
Motivational Design Project
This powerful example of motivation looked at one student, his struggle with writing, and the journey to get him interested, excited, and involved in his own learning! The link below is a presentation highlighting the steps taken to motivate engagement and the resulting progress that occurred. Every year, I encounter a student or two who lacks the intrinsic motivation to learn. It is my job to find ways to reach these students and get them on a track to success. What I learned from this experience is immeasurable. The strategies and approaches were effective with this particular student and I continue to utilize them with each new group that comes to me.
A Creative Look at Nonfiction
After choosing a topic of interest and relevancy, I explored it through the many lenses of creativity. My topic focused on Nonfiction, but the projects I created could be applied to essentially any topic. Over the course of a semester I used technology to display and enhance a deeper connection with Nonfiction and it's many features. I began by creating a Weebly website to contain all my work. In addition to traditional reading and writing, the use of video, twitter, and powerpoint added to my exploration and experience. I learned to look deeper at topics and to inspire my students to do the same! I also realized the depth of the Nonfiction genre and how I can teach my students more than just the surface features. All of my work on this large creativity project can be found at my Weebly website linked below under CEP 818.
Replacing the Red Pen: Authentic and Effective Writing Conferences
Writing Workshop has taken over other traditional writing programs in most classrooms. One component of this best practice program is conferring. Conferring is an essential piece to producing successful writing pieces. This project looks at the research behind conferring and the structures necessary for effective conferring to take place in any classroom. I discovered a variety of strategies and techniques that are both practical and valuable to my writing instruction. The documents that I came across through research and/or created myself for this project are items that I use continuously within my writing conferences. Since incorporating the following elements, I have seen my teaching develop and advance, and more importantly, my students' writing has improved considerably!
Using Design to Enhance Classroom Conversations
Solving a problem using strategic design was the goal of this project. I began exploring the process of design by first choosing a problem. Conversation is an essential piece to any successful classroom. In recent years we have come to see the importance of genuine conversations including questions, connections, and synthesis. Unfortunately these kinds of conversations were lacking in my classroom. This project served as a launch into enhancing meaningful and effective conversations. Through empathizing, defining, ideation, and prototyping, I was able to to deeply explore conversation and find solutions that could be applied not only to my specific classroom, but to our entire school building. This web-based project is one that has been not only valuable for the time being, but will continue to serve as a key component to any classroom and/or school I am part of!
My Instructional Dream
This project was based on a personal dream to create a classroom of writers through both traditional and digital methods. Created in cyclic pattern, my dream took shape by looking for and then truly analyzing one video that represented my ideas. The video to the right, Let's Teach Kids to Code, promotes meaningful contexts and avenues to express creativity; all of which are essential to writing, and any subject for that matter. This video became the hub of my exploration, like the center of a bicycle wheel, with new discoveries and insights coming out like spokes of the wheel. At the time, the concept and thought process was quite challenging, but today it has become a staple of my classroom: Taking one central idea and letting yourself soar into new and different directions of discovery and inquiry! This project also encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone with technology to research and experiment with blogging, podcasts, and smart recordings. Although, I have not implemented these elements into my classroom, I hope to in the future.
Literacy
Motivation
