Welcome Educators!
Welcome to my website! My name is AUndrea Georgatos, more formally known as MIss Georgatos, and I am a recent graduate at the American College of Education where I have recieved my Masters Degreee in Elementary Education. I have created this website for other educators just like YOU! My mission is to share all of the knowledge I've obtained and hopefully shed some light on the profession. My time here at ACE was truly valuable and through this website I will be sharing my new philosophies and tons of classroom resources that you can start implementing today! Also, please be sure to sure explore our site for more useful information as the year progresses.
Philosophies and Outlook
Throughout my time at The American College of Education I have challeneged myself as an educator. I've been pushed to reshape my thinking and dig even deeper into the ways I was teaching my children; Here are some of my major takeaways:
Technology
“Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” – April Chamberlain
The firrst thing I've learned is that the implemenation of technology is crucial for all educators. Technology is a tool that MUST be incorporated into daily lesson plans because we are "Digital Educators" trying to reach a group of students who are "Digital Learners". Through technology students are actively engaged in their learning and are growing into confident versions of themselves.
Here are some resources that you can start implementing into your classroom TODAY!
LINKS; Tech Makes Better
http://superteacherworksheets.com
Collaboration
"The most valuable resourse we have is eachother. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspectives." Robert John Meehan
Also, during my time in this gradute program, I've learned about the importance of COLLABORATION within my environment. Colleagues and students alike can accomplish so much more if they are open to working together. For young students, collaboration is an outstanding tool that helps children teach and learn from one another. Upon completing this gradute program, I have worked dilligently to be sure that students are working collaboratively, experiencing meaningful learning, and are actively engaged in their learning. All of this is a recipe for success.
Above is a photo of studens working collaboratively to find textual evidence. I am prepping students to learn how to respond to text. By using collaboration, these students are working together to find pieces of evidence that will support their groups claim, and filling out the graphic organizer to "show what they know".
Reading
"Reading aloud to children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read." Marilyn Jager Adams.
ACE has taught me that reading to children is even more imperative than I had thought! It is our responsibility as educators to plant the "the love of literacy" within every student and teach them the beauty of a book. After learning the importance of reading TO children, I started a "Post Lunch" read
aloud series. We read a chapter per afternoon and the students are hooked! I ask them to turn and talk about what I've just read to them with their reading partner. I push them to make text to text and text to self connections. I probe them to make predicitions and use evidence from the text to support an original claim. It is such a teaching tool that I had never utilized before my course work at ACE.
Assessment
"Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction." Carol Ann Tomlinson
Ace has taught me a valuable lesson about asssessment! Assessments can and should be used as a teaching tool to help students rise to a new level. Assessments are NOT just formal tests and quizzes. There are simple and rather informal ways to assess student learning and of course collect data that'll help you plan further lessons. Here are some tools that I have used and how I've changed the way I assess since my time at ACE. I do these forms of informal assessment on a daily basis, just to collect the climate of classroom learning; I hope these tools are helpful for you!
I use this "What Stuck With You Today" bulliten board to ask my students exit questions. These exit questions are posted in their spots ontop of their class number. Then, it is easy for my to view the post its and see who is having some difficulty with the content. From there, I usually then pull a small group the rug for a quick re-teach lesson and assessment.
I also use this quick and simple self assessment tool for my students! They use hand signals to show how they're feeling about their learning. Not only is this a beneficial form of informal assessment, but it teaches students the very valuable tool of self asessment and reflection. My students love this!
Teacher Leadership
"A teacher leader thinks beyond the walls of her classroom to what her impact can be." Unknown
Lastly, in my duration at ACE, I've had another huge personal take away. As a young professional, I never thought of myself as someone who could be of value to more senior teachers. I was apprehensive to take on a more strong leadership roles. I was unsure of my capabilites and lacked the confidence to step up and share what I know. After ACE, all of that has changed!
I've learned that everyone has something to offer and seniority does not correlate. If I've learned something valualbe I should share it! My team has been super welcoming and open to all of my fresh ideas since being a student at ACE.
Please check out my About, Contact, and Tech Tab for more helpful tips and tricks!