Cooperative Learning

Texas A&M University – Commerce
Master’s of Education in Secondary Education – MED
MISD & A&M-Commerce Partnership Cohort 2010
SED 513 Secondary School Curriculum – 3 SH
Carlos Soliz



Cooperative Learning


What?

Cooperative Learning is a great strategy that I use a lot in my classroom. I like to use this strategy to help learners that tend to lag behind on their work, group projects, and it also helps students learn the names of their classmates.

So What?

Using Cooperative Learning lets me pair up students who sometimes don’t get their work done and turned in with those students who do very well and always get their work completed. This puts a little bit more responsibility on that student that lags behind to get his/her part done and turned in. Group projects help to split up responsibilities amongst students and designate some leadership roles also. Using a variety of methods to split students into groups helps classmates learn each others’ names and maybe learn a little bit about the personal side of him/her. I believe that the students that struggle to do work on their own feel a sense of obligation to their group and don’t want to let everyone else down.

Now What?

I will continue to use cooperative learning every year that I teach now matter what the subject. It helps students with responsibility, a sense of belonging to a group, and also helps with their grades. Reflecting on my teaching and my methods I have learned that many teachers use this learning strategy and they have had success doing so.

Nonlinguistic Representations

Texas A&M University – Commerce
Master’s of Education in Secondary Education – MED
MISD & A&M-Commerce Partnership Cohort 2010
SED 513 Secondary School Curriculum – 3 SH
Carlos Soliz

Nonlinguistic Representations


What?

Using the Nonlinguistic Representation model I chose to use the Drawing Pictures and Pictograph strategy for vocabulary and so the students can remember the countries we are studying. I chose to use this strategy because many of my students prefer to draw instead of write. This has helped those students remember things a lot better than a definition.

So What?

The strategy, Drawing Pictures and Pictograph, has been very effective to teach the curriculum. Now all the students don’t have to draw all the time. Sometimes I have the students draw or write and sometimes they draw and write vocabulary words. The feedback that I have is that vocabulary test scores of students that have struggled in the past are on the rise. These students tell me that they prefer to draw instead of write. I really like using this strategy so I would not change anything next time.

Now What?

I will continue to use this strategy because I know that students learn in different ways and a lot of students now days are visual learners. I know that I would have never used this method, mainly because I did not know about it. Learning different methods of teaching has helped me a ton, it has opened my eyes to new methods of teaching. Not only learning new strategies from other teachers but also listening to the students and the way they learn.

Teacher Personal and Professional Goals

Texas A&M University – Commerce
Master’s of Education in Secondary Education – MED
MISD & A&M – Commerce Partnership Cohort 2010
SED 513 Secondary School Curriculum – 3SH


Teacher Personal and Professional Goals


Name: ________Carlos Soliz_______

Professional Growth Goals:

o Personal – I am striving to become a technological teacher. I want to incorporate more technology into my classroom and my lessons with the use of wikis, global earth, you tube, and power point.

o Professional – I am going to get my Masters in Administration.

Professional Growth Measurable Activities:

o Personal – I am going to learn how to use more technology in my classroom. I will set up wiki pages, when the district allows the use of you tube I will use it, right now I use power points, and global earth to study World Geography.

o Professional – Take the required classes, study, do the work, learn and pass to be able to earn my Masters degree.

Professional Growth Assessment and Evaluation:

o Personal – Continue to try and keep up with the changing technology and be able to incorporate it into my classroom. I want to be able to reach my students with the technology that they are using at home everyday.

o Professional – Continue to update my skills and challenge myself to be a better teacher. Take Pay for Knowledge courses that the district offers so that I can try and stay on the top of my technological game.