Teaching Portfolio for John Emanuelson

 Technology is ubiquitous in the 21st century. It permeates every aspect of life from work to leisure and education is not stranger to this either.  Just as society continues to embrace technology, to the point of what, in my opinion, feels like a sort of fetishization , teachers will have to do the same as well.  This is for a variety of reasons such as the gradual movement towards distance and/or hybrid learning and the increase in efficiency that technology promises.   This video shows some of the technology that I use in my classroom such as an interactive whiteboard, a Chinese version of Class Dojo, and power points utilizing a variety of media to present material in more than one way.  Videos, animations, and GIFs are all a popular way to deliver information in a variety of manners that supersede and will eventually eliminate the traditional lecture.   To be honest, just like the IBM Selectric typewriter and the floppy disk, the things ...

Education is now seen as being tantamount to success.  People who are able to attend and graduate from university have a higher income than those that do not.  Likewise, through a variety of surveys and reported opinions in a variety of media publications, university graduates are reported to have a greater civic participation and overall quality of life .  No longer is it enough to just have a high school diploma and one day in the future, it might not be enough to have a bachelors degree .  As the level of knowledge required to function in an increasingly technologically driven society increases exponentially, the skills that secure employment will become even more important. However, in my opinion, employers will still link many of these skills with credentials.   Therefore, parents and politicians will be put even more emphasis on ensuring future generations' learning.   To meet these demands, ideas and industries have proliferated on how to...

Education does not happen in a vacuum.  Just as with abortion, gun control, and civil rights, it is a politically charged topic that inflames passion on all sides of the spectrum. Political bodies often pass laws for a variety of reasons, which in turn can create a confusion as well as a greater workload for teachers.  The Chinese government, in a bid to arrest the decline in its population , has issued a series of decrees on education.  During the summer of 2021, it practically abolished the after-school education industry.  The reason given by the government was the amount of spending by parents on this sector was a cause of families only having one or no child. By eliminating this industry, it is hoped that parents will feel that they have a greater amount of capital and might be willing to increase the size of their family.   Likewise, the government has also changed the amount and type of homework given to primary and secondary students.  My vid...

Often times, as teachers, it feel as though we are stretched to our limits.  Between the number of students, the marking, and the need to meet administrative requirements, it often feels as though we might be missing what is happening.  One way to counteract this is to write a case study on your student(s).  By doing this, you can get a greater amount of detail that may have gone unnoticed prior to writing it.   These are  3 case studies  of my students.  Each student represents a different level in my class.  The first student, Flora, is a gifted student that needs to have extra material prepared to avoid boredom.  William is a student who might have ADHD.  He acts impulsively and can be aggressive towards both teachers and other students. Finally, Rain is a very low level student who speaks virtually no English.   This was written at the beginning of the school year and it was a reflection of my concerns as a new teacher...

As a teacher or in life, you have come across someone with a learning disability.  Globally, somewhere between five to nine percent of the population has a learning disability .  Dyslexia  (15-20%) and ADHD (9.4% in the USA) are the most common ones amongst children,  In the past, children would have been removed from the general population and assigned to special education classes .  However, that is no longer the case any more.  Students with learning disabilities, unless absolutely necessary, are no longer excluded.  Instead, as inclusivity becomes more widely practiced, students with learning disabilities are being included as often as possible in general education classrooms.  This is beneficial for them since it means that they are no longer being singled out, but instead are being given the support they need.  Likewise, it is g ood for students who do not suffer from learning disabilities since it gives them a chance to interact wi...

One of the most common problems in the classroom is what to do when you see a student struggling. How do you help?  How much help should you provide?  Where should you start?  Is it one thing the student is struggling with?  Is it a variety of tasks?  Are the student's struggles a result of gap in knowledge from a prior grade?  As you can see, even though teachers feel passionately and want to help all of their students succeed, there are so many questions about how to do this.   This can be especially true with regards to students learning English as a second language (ESL).  Even though many classrooms have rules about only using English and not communicating in their mother tongue, students often switch back and forth between their native language and the language they are learning.  This is a reason why it is best to learn a new language at a young age.  Students only need to develop one language acquisition center (Broca's area...

In prior years, physical strength or the ability to memorize significant amounts of information might have been critical elements in the workforce.  However, technical knowledge has overtaken this I believe.  Comfort using and manipulating a variety of applications and platforms will be essential by 2030 .  Therefore, it is essential that teachers know how to use technology as well.  Far too often, the desire to use technology is there, but no the ability.  To counteract, this schools must train teachers.  This VLOG is a synthesis of four interviews that I conducted with teachers at my school and the survey results of students in my class.  I asked the four teachers questions about the importance of technology in the learning environment and how they use it.  I also surveyed my students on their interests and the technology they use at home.  The video below has the results of the interview and the surveys.