I am glad to have been of service in acting as a sounding board. I only wish I had more experience to offer and to collaborate more on a professional level.
I remember a variety of formats for testing when I was in school. I was much more comfortable with the "repeat what you read or hear" than I was with the creative answers but I eventually grew to be comfortable with both.
Having only experienced being a student and not a teacher, I really am starting from scratch when it comes to using assessments. But taking a stab at it, I will say that I like the "word test" for several reasons. It's flexible, it forces the student to be creative and at the same time allows the student to respond in his or her own language which is incredibly important as Dr. Britton said several times in his speech.
Looking at "collaborative test making", I was always afraid that I would make the questions too hard and the other kids would be mad at me. But incorporating "test prepartion" with the creation of questions would make this a much more socially agreeable option without dumbing down the questions.
As for "creative assessments", I always found that music is a great focal point and can help bring together new information with something already familiar. Again this would be brilliant idea because it is an opportunity to blend learning and schoolwork with something deeply personal to the students like their favorite music.
My favorite of the outlined assessments is the "reaction or response to a story". I am always curious to know how other people react to important themes or classic stories. It is an indirect way to find out about their inner selves and hopefully find out a better way to incentivise learning for that individual.
I have learned a lot of the jargon (but still missed so much) that is associated with being a professional teacher. In the future, I hope to incorporate my fledgling understanding into new paradigms for what it means to be a teacher and part of the education system. Thank you for allowing me to be your student as well as a learning partner.
- Shannon
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tchundi ch. 13 INSPIRATION
So, I am very excited and inspired after reading ch. 13 of Exploring and Teaching ELA. I appreciate this textbook for this class because it is not only filled with theory but also with practical classroom application and alternative assessments. While reading this chapter I scribbled down pages of notes/ideas concerning my current unit of study: The Outsiders.
My favorite alternate assessment ideas included the Word Test, Collaborative Test Making and requirements for creative assignments. I would like to share some ideas I drafted after reading this chapter. I would appreciate any comments/suggestions you have :) (pg. 364-365)
For Collabortaive Test Making I thought I would take this a step further and incorporate test preparation along with this alternate assessment. I like to explicitly teach my students the three levels of questioning used on standard tests such as the 8th grade EOG and I thought it would be great to gave my students' Outsider Book Groups create tests incorporating the three levels of questions learned and practiced. Then I could rotate the students' tests (after checking them of course) among Book Groups.
Creative Assessments: One activity I thought of for a Tic-Tac-Toe assessment could be for student Book Clubs to create a CD Soundtrack and cover for The Outsiders. Either me or my students would choose 4 essential scenes from the book (maybe reflecting various conflicts) and each group member would have to link a song they know/like that would adequately represent the scene's mood, conflict, importance and characterization. Then as a group they could conduct their CD Cover and we could burn these CDs and rotate them amongst Book Groups or even classes on different teams.
Thank you for listening to my ideas... I was inspired and motivated after reading this chapter and I thought this Blog was a great place to bounce ideas off on you. I appreciate it :)
My favorite alternate assessment ideas included the Word Test, Collaborative Test Making and requirements for creative assignments. I would like to share some ideas I drafted after reading this chapter. I would appreciate any comments/suggestions you have :) (pg. 364-365)
For Collabortaive Test Making I thought I would take this a step further and incorporate test preparation along with this alternate assessment. I like to explicitly teach my students the three levels of questioning used on standard tests such as the 8th grade EOG and I thought it would be great to gave my students' Outsider Book Groups create tests incorporating the three levels of questions learned and practiced. Then I could rotate the students' tests (after checking them of course) among Book Groups.
Creative Assessments: One activity I thought of for a Tic-Tac-Toe assessment could be for student Book Clubs to create a CD Soundtrack and cover for The Outsiders. Either me or my students would choose 4 essential scenes from the book (maybe reflecting various conflicts) and each group member would have to link a song they know/like that would adequately represent the scene's mood, conflict, importance and characterization. Then as a group they could conduct their CD Cover and we could burn these CDs and rotate them amongst Book Groups or even classes on different teams.
Thank you for listening to my ideas... I was inspired and motivated after reading this chapter and I thought this Blog was a great place to bounce ideas off on you. I appreciate it :)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Writing, Dialect and Social Status
I spend more time now in my 4th year of teaching allowing students to share more of their writing with one another than ever before. After attending the Capital Area Writing Project (CAWP) I was reminded about how important it is for students to have an audience. Without an audience a students is a writer; with an audience the student is suddenly transformed into an author. Your discussion of chapter 9 in Tchundi caused me to question the role that language and dialect plays in student writing.
Slang and informal language is so dominant in my students’ lives it has become ingrained in them. My students literally do not realize that they are grammatically incorrect when they say “he go to the bathroom.” This lack of standard English usage obviously is prominent in their writing in addition to their speech. I am hesitant (and was more so in my first years teaching) to have students share unpolished work at times because of the dialect and language they use. Tschundi’s discussion on dialect as identity reminds me that even “non-standard” writing needs to be shared and embraced. This is not to say “proper” grammar and usage should be ignored, but in order flourish in our writing we need to share and be exposed to each others’ writing. In order to truly build a community of writers we need to allow students to be in a position of author.
Tsundi brings up that many see Ebonics and divergent dialects as “broken” and “lower-class” dialects. (295) It is difficult for me to teach “proper” grammar and usage to students who are unaccustomed to hearing it throughout their day. Like Lisa brought up in class last week, it is our job to expose students to this language and explicitly teach them HOW to use this language and WHY, “The motivation behind this instruction has been to provide students with access to higher social levels.” Yes, it is our job as English Language Arts teachers to teach students to be critical readers, competent writers and well-presented. It is also our job to urge and expose students to as much mobility as possible.
At our school in Durham we have to attend “Poverty-Training” professional development sessions dealing with how our population of students does not necessarily reflect the middle-class values and structure we teach to. Our middle school is a middle-class setting. There is much discussion about how oral language and body language are all intertwined in this middle class environment. If you are interested here are the titles to these books we read for our sessions. It all links with dialect discussions we have been discussing in class:
1 A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne
2 Learning Structures/ Understanding Learning (workbooks) by Payne
Slang and informal language is so dominant in my students’ lives it has become ingrained in them. My students literally do not realize that they are grammatically incorrect when they say “he go to the bathroom.” This lack of standard English usage obviously is prominent in their writing in addition to their speech. I am hesitant (and was more so in my first years teaching) to have students share unpolished work at times because of the dialect and language they use. Tschundi’s discussion on dialect as identity reminds me that even “non-standard” writing needs to be shared and embraced. This is not to say “proper” grammar and usage should be ignored, but in order flourish in our writing we need to share and be exposed to each others’ writing. In order to truly build a community of writers we need to allow students to be in a position of author.
Tsundi brings up that many see Ebonics and divergent dialects as “broken” and “lower-class” dialects. (295) It is difficult for me to teach “proper” grammar and usage to students who are unaccustomed to hearing it throughout their day. Like Lisa brought up in class last week, it is our job to expose students to this language and explicitly teach them HOW to use this language and WHY, “The motivation behind this instruction has been to provide students with access to higher social levels.” Yes, it is our job as English Language Arts teachers to teach students to be critical readers, competent writers and well-presented. It is also our job to urge and expose students to as much mobility as possible.
At our school in Durham we have to attend “Poverty-Training” professional development sessions dealing with how our population of students does not necessarily reflect the middle-class values and structure we teach to. Our middle school is a middle-class setting. There is much discussion about how oral language and body language are all intertwined in this middle class environment. If you are interested here are the titles to these books we read for our sessions. It all links with dialect discussions we have been discussing in class:
1 A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne
2 Learning Structures/ Understanding Learning (workbooks) by Payne
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tchudi - Ch 9 Thoughts
Shannon said...
I believe it is important that students who are at an intellectual level to do so should be taught to accept that there are many faces that each individual presents to the world and themselves. A person can be their own audience or write for a certain aspect of the public. The fact that "writers need audiences" was illustrated by John S. Hart, a significant figure in language arts education of the 19th century and his support of many student publications at his high school. This is true to the point that if a writer does not have an audience, they will cease to produce quality matterial or even stop writing completely.
"Freedom of the press belongs to the person who owns one." This used to be a statement saying that there was limited access to the machinery needed to publish written communication. But, with our modern computer networks that span the whole world, everyone with a computer at home or even access to a library computer can become a published writer.
But, what does this mean for the quality of work that these new writers offer? The quantity of publications has increased exponentially but the vetting process that winnowed out libelist, biased or just plain bad writing has been circumvented. How do we as consumers of internet as well as traditional print publications choose the wheat among the chafe?
Our role as classroom teachers is to encourage the students to be discerning readers and not believe everything they read and to be thoughtful writers whose products contribute to world dialogue of artists, writers and journalists and their followers.
I believe it is important that students who are at an intellectual level to do so should be taught to accept that there are many faces that each individual presents to the world and themselves. A person can be their own audience or write for a certain aspect of the public. The fact that "writers need audiences" was illustrated by John S. Hart, a significant figure in language arts education of the 19th century and his support of many student publications at his high school. This is true to the point that if a writer does not have an audience, they will cease to produce quality matterial or even stop writing completely.
"Freedom of the press belongs to the person who owns one." This used to be a statement saying that there was limited access to the machinery needed to publish written communication. But, with our modern computer networks that span the whole world, everyone with a computer at home or even access to a library computer can become a published writer.
But, what does this mean for the quality of work that these new writers offer? The quantity of publications has increased exponentially but the vetting process that winnowed out libelist, biased or just plain bad writing has been circumvented. How do we as consumers of internet as well as traditional print publications choose the wheat among the chafe?
Our role as classroom teachers is to encourage the students to be discerning readers and not believe everything they read and to be thoughtful writers whose products contribute to world dialogue of artists, writers and journalists and their followers.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Being Critical Readers
It is important that students are critical readers... this does not mean that they can look at an End of Grade test (EOG) and be able to answer a few questions based on what they've read. I agree with you-- movies as "texts" help students to use certain strategies they have learned and apply them outside the confines of the 4 walls of a classroom. Students must be critical readers of their society and surroundings.
When students are asked to make "text-text" connections as readers I tell them that they can use a movie/TV Show as a "text". Students look at me confused but seem surprised that many of the reading strategies they use to aid in comprehension can be applied to the visual arts... for instance: With a film you can still...
A) Question B) Make Predictions C) Make text-connections D) Infer E) Visualize
F) Clarify G) Provide support for opinions H) Evaluate and I) Summarize
In my class when students watch a film version of a book or a film that suits a unit thematically, we analyze how music and color affects the mood of the film. We READ body language. There are so many skills that can be applied to films. Teachers need to stop using FILM DAYS as a means of catching up on some grading and use it as a teaching experience.
When students are asked to make "text-text" connections as readers I tell them that they can use a movie/TV Show as a "text". Students look at me confused but seem surprised that many of the reading strategies they use to aid in comprehension can be applied to the visual arts... for instance: With a film you can still...
A) Question B) Make Predictions C) Make text-connections D) Infer E) Visualize
F) Clarify G) Provide support for opinions H) Evaluate and I) Summarize
In my class when students watch a film version of a book or a film that suits a unit thematically, we analyze how music and color affects the mood of the film. We READ body language. There are so many skills that can be applied to films. Teachers need to stop using FILM DAYS as a means of catching up on some grading and use it as a teaching experience.
I tried to post this 2 weeks ago but kept getting error
“Until they become integrated, current school reform movements will remain stuck in their own inertia, like other such movements of the past.”
–Wolf & Antinarella (Deciding to Lead, Ch. 5)
In your last post you bring about a point of creating a modern environment for students, thus creating a more beneficial environment for students. I wholeheartedly agree with this although the achievement gap that exists in lower income schools becomes widened when we discuss technology and modernization. At my school students must take a computer skills test that assesses basic computer skills on Word, Excel, etc. There were only 23% of our 8th grade students who revealed “competency.” We have one computer lab and two traveling laptop carts that are missing keys. Our wireless internet is less than sufficient and when one attempts to integrate technology into a lesson you must have at least 20 minutes wait-time for these older computers to boot up.
It is through community building and having conversations and meetings with influential people and colleagues (as you said) that can at least aid in remedying situations such as this. Many teachers would rather sit and complain and point fingers than be proactive and do the extra work necessary in coming closer to achieving your classroom vision and goals. This issue reminds me of the chapter “Teacher as Leader” in Deciding to Lead and Lisa’s class comments about teachers working for reform and being advocates for our students and community.
I am curious about your take on the issue we have recently read about: do you believe that a sense of high self-esteem is a necessary precondition for achieving anything? This chapter (5) makes me think about my beginning of year activities in my classroom the first week of school attempting to build classroom culture. I have lessons focused around explicitly teaching about the Achievement Gap, creating and sharing our Life Maps, Malleable vs. Fixed Intelligence, etc. I’ve created all of these activities in an attempt to raise students’ self-esteem and also their awareness about others in our class. My theory is that I cannot have a successful classroom without having students be a community of learners. Being a community of learners cannot happen when students lack the self-confidence necessary to take risks in the classroom. Any thoughts on this?
–Wolf & Antinarella (Deciding to Lead, Ch. 5)
In your last post you bring about a point of creating a modern environment for students, thus creating a more beneficial environment for students. I wholeheartedly agree with this although the achievement gap that exists in lower income schools becomes widened when we discuss technology and modernization. At my school students must take a computer skills test that assesses basic computer skills on Word, Excel, etc. There were only 23% of our 8th grade students who revealed “competency.” We have one computer lab and two traveling laptop carts that are missing keys. Our wireless internet is less than sufficient and when one attempts to integrate technology into a lesson you must have at least 20 minutes wait-time for these older computers to boot up.
It is through community building and having conversations and meetings with influential people and colleagues (as you said) that can at least aid in remedying situations such as this. Many teachers would rather sit and complain and point fingers than be proactive and do the extra work necessary in coming closer to achieving your classroom vision and goals. This issue reminds me of the chapter “Teacher as Leader” in Deciding to Lead and Lisa’s class comments about teachers working for reform and being advocates for our students and community.
I am curious about your take on the issue we have recently read about: do you believe that a sense of high self-esteem is a necessary precondition for achieving anything? This chapter (5) makes me think about my beginning of year activities in my classroom the first week of school attempting to build classroom culture. I have lessons focused around explicitly teaching about the Achievement Gap, creating and sharing our Life Maps, Malleable vs. Fixed Intelligence, etc. I’ve created all of these activities in an attempt to raise students’ self-esteem and also their awareness about others in our class. My theory is that I cannot have a successful classroom without having students be a community of learners. Being a community of learners cannot happen when students lack the self-confidence necessary to take risks in the classroom. Any thoughts on this?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Movies as Text
Shannon said...
We evolved our human communication from hand-signs to speaking to drawn pictures to writing to still photographs and finally to moving film. We do not yet have holographs or virtual reality in the mainstream but they are coming. It is important that a teacher is able to view diverse media as text because increasingly our world is made of the more complex medias, including movies. After so much reading and study of the printed word, it was great that we got to see clips from so many classic films. It was worth the time. Movies are another form of communication that do not get examined in a scholarly light as much as writing, but still have all the same elements. They have setting, characters, and plot just like books. Movies are more easily accessed, in that you don't need to be able to read and they also use less time to tell the same story. But, they can still be dated by the clothes characters wear, by the quality and method of the filming and special effects, and by the film's treatment of certain subjects, even by the actors themselves.
The movies we saw portrayed teachers in front of a classroom. But teaching can happen anywhere. Anyone or anything, when examined in the proper way, can yeild wisdom. I only hope that I am able to collect this wisdom more often than pass it by.
We evolved our human communication from hand-signs to speaking to drawn pictures to writing to still photographs and finally to moving film. We do not yet have holographs or virtual reality in the mainstream but they are coming. It is important that a teacher is able to view diverse media as text because increasingly our world is made of the more complex medias, including movies. After so much reading and study of the printed word, it was great that we got to see clips from so many classic films. It was worth the time. Movies are another form of communication that do not get examined in a scholarly light as much as writing, but still have all the same elements. They have setting, characters, and plot just like books. Movies are more easily accessed, in that you don't need to be able to read and they also use less time to tell the same story. But, they can still be dated by the clothes characters wear, by the quality and method of the filming and special effects, and by the film's treatment of certain subjects, even by the actors themselves.
The movies we saw portrayed teachers in front of a classroom. But teaching can happen anywhere. Anyone or anything, when examined in the proper way, can yeild wisdom. I only hope that I am able to collect this wisdom more often than pass it by.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Shannon said...
As for teaching teachers about technology, it sounds like that is secondary to convincing or forcing teachers to open their minds to new ways of doing things that create a more modern or beneficial environment for the students.
I agree. I would start with a convention or meeting to discuss ideas among experts like consultants and respected teachers (idealy from within their own school) that have had visible and repeatable success in a specific area of teaching. During the convention they would be able to brainstorm and create realistic plans for possible improvements to their specific school as well as the government school system as a whole. The next step would be involving the teachers, administrators and government regulators, to support and implement a selection of these suggested changes in a way that is not too disruptive to the system. Hopefully this would happen with the majority of the input from teachers and the least possible disruption by the government. I read an article in our free-reading that said that this sharing of information among teachers has been very effective on the ground in the classrooms.
I agree that electives can and should become a "safe space" where students can demonstrate and exercise their apptitudes for subjects other than the basics. This will help keep students engaged who have difficulty relating to the typical curriculum.
more...
As for teaching teachers about technology, it sounds like that is secondary to convincing or forcing teachers to open their minds to new ways of doing things that create a more modern or beneficial environment for the students.
I agree. I would start with a convention or meeting to discuss ideas among experts like consultants and respected teachers (idealy from within their own school) that have had visible and repeatable success in a specific area of teaching. During the convention they would be able to brainstorm and create realistic plans for possible improvements to their specific school as well as the government school system as a whole. The next step would be involving the teachers, administrators and government regulators, to support and implement a selection of these suggested changes in a way that is not too disruptive to the system. Hopefully this would happen with the majority of the input from teachers and the least possible disruption by the government. I read an article in our free-reading that said that this sharing of information among teachers has been very effective on the ground in the classrooms.
I agree that electives can and should become a "safe space" where students can demonstrate and exercise their apptitudes for subjects other than the basics. This will help keep students engaged who have difficulty relating to the typical curriculum.
more...
Justine said...
A lot of what you discuss in your response of students being denied the education they deserve reminds me of Ch. 5 in Deciding to Lead that explains how teachers too often fall into a comfort zone of teaching their materials.
Many teachers feel that "new" literacies and methodologies are not "fit" for their students and they grow comfortable with the routine of teaching the materials/handouts/lessons they have already established. In the Capital Area Writing Project this summer many teachers explained how incorporating technology was not an immediate issue they attacked in their classrooms because they were intimidated by the use of technology in content areas. Because many teachers are not familiar with the new technologies arising they are not using them in their classrooms. It is important for school districts to provide adequate professional development for their faculty in order to gain the knowledge needed to improve their teaching and keeping it "up-to-date."
Chapter 5 of Deciding To Lead brought up the idea that those who are most familiar with problems and solutions should be agents of reform in certain areas. The perception of these individuals is important and will help guide/lead EFFECTIVE change. I have seen many attempts at fixing a problem that just looks good on paper. In trying to raise test scores (a main concern of my school… sometimes I feel the ONLY concern of my school) my school creates these plans that deny other teachers their teaching time. These decisions at my school are usually made only by administration and an Academic Coach. This decision-making process makes me feel as if I am an OBJECT rather than a SUBJECT. I would like to move more into the role of SUBJECT.
Elective classes are not taken as seriously as they should be at my school. I feel that a lot of Elective class time is cut. Last week’s reading examined what a “safe space” environment should look like in a classroom. Part of a student feeling successful during a school day is that they have outlets where they CAN feel successful and for a lot of my students Core classes are not necessarily a haven they feel successful in. These students’ electives are getting cut and therefore they are not able to pursue their “passions” and hobbies during the school day which may lead to them “checking-out” earlier. Creating a safe-space environment goes beyond the classroom and needs to consume the school.
September 24, 2009 12:16 PM
A lot of what you discuss in your response of students being denied the education they deserve reminds me of Ch. 5 in Deciding to Lead that explains how teachers too often fall into a comfort zone of teaching their materials.
Many teachers feel that "new" literacies and methodologies are not "fit" for their students and they grow comfortable with the routine of teaching the materials/handouts/lessons they have already established. In the Capital Area Writing Project this summer many teachers explained how incorporating technology was not an immediate issue they attacked in their classrooms because they were intimidated by the use of technology in content areas. Because many teachers are not familiar with the new technologies arising they are not using them in their classrooms. It is important for school districts to provide adequate professional development for their faculty in order to gain the knowledge needed to improve their teaching and keeping it "up-to-date."
Chapter 5 of Deciding To Lead brought up the idea that those who are most familiar with problems and solutions should be agents of reform in certain areas. The perception of these individuals is important and will help guide/lead EFFECTIVE change. I have seen many attempts at fixing a problem that just looks good on paper. In trying to raise test scores (a main concern of my school… sometimes I feel the ONLY concern of my school) my school creates these plans that deny other teachers their teaching time. These decisions at my school are usually made only by administration and an Academic Coach. This decision-making process makes me feel as if I am an OBJECT rather than a SUBJECT. I would like to move more into the role of SUBJECT.
Elective classes are not taken as seriously as they should be at my school. I feel that a lot of Elective class time is cut. Last week’s reading examined what a “safe space” environment should look like in a classroom. Part of a student feeling successful during a school day is that they have outlets where they CAN feel successful and for a lot of my students Core classes are not necessarily a haven they feel successful in. These students’ electives are getting cut and therefore they are not able to pursue their “passions” and hobbies during the school day which may lead to them “checking-out” earlier. Creating a safe-space environment goes beyond the classroom and needs to consume the school.
September 24, 2009 12:16 PM
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Response to Justine's Previous Post
Shannon said...
I agree! We need to keep all opportunities available for children with diverse life-paths ahead! Who knows, that kid that took the path of computer technician instead of college may be the next Bill Gates!
I agree! We need to keep all opportunities available for children with diverse life-paths ahead! Who knows, that kid that took the path of computer technician instead of college may be the next Bill Gates!
Journal Article
What I read in the journal Voices from the Middle was very heartening and disturbing at the same time. One article, "Good Talk about Good Teaching", noted that the most valuble and practical data came from teachers sharing among themselves rather than from the many academic projects. Too often university researchers "lamented the state of teaching" while "seldom mentioning their own" [teaching experience]. Is this "mismatch between research and practice" the reason that in the many decades of American teaching we continue to see the same problems over and over?
One can say that academia should open up their collective minds and come down from the clouds to examine the environment and the children in the real world. I do believe that academia needs to follow both purely theoretical and data-based research and practical "on the ground" research to explore all the possibilities. Still, teachers do have the ability to read and follow or disregard studies and there is a wealth of information from sources both inside and outside academia. Teachers can choose how to teach.
That is, unless they are given orders by the government on how or what to teach. The heart of the issue is why American teachers continue to have children that are not receiving the education that they need and deserve rather than what they are entitled to receive. I believe that it is the government itself that needs to get out of the way of the teachers and the schools. Charter schools are one example of competition in the marketplace creating a better product. Imagine if more schools were freed from the restrictions of testing in order to keep funding and following other tedious fand wasteful laws. Imagine what a bright and eager teacher could do for all of our diverse children with the many resources that we have available today.
We as Americans lack the political will to tell our government that their government run schools just aren't cutting it. The teachers are there (well-trained and devoted teachers), the resources (both federal and state funding are set aside for schools) are their the knowledge of how to use the resources is there (we have decades of data and first-hand accounts) but, (and this is the crux of the problem) the welfare of the children and function of the schools are left up to bureaucracies and out-dated laws that no matter their intentions cannot be dynamic enough to support such a delicate and vital system.
When the power over schools is given back to the communities where the children live, then will we see what American children can truly do!
One can say that academia should open up their collective minds and come down from the clouds to examine the environment and the children in the real world. I do believe that academia needs to follow both purely theoretical and data-based research and practical "on the ground" research to explore all the possibilities. Still, teachers do have the ability to read and follow or disregard studies and there is a wealth of information from sources both inside and outside academia. Teachers can choose how to teach.
That is, unless they are given orders by the government on how or what to teach. The heart of the issue is why American teachers continue to have children that are not receiving the education that they need and deserve rather than what they are entitled to receive. I believe that it is the government itself that needs to get out of the way of the teachers and the schools. Charter schools are one example of competition in the marketplace creating a better product. Imagine if more schools were freed from the restrictions of testing in order to keep funding and following other tedious fand wasteful laws. Imagine what a bright and eager teacher could do for all of our diverse children with the many resources that we have available today.
We as Americans lack the political will to tell our government that their government run schools just aren't cutting it. The teachers are there (well-trained and devoted teachers), the resources (both federal and state funding are set aside for schools) are their the knowledge of how to use the resources is there (we have decades of data and first-hand accounts) but, (and this is the crux of the problem) the welfare of the children and function of the schools are left up to bureaucracies and out-dated laws that no matter their intentions cannot be dynamic enough to support such a delicate and vital system.
When the power over schools is given back to the communities where the children live, then will we see what American children can truly do!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Journal Article
Justine said...
Wolfe and Antinarella challenge us to think about our school experiences growing up and compare them to that of an educational system being called "mediocre." Chapter two uses the metaphor of "moving deck chairs around on the Titanic" to ex plain constant hasty educational reforms. This metaphor made me think about a high school in Durham that has completely changed to a "college-track" only.
Although I agree with your post on holding the same expectations for students, I only agree with holding HIGH expectations. I cannot hold the exact same expectations for my EC/Gen Ed. class as I would my Honors/Advanced class. My expecations for all students in these classes are high, however not the same. My expectations of my students revolve around their personal goals and individual growth.
The fact that this high school in Durham has changed their school to a college track only for our students disturbs me. Yes, all students need to be held to high standards, but the reality rests that not ALL of our students will go to college. Students need to be exposed to a trade if that is their desire in today's society. If a high school fails to provide that for students not all students are receiving equal opportunities in my opinion. I am not refering to a trade as students having "lower expectations for themselves" as this chapter suggests. I am championing for a realistic look at our society and having programs/curriculum that fit our current societal/technological needs.
Reflecting on the past in order to help shape our future in education was the topic for the Voices in the Middle journal. This topic ties in well with the information in our readings as it proposes a direction in which to proceed when thinking about educational reform. All good reform should as the question "WHY change this?" and fuse our past experiences (both positive and negative) as a catalyst.
-Justine LaMantia
Wolfe and Antinarella challenge us to think about our school experiences growing up and compare them to that of an educational system being called "mediocre." Chapter two uses the metaphor of "moving deck chairs around on the Titanic" to ex plain constant hasty educational reforms. This metaphor made me think about a high school in Durham that has completely changed to a "college-track" only.
Although I agree with your post on holding the same expectations for students, I only agree with holding HIGH expectations. I cannot hold the exact same expectations for my EC/Gen Ed. class as I would my Honors/Advanced class. My expecations for all students in these classes are high, however not the same. My expectations of my students revolve around their personal goals and individual growth.
The fact that this high school in Durham has changed their school to a college track only for our students disturbs me. Yes, all students need to be held to high standards, but the reality rests that not ALL of our students will go to college. Students need to be exposed to a trade if that is their desire in today's society. If a high school fails to provide that for students not all students are receiving equal opportunities in my opinion. I am not refering to a trade as students having "lower expectations for themselves" as this chapter suggests. I am championing for a realistic look at our society and having programs/curriculum that fit our current societal/technological needs.
Reflecting on the past in order to help shape our future in education was the topic for the Voices in the Middle journal. This topic ties in well with the information in our readings as it proposes a direction in which to proceed when thinking about educational reform. All good reform should as the question "WHY change this?" and fuse our past experiences (both positive and negative) as a catalyst.
-Justine LaMantia
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Response
Shannon said...
Also, I would like to say that often when given a chance the "remedial" students will catch up with the "gifted" students. Very few students have learning disabilities that cannot be overcome IF the child is told they can overcome them and given the resources to do so.
If we want to have "No Child Left Behind" the we should be treating all children as if they have greater than average potential not less than average potential.
This will do 2 things: 1) it will challenge the kids to catch up or at least be better than they are now and 2) it will give them more self esteem because they will say "I am just as good as the gifted kids". The hope is that eventually with individual support from peers, teachers and outside resources that the remedial kids will no longer be behind and they will have been brought forward instead of everyone else being held back because the government says they cant do the same work as "gifted" or "average" kids.
The tricky part, in my humble opinion, is getting the support that these students need to excel. But aren't we already using a lot of resources on their "remedial" materials and teaching? Why not just shift gears just a little to receive the huge benefit of helping to create a happier, better academically, socially, and personally adjusted student?
The "remedial" student who learns they are not worth less than an "average" or even a "gifted" student may surprise the government and the administration by becoming the model for other students who are struggling to be where the government tells them they should be. Wouldn't this achieve the "No Child Left Behind" with similar resources and a much happier child and much prouder teacher as a result?
And of course the whole community would benefit from a network of such children and their in-school and out-of-school resources. It would be like the "Boys and Girls Club" after school program but supported directly by government-sponsored schools and their resources.
Also, I would like to say that often when given a chance the "remedial" students will catch up with the "gifted" students. Very few students have learning disabilities that cannot be overcome IF the child is told they can overcome them and given the resources to do so.
If we want to have "No Child Left Behind" the we should be treating all children as if they have greater than average potential not less than average potential.
This will do 2 things: 1) it will challenge the kids to catch up or at least be better than they are now and 2) it will give them more self esteem because they will say "I am just as good as the gifted kids". The hope is that eventually with individual support from peers, teachers and outside resources that the remedial kids will no longer be behind and they will have been brought forward instead of everyone else being held back because the government says they cant do the same work as "gifted" or "average" kids.
The tricky part, in my humble opinion, is getting the support that these students need to excel. But aren't we already using a lot of resources on their "remedial" materials and teaching? Why not just shift gears just a little to receive the huge benefit of helping to create a happier, better academically, socially, and personally adjusted student?
The "remedial" student who learns they are not worth less than an "average" or even a "gifted" student may surprise the government and the administration by becoming the model for other students who are struggling to be where the government tells them they should be. Wouldn't this achieve the "No Child Left Behind" with similar resources and a much happier child and much prouder teacher as a result?
And of course the whole community would benefit from a network of such children and their in-school and out-of-school resources. It would be like the "Boys and Girls Club" after school program but supported directly by government-sponsored schools and their resources.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Here is my discussion about the readings
Justine said...
The James Squire article “The Ten Great Ideas in the Teaching of English During the Past Half Century” caused me to question the types of literature our students at my middle school in Durham are being exposed to. As a faculty we try hard at our school to hook our student population into reading by choosing texts that easily excite students because of the content. The Bluford Series books are a staple in every Githens Middle School classroom and I find that many of my students have read the same book multiple times. Although I feel the Bluford Series is a powerful tool for the non-readers, I cannot help but feel that we are expanding curriculum while sacrificing quality (which Squire warns against).
Blufords’ lexile levels run at around a fourth grade reading level yet I notice some of my eighth grade Honors students carrying them around. Much advanced “expanded” reading materials are not made readily available to certain groups of students at my school. I worry the focus rests too much on achieving yearly growth on standardized tests while ignoring other populations of students who do not fall into the 1-2 EOG score range. As Squire says, “only first rate literature is capable of eliciting real experience.” If we are only conscious of choosing texts that students may be able to connect with rather than fusing great writing that holds commonalities with teenage experience, then we are denying our students the ability to have a powerful literary experience with great writing. I don’t want my students reading ONLY Bluford books (which consists of simple sentences and shallow characterization) when there is other literature that is well written, challenging and offers students the opportunity to make text-self connections along the way.
My school offers little to no professional development for our AIG population; all of the sessions revolve around remediation. This article really forced me to question the student populations are NOT being considered… I think this may actually be a topic I am interested in pursuing in our class.
-Justine LaMantia
The James Squire article “The Ten Great Ideas in the Teaching of English During the Past Half Century” caused me to question the types of literature our students at my middle school in Durham are being exposed to. As a faculty we try hard at our school to hook our student population into reading by choosing texts that easily excite students because of the content. The Bluford Series books are a staple in every Githens Middle School classroom and I find that many of my students have read the same book multiple times. Although I feel the Bluford Series is a powerful tool for the non-readers, I cannot help but feel that we are expanding curriculum while sacrificing quality (which Squire warns against).
Blufords’ lexile levels run at around a fourth grade reading level yet I notice some of my eighth grade Honors students carrying them around. Much advanced “expanded” reading materials are not made readily available to certain groups of students at my school. I worry the focus rests too much on achieving yearly growth on standardized tests while ignoring other populations of students who do not fall into the 1-2 EOG score range. As Squire says, “only first rate literature is capable of eliciting real experience.” If we are only conscious of choosing texts that students may be able to connect with rather than fusing great writing that holds commonalities with teenage experience, then we are denying our students the ability to have a powerful literary experience with great writing. I don’t want my students reading ONLY Bluford books (which consists of simple sentences and shallow characterization) when there is other literature that is well written, challenging and offers students the opportunity to make text-self connections along the way.
My school offers little to no professional development for our AIG population; all of the sessions revolve around remediation. This article really forced me to question the student populations are NOT being considered… I think this may actually be a topic I am interested in pursuing in our class.
-Justine LaMantia
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Response
Justine said...
I completely agree with you Shannon. Diversity reveals itself in a classroom in so many ways whether it be comprehesion levels, lexile reading levels, languages spoken, disabilities, socioeconomic status, etc. Diversity in a classroom can be overwhelming and it is our responsibilities as educators to foster a safe space environment for our students academically, socially and personally.
For the 1st time in my classroom during the 1st week of school I explicitly taught about "differentiation" and we had open class discussion about the need for it. I am finding differentiating activities to flow better during the course of a lesson because my students have an understanding of the rational or goals behind it.
I completely agree with you Shannon. Diversity reveals itself in a classroom in so many ways whether it be comprehesion levels, lexile reading levels, languages spoken, disabilities, socioeconomic status, etc. Diversity in a classroom can be overwhelming and it is our responsibilities as educators to foster a safe space environment for our students academically, socially and personally.
For the 1st time in my classroom during the 1st week of school I explicitly taught about "differentiation" and we had open class discussion about the need for it. I am finding differentiating activities to flow better during the course of a lesson because my students have an understanding of the rational or goals behind it.
School in the Modern Era
Diversity is both a good and a bad thing for the modern school. Children are exposed to and learn about different cultures and different ways of thinking. This can expand their mind and perspective but it can also confuse them. I believe that children need a place, as do we all, that they can count on to be safe, predictable and comfortable. Sometimes these goals are incompatible. The key is to balance what is best for the individual and the group while at the same time being fair.
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