Dear Senator John Pederson,
I am writing to let you know that I am very opposed to the bill SF1291. I believe that every single child on this earth deserves a chance to have the best education that they can receive. Every child is equal and no child should be educationally left behind. I believe that by passing this bill, you are not giving students with disabilities the best education that they can receive. With this bill you are literally leaving these children behind. Paraprofessionals need to have training in order to better serve these kids, their learning, and the teachers that help them to learn. If this bill was to be passed in the future, it would make special education teachers work much harder, allowing for them to not be as effective of a teacher as they could be. Therefore, these teachers wouldn't be able to give their students the best education that they can get. I am astonished that this bill was even introduced. Please do not move forward with this and do not bring it up again in the future.
Thank you,
Cassandra Quamme
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 6
5 pain points:
A different kind of school: These schools have personalization, real-world connections, and they all hold a common intellectual mission. It's not about fitting more content into the curriculum, its about deepening the quality of analysis. They want to serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local communities, Integrate technical and academic education, increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students, and graduate students who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens.
A different kind of teacher: Teaching is different because the teachers focus is on the individual student. They are more of a facilitator to them than an instructor sitting in front of the class giving a lecture. Teachers meet with a team of teachers twice a week to plan and talk about their students.
A different kind of student: The students are excited about school and they are confident in themselves because of their school and teachers.
Successful schools are diverse: different kids do best in different kinds of environments. One size doesn't fit all. Schools really need to teach the seven survival skills.
Schools/ teachers listen to students and adjust accordingly: Student and teachers have better relationships. No student is left behind and the teachers truly care about their students. They actually listen to their students, which makes the school a much better place to learn effectively and feel comfortable in. The school is a better environment.
A different kind of school: These schools have personalization, real-world connections, and they all hold a common intellectual mission. It's not about fitting more content into the curriculum, its about deepening the quality of analysis. They want to serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local communities, Integrate technical and academic education, increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students, and graduate students who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens.
A different kind of teacher: Teaching is different because the teachers focus is on the individual student. They are more of a facilitator to them than an instructor sitting in front of the class giving a lecture. Teachers meet with a team of teachers twice a week to plan and talk about their students.
A different kind of student: The students are excited about school and they are confident in themselves because of their school and teachers.
Successful schools are diverse: different kids do best in different kinds of environments. One size doesn't fit all. Schools really need to teach the seven survival skills.
Schools/ teachers listen to students and adjust accordingly: Student and teachers have better relationships. No student is left behind and the teachers truly care about their students. They actually listen to their students, which makes the school a much better place to learn effectively and feel comfortable in. The school is a better environment.
Group presentation: Chapter 10
This group did a very good job on their presentation. It was informational and well rehearsed. They talked about the U.S. legal system regarding the school system. They talked about the ethics involved within a school system. They also touched on the facts of facebook and how it could get a teacher fired. They talked about teachers rights, collective bargaining, tenure and dismissal, teacher liability, academic freedom, and teachers private lives. Overall, they did a very good job.
Field Experience Reflection
My first field experience has taught me a lot. It was held in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom at Kennedy elementary. I have experienced many aspects of the content that we have learned in class. I have experience student diversity, classroom management, twenty-first century technology, instructional strategies, and a very nice learning environment. I have learned a lot about myself through this experience, as well as, about the profession of teaching. I have had a lot of fun with all of the students and have had a very good time getting to know and practice lesson plans with four of the students. I will be sad to leave Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom.
In Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom they have a motto, which states, “We are all alike, we are all different, we are all friends”. They celebrate the differences in their classroom and are taught about tolerance to diversity. Mrs. Murphey does a very good job at practicing culturally responsive teaching. She recognizes and accepts student diversity. She lets all of her students know that they are welcomed and valued. There is a daily story time in the classroom, which allows Mrs. Murphy to read stories out loud to her students. Mrs. Murphy picks books that resemble their class motto. The books have something in common, something different, and are nice stories. The books tell of different cultures and backgrounds. I have noticed that all of the students in the classroom realize that they are different from one another and accept everybody for who they are. They are all friends and they never judge one another. This aids in making Mrs. Murphy’s classroom a very nice learning environment.
Mrs. Murphy has a very nice learning environment within her classroom. The walls of her classroom are decorated with displays and pictures to make her classroom more physically attractive. She has the alphabet displayed around her room. She displays her students’ most common reading words on one wall of the room. There is a play area with a kitchenette, dolls, games, and other toys that the students’ would like to play with during break time. When the students first enter the classroom at the beginning of the day, they meet and form a circle at the center of the room. Once they are all together they greet each other and they each say an activity that they did over the weekend. This helps to make the classroom more inviting at the beginning of every day. Mrs. Murphy really shows the students that she cares by knowing all of her students names, greeting them every morning, smiling constantly, and holding all of her students to high standards. She is always positive and never puts any of her students down. As I have already stated, everyone in the classroom has respect for one another. I have learned that respect is very important when creating a positive learning environment. When I walk into the classroom I feel comfortable and I know that all of the students do too. It is a very nice learning environment. Mrs. Murphy also has some amazing classroom management techniques.
I have learned a lot from Mrs. Murphy’s management techniques. My favorite technique that I have witnessed within her classroom is when she is trying to quite the class. She gets them to focus their attention on her almost immediately. She starts singing very softly until the whole class hears her and participates in the soft singing. Eventually the whole class is quite and their attention is focused directly on the teacher. I am amazed at how well this works in her classroom. Mrs. Murphy has set classroom rules that are posted up on the wall so that all students remember what they are. Her rules include; raising your hands before speaking, keep your hands to yourself, and listen when someone else is talking. Her rules are simple and effective. She has kept the list of rules small so that her students will remember them better and will be less likely to break one of the rules. Her students understand the rules and the reason behind them. Also, all of the students practice the rules and accept responsibility for their behavior, which is very good for a kindergarten class. Mrs. Murphy also uses the latest technology, which keeps her students motivated.
Mrs. Murphy’s classroom contains the technology needed in the twenty-first century to keep her students motivated. She has a smart board, which the students in the class love. The smart board is used to start out a lesson. First the class will read the lesson off of the board and then actively participate in touching the board to finish the beginning of the lesson. For example, when practicing reading numbers, each student will walk up to the board and flick a spinner which will randomly land on a number that they have to read off for the class. It is amazing to see how excited the students are to walk up to the board just to spin the spinner. The technology of the smart board keeps them motivated and entertained. Using the smart board follows Mrs. Murphy’s style of instructional strategy.
Mrs. Murphy uses a combination of direct instruction and cooperative learning. When introducing a new lesson, Mrs. Murphy will introduce the topic to her students, describe and model the skill that they are to learn until all of her students understand, and then let them practice. Every once in awhile she will let the students practice the lesson in pairs or in groups. During the day she will let them practice reading with a partner. However, when it comes to writing they typically practice writing letters on their own. Both of the strategies are used and both seem to be highly effective. Mrs. Murphy knows when a strategy will work and when it won’t. She can read her students very well and knows when to trust them in groups to be able to complete a task and when they need to work alone.
All of the students in Mrs. Murphy’s class are very bright and polite. They are all excited about learning and take it seriously. I was assigned to practice lesson plans with four of the students in her class. They were so fun to work with and they were always excited to participate in activities with me. Their favorite lesson plan that I practiced with them was the poetry segment. First, I would read them a poem, ask them to find the rhyming words within the poem, and then teach them about synonyms. They caught on very fast and loved poetry afterwards. I felt a very good sense of accomplishment and I was very proud of the students when they remembered what a synonym was. I had the best time getting to know the students in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I am sad to have to go, however, I am very grateful that I was able to have time with them. They have helped me discover that I was born to be a teacher. I have heard that when you love doing something it doesn’t feel like a job. That is exactly the way I felt when I was working with these students. I am going to miss Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I have learned so much from Mrs. Murphy and all of the students in her class. On my last day with them they really made me feel like I was going to be missed. I have witnessed classroom management techniques, student diversity, instructional strategies, and the use of technology. I have seen students be motivated to learn a lesson because their teacher cares and is enthusiastic. I have practiced patience with the students in the classroom. I have learned a lot and have benefited from this experience. Thanks to Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class, now I really know that I was born to be a teacher.
In Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom they have a motto, which states, “We are all alike, we are all different, we are all friends”. They celebrate the differences in their classroom and are taught about tolerance to diversity. Mrs. Murphey does a very good job at practicing culturally responsive teaching. She recognizes and accepts student diversity. She lets all of her students know that they are welcomed and valued. There is a daily story time in the classroom, which allows Mrs. Murphy to read stories out loud to her students. Mrs. Murphy picks books that resemble their class motto. The books have something in common, something different, and are nice stories. The books tell of different cultures and backgrounds. I have noticed that all of the students in the classroom realize that they are different from one another and accept everybody for who they are. They are all friends and they never judge one another. This aids in making Mrs. Murphy’s classroom a very nice learning environment.
Mrs. Murphy has a very nice learning environment within her classroom. The walls of her classroom are decorated with displays and pictures to make her classroom more physically attractive. She has the alphabet displayed around her room. She displays her students’ most common reading words on one wall of the room. There is a play area with a kitchenette, dolls, games, and other toys that the students’ would like to play with during break time. When the students first enter the classroom at the beginning of the day, they meet and form a circle at the center of the room. Once they are all together they greet each other and they each say an activity that they did over the weekend. This helps to make the classroom more inviting at the beginning of every day. Mrs. Murphy really shows the students that she cares by knowing all of her students names, greeting them every morning, smiling constantly, and holding all of her students to high standards. She is always positive and never puts any of her students down. As I have already stated, everyone in the classroom has respect for one another. I have learned that respect is very important when creating a positive learning environment. When I walk into the classroom I feel comfortable and I know that all of the students do too. It is a very nice learning environment. Mrs. Murphy also has some amazing classroom management techniques.
I have learned a lot from Mrs. Murphy’s management techniques. My favorite technique that I have witnessed within her classroom is when she is trying to quite the class. She gets them to focus their attention on her almost immediately. She starts singing very softly until the whole class hears her and participates in the soft singing. Eventually the whole class is quite and their attention is focused directly on the teacher. I am amazed at how well this works in her classroom. Mrs. Murphy has set classroom rules that are posted up on the wall so that all students remember what they are. Her rules include; raising your hands before speaking, keep your hands to yourself, and listen when someone else is talking. Her rules are simple and effective. She has kept the list of rules small so that her students will remember them better and will be less likely to break one of the rules. Her students understand the rules and the reason behind them. Also, all of the students practice the rules and accept responsibility for their behavior, which is very good for a kindergarten class. Mrs. Murphy also uses the latest technology, which keeps her students motivated.
Mrs. Murphy’s classroom contains the technology needed in the twenty-first century to keep her students motivated. She has a smart board, which the students in the class love. The smart board is used to start out a lesson. First the class will read the lesson off of the board and then actively participate in touching the board to finish the beginning of the lesson. For example, when practicing reading numbers, each student will walk up to the board and flick a spinner which will randomly land on a number that they have to read off for the class. It is amazing to see how excited the students are to walk up to the board just to spin the spinner. The technology of the smart board keeps them motivated and entertained. Using the smart board follows Mrs. Murphy’s style of instructional strategy.
Mrs. Murphy uses a combination of direct instruction and cooperative learning. When introducing a new lesson, Mrs. Murphy will introduce the topic to her students, describe and model the skill that they are to learn until all of her students understand, and then let them practice. Every once in awhile she will let the students practice the lesson in pairs or in groups. During the day she will let them practice reading with a partner. However, when it comes to writing they typically practice writing letters on their own. Both of the strategies are used and both seem to be highly effective. Mrs. Murphy knows when a strategy will work and when it won’t. She can read her students very well and knows when to trust them in groups to be able to complete a task and when they need to work alone.
All of the students in Mrs. Murphy’s class are very bright and polite. They are all excited about learning and take it seriously. I was assigned to practice lesson plans with four of the students in her class. They were so fun to work with and they were always excited to participate in activities with me. Their favorite lesson plan that I practiced with them was the poetry segment. First, I would read them a poem, ask them to find the rhyming words within the poem, and then teach them about synonyms. They caught on very fast and loved poetry afterwards. I felt a very good sense of accomplishment and I was very proud of the students when they remembered what a synonym was. I had the best time getting to know the students in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I am sad to have to go, however, I am very grateful that I was able to have time with them. They have helped me discover that I was born to be a teacher. I have heard that when you love doing something it doesn’t feel like a job. That is exactly the way I felt when I was working with these students. I am going to miss Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I have learned so much from Mrs. Murphy and all of the students in her class. On my last day with them they really made me feel like I was going to be missed. I have witnessed classroom management techniques, student diversity, instructional strategies, and the use of technology. I have seen students be motivated to learn a lesson because their teacher cares and is enthusiastic. I have practiced patience with the students in the classroom. I have learned a lot and have benefited from this experience. Thanks to Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class, now I really know that I was born to be a teacher.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Finland Phenomenon: The 3 biggest differences in the way teachers are prepared in Findland vs. the U.S.
This is a very good documentary that shows schools that do work. It shows schools in Finland that are succeeding in leaving no child behind and are giving a high level education for EVERY student in the country. One of the reasons why Finland has found the way to productive schools that work is in the way future teachers are prepared to be teachers.
First of all, the business of teaching is taken seriously. There are very high standards to get into a teaching college. Only the best can be admitted to these schools. Second, every teacher has to have a masters degree. It is a requirement if you want to be a teacher. Third, training to be a teacher is done differently. The training to be a teacher really prepares future teachers to enter the field and be able to teach ALL students and ensure that none are left behind.
First of all, the business of teaching is taken seriously. There are very high standards to get into a teaching college. Only the best can be admitted to these schools. Second, every teacher has to have a masters degree. It is a requirement if you want to be a teacher. Third, training to be a teacher is done differently. The training to be a teacher really prepares future teachers to enter the field and be able to teach ALL students and ensure that none are left behind.
Waiting for Superman: What kind of teacher do I want to be?
The documentary, Waiting for Superman had a big impact on me. It was sad to see that every single child in the United States can't succeed in school because our damaged school systems and teachers unions won't let them.
One lesson I have learned from this documentary is that you can't have a great school without great teachers. A bad school can not change unless good/passionate teachers are involved. There are failing kids within these school systems and it is the obligation of the school and the teacher to help these kids succeed.
I want to be a very good teacher. I want to be passionate about my job and help kids succeed. I want to strive to make every child in my class the absolute best. I will never leave one kid behind. I will not be selfish about my time, I will be totally selfless and give every minute to the kids that need it. There will be no excuse, every student that I teach will need to achieve at a high level. Somehow, I will make learning active and fun for my students. I will have faith in myself that I can make a difference in this mess of an educational system. I will try my hardest in my studies at SCSU so that I will be educationally the best teacher that I can be. I will do everything that I can do to help EVERY student succeed.
One lesson I have learned from this documentary is that you can't have a great school without great teachers. A bad school can not change unless good/passionate teachers are involved. There are failing kids within these school systems and it is the obligation of the school and the teacher to help these kids succeed.
I want to be a very good teacher. I want to be passionate about my job and help kids succeed. I want to strive to make every child in my class the absolute best. I will never leave one kid behind. I will not be selfish about my time, I will be totally selfless and give every minute to the kids that need it. There will be no excuse, every student that I teach will need to achieve at a high level. Somehow, I will make learning active and fun for my students. I will have faith in myself that I can make a difference in this mess of an educational system. I will try my hardest in my studies at SCSU so that I will be educationally the best teacher that I can be. I will do everything that I can do to help EVERY student succeed.
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 5
Chapter five answers the question, What does it take to bring out the best in young people today, both in school and in the workplace?
Some believe that young Americans lack work ethic and others believe that they are just differently motivated today.
The first main point of the chapter has to do with young Americans growing up differently, otherwise known as "growing up digital". Therefore, young people who have grown up using the web relate to the world and to one other in ways that are very different from those of their parents' generation. So why are we still teaching these generations in the same way as older generations when the two worlds are so different?
The second main point of the chapter includes new learning styles. The use of the internet and other digital technology has transformed both what young people learn today and how they learn. It is confirmed that students are increasingly impatient with the lecture style of learning and the reliance on textbooks for information and crave more class discussions. Also, with the mass amounts of information available through the web, we find a new kind of learning assuming pre-eminence, learning that is discovery based. Today, kids want to experience and watch how other people are doing things, then try it for themselves.
The third main point of the chapter includes tipping the balance to the positive side of the world wide web so that kids can use it in positive ways to be actively engaged learners. What is needed to tip the balance to the positive side is an older generation that better understands what drives the younger generation and has learned how best to harness and focus its energies.
The fourth main point is how to turn this generation of kids into producers. In order for young people to respect school and learning, we need to think more carefully about what we're asking them to learn--to ensure that schoolwork is not busy-work or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity.
The fifth main point includes positive mentors both in the workplace and within schools. This is very important! In both the workplace and in school kids want to engage as active learners and creators, and they long for adults to be coaches and mentors. Mentoring is a huge motivational tool. Kids need someone to show an interest in them and give them feedback. The way to bring out the best in young people is to give them the right mix of challenge and support, combined with thoughtful adult mentoring.
Some believe that young Americans lack work ethic and others believe that they are just differently motivated today.
The first main point of the chapter has to do with young Americans growing up differently, otherwise known as "growing up digital". Therefore, young people who have grown up using the web relate to the world and to one other in ways that are very different from those of their parents' generation. So why are we still teaching these generations in the same way as older generations when the two worlds are so different?
The second main point of the chapter includes new learning styles. The use of the internet and other digital technology has transformed both what young people learn today and how they learn. It is confirmed that students are increasingly impatient with the lecture style of learning and the reliance on textbooks for information and crave more class discussions. Also, with the mass amounts of information available through the web, we find a new kind of learning assuming pre-eminence, learning that is discovery based. Today, kids want to experience and watch how other people are doing things, then try it for themselves.
The third main point of the chapter includes tipping the balance to the positive side of the world wide web so that kids can use it in positive ways to be actively engaged learners. What is needed to tip the balance to the positive side is an older generation that better understands what drives the younger generation and has learned how best to harness and focus its energies.
The fourth main point is how to turn this generation of kids into producers. In order for young people to respect school and learning, we need to think more carefully about what we're asking them to learn--to ensure that schoolwork is not busy-work or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity.
The fifth main point includes positive mentors both in the workplace and within schools. This is very important! In both the workplace and in school kids want to engage as active learners and creators, and they long for adults to be coaches and mentors. Mentoring is a huge motivational tool. Kids need someone to show an interest in them and give them feedback. The way to bring out the best in young people is to give them the right mix of challenge and support, combined with thoughtful adult mentoring.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Group presentation 6: Ch. 9, Governance and Finance: Regulating and Funding Schools
I didn't attend class today because I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't witness this group presentation first hand. However, by reading through the blogs of others in the class I think that they did a very good job with this chapter. It seemed like a hard chapter to give a presentation on, but this group did very well. School finance is a very important part of a school and it makes a big difference in the quality of a teachers' professional life.
Group presentation 5: Ch. 8 The organization of American Schools
This group did a very good job. They outlined the chapter very well. They talked about the organization of a school, all of the employees involved within a school, and what their jobs entail. They also talked about the different levels of a school system, such as elementary, middle, and high school. They touched on the qualities of an effective school, such as, good school and class sizes, interactive instruction, monitoring of student progress, and a safe and orderly environment. They also talked about virtual schools, which includes kids from kindergarten trough college. Classes are taught online. I don't agree with this education approach, I feel that it is better to learn directly from a teacher. They talked about a 4 day school week, which seems kind of beneficial, because it has fewer dropout rates and attendance is much higher. It also has negative effects on the students though. It could be a controversial subject. They also touched on full-day kindergarten, which i think is super beneficial for students. It is very good for the overall development of the kids.
Cathleen Black Is Out as City Schools Chancellor
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/cathie-black-is-out-as-chancellor/?emc=na
First of all, I agree with the public and think that Ms. Black should not have been hired in the first place because she lacked sufficient knowledge on the subject of public schooling. There was time and the children future wasted with it. I think that dismissing her was a very good idea.
Second, I think that Mr. Walcott will do a better job as the new chancellor. He has a lot of experience within the public school system and he has kids and grand kids in the public school system, which I think will lead him to try harder to make these schools succeed. Being a chancellor of the terrible public school systems is a trying job in which not very many people of succeeded. All we can do is hope for the best from Mr. Walcott and hope that he has what it takes to change education for the sake of the kids in the school system.
First of all, I agree with the public and think that Ms. Black should not have been hired in the first place because she lacked sufficient knowledge on the subject of public schooling. There was time and the children future wasted with it. I think that dismissing her was a very good idea.
Second, I think that Mr. Walcott will do a better job as the new chancellor. He has a lot of experience within the public school system and he has kids and grand kids in the public school system, which I think will lead him to try harder to make these schools succeed. Being a chancellor of the terrible public school systems is a trying job in which not very many people of succeeded. All we can do is hope for the best from Mr. Walcott and hope that he has what it takes to change education for the sake of the kids in the school system.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Field Experience: Day 6
Today was another good day. All of the kids in the classroom are getting to know me now. They all ask me for help on their daily activities and even call me by my name Ms. Quamme. It is very fun getting to help them learn and play. They are always so excited when they accomplish a task or get an answer correct. I love being around their enthusiasm. I got to know Braedon today (a boy in the class who needs a little extra help because he can't concentrate very well on a task and sometimes refuses to listen). He is an awesome little kid. He has such an imagination and can draw pictures really well. I met with my group today and they were all very excited to meet. They told me they had been waiting for me to come since I left last week. It is very rewarding to get to hear them say that. They love the lessons I go over with them. Today we spoke about poetry and they were very good at finding the rhyming words. They are all such smart individuals. It was also picture day today, which had the whole class a little more hyper than usual. They all were in their best dressed, and I must say they took a very cute class picture. Braedon refused to be in the picture, we tried very hard to convince him to be in it but he still didn't want to. However, he did take an individual one, which made all the teachers happy because he would make it in the yearbook. Overall, I loved today. I feel the same way the kids in my group feel, I already can't wait to be back in their class next Monday.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Chapter 8 group presentation
This group did a very good job. They outlined the chapter very well. They talked about the organization of a school and about all of the employees involved within a school. They also touched up on the qualities of an effective school, such as, good school and class sizes, interactive instruction, monitoring of student progress, and a safe and orderly environment. They talked about virtual schools, which includes kids from K- college and classes are taught online. They also talked about a 4 day school week, which seems kind of beneficial because it has fewer dropout rates and attendance is much higher. However, it also has negative effects on the students as well and it could be a very controversial subject if a school were considering changing to a 4 day school week. They also touched on the subject of a full day kindergarten, which I think is very beneficial for students. It is very good for the overall development of the kids. Overall, this group did a very nice job in their presentation and outlining the chapter for the class.
Field Experience: Day 5
Day 5 of my field experience was a very good day. They kids were easily distracted today, but I expected this because after all they are kindergartners. I made some changes to the lesson plan for today because my kids didn't seem to be getting as into the lesson as I would have liked and they kept on forgetting to bring their own books with them. So today, I brought a book to read to them instead. They loved that I was reading to them and they didn't even get distracted once! It was also easier to discuss the topic of the book and the actions of the characters with them since they were all more engaged and we were focusing on one book together instead of one book each. We all had a very good time and I feel like I actually accomplished something with them. I am really excited for day 6.
Pasco Schools Consider 4-Day Week to Fix Budget Shortfalls
http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/152645.html
I thought that this article was very relevant for this weeks news article since the presentation this week represented the structure of schools and explained a 4 day school week instead of the normal 5 day school week. The Pasco school is seriously considering having a 4 day week instead of a 5 day so that they can budget money and use it towards other school funds. They drawbacks of this operation would be that parents might have to pay more for their children to go to daycare, school staff (janitors, lunch crew) would lose pay due to the shorter week. Overall, I feel like four days a week wouldn't be that big of a problem. I think that academically the students would be fine and maybe even strive in a four day week. However, it would be terrible for the employees of the school who would be losing income.
I thought that this article was very relevant for this weeks news article since the presentation this week represented the structure of schools and explained a 4 day school week instead of the normal 5 day school week. The Pasco school is seriously considering having a 4 day week instead of a 5 day so that they can budget money and use it towards other school funds. They drawbacks of this operation would be that parents might have to pay more for their children to go to daycare, school staff (janitors, lunch crew) would lose pay due to the shorter week. Overall, I feel like four days a week wouldn't be that big of a problem. I think that academically the students would be fine and maybe even strive in a four day week. However, it would be terrible for the employees of the school who would be losing income.
With Uncertainty Ahead for Japanese Students, Communities Show Courage
http://www.educationnews.org/global/152152.html
This article represents something heartfelt in the midst of a disaster. It is great to hear that a community who has had such a great disaster happen to them is still celebrating the graduation of their children. It was also very nice of the evacuees to pack up their stuff for the day just to allow for a simple graduation ceremony. However, one sad aspect of the article is that some students weren't able to make it to their own graduation due to the tsunami separating them from their towns and families.
This article represents something heartfelt in the midst of a disaster. It is great to hear that a community who has had such a great disaster happen to them is still celebrating the graduation of their children. It was also very nice of the evacuees to pack up their stuff for the day just to allow for a simple graduation ceremony. However, one sad aspect of the article is that some students weren't able to make it to their own graduation due to the tsunami separating them from their towns and families.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
2 Million Minutes
Today in class we watched the documentary Two Million Minutes. It is a documentary about six high school students from three different areas (two students from each). The areas include: India, China, and the United States. It basically describes how each students spends their 2 million minutes of high school and explores how each one spends it differently. India and China were indeed very different from the American high school setting.
In China you spend most of your time in school and studying. Studying is their number one priority. They don't want to waste their time with anything else, they just want to study and work their hardest on their studying materials. They strive to excel in the world of education. They spend twice as many hours studying compared to American students. However, they are interested in learning, therefore, they are eager to learn and they learn well.
In India only a select few are able to attend school. One of the students in the video attends a K-12 for profit school that only has 300 students in it. The video said that some students are fighting to eat and survive, therefore, they want to work harder in their education so that they can do better in their future. They have to graduate with a really good GPA in order to get into college and to succeed. By the age of 17 most kids already know what they want to do with their lives. They don't take any risks, such as, joining a band and hoping to make it big. School is what makes a person. They work hard and even attend school on Saturdays and spend most of it studying.
In the United States students only take required classes, they don't push themselves enough, especially in the math and science areas. They have a light syllabus compared to the other places in the film and don't spend as much of their time studying. They think of high school and college as a "have fun" experience instead of a "do their best learning experience". Extracurricular activities and sports are a big deal. They would rather play sports and do other fun things with friends than have to do homework. One student in the film thought that she was more "well-rounded" than the other students from India and China because she did other things than just study. She was more social and spent some of her time doing extracurricular activities. However, in the film is states that American students do work hard, they are just working hard in other areas (such as sports and having a part time job).
From this documentary I have realized that as an American student, I do in fact spend less time studying when compared to students from India and China. I feel as if I do have it easier than them. I don't worry about school as much as they do, however, I feel that I should. This video gave me a whole new perspective on the world of education. My future and the future of the American society depends on how hard the students of the United States work. I had a college math professor who told the whole class almost every day that it was our fault that the United States was going through another depression era. He said that it was our fault that the United States wasn't doing as good as other countries. He said it was our fault because we our lazy, not hard working, and spoiled individuals. Will students in this country ever study as hard and want to achieve as much as those from India and China?
In China you spend most of your time in school and studying. Studying is their number one priority. They don't want to waste their time with anything else, they just want to study and work their hardest on their studying materials. They strive to excel in the world of education. They spend twice as many hours studying compared to American students. However, they are interested in learning, therefore, they are eager to learn and they learn well.
In India only a select few are able to attend school. One of the students in the video attends a K-12 for profit school that only has 300 students in it. The video said that some students are fighting to eat and survive, therefore, they want to work harder in their education so that they can do better in their future. They have to graduate with a really good GPA in order to get into college and to succeed. By the age of 17 most kids already know what they want to do with their lives. They don't take any risks, such as, joining a band and hoping to make it big. School is what makes a person. They work hard and even attend school on Saturdays and spend most of it studying.
In the United States students only take required classes, they don't push themselves enough, especially in the math and science areas. They have a light syllabus compared to the other places in the film and don't spend as much of their time studying. They think of high school and college as a "have fun" experience instead of a "do their best learning experience". Extracurricular activities and sports are a big deal. They would rather play sports and do other fun things with friends than have to do homework. One student in the film thought that she was more "well-rounded" than the other students from India and China because she did other things than just study. She was more social and spent some of her time doing extracurricular activities. However, in the film is states that American students do work hard, they are just working hard in other areas (such as sports and having a part time job).
From this documentary I have realized that as an American student, I do in fact spend less time studying when compared to students from India and China. I feel as if I do have it easier than them. I don't worry about school as much as they do, however, I feel that I should. This video gave me a whole new perspective on the world of education. My future and the future of the American society depends on how hard the students of the United States work. I had a college math professor who told the whole class almost every day that it was our fault that the United States was going through another depression era. He said that it was our fault that the United States wasn't doing as good as other countries. He said it was our fault because we our lazy, not hard working, and spoiled individuals. Will students in this country ever study as hard and want to achieve as much as those from India and China?
Group 4 presentation: Chapter 7: Educational Philosophy
I think that group 4 did a very good job of presenting the information of Chapter 7. They talked about the different educational philosophies which are: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Social reconstructionism. They told us how these four philosophies can be used as references when we are making our own personal philosophies. They then gave us a quiz to take that is also in the book. The quiz was a good idea and also very helpful because it will help the class when we start writing our personal philosophy of education papers. It is exciting to know that as a future teacher I can shape my own way of teaching and use these philosophies to help mold my own philosophy of education. Overall, this was a very good and informative presentation.
Field Experience: Day 4
Today I arrived in Mrs. Murphy's kindergarten classroom expecting nothing out of the ordinary. However, when I walked into the room, half of the kids were sitting politely on the carpet like usual waiting for their Monday morning routine and the other half were running around the room not listening to a single order. Mrs. Murphy was gone and there was a substitute teacher. I quickly found out why the kids were acting this way. Finally, most of the kids listened and found their way to the carpet to sit politely. However, one little girl thought she could do whatever she wanted since a substitute teacher was there. While the substitute teacher was reading a book to the kids on the carpet, this little girl was crawling underneath the tables, taking her shoes off, putting ink from an ink pad onto her fingers then onto the table, and not listening to me when I told her to go sit with the rest of the kids on the carpet. I didn't know what the proper way to discipline her would be or if I could even discipline her, however, I felt that I should help the substitute teacher keep the kids in order. So, I finally told her to please stop one last time. After she shook her head at me and said "No, I can do what I want teacher", I said, "If you don't get onto the carpet with the rest of your class in two minutes, I am going to call Mrs. Murphy and have her take minutes off of your free time today". She quickly followed orders after I said this and went onto the carpet and started to behave. Today was an experience and I feel that I learned a lot from it. It was exciting to see how different the kids can be when something is out of the ordinary (like having a substitute teacher). I didn't do an activity with my normal four kids today, instead I helped the substitute teacher keep the kids in line for the rest of the time that I was there. It was a different but fun day.
Field Experience: Day 3
I woke up this morning excited to be going to the kindergarten classroom at Kennedy Elementary. When I arrived all of the kids were sitting in a circle on the carpet with Mrs. Murphy. They were all sharing the coolest things that they had done that weekend. They were all very excited to share. Next, Mrs. Murphy read them their daily morning story and tried to get the kids to connect parts of their lives to the story.
It was very nice to see how excited the kids were to learn and how excited they were to share an answer with the class. Next, we did daily five, and during this time I take four of the kids out into the hallway to read and share information about the stories with each other. From the moment I arrived, the four kids that I take out into the hallway were very excited that I was there. They all couldn't wait to go with me and to use their bookmarks that I had given them last Monday. It lifted my spirits up to see how excited these kids were about the smallest of things.
This day lead me to wonder. It's sad that somehow most kids lose the excited of learning and sharing their answers with a class. I wonder what would help keep that excitement within kids as they grow?
It was very nice to see how excited the kids were to learn and how excited they were to share an answer with the class. Next, we did daily five, and during this time I take four of the kids out into the hallway to read and share information about the stories with each other. From the moment I arrived, the four kids that I take out into the hallway were very excited that I was there. They all couldn't wait to go with me and to use their bookmarks that I had given them last Monday. It lifted my spirits up to see how excited these kids were about the smallest of things.
This day lead me to wonder. It's sad that somehow most kids lose the excited of learning and sharing their answers with a class. I wonder what would help keep that excitement within kids as they grow?
Friday, March 18, 2011
U.S. urged to Raise Teachers' Status
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/education/16teachers.html?_r=1&ref=education
This article basically explains that in order for American students to do the best that they can do, the United States needs to raise the status of the teaching profession by training teachers better, paying them more, and only recruiting the top qualified candidates. If we can raise the status of teachers and train them better we will have better schools and our kids will be learning to the best of the ability.
It also states that other countries are doing things like supporting their teachers with mentors to help them when they first enter a classroom, only selecting the highest performing college graduates to teach, and raising teacher respect. By doing this, these countries are in fact the top teaching countries, which leads to better students, and to a better country overall.
This article basically explains that in order for American students to do the best that they can do, the United States needs to raise the status of the teaching profession by training teachers better, paying them more, and only recruiting the top qualified candidates. If we can raise the status of teachers and train them better we will have better schools and our kids will be learning to the best of the ability.
It also states that other countries are doing things like supporting their teachers with mentors to help them when they first enter a classroom, only selecting the highest performing college graduates to teach, and raising teacher respect. By doing this, these countries are in fact the top teaching countries, which leads to better students, and to a better country overall.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Unequal education: failing our children: Listening to America
This video compares that lives of two boys both in the seventh grade who go to two different schools in New York. One of the boys attends a school in the poorer district and another attends a school in the middle class area.
The Middle class area school is called Riverdale and it is in a nice, safe area. They have a full band. All of their teachers are certified to teach. Nice classroom sizes. Safe and fun activities to do after school. All of the teachers believe in their students. Students want to be there.
The poorer school is called South Fordham. It is a fenced in school that doesn't seem safe. They have electrical key boards instead of a full band. A lot of their teachers aren't certified to teach. After school they barely have any safe places to hang out. It is a crowded school. The kids do not want to be there.
These two schools are very unequal, which leads to two very different education opportunities. In the video it says, "you buy a house, you buy a school" This leads to very unequal school systems. It makes the poor people unable to leave their poor areas. They are stuck.
Why aren't we able (as a nation) to fund the poor/ intercity schools that need help? Everybody deserves a chance to get an equal education.
The Middle class area school is called Riverdale and it is in a nice, safe area. They have a full band. All of their teachers are certified to teach. Nice classroom sizes. Safe and fun activities to do after school. All of the teachers believe in their students. Students want to be there.
The poorer school is called South Fordham. It is a fenced in school that doesn't seem safe. They have electrical key boards instead of a full band. A lot of their teachers aren't certified to teach. After school they barely have any safe places to hang out. It is a crowded school. The kids do not want to be there.
These two schools are very unequal, which leads to two very different education opportunities. In the video it says, "you buy a house, you buy a school" This leads to very unequal school systems. It makes the poor people unable to leave their poor areas. They are stuck.
Why aren't we able (as a nation) to fund the poor/ intercity schools that need help? Everybody deserves a chance to get an equal education.
Teacher preparation reflection
What would I want out of an ideal teacher preparation program? What three areas would I consider to have in it?
I think that a teacher preparation program should include a course that introduced future teachers to the world of different culutures and student backgrounds so that we are more prepared for every student that may be in one of our classes.
Also, a required second language would be another good start to becoming culturally competent toward our future students.
Having the future teachers work with children of all ages and levels of education. Also, having all student teachers know what it is like to work with children with disabilities.
Another good idea would be to have a mentor with the new teacher once they start their first years of teaching. This will allow for a smoother transition for the new teacher and it would help the teacher dropout rates. The first year is the hardest and it would be nice to have someone there to help you along the way when you needed it.
I think that a teacher preparation program should include a course that introduced future teachers to the world of different culutures and student backgrounds so that we are more prepared for every student that may be in one of our classes.
Also, a required second language would be another good start to becoming culturally competent toward our future students.
Having the future teachers work with children of all ages and levels of education. Also, having all student teachers know what it is like to work with children with disabilities.
Another good idea would be to have a mentor with the new teacher once they start their first years of teaching. This will allow for a smoother transition for the new teacher and it would help the teacher dropout rates. The first year is the hardest and it would be nice to have someone there to help you along the way when you needed it.
Group 3 Presentation
Group 3 did a presentation on the history of education (Chapter 6). They covered the different periods of school and how education has advanced throughout history. They spoke of the history of teaching to minorities and how even today minorities lack efficient education. They interviewed two educators from California. They came back from the interview knowing that in just the last 15 years students and the world of education has changed dramatically. Also, they gave really good advice on how to succeed as a future teacher. One really good piece of advice was to have a good mentor before you start your first year of teaching. At the end of the presentation they handed out a fun word find. Over all, they did a very good job of informing the class!
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 4
5 main points:
Teachers want to make their classrooms and schools more efficient to teach the seven survival skills but once they finally have the chance they are putting it on the back burner for these reasons: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and "nobody else in the country is doing any of this, so why should I" And because it's challenging to change the way your school system and classroom systems already work so you just don't want to do it. Which is incredibly sad because you are putting your students on the back burner as well.
Are teachers really prepared to be effective teachers once they are out of college? and who is there to mentor them when they start they first years of teaching? Tony Wagner explains that he was confused on how to be the BEST teacher once he graduated from college. He wanted to be the best teacher but had no one to tell him if he was doing a good job or not. It seemed like no one really cared. He wanted insight to his teaching and what methods he could use to become the best teacher and he didn't know where to find it.
Teachers think that their school and their teaching is fine just the way it is. They do not see a need to transform their teaching. Randy from this chapter explains it well, " The major problem is the adults, not the students. They came through the system, and they were successful... It's all they know." If teacher education programs are flawed and aren't teaching future teachers the right stuff how will teachers be prepared to teach students in today's world? It is time for a change.
What a person has to do to become certified as a teacher is nearly identical to what a student has to do for a high school diploma. They have to take a collection of courses of uneven quality and then pass tests that rarely measure the skills that matter most. Basically, we need to identify the skills that matter most to be an effective teacher and then develop ways to teach this to future teachers. If teachers are learning to teach this way, how will we ever close the global achievement gap?
The training of future teachers needs to be modified to so that we can teach students the skills needed in today's world. Education leaders and policymakers need to agree on the skills that matter most for administrators and then to develop ways to assess them. A way to do this would be a portfolio requirement like the one described in chapter 4.
Teachers want to make their classrooms and schools more efficient to teach the seven survival skills but once they finally have the chance they are putting it on the back burner for these reasons: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and "nobody else in the country is doing any of this, so why should I" And because it's challenging to change the way your school system and classroom systems already work so you just don't want to do it. Which is incredibly sad because you are putting your students on the back burner as well.
Are teachers really prepared to be effective teachers once they are out of college? and who is there to mentor them when they start they first years of teaching? Tony Wagner explains that he was confused on how to be the BEST teacher once he graduated from college. He wanted to be the best teacher but had no one to tell him if he was doing a good job or not. It seemed like no one really cared. He wanted insight to his teaching and what methods he could use to become the best teacher and he didn't know where to find it.
Teachers think that their school and their teaching is fine just the way it is. They do not see a need to transform their teaching. Randy from this chapter explains it well, " The major problem is the adults, not the students. They came through the system, and they were successful... It's all they know." If teacher education programs are flawed and aren't teaching future teachers the right stuff how will teachers be prepared to teach students in today's world? It is time for a change.
What a person has to do to become certified as a teacher is nearly identical to what a student has to do for a high school diploma. They have to take a collection of courses of uneven quality and then pass tests that rarely measure the skills that matter most. Basically, we need to identify the skills that matter most to be an effective teacher and then develop ways to teach this to future teachers. If teachers are learning to teach this way, how will we ever close the global achievement gap?
The training of future teachers needs to be modified to so that we can teach students the skills needed in today's world. Education leaders and policymakers need to agree on the skills that matter most for administrators and then to develop ways to assess them. A way to do this would be a portfolio requirement like the one described in chapter 4.
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 3
5 main points:
The initial benefits of the No Child Left Behind law is greatly outweighed by it's flaws. It has an unrealistic goal of 100 percent efficiency in reading and math for all students by 2014. It has a negative approach toward students, teachers, and schools in terms of the consequences for poor performance on the tests. Two important question asked the NCLB: To what extent do these state tests assess the skills that matter most for work, citizenship, and college? and What is the impact of teaching to these tests on students' motivation to learn and to stay in school?
The seven survival skills are as important for citizenship as they are for work. For example are you "jury-ready"?
High school students are unprepared for college. College freshman agree and so do their professors. 70% of professors say that students do not comprehend complex reading materials. 66% of college professors say that students cannot think analytically. 65% of college professors say that students write poorly. 59& of college professors say that students don't know how to do research. 55% of college professors say that students can't apply what they've learned to solve problems. Tony Wagner makes a very good statement in this chapter. He says, " The rigor that matters most for the twenty first century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today's world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know.
Advanced placement courses aren't all they are cracked up to be. "Students and teachers alike find elements of AP to be significantly more challenging than teaching and taking courses aimed at preparation for state tests. No wonder the program has become the gold standard for rigor. But ultimately, students and teachers found that the tests were much to focused on mastery of factual content--at the expense of research, reasoning, and analysis. It is hopelessly obsolete".
Another negative aspect of teaching and testing that dominates all high schools today is that it has a big negative impact on student motivation to learn for pleasure or even to continue in school at all. Students have far less time for extracurricular activities and electives than they did generations ago. Motivation and our nations dropout rate are very much correlated.
The initial benefits of the No Child Left Behind law is greatly outweighed by it's flaws. It has an unrealistic goal of 100 percent efficiency in reading and math for all students by 2014. It has a negative approach toward students, teachers, and schools in terms of the consequences for poor performance on the tests. Two important question asked the NCLB: To what extent do these state tests assess the skills that matter most for work, citizenship, and college? and What is the impact of teaching to these tests on students' motivation to learn and to stay in school?
The seven survival skills are as important for citizenship as they are for work. For example are you "jury-ready"?
High school students are unprepared for college. College freshman agree and so do their professors. 70% of professors say that students do not comprehend complex reading materials. 66% of college professors say that students cannot think analytically. 65% of college professors say that students write poorly. 59& of college professors say that students don't know how to do research. 55% of college professors say that students can't apply what they've learned to solve problems. Tony Wagner makes a very good statement in this chapter. He says, " The rigor that matters most for the twenty first century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today's world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know.
Advanced placement courses aren't all they are cracked up to be. "Students and teachers alike find elements of AP to be significantly more challenging than teaching and taking courses aimed at preparation for state tests. No wonder the program has become the gold standard for rigor. But ultimately, students and teachers found that the tests were much to focused on mastery of factual content--at the expense of research, reasoning, and analysis. It is hopelessly obsolete".
Another negative aspect of teaching and testing that dominates all high schools today is that it has a big negative impact on student motivation to learn for pleasure or even to continue in school at all. Students have far less time for extracurricular activities and electives than they did generations ago. Motivation and our nations dropout rate are very much correlated.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 2
5 main points:
The most academically well-prepared students aren't learning the 7 survival skills. Teachers are just giving the the answers.
The quality of teaching: Teachers want to make a difference, but they have to teach what their students are tested on. Teachers are told that teaching subject content is more important than teaching skills. Teaching for the sake of succeeding on the state and national standardized tests is quickly becoming an epidemic in our nations schools, one that is profoundly infecting students and their ability to become critical thinkers.
Department of Defense school systems are an important lesson for all schools to improve the academic achievement of students and to close the achievement gap. They have eight recommendations which are: High expectations for all, small schools, staff development, sufficient financial resources, organizational coherence, parental involvement. These eight recommendations go a long way in explaining how these schools get better results. They also do a better job of closing the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class students.
Because of No Child Left Behind, the cirriculum in both elementary and secondary schools all across the country are being limited only to what is being tested. This means that there is an increase in the time to teach tested subjects such as English/language arts and Math. It means that there is a reduced time for other subjects such as social studies, art, science, music, physical education, and lunch or recess. Basically, there is only one cirriculum in American public schools today and that is Test-Prep.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development administered a remarkable test of problem-solving skills, in addition to other assessments, in all 41 countries involved. The goal was to measure what they call "cross-curricular competencies" Our overall score was behind twenty eight other countries.
Basically, as we work to close the achievement gap between middle class and poor students by requiring more and more standardized testing, the risk of not attending to the global achievement gap increases every day.
The most academically well-prepared students aren't learning the 7 survival skills. Teachers are just giving the the answers.
The quality of teaching: Teachers want to make a difference, but they have to teach what their students are tested on. Teachers are told that teaching subject content is more important than teaching skills. Teaching for the sake of succeeding on the state and national standardized tests is quickly becoming an epidemic in our nations schools, one that is profoundly infecting students and their ability to become critical thinkers.
Department of Defense school systems are an important lesson for all schools to improve the academic achievement of students and to close the achievement gap. They have eight recommendations which are: High expectations for all, small schools, staff development, sufficient financial resources, organizational coherence, parental involvement. These eight recommendations go a long way in explaining how these schools get better results. They also do a better job of closing the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class students.
Because of No Child Left Behind, the cirriculum in both elementary and secondary schools all across the country are being limited only to what is being tested. This means that there is an increase in the time to teach tested subjects such as English/language arts and Math. It means that there is a reduced time for other subjects such as social studies, art, science, music, physical education, and lunch or recess. Basically, there is only one cirriculum in American public schools today and that is Test-Prep.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development administered a remarkable test of problem-solving skills, in addition to other assessments, in all 41 countries involved. The goal was to measure what they call "cross-curricular competencies" Our overall score was behind twenty eight other countries.
Basically, as we work to close the achievement gap between middle class and poor students by requiring more and more standardized testing, the risk of not attending to the global achievement gap increases every day.
21st Century Skills: Tony Wagner
Dr. Tony Wagner is the author of The Global Achievement Gap. He states that our educational system does not prepare students for the skills they need to succeed in the world as citizens or in college. He noted that the seven survival skills are:
1. Critical thinking and problem solving
2. Collaboration
3. agility and adaptablity
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7 Curiosity and Imagination
1. Critical thinking and problem solving
2. Collaboration
3. agility and adaptablity
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7 Curiosity and Imagination
Group 2 presentation
Group 2 did their presentation on Chapter 5 from our textbook. Chapter five explained the education. The topics covered were student diversity, development, ability and exceptionalities. They did a really good job explaining that students with exeptionalities need extra help to succeed and reach their full potential as students. They also showed us what IEP looks like and explained it to us better. Group Two did a very good job teaching the class! As a future Special education teacher I really enjoyed this one!
Group 1 presentation
Group 1 presented information related to chapter 4. They did a very good job educating the rest of the class on the major topics that are included in the chapter. They taught us about diversity in the classroom. They taught us that as teachers we need to respect every student for who they are and that every student is different. They taught us that cultural diversity refers to the different cultures that we will encounter in our classrooms, and how these cultural differences affect the learning outcomes of the children. They did an excellent job explaining the chapter and their power point was very professional. They also were dressed to impress and looked very professional themselves. To conclude their presentation we played jeopardy. It was very fun and it made the whole class participate in what we have learned about chapter 4. Overall, the did a great job!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Speaking in Tongues
Today in class we watch a documentary called Speaking in Tongues. It was a really cool video on schools that teach children to be bilingual from kindergarten through the rest of their school years. Most of the classes that the students took were in a completely different language than their own (such as Mandarin or Spanish). It took the kindergarten kids about a year to start completely recognizing the language and by third grade they are bilingual. The documentary stated that the ideal age for a person to become bilingual is before age 13. By doing this with children it expands the capacity of their brains and makes parts of the brain that are typically not in use, useful. The children enrolled in these schools experience a higher level of learning and accomplishment. I think that schools like these are wonderful. I feel that learning like this makes kids more likely to succeed. This documentary amazed me. I wish I would have had the opportunity to be enrolled in a school like this and I want my future children to go to a school like this. It would also increase the cultural competency of all Americans, which I believe is something American really needs.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Field Experience: Day 2
While walking into the kindergarten classroom today I noticed that the kids weren't quite as hyper as they were on Valentines Day. However, they were a little hyper. It was the beginning of class so they were all excited to share what they did over the weekend. While the kids were doing their morning activities I was able to walk around and help them read or write a story. It was amazing to see how excited they were to be doing these activities.
Today I was also able to meet with my small group and we were able to get to know each other better. It was fun getting to know Piper, Mason, Kayla, and Logan. They were all very excited to talk with me and tell me about themselves. I am really excited to discuss the characters of their favorite books with them the next time I attend their classroom.
It was also nice to see the techniques that Mrs. Murphy used to get the kids to pay attention to her better. One technique she used involved singing softly until the children caught on and started singing with her.
Field Experience Day 2 was a success and I can't wait for Day 3!
Today I was also able to meet with my small group and we were able to get to know each other better. It was fun getting to know Piper, Mason, Kayla, and Logan. They were all very excited to talk with me and tell me about themselves. I am really excited to discuss the characters of their favorite books with them the next time I attend their classroom.
It was also nice to see the techniques that Mrs. Murphy used to get the kids to pay attention to her better. One technique she used involved singing softly until the children caught on and started singing with her.
Field Experience Day 2 was a success and I can't wait for Day 3!
International News Article: Ethiopia
http://www.ethiopian-news.com/ethiopia-cited-for-gains-in-access-to-education/
I loved this article. This area of Africa (Ethiopia) is taking a step forward in the world of education. Most kids from this area didn't even attend school and their parents never attended school. The government has started to ask parents to put their children in school. The enrollment rate of children attending school has gone from about 20% to almost 90%. They are facing many challenges such as, high enrollment so the quality of the education is not as good, and many different languages are spoken so it is hard to teach all of the kids using one language. However, it is great that they are facing the challenges because they know that education is important for their children and society.
I loved this article. This area of Africa (Ethiopia) is taking a step forward in the world of education. Most kids from this area didn't even attend school and their parents never attended school. The government has started to ask parents to put their children in school. The enrollment rate of children attending school has gone from about 20% to almost 90%. They are facing many challenges such as, high enrollment so the quality of the education is not as good, and many different languages are spoken so it is hard to teach all of the kids using one language. However, it is great that they are facing the challenges because they know that education is important for their children and society.
Intercultural Development Inventory
This week in class we discussed intercultural development and took an assessment to see where we fit on the Intercultural development continuum.
As an individual my perceived orientation is at 124.53 which means I am in between acceptance and adaptation. However, my developmental orientation is at 105.78 which means I fall in between Minimization and acceptance. I have an orientation gap of 18.75, this means that I have overestimated my level of intercultural competence and I am surprised that my developmental score is not higher. I want to continue to work on my intercultural development so that I can be at the highest level (which is adaptation). In class I have learned a bunch of ways to increase my intercultural development. A few of the things that I want to improve on include: increasing fluency in a foreign language, gain general knowledge about other cultures, and gain culture specific knowledge and skills. Hopefully by doing so I will be a better teacher once I graduate from college.
As an individual my perceived orientation is at 124.53 which means I am in between acceptance and adaptation. However, my developmental orientation is at 105.78 which means I fall in between Minimization and acceptance. I have an orientation gap of 18.75, this means that I have overestimated my level of intercultural competence and I am surprised that my developmental score is not higher. I want to continue to work on my intercultural development so that I can be at the highest level (which is adaptation). In class I have learned a bunch of ways to increase my intercultural development. A few of the things that I want to improve on include: increasing fluency in a foreign language, gain general knowledge about other cultures, and gain culture specific knowledge and skills. Hopefully by doing so I will be a better teacher once I graduate from college.
National News article: Are Minneapolis Schools culturally competent?
http://www.startribune.com/local/116886708.html
This article represents what we were talking about in class this week. Schools need to learn to accept and incorporate different cultures into the schools.
This article focused on a harder topic. I think they wanted to incorporate the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, however, it conflicted with the start date of school. Most schools do not like to start the school year late and they decided to dismiss the idea of doing so just for the holiday of Ramadan.
I feel that if all christian holidays are celebrated by the dismissal of school, so should all different holidays from different cultures and religions. The school is letting the Muslim children who are missing school because of the holiday of Ramadan be excused, but is this good enough?
This article represents what we were talking about in class this week. Schools need to learn to accept and incorporate different cultures into the schools.
This article focused on a harder topic. I think they wanted to incorporate the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, however, it conflicted with the start date of school. Most schools do not like to start the school year late and they decided to dismiss the idea of doing so just for the holiday of Ramadan.
I feel that if all christian holidays are celebrated by the dismissal of school, so should all different holidays from different cultures and religions. The school is letting the Muslim children who are missing school because of the holiday of Ramadan be excused, but is this good enough?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Anti-Bullying in Japan
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110121004772.htm
This article deals with bullying and what educators and staff are doing about it. Many people think that suspending students who are bullying would take care of the problem and some disagree. However, some educators aren't suspending students or punishing them at all for their behavior which reinforces them to continue with the behavior. Japan has also gone as far as making a law to stop bullying.
This article goes to show that bullying is everywhere and different schools are taking different steps to prevent it. Victims of bullying are committing suicide in Japan as well and something needs to be done to stop bullying so that there are no victims.
This article deals with bullying and what educators and staff are doing about it. Many people think that suspending students who are bullying would take care of the problem and some disagree. However, some educators aren't suspending students or punishing them at all for their behavior which reinforces them to continue with the behavior. Japan has also gone as far as making a law to stop bullying.
This article goes to show that bullying is everywhere and different schools are taking different steps to prevent it. Victims of bullying are committing suicide in Japan as well and something needs to be done to stop bullying so that there are no victims.
Field Experience: Day 1
I attended my first day of field experience on Monday, February 14th. I was assigned to a kindergarten class at Kennedy Elementary. It was valentines day, and as you can guess the kids were oozing with excitement. Mrs. Murphy (the teacher) told me to observe and help the kids with their valentines activities, as well as, listening to them read stories to me. I also got the chance to read to a few students. It was a wonderful experience, even though the kids weren't as well behaved as they normally would have been on any other less significant day. I felt like I belonged with them in the classroom. It was amazing to see the students learning and to hear them say, "Ms. Quamme, can you please help me spell blueberries". It was also amazing to see how much passion these little students had for learning. I had so much fun with them that I didn't want to leave. It was also nice to see the techniques that Mrs. Murphy used to grab the students attention. I learned a lot in only two hours. After this first field experience I feel like I was born to be a teacher.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
District 11 fine-tunes bullying policy
http://abcnewspapers.com/2010/10/26/district-11-fine-tunes-bullying-policy/
The Anoka-Hennepin School district already had rules in place for all kinds of bullying. However, they made some changes that would make the policy even more strict and easy to read. I love how they added programs for the students of the school to participate in that makes them aware of bad bullying behavior. I also like how the entire school staff were trained in to better deal with bullying among students. This school district has had a lot of complaints and deaths due to bullying so I am very happy that they finally went a step further.
The Anoka-Hennepin School district already had rules in place for all kinds of bullying. However, they made some changes that would make the policy even more strict and easy to read. I love how they added programs for the students of the school to participate in that makes them aware of bad bullying behavior. I also like how the entire school staff were trained in to better deal with bullying among students. This school district has had a lot of complaints and deaths due to bullying so I am very happy that they finally went a step further.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History
Today I watched the movie Bullied, and as a future teacher I will never allow what has happened to members of the LGBT community happen to any child under my supervision. I will never allow any child to be bullied. No human being or child, especially a child, should be subjected to the violence and bigotry that Jamie went through. I can't believe that adults with authority could stand by and let this abuse happen. It makes me sick to my stomach to know that innocent children have died because of bullying. Bullying is a serious issue in most schools and I would never stand by and let it happen.
Chapter 1: The Global Achievement Gap
I really enjoyed reading the first chapter of The Global Achievement Gap. I come from a poor, small town school district so I can relate to some of the points that Wagner is making throughout the chapter.
The first point that he emphasized really well is that the standardized testing is taking up way to much learning time in every school district. However, it takes up even more time in the poorer school districts. Everything I learned from my high school wasn't all dedicated to standardized testing, however, a big portion of my classes were. Which leads me to the second point that Wagner points out.
The second point that I found very interesting is that due to having to prepare for these standardized tests, students aren't getting anything else out of their learning experience. They are just learning facts and being tested on them. There is no room for exploring the learning process.
The third point Wagner made that stood out to me was that we have an "old world classroom in a new world of work" Students are learning facts that do not prepare them for the world of work today. Students are leaving their high schools unprepared for the world of work or the world of college.
The fourth point is the seven survival skills that go along with the new world of work. They include: critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination.
The fifth (very true) point that Wagner states is that schools are not teaching these skills effectively if even at all. Throughout my education experience I have encountered questions asked by my teachers and answers that have exact answers for my teachers. There is no room to challenge the answers and explore the answers. There was only one answer that I needed to know. This causes me to lose my ability to problem solve, to adapt, to analyze the information, and to lose my curiosity and imagination. We all have huge imaginations when we are very young. Maybe the way children are being taught in schools is why our imaginations seem to disappear?
The first point that he emphasized really well is that the standardized testing is taking up way to much learning time in every school district. However, it takes up even more time in the poorer school districts. Everything I learned from my high school wasn't all dedicated to standardized testing, however, a big portion of my classes were. Which leads me to the second point that Wagner points out.
The second point that I found very interesting is that due to having to prepare for these standardized tests, students aren't getting anything else out of their learning experience. They are just learning facts and being tested on them. There is no room for exploring the learning process.
The third point Wagner made that stood out to me was that we have an "old world classroom in a new world of work" Students are learning facts that do not prepare them for the world of work today. Students are leaving their high schools unprepared for the world of work or the world of college.
The fourth point is the seven survival skills that go along with the new world of work. They include: critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination.
The fifth (very true) point that Wagner states is that schools are not teaching these skills effectively if even at all. Throughout my education experience I have encountered questions asked by my teachers and answers that have exact answers for my teachers. There is no room to challenge the answers and explore the answers. There was only one answer that I needed to know. This causes me to lose my ability to problem solve, to adapt, to analyze the information, and to lose my curiosity and imagination. We all have huge imaginations when we are very young. Maybe the way children are being taught in schools is why our imaginations seem to disappear?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Newly-built Kamirenda Basic School
http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=all&id=1296901784
I found this article to be a very happy one. The residents of Kamirenda Township in Luanshya have a new school. The governement built it for them. Now their children do not have to walk long distances just to reach school. They can also enroll for first grade at the correct age, instead of age 12. Their walks to school are shorter and safer as well. I think that it is great that the government is helping the township of Kamirenda with education. It will produce happier, healthier, and well education citizens.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
1/27:Thursday Class
I found Mary's lesson very useful. I now understand APA style better than I did before. I am really glad to know about Atomic Learning. It seems like a very useful tool to use whenever I need to obtain more information about something. Also, the website edutopia is awesome. It shows me different learning tools I can use to teach, blogs about actual teachers explaining their lives as teachers, and many more subjects that I
found very useful.
found very useful.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Minnesota alternative teaching license
http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011101200005
I really enjoyed reading this article. It explains both of the bills that have to do with alternative teaching license. It explains it in more detail than the previous article. It also gives both the positive and negative aspects of the alternative teaching license. I agree with this article 100%. It is possible that people who enroll in these alternative teaching programs can teach as effectively as people who have been taught using the original method. However, I agree with this statement, "Lesson plans, grading, dealing with behavioral issues and how to effectively communicate academic knowledge can’t be learned overnight".
I really enjoyed reading this article. It explains both of the bills that have to do with alternative teaching license. It explains it in more detail than the previous article. It also gives both the positive and negative aspects of the alternative teaching license. I agree with this article 100%. It is possible that people who enroll in these alternative teaching programs can teach as effectively as people who have been taught using the original method. However, I agree with this statement, "Lesson plans, grading, dealing with behavioral issues and how to effectively communicate academic knowledge can’t be learned overnight".
Thursday, January 20, 2011
International education article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/opinion/17burde.html?ref=education
Nongovermental groups from the United States are setting up educational opportunities for poor children in rural Afghanistan so that they are able to attend school and get some form of an education. Since schools in this area are a target of bombing and killing they have set up community based schools that allow families and teachers to attend without being scared of losing their lives. It gives them an opportunity to teach and learn.
I find this article very sad. It is so sad that children are in this situation. They can't go to school and they can't learn because they fear that they will lose their lives. However, they are making the best of their situation. With some help they are finding an opportunity to learn in a time of great struggles. This goes to show that whatever the situation, education and learning is always possible. Education is important and it is nice to know that the children of Afghanistan are getting the opportunity to attend some form of it. It is also nice to know that teachers are still so motivated to teach students even through a crisis like the one Afghanistan is going through.
Nongovermental groups from the United States are setting up educational opportunities for poor children in rural Afghanistan so that they are able to attend school and get some form of an education. Since schools in this area are a target of bombing and killing they have set up community based schools that allow families and teachers to attend without being scared of losing their lives. It gives them an opportunity to teach and learn.
I find this article very sad. It is so sad that children are in this situation. They can't go to school and they can't learn because they fear that they will lose their lives. However, they are making the best of their situation. With some help they are finding an opportunity to learn in a time of great struggles. This goes to show that whatever the situation, education and learning is always possible. Education is important and it is nice to know that the children of Afghanistan are getting the opportunity to attend some form of it. It is also nice to know that teachers are still so motivated to teach students even through a crisis like the one Afghanistan is going through.
Freedom writers Journal
Prior to starting her first job Erin expected an easier experience then what she originally had thought. She expected to teach the students and that they would really enjoy learning from her. Erin was confronted with many troubles when she first started. They students she was going to teach hated each other, as well as, their teacher Erin. They did not want to be at school. They did not care about learning. They were just trying to survive in the world that they were living in. The students of room 203 have all gone through a lot of hardships. Some of the things they experienced were gangs, violence, poverty, drugs, abuse, and death. They had all been through a lot and instead of coming together to support each other, they hated each other and their own lives. The students hated learning so much that they wouldn't even try to do it. Everyone else saw them as unteachable and couldn't wait for the opportunity to get rid of them. Erin recognized that the students were similar. She made them read books that were very similar to their own lives and taught them that they can succeed. She made them believe in themselves, each other, and her role as teacher to get them to want to learn from her. She also had each student start keeping a journal so that they could get their thoughts out and move forward in life. She connected their lives within her curriculum through the journal entries and the books that resembled their own lives.
Also, Erin had to deal with many challenges within the school system and other teachers. The school system and teachers had already ruled out the students of 203. They didn't give them a chance to learn and wouldn't provide them with the necessary tools to get them to accomplish their learning goals. However, Erin did believe in them. She expected more from them than anyone else did, which made them strive to learn and succeed. Erin believed in these students, made them believe in themselves, and had a huge impact in their lives. I strive to be like Erin.
Also, Erin had to deal with many challenges within the school system and other teachers. The school system and teachers had already ruled out the students of 203. They didn't give them a chance to learn and wouldn't provide them with the necessary tools to get them to accomplish their learning goals. However, Erin did believe in them. She expected more from them than anyone else did, which made them strive to learn and succeed. Erin believed in these students, made them believe in themselves, and had a huge impact in their lives. I strive to be like Erin.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Freedom writers
The Freedom Writers was a very inspirational story of one women (Erin Gruwell) who believed in a group of kids when no one else did. She gave them a chance, believed in them, and helped them to open up. She had to undergo obstacles and find a new way of teaching just to get through to these kids. She didn't give up on these kids, she actually wanted to help them succeed. This story taught me a lot. I never want to give up on a child. I want to do everything that I can to help them succeed in their lives. I want to help them have happier lives and I want to help them believe in themselves like Erin did. I also strive to be creative and find different ways to teach a student if he or she happens to be struggling. Erin Gruwell is a very inspiring teacher and I am glad that she had the opportunity to tell her story. She has inspired me to strive to be the best teacher I can be.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Minn. House takes up alternative teacher licensure
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=900178
I think that an alternative teacher licensure would be great. It would make it easier for some individuals to get into the field of teaching. If it could fill some much needed spots within the teaching program it would be even better. Young students need passionate teachers and I feel as if this alternative teacher licensure would bring about more of them.
I think that an alternative teacher licensure would be great. It would make it easier for some individuals to get into the field of teaching. If it could fill some much needed spots within the teaching program it would be even better. Young students need passionate teachers and I feel as if this alternative teacher licensure would bring about more of them.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Special Education: Why do I want to become a teacher?
As a child my first years of attending school were hard for me. I was a homebody and didn't want to leave the comfort of my mother. Getting on the bus was a task. Staying in school for the entire day was a task as well. However, in the first grade my views about school completely changed. My teachers made school and learning fun for me. They made me feel like I was at home. I wanted to go to school and I wanted to learn because of the teachers in my life. All of the teachers in my life, especially the ones from my elementary school, have made me look up to teachers. I want to help students the way my elementary teachers helped me. I want to make learning fun for kids. I want to help them succeed in their lives. I want to help them break through all of the barriers that life throws at them. I want to teach them that whenever life throws you hurdles, all you have to do is leap. And that they don't have to leap alone, for a teacher is always there to help.
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