Differentiating Instruction

The main purpose of differentiating instruction is to make sure every student gets the opportunity to learn in the ways they are most adapted to. Teachers need to learn what their students strengths and weaknesses are and teach to the way that they feel most confident In. A lesson cannot be developed to suit every person in the classroom. There are students that need more of a challenge, those who have crossed the learning threshold and can be challenged a little further, and those who need more help and need to be instructed of prove there knowledge in a totally different manner. Tiered lessons are a great way to make sure students have a choice and can answer in whs that make them more confident and successful. They are great tools to give students room to choose.

Describe Effective Teaching Techniques that Result in Intended Learning.

Effective teaching requires using multiple approaches to keep students engaged in the progress of learning. Whether direct, indirect, or inquiry instruction teachers have to be versatile and willing to change quickly even if it means giving up a planned lesson for the day to go with a "teachable moment."  But on a typical teaching day using direct instruction students should have an exposure to various attention-gaining devices whether a question that draws them in to learning, a visual such as the SMARTboard or even a small video that paints a vivid picture of the concept to be studied that day. An effective teacher should show enthusiasm and be animated through eye-contact, voice and gestures or movement to facilitate transitions. An instructor should be flexible and also have a certain consistency in their approach (e.g. presents, asks questions, then provide for independent practice). Effective teaching incorporates students ideas or participation in some aspects of the instruction. There should be a mixture of rewards and reinforcers ( e.g. extra credit, verbal praise, independent study,etc). There should also be evaluation and measurement incorporated on a daily/weekly basis to help students retain information and give them a chance to prove what they've learned. Direct instruction should be used for knowledge and comprehension goals and indirect instruction for inquiry and problem solving objectives. Rubrics are a great approach that outlines the needs.

How Do I Motivate Students?

Listening to the voices of students is key to understanding what motivates them to learn. According to Barbara Combs, students have repetitivly stated what makes them want to learn. (a) rigor and joy in their school work, (b) a balance of complexity and clarity, (c) opportunities to discuss personal meanings and values, (d) learning activities that are relevant and fun, and (c) learning experiences that offer choice and require action. (Combs 1995).  Following these tenets is not always easy. Trying to make everything about our curriculum interesting and fun is not always possible.  Motivation in students can be achieved through positive feedback, praise and having clear directions and objectives.  Finding ways to connect to students is an art and it begins by knowing their interests, backgrounds, and abilities.

Attribution theory is a classical approach to motivation of pupils. Students seek to understand why they have been successful. Some reasons students might give are effort, innate ability, an easy or hard test, or luck. These causes either originate within the learner (effort, ability) or outside the learner (luck, task). It's either an internal locus of causality, or an outside locus of causality.  How the student thinks about or interprets success or failure and not the outcome itself impacts motivation.

Self-efficacy theory is another way theorists have tried to explain motivation. Students are more likely to begin, persist at, and master tasks that they think they are good at.  Motivation through self-efficacy can be increased by verbal persuasion through which the teacher expresses confidence and surety in a students ability. The most important factor influencing learners is their past experience with success or failure.

Goal Theory is another perspective on motivation. It focuses on putting an emphasis on why children would want to succeed. Theorist put people into two groups. The first is task-focused group who are focused on developing academic competence and improving their skill for purely intrinsic reasons. The second is the ability focused group, who are more interested in showing off abilities, show off their skills, and attain rewards such as praise and grades. Research shows that those who are intrinsically motivated have long lasting success.

What is the Role of the Teacher in the Classroom?

A teacher is the facilitator of learning and in my view should be the main source of information when it comes to knowledge or where to find knowledge. A student should be understand clearly what is expected of them and have specific objectives laid out for them that are approachable and not out of reach. A teacher should make learning seem logical, purposeful, and almost effortless (even though it is not). When students become confused the teacher appears to know just what to do and how to ask the right question or rephrase instructions in a way that get everyone back on track. Effective teaching is usually the result of thoughtful planning and careful preparation.  A teacher should maintain a class that is secure and comfortable for anyone to sit in. Students should not be afraid to take risks such as stating their views, answering a question, or proposing a point that is not a normal response. A teacher should have control of their class and make sure that learning is maximized without any disruptions or behavior that seeks to distort the fabric of the class.  The role of a teacher is to adjust the plans of lesson to go with a "teachable moment." Sometimes sticking with a strict lesson plan can be tedious and long winded and going with the moment can be more important. Teachers have to be open to change on the drop of a time, but always have to be prepared and ready to guide the learning of a class.

Project Based Learning

Project-based learning requires that students work cooperatively on a real world issue using questioning and problem solving in order to decide an appropriate plan of action in a presentable way. Creating a website that presents their argument or solutions is a great focus point. Having students become more responsible for their learning while working as a team, deliberating and compromising with contingencies is the skill project-based learning enhances.

Using the tools of the Knowledge Age such as the Internet may be difficult for students to navigate without guidance from the teacher. Students will first be given a project to focus their inquiry learning. They must investigate a problem that warrants explanation and then decide a solution. Students should be free to express their own opinions while being open to others. They have to truly scrutinize, developing a tight grasp on the details surrounding their problem.

Blogging at the Mountain Center

Recently we have been experimenting in our social studies classes up here in the Mountain Center by starting our own blogs. Technology is a common interest of all our students and most have a laptop and Internet access. I decided to merge this infatuation with some kind of writing activities and what better way than blogs? Bloggin for students is a great way to do free writing about various issues while enhancing their technological skills and sharing their thoughts with each other. As a teacher I am usually the only one to read a student's work and I want students to start reading each other's thoughts on different topics in history.

Putting their thoughts online is a great way to motivate students because they know many people will be reading their writing. There is a tendency to be more cohesive on the part of the writer. The blog is also a running example of students' work and reveals their progression in the course and topics they have covered. They can use it as a point to save information, study their prior thoughts, and remember their past academic endeavors. Being technologically savvy is the wave of the future. Working online will hopefully enhance their skills and bring future rewards, interests, and opportunities to discover.

Welcome to Blogosphere

Today we started developing blogs in our class and students seemed exited about them. It's nice to implement technology into the classroom. With our new blogging we don't have to worry about printing or bringing in work to class. We can write and save our thoughts for the future to look at when we forget our past learning. Blogs are a great way to share information also. I am planning to attach all your blogs to mine so we can read each other's thoughts. Too many times I receive writing that is great and your peers don't get a chance to see it for themselves. Let's collaborate online and step into the future! Try to find the members of your class and follow all their blogs so you can examine each's own thoughts on questions about social studies.

Ken Robinson's New Paradigm

Sitting here today, watching the snow fall, I watched an old video that I have not seen for about two years. I was introduced to Sir Ken Robinson's theories by a professor from the Mount--Dr. Ludmilla Smirnova. She was definitely a person who loved knowledge, and the new ways in which knowledge is transmitted in our new millennium. She understood that we as teachers are the instruments of change, and that the challenges facing our society are significant and we will need people who know how to think creatively. There is a pressing need for change in our school system, and this is because of the deficient results that our educational system is offering. Despite the significant influx of money being assigned to educational institutions, the reduction of class sizes, and the emphasis on Math and Science, our literacy levels are degrading, along with the amount of students graduating. Our drop out rates are increasing, and many are giving up on learning. And with the numerous challenges ahead of us in this coming century, we are going to need people who know how to solve problems in new and innovating ways. In fact our whole social system is in need of a paradigm shift, and as Sir Kenneth Robinson points out it must start with a major overhaul in our schools, and institutions of higher learning.

He first begins by conveying the nature and origin of our being and then moves further into the educational system that is now in place. His idea is that our system "systematically destroys the capacity" of our creativity. Now we are not doing this "deliberately," but he believes that our system of public education is dominated by two ideas. One is "a conception of economic utility" which is implicit in the system. This is proven by the hierarchy of the school curriculum. He illustrates the preference of useful subjects and useless subjects. For instance math always takes preference over the arts. Robinson explains how when there are cutbacks, the arts such as music and dance are eliminated first because of their lack of "economic utility."He goes on to say that as students we probably found ourselves "benignly steered away" for the subjects we were truly interested in. Economic utility took precedence. A second premise that Ken Robinson identifies is culture, and maintenance of cultural values in the midst of globalization. Many societies are struggling with the premise of integrating their identities into the matrix of global society.

With regards to the deficiencies of our current public system, Robinson argues that our system was created on the model ideas of the enlightenment, and economic industrialization. People developed a consensus that intelligence was based on deductive reasoning, and a knowledge of the classics. Schools were developed to accommodate the economic needs of the time. The largest pool of people were those who performed blue collar work, and generally people suited to perform more menial tasks went to school until they were 12 years old. Then there were those who would go to secondary school to perform the administrative work, and they would basically attend grammar school until they turned 18. The smallest portion of people would go to university, and they were the lawyers, judges, and doctors. Now the problem with this system is the notion of intelligence the old system is based on. Robinson argues that many have succeeded in this mode of learning, but much more have woefully not. There are a multitude of people whose self-concepts have been ruined because of the hierarchy of the system. He says that "there are many brilliant people, who think they're not, and this system has caused chaos." The system seems an unfair way to judge people.

The changes taking place on earth are without precedence. Our system was conceived during the age of revolutions both political and industrial. School were shaped to fulfill society's demand. Currently our educational system is not equipped to handle the rapidity of change. Although there has been many reforms in education, Robinson argues that Education needs to be transformed. He argues that we currently educate our citizens from the "outside" meaning we compel students into what society demands. Some of these factors are intelligence, ability, economic purposes, and what people need. He instead argues that the student should be the focus, or "personhood" the imperative. People do their best when they do the thing they love, when they're in their element. When people connect this powerful sense of talent in their self, they become somebody else. It is in this element that the student will develop into their finest capabilities, and spawn creativity. We need to shape minds into creative thinkers due to the massive problems our society is facing. World-wide the growth of cities, the problems of the environment, and drain on resources will be major challenges in the next century. Our current system of education is not preparing people to contend with the nexus of connecting crisis coming. Too many are fooled with a false notion of intelligence, and being left behind. Focusing on each person's individual talents will keep people motivated to develop and become creative thinkers.

Rousseau's Emile ou l'education

Rousseau was a famous philosopher from the 1700's, and his thought on the matter helped to lay the frames for our current ideas on what an education should be. Before we make a judgement on his thought and theory, we definitely have to consider the time period he was writing in. Education at the time was reserved for the wealthy, and the upper classes who could afford private tutors. There were schools, and colleges but reading and writing was most likely done in the home. In Rousseau's writing "Emile ou l'education," he starts at the very beginning and brings us into the youngest years of the child, and reinvigorates the understanding that the parents truly are the child's first teacher. He highlights the ideas in a quote which I've chosen as a heading for one of my blogs.

We are born weak, we need strength; we are born lacking everything, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. All that we lack at birth and that we need when we are grown is given by education.

This quote has caught my attention because Rousseau defines the root of the word "education," and its original meaning from Latin, which is more closely defined as "nurture." This idea to me links teaching and parenting closely. Even as a secondary teacher, I must constantly plant my methods to accommodate the growing child. The early years of a growing mind, and even the teen years are so pivotal in the development of a person. Habits are learned, and unlearned, and how students develop will have a great impact on the rest of lives. This philosopher also states in this passage that we need "judgment,"an ideal that signifies to me the stern, and stringent methods a teacher needs to have in order to instill good habits in our youth. The world is not a perfect place, and students need to be judged for their behavior, and parents need to be there to enforce rules when students break them. Remember, we are preparing young people for the world, not a place that is always forgiving like an idea parent. They need to be toughened up, and prepared to face the world. Rousseau has a great analogy that accentuates the importance of creating good habits in our youth. He compares the growing mind to that of the growing of a tree (amazing how our neurons look just like the branches of a tree).

Nature, we are told, is merely habit. What does this signify? Are there not habits formed under compulsion, habits which never stifle nature? Such, for example, is the habit of plants that have had their vertical direction altered. Once given liberty, the plant keeps the shape it was forced into. And yet for all that, the sap has not changed its original direction, and any new growth the plant makes will be vertical. It is the same with the inclinations of man.

This is a great analogy that I think holds significant validity for those of us who have chosen the teaching profession. As a teacher in our modern era, we have to remember that we are not just teaching our content, but good habits. Habits that will stay with a student for the rest of their life. And once we miss those opportunities to shape a mind into a well conditioned educated citizen, transforming those non vertical "branches" will take force, and painful altering. Those who were not shaped in time may have taken the wrong directions, and there is no turning back once that happens. Our prisons, and correctional facilities are a testament to those branches that have grown in the wrong direction, and it is our responsibility as teacher to make sure "vertical" growth is the predominate direction for growth. Rousseau definitely has some great points that are applicable today. I will continue this summary later.228

My Teaching Philosophy

My perception of eduction is based on the premise that a teacher's main purpose is to help students excel and succeed. I want students to enjoy learning, and ignite a passion for knowledge that follows them throughout life. As teachers, we have to incorporate a greater variety of ways to instruct besides direct instruction, among these are peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and discovery learning. Bringing tactile experiences into the classroom is a technique I wish to explore, especially as a social studies teacher. I do not agree with teaching a curriculum geared totally towards Western culture. Such a mode of education can be seen as outdated due to the emergence of an ever-changing globally connected society. Learning has to be culturally diverse, and not just because it is politically correct. The fact is that our classrooms are culturally diverse. Learning should reflect who the learner is and become a tool to facilitate self-realization. Students should understand our globalized world better because it will be up to them to solve problems that threaten our interconnected world. Understanding different cultures, and how society has arrived to this point will be important to our future students.

My learning process is based on determining various ways to motivate students to become self-regulated and responsible for their learning. I want to encourage students to constantly assess how an activity is helping them gain understanding, while concomitantly incorporating technology. When students arrive at school from their homes, we as teachers are competing for their attention with televisions, games, cell phones, and internet. In the past, schools and classrooms may had been a more captivating place, but now we need to find more ways to engage the "net generation." Students need more technology, whether it be enhancing their computer skills with discovery learning and inquiry lessons or keeping their focus with SMARTboards and computers activities. I keep a list of web 2.0 tools that have been touted as optimal mediums for learning with technology. Preparing students for tomorrow and the technological world is a goal in which I wish to implement in my lesson planning.

Teaching is a science, and we as teachers must be able to think, act, and instruct scientifically. Our instructional decisions have to be based on empirically driven data that is well documented and proven to work effectively. We have to understand more thoroughly how the brain operates, and more importantly how the brain thinks. A classroom should be viewed as a laboratory where the experiment of learning is taking place, and if knowledge is not being attained, then other modes of instruction should be exhausted to make our experiment successful. Using various strategies to enhance memory, organization, and higher-order thinking should be the goals of our scientific experiment. Making students a part of our learning experiment is also in my tenets. They should understand the techniques that increases their brain power, and make each and ever learner a scientist in their own worlds.

Return of the Blog

I am continuing this blog in order to continue developing  my teaching skills.  After my first and second student-teaching placements, I have been thinking about some of the students I encountered and how I can better engage them in social studies.  I still come in contact with the same students when I substitute, and understanding their interests and their intellects is key to teaching in the constructivist method.  I want to be able to connect new information to old.  So what do they think about?  Where do their preconceptions come from?  

In one lesson that I taught while student teaching, I asked the students about their parents, and the jobs that they do.  It was a constructivist moment.  Children were learning about each other, and experiencing a whole gamut of alternate viewpoints.  I felt I was tapping into an emotional energy, and asked the students to realize how parents struggle to meet their needs. Next, I tried to get the students to imagine the government as almost like an extended family. It helps people in certain ways when they want.  It defends us from harm, and tries to look after our overall well-being. They seemed amused by this concept, but I tried to make them see things in a different light.  

Another method I used to make students think was to ask them if they had ever experienced oppression, or injustice in their lives.  I didn't get much of a reply.  They are young, and maybe they had not been exposed to such malevolence.  This intro was connected to slavery, and how the Constitution did not guarantee rights for those in bondage.  It was a difficult subject to teach.  I want to try to implement it again.  Some classes are not prone to talk about things as much. Still, that doesn't mean they are not thinking about their own experiences.  And that is my goal.   

Summary of the Summer--This is Hot!!!

Hello,

Now is the time to tell everyone what I learned in this course. I have spent many hours behind the computer, and learned so many things about teaching in a very short time. The internet is the place to go to keep up to date on education.  Computer based learning definitely requires perseverance. I learned that if there is a possibility that something will go wrong, then it will. Always have a backup plan! If you are going to present anything online, make sure you post it in several places on the Internet. Keep a record of all your passwords and nicknames on the computer, and please--"don't get aggravated." Remember Kenneth Robinson's video "Paradigm Shift;" the insignificance of our planet in relation to the size of the universe dwarfs any problems that we face in our microscopic lives. Besides that, Robinson truly believes that our education system is not fulfilling our society's needs. Our education system seems to be build on the premise of preparing our students to work in factories. But societies needs have changed and we need people that can think more creatively to solve the many problems that we face and will encounter in the future. I mention Robinson's critical assertions because I think that a main theme of our course was devoted to the need of our system to change, and change now.

In taking this course I realized that our school system is changing because our society is changing. We studied educational philosophies, and I realized that our old ways of schooling with a more authoritarian philosophy is not helping our students. We need to lean more towards student-centered learning. Newer philosophies such as humanism, and constructivism are pervading our schools, and for good reason. Kids are losing interest in education, and they need to be given an opportunity to make more decisions about their learning. New learning, in the constructivist perspective requires self-regulation and the building of conceptual structures through reflection and abstraction. Concept development and deep understanding is the foci.
This perspective is consistent with the constructivist tendency to explore multiple truths, representations, perspectives and realities.

As teachers, we need encourage more student initiated questions, independent thought, and interaction between students. In our more cliche methods, the goal of the learner was to regurgitate the accepted explanation. We need to make more of an impact and foster ingenuity and creativity. Technology is increasingly being touted as an optimal medium for the application of constructivist principles. And, the computer-based learning environment allows for student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content when needed. Other theories we studied were differentiated intruction, which I think goes hand and hand with constructivist theory. Differentiated instruction is formed around the precepts that
1. No two children are alike.
2. No two children learn in an identical way.
3. An enriched environment for one student is not enriched for another.
4. In the classroom we should teach children to think for themselves (constuct their own knowledge).
The most important thing about differentiation is the need to know the learners. Curricular goals may be similar for all students, however, methodologies employed in a classroom must be varied to suit the individual needs of all children. Consistent with constuctivism, differentiation allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their learning, and also provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning. Here is four ways to differentiate:
1. Content--content can be described as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes we want children to learn. Differentiation in content requires that students are pre-tested so the teacher cna identify the students strengths. Another way to differentiate content is simply to permit students to accelerate this rate of progress.
2. Process and Activities--Differentiating the processes means varying learning activities or strategies to provide appropriate methods for students to explore the concepts. Giving students alternate paths to manipulate the ideas is embedded in this concept. (Graphic organizers, maps, diagrams, or charts to allow them to display their comprehension of concepts is a good way to implement this idea).
3. The Product--Differentiating the product means varying the complexity of the product that students create to demonstrate mastery of concepts. Students working below grade level may have reduced performance expectations, while students above grade level may be asded to produce work that requires more advanced thinking. It is also motivating to offer a choice to students.
4. The Environment/Learning Style-- lighting/ posters / visual distrators/ seating / and mixing learning styles and multiple intelligences are key to differentiation.

A topic I was interested in deeply was the curriculum, and the factors that impact its design.  There are various form of curricula in schools all operating simultaneously.  One should come to the conclusion that learning is all connected.  Here are some ways of interpreting the vast elements of curriculum:

1. Explicit--courses offered, syllabi, tests given, materials used. 

2. Implicit--the "hidden curriculum" emerges incidentally from the interactions between the students and the physical.  For instance the building of social/ communication skills. 

3. Extracurricular or Cocurriculum--student activities, sports, clubs, students government, and the school newspaper. Encourages student self-esteem, and civic participation, improves race relations, and raises children's aspirations. 

Curricula throughout the nation are undergoing scrutiny and a major theme that I studied in depth was multiculturalism, and how to integrate it throughout the school.  "Global Education" investigates world topics that span national borders including conflict reduction and ecology. Global education is a growing curricular phenomenon.  Websites now available to students focus on international issues form child labor and animal migration to confronting intolerance and racism.  

Next focusing on technology was a important part of the learning process in this course.  Many new methods in education include the use of technology to enhance collaboration and communication in a world of gadgetry. Students are constantly ingrained in some sort of social networking, and finding ways to incorporate these tool in the education process should be a priority. Web 2.0 has many features; here are some:

                Web 2.0=

Student centered learning/ multi-sensory stimulation/ multi-path progression/ multi-media/ collaborative work/ information exchange/

Active/ exploratory/ inquiry based, critical thinking/ proactive/ planned/ authentic / real world/ 

Information=created --shared-- remixed-- repurposed-- repurposed--passed along. 

Vocabulary = images, video, multimedia, music, visual. 

Theses concepts were put to work on the "School of the Future" project, which I enjoyed tremendously.  There motto was "Infuse Technology anywhere, anytime." The school of the future project even insisted on integrating technology into the fabric of community life. Adult education programs, training courses, and community involvement to relay the importance a school has on the community. 

Change --The Slogan of the Century

For the last part of my dynamic summary of Nature of schools I will talk about change.  Again using Ken Robinson's video "Changing Paradigms"as a reference our present century will undergo the biggest changes in the history of civilization.  Many schools are not keeping up with public demands.  When change becomes necessary here's a way to implement your plan:

--Identify what it is in your control to change.

--Identify your options

--create a support system

--examine your attitude.

--Remain flexible

--give your self a break (for a little bit!)

--strive to achieve balance & perspective. 

The hardest thing to change is the hardening of attitudes. Take advice and don't take a setback personal. Confidence comes from conquering "fear of change."  Here are some more things to keep in mind.  We must convince ourselves to change from:

Being Closed    to  Being Open

Denying Feelings to Expressing Feelings

Being Defensive to Accepting Feedback

Convention  to Experimentation

Being Suspicious to Trusting others

Being Guarded to Being Spontaneous

Avoiding Conflict to Facing Conflict

Being Rigid to Being Flexible/ Sincere/ self-aware. 

Change is permeating every aspect of our society.  So what kind of challenges are we facing? What kinds of students are we teaching? Ladies and gentlemen, they are not the same today as when we grew up.  We have entered the "Knowledge Age."  

1. Every two -- three years our knowledge base doubles!

2. High-Schoolers have been exposed to more information than their grandparents have been in a lifetime!

3. More change is expected in the next 3 decades than in the last 3 centuries!

So what do our students need to be able to do?  Preparing them for a changing world requires that they are adaptable and able to handle information in an effective manner. 

They need to be able to speak well, write well, analyze. With information they should be able to validate, synthesize, gain leverage, communicate, and collaborate. Having our students familiarize themselves with technology to do these things will be important.  

Community Letter-Reaching Out.

Hello Friends, 

Here is my first attempt at writing a community letter regarding diversity in our towns, and cities.  

REMEMBER, JUST TAP THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT. 

Thank you, Ian. 

School of the Future

Greetings to class,

This is our group creation for our wk. III project.

This is my back-up (in case we can't raise this image on Thursday's online class). One needs "Inspiration" downloaded in order to view this on their home computer. Inspiration is a great program that creates the best graphic organizers in my opinion. Elementary teachers are probably more familiar with "Kidspiration" which is the sister program of "Inspiration." We combined our efforts on this program and this is what we came up with.

The school of the future is something to ponder. We are beginning to get a glimpse of what lies beyond "the painted veil" of future education.  Our country, and our world is changing. Watching the videos from "Innovations" was interesting.  Beginning with the U.S., we are changing from a industrial based economy into an information driven society. Manufacturing is going overseas, especially to powerhouses like China, and Singapore. And, even though many aspects of our educational system are viewed as inadequate, (especially math and science), the United States continues to hold a leading edge over the rest of the world. Can we actually attribute this to our dilapidated educational system? Perhaps we are doing something right after all. Many nations are trying to understand our educational system, and the creativity it fosters. Yong Jo, a speaker from "innovations" explains the concepts of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is more important than math or science scores.

I think it is obvious that our system does not need a complete overhaul. Still innovation and reform will have to be priorities to make sure that our communities remain competitive with the international arena. Companies will move to other countries if there is a chance to make money. America needs to adapt and lead the way in innovation (and education ). We have to find a way to remain indispensable in the global supply chain. I think that Americans have an advantage just growing up in the United States. For instance Chinese architects might have trouble building a new hotel or shopping mall because they've never seen one in real life. Many Chinese firms hire American architects because they have clearer visions of what a shopping mall should look like. Don't forget to give credit to our schools for keeping our people creative and competitive(thank you teachers!). Remember teachers are our "secret weapons" according to Dr. Michael Lomex president of UNCF. Still, don't rest on your laurels, our competitors are making strides everyday.

The Future is Technology.

Hi Cyberfriends,

It's time to pen (or type) a new blog entry.  I've added a picture of the moon to relay the idea that no human being has been beyond the moon (at least physically).  And it was forty years ago that Neil Armstrong first set foot on its barren surface. Technology has come a long way, and since the beginning of time, the moon was considered far out of the reach of man (and woman).  Things that were considered impossible are now general knowledge.  And its said by Nasa that the first people that will walk on Mars have already been born.  This is an interesting idea. Imagine if one of the students in our classes is one of them.  Technology is what will enable use to break our current boundaries, both in the solar system, and in the classroom. 

Technology must be used correctly to enable students to engage our future.  And, the problem with the future is that no one knows what it will look like.  As Kenneth Robinson mentioned in his talk on TED--"Do Schools Kill Creativity", no one know what our world will look like even 5 years from now.  How do we prepare our students for this unknown world?   I guess by making them versatile and adaptable to their environments.  Literacy is still a main component of education and always has been.  Whether its through books, newspapers, or computers people will still need to read in order to thrive in a new world.  As far as what I do with technology, I look at things on the internet and read, read, read.  The constant focus on math and science is irrelevant if a person doesn't have advanced reading skills.  And why should we focus on math and science?  Are they the only jobs that will be available in the future?

Another main argument that I've heard in education is the emphasis on getting computers in the classroom.  I really don't think it's that pressing.  Children have to learn to crawl before they walk.  Putting a child behind a computer screen, and individualizing their learning may not be the right method, especially for elementary.  What about the "implicit curriculum,"and teaching children social skills.  What happen to the days when kids went bowling, or played games together?  People are becoming more encased in their own worlds because of technology.  And I guess the counter-argument to that would be--we have to prepare students for the workplace.  However, I think that people with no computer background can generally catch on in a few weeks, or a few months.  We have to teach our students to learn.  If they become great learners, they can adjust to any environment.  

I think technology is naturally one more tool we can use to engender skill in literacy, math, science, etc.  Giving students different media to learn a topic in history/social studies will be a priority.  Whether it be a book, an overhead, a dvd, or an internet access.  I think that the way the system is with all the high-stakes testing constrains the kind of things we can do with computers.   An inquiry or student-centered lesson is hard to incorporate when teachers must teach a specific body of information in such a short span of time.  Computers are great investigative tools, especially when completing some sort of project.  As teacher, I guess having resources to direct students to should be a priority.  

Week II: The Constructivists Strike Back

Hello Again, 

I guess I'll start week II with a little architectural background.  I've included a picture of our high-school in Newburgh--NFA.  What's interesting about the schools in the city of Newburgh is they all face the Hudson River or East. There are different explanations why this is.  One reason is to "catch the first rays of light" in the morning.  I've heard others say that the Masons(a group whom many of our founding fathers belonged) had a hand in constructing the schools to face the East, and Egypt, where the first masters of architecture began with the building of the pyramids and other colossal projects.  It's interesting how our buildings mimic the past monuments in our history.  It reminds me that knowledge is transmitted through thousands of years of time.  

The knowledge and information that society passes down to us has a strong impact on how we think and act.  We learned about Social Constructivism, and the influence society has on the learner.  In our readings we are asked to question the nature of knowledge itself.  Is knowledge absolute, separate from the knower, and corresponding to a knowable, external reality, or is it constructed by and part of the knower and relative to the individual experience (Constructivism, from Philosophy to Practice)? I think that it is a little of both.  One does not invent their own language, and system of measurement and numerical representation.  Society and family impose or transmit their systems on people.  Still, for an individual, information has to be internalized before it becomes knowledge, and that's where  I see the principles of constructivism regain their validity.  Every person has different origins, and points of view that reappear when connecting to new knowledge.  For instance say I'm a Republican-Conservative-- I'm always going to see things from that point of view.  And when introduced to new issues and topics, I'm always going to try argue in favor of Conservatism.  The same thing would go if I was a liberal, or an anarchist.  We seem to construct our knowledge around different principles, whether they be religious, political, or cultural.  Still, I think that knowledge can be separated from the individual.  Whether that that individual exists or not the number 3 will always be the number 3.  And no individual is going to change that. 

Constructivism is a fascinating premise.  We must remember that our students are coming to our classes from multiple backgrounds and points of view.  Finding ways to reach 30 different people in one class is very challenging.  I think that's way teaching a recurrent body of knowledge is important.  If students learn on their own then why do we need schools?  Society may blight individuality, but when it comes down to it, society is the invention that has enabled our species to survive.  I think the nature of schools is to teach a pluralistic, multi-ethnic society to function together and in harmony (among other things).  Constructivism has many different outlooks and varieties. I agree with the premise that concept development and deep understanding is the focus.  Students have to take the initiative to develop deep understanding by "the building of conceptual structures" (Von Glaserfeld).  And I think that these "conceptual structures" are influenced by the individual and society.   

Nature of Schools--Group Meeting & Learning outcomes

Hi Class, 

This is my reflection for this weeks learning outcomes.  My group (the Trailblazers) spent time orientating ourselves to "Tappedin" and some of the other ways to communicate on the internet.  I established an office where our group could convene. Sorting through the requirements of the course was a big part of our first week.  Our group was quick to collaborate on our first project--the powerpoint presentation on Thursday July 3.  We evaluated our topic (culture and education) and divided our content in order to make sure we each had a part in the assignment.  I completed the powerpoint because of my prior experience with online learning.  The content we studied introduced our class to some of the main issues in education today.  

The topic we studied, culture, was interesting and pointed to some important issues in education today. Our reading covered issues about learning differences, cultural issues, and bilingual education.  The readings were especially helpful in their predictions about the future of the make-up of our classes. Our reading suggested that by 2020 half of the students in the United States will be of non-European dissent.  We also learned some of the different styles for incorporating topics into the curriculum that add ethnicity. Making the curriculum diverse is especially important so students from different cultures will feel more connected to their learning and their identity. 

We also learned about some other topics in education today.  Understanding who and what influence curriculum design was interesting to me.  It was surprising to see the many factors that establish and change curriculum.  I still want to explore the topic of academic freedom and the extent that a teacher has power to design what they will teach in the classroom.  Principals seem to have more control than teachers, especially when trying to improve standardized testing and state requirements.  

I also learned about the economic issues facing our schools and the ways that schools differ from location to location.  Wealthier communities have more money and usually better schools, while inner-city schools seem to get the least attention from the state and federal government. Other issues that sparked an interest are the impact of television on students learning styles.  They are more visually orientated now, and prefer other forms of learning to reading.  Differentiating instruction will be the most import thing in the future of curricular design.  

The issues we learned about so far represent what we as teachers have to consider before we even start to teach.  Students come to school from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, genders, economic differences, and gender.  Before they begin to learn effectively, we have to find ways to incorporate our students diversity into our teaching. 

Grading--A Necessary Activity

Hi People,

Grading and keeping records are a necessary part of education on all levels. Both students and teachers are accountable for how grades turn out. It is a great way to inform classroom techniques, and help the teacher decide what are the most effective ways to teach. Teachers need to have an extended record to help make instructional decisions as they progress through the curriculum. Engrade is an online tool that could help bring organization to a teacher's hectic day.

Engrades data is recorded online, so it can be accessed by many different participants, including students. The threat of a computer crash is less threatening when data is recorded online. The grades that are posted on Engrade can also be accessed by more people than just the teacher. Students, parents, and principals can all access these grades to keep them informed about how things are going in the classroom. From my limited experience in schools, it seems teachers are still using the black book to record their students outcomes. Others use off-line programs that have the possibility to collapse. Students are always interested in how their doing, even if they don't necessarily show it. Engrade is a great way to share information with the students and parents privately to show them progress. I think this program is especially good to keep parents informed about how their child is doing.

Online records and grading bring more accountability to students, especially if they know that their parents have access to their grades and constant ability to check up on their marks. The possibility of a child forging their report card, or preventing their parents from seeing it is minimized by Engrade. Students probably would not like that feature, but if it pushes them to do better, than I think that it is helpful for teachers. The program also has an attendance feature that can convey to parents any unlawful absence. As with most technology, information is shared with more people, and this program does just that.

There were not many things that I disliked about this program. It does so much more than the old methods. Again, I'm not teaching right now, so I don't have anything to compare it to. If I were to suggest something to change about the program, I guess I would want a place to store documents like tests, students papers, and other records. Using a scanner, and storing research papers, or other big projects would be a great way to show off somebody's work to parents, or principals.

"Read All About It!"

Hi Again, 

I just want to start by saying that their was another page to this letter that did not attach when I converted from PDF.  I worked hard on it, so I'm attaching PDF to our discussion forum.  Here's a link that will bring you to both pages I created--letterpop--check it out! 

Designing letters like these to communicate with parents and other people in the academic community is a good way to show you are a caring and superb teacher.  Making something like this shows that you a serious about getting students and parents involved.  I'm not teaching yet, but many of the teachers I've interviewed have suggested that keeping a dialogue with parents is very important factor that determines how a student will do in school, and their class specifically. When a parent has information about what their child is learning, they will have more of a chance to ask that students how their learning is coming along.  

I think that something like this is a good way to communicate with parents because it is not derogatory, and is not trying to convey something negative about the student. Many teachers only call home if something bad has happened, such as a discipline or academic problem. We as teachers have to find avenues that create a positive relationship with parents.  Other ways we could do this is by writing a letter that says something positive about the students.  If they do well on a project or some other assessment. Other ways to communicate by phone, e-mail, or ever teleconference.  Phone or in-person is probably better than e-mail.  E-mail is so impersonal.  New ways to communicate would be skype, teleconference, or even a WiKi.  As a teacher, you can give parents your personal website address and post information about your class on the web.  Of course this newsletter is also a great way to enhance communication with parents, principals, and guardians. 

I chose Letterpop mainly because I liked their background templets. Scrapblog seemed only geared towards family photos and vacation templets. They were not that professional to me.  I also had an account already established with Letterpop from a prior assignment.  Letterpop just seemed more compatible for designing a newsletter.  The next time I do this I want to figure out how to design templets better, especially adding more slots for images and other features.  If I were to do this more frequently, I would gather parents e-mail address, so that I could mail them a letter every time we begin/end a unit.  I would do this on the first day of school, and keep the parents informed more often. Overall, I think that newsletters are a good way to establish a good dialogue with parents and guardians.  

Crossing Words for Fun

Good Evening, 

I am posting these questions to my crossword puzzle because they did not come out so well when I converted from Excel at MSMC library.  I am learning quite bit about computers.  This was actually the first time I used Excel for a class.  I was not aware of things you could do with this program until this assignment.  

Learning how to use computer software by completing tasks is a great learning strategy.  Learning only about software would not be as engaging as completing a finished product. Having a clear objective to complete with the program makes sure that a learner has thoroughly investigated the applications of the program being learned. For example, learning how to create a crossword puzzle in Excel allowed me to became quite familiar with the application, and I probably could do it again without reading the directions now.  I definitely think that if I just read the directions, and was not given the chance to apply my new gained knowledge,I would not have retained the skill in making an Excel crossword puzzle.  

Teaching students themselves to make crossword puzzles is a great way to teach vocabulary and computer skills at the same time.  There are many other uses Excel can offer, and creating a crossword opens up a students capacity to use the application in other capacities.  Maybe they will have to create a spreadsheet one day, and their knowledge about making crosswords will help them better perform other tasks with the program. 

Next time I use this program I want to find out its capabilities.  What else can one do with Excel? I should have investigated it more.  I also want to try some other image converters, because sometimes I get choppy images.  Finding out what is out there is half the battle when using computers, or any medium.