EDC 533 Highlight (Wk 6/7: Pt. II)

     I think that one of the major ideas that kept resurfacing throughout my blogs over the course of the class was the idea of change.  It is obvious that as the times changes the students that we have in school change.  With this being said, our curriculum should change with the times to fit the needs of the students.  I think that often times people working find it hard to make changes if things are going well.  I agree with this notion to a certain extent.  I think that regardless of the school’s success, it is difficult to stay as a high performing school without making changes to the curriculum.  Not to say that these changes need to be extreme or drastic, but small, significant changes are necessary.  I feel that many educators realize the need to change certain aspects within their curriculum but they may not find the time, money, ect. to do so.  If we do not make necessary changes to the curriculum to fit the times, then our students who we are educating are not receiving all that they could be if some updates are not implemented.  Change is something that we, as educators, should embrace.  Although change can often bring a new challenge, we need to step up to the plate and accept the challenge so we are preparing our students for the future to the best of our ability. 

            I hope to use this blog beyond EDC 533.  I think it has formed a good connection with educators around the state and country.  It has given me the opportunity to look at different points of view, how different aspects of curriculum are handled in different school districts, and how educators deal with issues surrounding curriculum.  I think that it would be neat to share it with other teachers in my school district so they could give their opinion on some of these pressing issues that we face with curriculum.  I think that where we all have a common bond through education, it makes sense to bounce ideas off one another.  If nothing else, it can keep me informed on what is going on in other school districts around the state and around the country.  

Ch. 1-4 Key Points (Wk. 6/7)

            After revisiting Ch. 1-4, a number of key concepts, ideas, and thoughts jumped out as being particularly important.  I believe that one of the biggest ideas mentioned was the acknowledgement of the “21^st Century Learner.”  I think that educators and school systems need to realize that current students are much different than any students we have seen before.  Educating these students requires a shift in how we have been teaching.  What we, as educators, have done in the past may not be as effective to our current students.  The more creative we are with our instruction, the more engaged and focused students become. 

            Also mentioned in the reading was how to make updates to the curriculum so you can reach the students in your classroom.  School systems and educators need to identify the goal of their curriculum.  If it truly is to prepare students for the future, then introducing, teaching, and exploring current technology trends are a must.  This is something that was non-existent a few years prior.  This means that even if a curriculum is a few years old, it still could be out of date.  The curriculum should be a working document that can change and develop with the times. 

            Another key point that hit home was the idea of pulling in real-life situations and applications with the content areas.  The content of the curriculum should be meaningful to students.  If students are simply memorizing facts from a textbook with no connection made to the real world, then the instruction is meaningless.  Students need to be able to clearly see the relationship between what they are learning and how that knowledge can be used on a daily basis to solve real-life problems. 

            Lastly, an idea mentioned that I feel is necessary for a successful curriculum is to have some sort of vertical alignment in mind.  If we picture the curriculum as the summit, all the grades and courses prior to the summit have some sort of connection.  Each grade depends on the previous grade.  The current grade should be preparing students for their next grade and next set of tasks.  With this being said, teachers from all grades need to be in communication and have the same overall goal in mind so that the students will be successful.  

Common Core

     I think that the idea behind the Common Core has good intentions.  Each state needs some consistency and a set of guidelines to follow.  If we didn’t have this in place, I believe it would make things more difficult.  Just as students need guidance when doing work, educators need guidance when instructing students.  All well-run organizations needs a set of standard to follow to make sure that they are being run properly.  For example, some companies need to meet certain standards and regulations on pollution to ensure that their company is being run properly.  It is something that is necessary (for obvious reasons) and it makes sense. I believe schools need a certain set of guidelines to follow as well, to ensure they are being run effectively and properly. 

            In reading the Common Core mission statement, I can see that what they are saying correlates to some of the reading that we have been doing for this class.  The idea that these standards are “relevant to the real world,” demonstrates that they are making an effort to better prepare students for the future.  Another point mentioned in the mission statement was the acknowledgement of the global economy that we must prepare our students for in order for their success as citizens.  I realize that there are many mixed feelings and opinions about the Common Core.  Whatever the point of view may be on the standards, I think that all educators can agree that we need some sort of standards and regulations to adhere by.  If we do not, then there would be too much inconsistency across the state and across the nation in the public school setting.  

Week 5: Assignment #5 Summary

A summary of week 5 assignment: Problems in Curriculum?

            I tackled assignment 5 by creating my second podcast!  Trying my best to get out of my comfort zone and try some new things.  Still working on the number of times I say “ummmm…” in the podcast however!  The week 5 assignment on curriculum problems/issues got me thinking about some issues that are present where I work and are probably issues that many school districts face.  In my podcast I talked about 4 topics and tried to explain them the best I could.  I touched on textbooks vs. e-texts, test as the primary indicator of learning, transition issues in the curriculum, and inclusion.  All of these topics are pretty heavy duty.

            I think the whole idea behind e-texts has great intentions.  Using e-texts in the classroom gives students the opportunity to use technology as a tool to aide their learning.  Also, with all of the shifts in education, e-texts seem to be the route that school systems will be using in the near future, so it makes sense for teachers to incorporate them into instruction to get students familiar and comfortable using them.  While talking about e-texts, I identified some pros and cons that come with the territory.  One of the pros to e-texts is the convenience of them.  Students do not have to lug around a pile of books.  Rather, they can use their laptops to pull up the reading (students like this).  Also, as I mentioned earlier, e-books seem to be coming down the educational pipeline so it makes sense for teachers to use them to better prepare their students for the future.  The biggest obstacles that I came across when using e-text was monitoring what students were doing while I was instructing.  It is difficult to manage 20 6^th graders on laptops.  There were times when students got side tracked and were temped by things like… the Internet.  With hard copy books, this problem does not exist. 

            In talking about using tests as the primary indicator of learning, I mentioned things like the new teacher evaluation system coming into the Maine schools and how student performance is a part of this.  I talked about the inconsistent effort that some students put forth when taking these tests and how it may not be a valid way to evaluate teachers.  One suggestion that I gave was the use of student portfolios.  This allows individuals to see the growth of a student over the course of the year.  Also, the assignments in the portfolio are meaningful to the students, so (in theory) you are seeing their best work and how that progresses over the course of the school year.

            One transition issue that I mentioned in my podcast was the different language arts programs used at different levels of school.  I experienced this first hand where my incoming 6^th graders were coming out of a very rigid and structured language arts program from 5^th grade.  We do not use the same program at the middle school level so the transition was difficult for some students.  One solution to the problem that I proposed was to get the school on the same page, district wide (if at all possible).

            Lastly, I talked about how the idea of inclusion and what role that has in the curriculum.  I mention how in my school, students were mainstreamed in the content areas of social studies and science.  For the most part, it worked out well.  It was good for the class comradery to have all different types of learners in the classroom to bounce ideas off one another.  One way that our school managed this change was to form groups, with the help of an Ed. Tech. in the classroom, to ensure that all students were receiving the necessary help and instruction that they deserved.  

Response to Ch. 6&7 (Week 4: Part II)

     From the reading this past week, specifically in Ch. 6: “A Classroom as Wide as the World,” it is apparent that educators need to prepare students to be successful on a global scale.  International cooperation and communication is something that is a necessity for many of the jobs today.  I feel that teachers need to prepare students in America to be successful for international jobs.  More importantly, we need to make sure our student have a greater sense of awareness and what is going on outside the town they live in.  Informing students of global events and integrating such events into the curriculum needs to be something that we, as educators, focus on.  The more exposure we can provide our students on an international level will better prepare them for their future endeavors. 

            In some cases, I feel that students in the US are somewhat isolated and unaware about what is going on in the world around them.  I know that when I was in school, it wasn’t necessarily something that I thought about.  I think that other countries do a much better job of informing their students about events happening on a global scale.  Dr. Jacobs states, “…While learning a second language is standard in other industrial countries, only 50 percent of US high school students study a foreign language.”  Just through the foreign language exposure, students in other countries are getting a leg up on US students. 

            A great resource to communicate internationally is through the use of the Internet.  One of my practicum placements involved skype sessions with a class from every state.  It was a great opportunity for students to meet other kids their age and at the same time, giving them the opportunity to recognize some of the differences and unique qualities each state has.  To branch off this idea, classrooms could do the same type of activity on a global scale.  What better way to teach students about different countries than having students from a specific country inform their peers around the world?  Talk about engaging!  In closing, Dr. Jacobs offers, “I would like to see a day when our students’ education is not bound by the four walls of a school but can be as wide as the world.”  As our educational system in the US advances as time passes, I can see school systems making a push to communicate internationally.  I think that it is something that can only benefit students.

            Ch.7 titled, “Making Learning Irresistible,” is a goal that all schools should have.  Students should come into the classroom excited about what they are doing and ready to take on assignments and tasks.  For this to happen, it takes work from the teacher, students, and the curriculum.  One key issue mentioned in the chapter was the idea behind grades.  I think that current students are more grade-driven than ever.  I constantly have students asking me, “Is this going to be a graded assignment?”  That is a question that I cannot stand.  I think that students should put their best effort forward, regardless if they will be receiving a grade or not.  Students have become so focused on grades that they have, in some cases, lost sight of the learning.  I have found that students can be extremely clever when looking at rubrics.  They can find exactly what they need to get the grade they want.  They figure what they can leave out of the assignment so they do not have to do any unnecessary work.  I do feel that grades serve an important purpose in schools.  However, grades can be a negative aspect if students are so grade-oriented in all of the work they do. 

            Another key point mentioned in Ch. 7 was the idea of student ownership of work.  This is a topic that I have addressed in previous blogs in relation to students problem-solving on their own and teachers there to help or facilitate questions.  It is a balancing act when it comes to helping students and letting students figure things out on their own.  A little struggle when problem solving is good.  It allows students to see that they can accomplish things on their own.  However, too much of a struggle can be negative.  If this happens, it can shut students down completely.  One thing is for certain is that the students, not the teachers, should be doing most of the thinking and the work in the classrooms.  This was something that was mentioned as a problem in Mabry Middle school, in Ch. 7.  A shift occurred when students were given ownership to their learning.  It was no longer the teacher leading students through assignments, but rather students figuring things out for themselves and solving their own problems.  Giving students the ownership of their learning makes learning situations more meaningful.  There is more riding on it once a student knows it will be up to them to complete an assignment or task.

Response to: "The Myth of Charter Schools" (Week 4 Pt. 1 blog)

(Week 4 Pt. 1 blog)

     The article titled, “The Myth of Charter Schools,” by Diane Ravitch brought up some excellent points and used some great statistics that squashed the negative stigma that public schools, and public school teachers, sometimes get.  Growing up with two parents in public education, I could see early on that the education profession was time consuming, tiring, and required much patience.  Knowing all this, why would I get into such a profession?  Why not get involved with something that pays more, and allows me to keep my work and my home life as two separate entities?  For me, the answer to that was simple.  As an educator, I have a direct impact on the future of society.  Although sometimes on a small scale, teachers do have the opportunity to shape the future.  This is an idea that individuals outside of education have a hard time understanding.  “Outsiders” view teachers as individuals seeking a 3 month vacation, who’s job requires them to open a text book and baby sit for 45 minute increments until a new wave of students comes in.  Those of us in the education profession know that this is entirely false and the exact opposite of popular opinion.  In relation to this article, the same idea carried over when looking at the difference between charter schools and public schools.  The argument behind, “Waiting for ‘Superman’’ attacked public education, specifically public education teachers, pinning all the “problems” that occur in public education on the teachers.  According to the article, the film blamed low test scores on “bad teachers,” and suggested that getting rid of such educators would improve certain aspects of school, such as test scores.  Ms. Ravitch uses a number of statistics and asks a number of questions that shine light on the faulty argument presented by this film. 

            One example that comes to mind is the vast diversity teachers face in the public school setting, compared to the limited diversity seen in a charter school classroom.  To my understanding, charter schools do not face some of the challenges public schools face in terms of learning disabilities and low socio-economic status.  Apparently, this was a huge part that was left out of the film.  How the filmmaker does not acknowledge this gap and still have a legitimate argument?  I don’t believe it is possible.  With all of the research that is linked, and has been proven, with lower income families and their child’s performance in school, it is an incomparable aspect because charter schools do not face this same challenge in terms of learning.  With that being said, it would make sense for charter schools to score higher than public schools on tests.  You could make the same argument for learning disabilities, which are readily present in the public school setting and almost non-existent in the private/charter school setting.  It is like comparing apples and oranges. 

            The one connection that I can make with this argument is in sports.  One of the biggest reasons why public schools do not play private schools is because students often go to a private school because they accelerate in a particular sport.  The private schools have an unfair advantage on the playing field because their players go to the school because they accelerate in a particular sport.  This is something that was figured out and it is one of the reasons why public schools and private schools are not in the same league.  This idea carries over to academics as well.  Students might attend a public/charter school because they excel academically.  Public schools have to accept all students, regardless of any challenges they may face.  With the high number of applicants and low number of acceptance rates that are mentioned in the article, it shows that charter schools can have their pick, so why wouldn’t they pick the cream of the crop?  And yet again, the argument and comparison is still made between charter schools and public schools.  Seems like a weak argument to me.    

            The argument behind the idea that charter schools are more successful than public schools uses information and statistics that favor that argument instead of looking at the entire picture.  Anyone can twist the facts to make an argument look legitimate.  Ms. Ravitch does a nice job at analyzing the arguments made by Guggenheim and combating them with the truth, not just half the story.  If I have children someday and am in a situation where I am deciding to place them into public or private schools, I would say that public schools would be the route that I take.  I believe this because the public schools provide students with a more real life situation.  In life, you need to be able to work with, tolerate, and live with everyone, not just a limited group of individuals.  I believe public education provides the exposure that is necessary to work with everyone, regardless of his or her background.  

Week 3 (Part II) Making Changes and Planning for the Future

     Chapter 13: “It Takes Some Getting Used To: Rethinking Curriculum for the 21^st Century,” brought up some great points in regards to school change.  It is obvious that some schools are due to make some changes and are ready for updates to the curriculum.  In the beginning of the chapter it talked about a veteran teacher coming to the realization that, “…the content of the curriculum is not all that important.  He must also engage his students with process of thinking and problem solving.  ‘I really have to rethink everything that I have been doing in light of new technologies and a more diverse student population.’”  I think that this quote brings up some interesting discussion topics:  The first being that the content of the curriculum is not all that important.  I think that the curriculum content holds its importance but the problem solving skills, that are not necessarily mentioned or spelled out in the curriculum, and even more important.  As educators, we need to teach students how to solve problems on their own.  Students need to be able to figure things out.  Students need to struggle.  This is a concept that sometimes I find difficult.  At times through the past school year I found myself stepping in and helping struggling students.  These students may have been able to solve the problem on their own, but they asked for help and I provided them with the help they needed to solve the problem.  The balance with providing students with help and letting them figure things out on their own is something that I am still working on.  The second discussion topic that came to mind when reading the quote was about the new technologies available and a more diverse student population.  I think that teachers should be willing to embrace the new technology available to relate to their students.  Lessons, topics, and school in general are far more interesting and engaging to today’s students if technology is integrated in some way.  Also, through the use of technology, we are preparing students for the future.

            Preparing for the future is a difficult task because we really do not know what the future entails.  As mentioned by Dr. Jacobs, “As educators, we are all really futurists because we are trying to prepare students for the present and, at the same time, for a future that does not yet exist.”  Some of the qualities that are mentioned in the chapter, such as open-mindness, flexibility, patience, and courage, are all necessary attributes teachers must possess to be effective and to keep their sanity.  In dealing with changes to the curriculum to plan for the future, all school members need to be flexible and have an open mind.  Educators should not worry about how they changes to the curriculum will affect them, but rather, how the changes to the curriculum will affect the students.  I think that if we put the students above ourselves, and really think about how the changes to the curriculum will benefit the students, then we will truly be preparing the students for the future. 

            I agree with Dr. Jacobs in that, “The ultimate goal is for students to become self-directed in their learning.  They need to take responsibility for managing, monitoring, and modifying their behavior as they learn.”  I think that the more responsibility that teachers can put on students, without overwhelming them, the better.  It is not too often in life where you will have someone spelling out every single task that you need to accomplish and complete.  Often, it is up to you, and only you, to get things done.  If we, as educators, can give students a sense of responsibility, they will be more invested in the tasks that they are completing.  One great way to give students the responsibility of their own leaning is using the tool of self-evaluation.  I had my students evaluate and score themselves on a number of projects and writing assignments this past school year.  It was amazing to see the way students really thought about the quality of work that they put in and how close they came to completing the desired outcome.  Anther aspect that amazed me with the self-assessment tool was how honest the students were when they were evaluating themselves.  Only they knew how much effort they put in and how hard they worked.  It was refreshing to see the honesty that these 11 and 12 year old students posses.  Dr. Jacobs stated, “We need to shift that responsibility to students—to help them develop the capacity for self-analysis, self-referencing, and self-modifications.”  I find it extremely important not only for students to evaluate themselves on a particular task, but to also look at how they can make improvements for future assignments.