Chap 14

It seems to me much of the chapter was more or less common sense: some do's and don'ts for people to go by. For myself, I cannot envision a scenario when I think Grading truly on a curve is beneficial. It drags all but one person down, those at the top are ok but everyone else suffers. I can see certain times when I may use a ugly step child of the system but never on a regular basis and never unless there are circumstances when I feel like the class as a whole did not get what I was teaching. IE... it was my lack of teaching that led to this. i plan to use a mastery approach and help each student strive to pick up as much info as possible, I also believe performance testing is the best method but only when it is applicable and valid. Much of History is by its very nature just facts needed to advance on down the road and understand the later concept so performance evaluations would be hard to justify. that being said, civic responsibilities and such would be easy to judge based on a performance type assessment.

I'm thinking of my school days here and it seems not much of what we studied prepared me for life. Most of my tests were multiple choice and none required me to actually be able to apply my knowledge. I hope to have a class that prepares students for life as well as give them practical experience with civic operations (elections, volunteer involvement, court system...ect)


As much as I hate to say it, I've changed my views on alot of things in the time I've been in this class, i can see how a softer approach can sometimes be the right approach and how my natural tendency to say "toughen up, stick it out" may only make things worse. I also recognize many if not most are not like me, i am a very competitive person, telling me I can't do something only makes me work harder to prove you wrong. I'm likely to cut off my leg if you tell me I can't just to prove a point. Now i realize I cannot expect that attidude from my students, I've gotta beat it into them. LoL



Good stuf on the boards this week, i think Katrina made a good point about testing, I always like building up to a test rather than testing each chapter or week. A lot of time I understand things better if I can build on them in subsequent chapters rather than testing the basic principles each time.

3. The question for this week is: Choose one of the following general education blogs to read for the week

* http://www.k12opened.com/blog/
I chose this one as a reason ot not choose the other. Sorry but both were a little irrelevant ot me this week. i did like the others use of new and expanding technology but it just didn't really apply, perhaps that is a fault of my own rather than that of the blogger.
* Would a blog like this one help you with your teaching?
No I don't really think so, I can see a couple of points, and that they are very passionate about open source education but for the most part I can't see how it changes anything.
* Would you be able to get ideas for teaching from this blog? How? Why? Explain.
No, I wish their were but it seems for the most part to just be a rant on her favorite subject.
* Did you learn something new from the blogger? What and why did it strike you as memorable?
The only thing I think she really brought up that caught my eye was the licensing question in terms of cut and pasting a pic into a project or paper.
* Would you want to create a site like this for others? Why or why not?
No, unless I had something I beleved very strongly about, to me it comes off like she's just on her high horse about something and in general no one cares, which drives her to blog more for some reason. She has less comments on this bolg than I do on mine, if that says anything, it says No one cares.

Classroom Management

This week we covered Classroom management, i can say without a doubt it is the most important thing a new or old teacher must conquer if he/she is to be successful. I further would like to say to me much of the chapter seemed like a no brainer. Much of it just states what should be common sense to nearly everyone. Kounin's model for a successful classroom mirrors what I would like to get if i were a student in such a classroom. Granted common sense doesn't always win out and many teachers need, if nothing else, a crash course in the finer points of classroom management. I had many teachers throughout high school who had little understanding of what made us tick. WE controlled our classroom, WE decided if anything was going to get done(usually not), and WE decided just how bad the teachers nervous breakdown was going to be.(one actually had one and took time off). I say this not because I'm proud of it, or that i now believe it was the right thing to do. It obviously hurt everyone academically at the time. I say it because I learned what not to do in those classrooms from a teachers perspective. Take charge, know the personalities in the room, and learn what makes them tick as individuals. you don't have to be their friend but you can be a trusted person of authority in their lives. Someone who leads them down the right path.
This class has helped me hone the skills and learn the methods I've described, I already had a decent grasp and understanding of what I wanted my classroom to look like but now i understand more of the how to and why it must be. I must say reading and listening to others in the class who already have some experience with subbing or student teaching really helps. It makes it more real. More inevitable, and sometimes scarier.
I think the boards this week were interesting because so many of us have practical experience in teaching. If not in the classroom than with our own kids. Those of us with kids have an upper hand I believe because we can relate many of the items in the text to rel life experiences with our own. "The look" "the stare" the "i" method. Used em all and they really work.

http://joannejacobs.com/
I chose this one because the other seemed more directly tied to early head start and head start. My wife is a supervisor for head start so I hear as much as I want about that.

* Would a blog like this one help you with your teaching?
She gives many examples of methods that are currently in favor but are failing, also many that work that have been shut down because they don't fit the accepted practice. So i think yes it would, i really think regardless of method, if it works use it. She seems to mirror that approach.


* Would you be able to get ideas for teaching from this blog? How? Why? Explain.

Yes I think so she brings such a broad base of knowledge and such a broad base of topics up that it would be hard to to be influenced by it if read regularly.

* Did you learn something new from the blogger? What and why did it strike you as memorable?

I found it extremely disturbing her %'s given on the topic of the electoral college. Another reason to stress the importance of civil responsibility in the classroom. these are issues that determine who leads the country. everyone should know it.

* Would you want to create a site like this for others? Why or why not?

I may but I'd want to be more experienced. If I found myself doing well and my classes seemed to be succeeding, I think any little help you could give another who may be struggling would only make you feel better about what you were doing. The thing to keep in mind is we are not here for money or fame, we're here because we care, not just about ourselves or our students but about the way our world looks and the way it will look. Helping others just makes sense.

Motivation

* A summary of what you have learned from the chapter readings.
It seems to me Motivation is accomplished and maintained through a variety of factors and methods. The text discusses several ways to begin. The simplest and perhaps most effective way to begin is to bring enthusiasm to your subject. While the humanistic view believes kids who don't get their basic needs met are at risk of making poor choices, the cognitive view looks at motivation more from the view that kids are separated into high need and low need performers.

* Compare what you have learned from the reading with what you have experienced in life so far.

I try remembering from my own experience some of hte things we are talking about now in regards to this chapter but I seem to have a better time looking at it with regards to my own kids. I see alot of these being used and it seems she is using a mixed bag of techniques to get the kids kids involved. She uses a weekly and monthly reward system to induce good behavior. Charts and the posting of who has accomplished what skills in the hall outside of class.
* Describe how keeping this journal has helped you organize ideas for teaching; come up with new ideas; etc.
I'm using this for notetaking

* Comment on anything new and exciting you have learned from the discussion boards that you feel will help you in becoming a teacher.

Ashley expanded on an idea I had about a lounge space, maybe able to work in a lounge day to read or otherwise learn through something other than class work.


http://www.blairoaks.k12.mo.us/highschool.htm


* Why would you want to teach in this particular school district?
They seem like they make it easier to succeed as a student, and as a teacher. They just moved into a new middle school this year and with it have access to more resources and room.

* What makes this school district stand out from others that you found on the Internet?
The website is up to date. They even have the calender precise to the point that debate practice is listed and the time it is to be held.
* Are there specific features that this school district has to offer that you hadn't thought of before? What are they? If not, what would you like?
They have a thing on the website called the learning Express library. In it I found practice tests for students so they can see where they are in a given subject. Also practice college entrance exams and a variety of skill improvement resources that cover all subjects. Seems very interesting and almost like preventative maintenance for the student.
* Would you ever consider applying for a job at this school district? Why or why not?
Absolutely, they seem to have everything, I cannot however find their pay structure.

* Based on what we've learned so far in this class, how does this school district measure up?
Excellent, probably the second best I've found academically, and thats becasue my last was a charter school. Blair Oaks however won State in football last year. So I'll call that a wash.

Perspectives

• A summary of what you have learned from the chapter readings.
• Compare what you have learned from the reading with what you have experienced in life so far

The Chapter outlined several key points and strategies for the different teaching perspectives. To me it all boils down to one thing. Nothing is, or should be, off the table. Once again I don't think labeling yourself as any one type is beneficial. What we have to do as educators is be able to adapt to the kids we have at the time. It's a good thing to keep in mind but we're always going to go back to the way we learned best. Only when we see the class not getting it are we going to make a change. WE should be able to do that, and I think thats where this chapter is useful because it gives us those different perspectives we may not otherwise come up with on our own.

• Describe how keeping this journal has helped you organize ideas for teaching; come up with new ideas; etc.

This is my note taking place, I may end up copy and pasting some of the discussion board to this toward the end of the semester

• Comment on anything new and exciting you have learned from the discussion boards that you feel will help you in becoming a teacher.

It think in general the discussion board really helped me this week because it showed me how to prepare a lesson plan of for a specific time within a larger topic. It was interesting to look back into the Women's Suffrage time period and try to come up with questions and activities that would relate that period in time to today.

3. The question for this week is: Find another school district's website (this will be your third) outside of your hometown and/or Springfield (or the city you live in). Make sure that this school district is in a different state. Copy and paste (or type) the link into your blog. Answer the following questions about the school district in your blog:

http://lusherschool.org/

• Would you want to teach in this particular school district?
  Absolutely, best I've seen, of course it is a charter school so thats probably why.
• What makes this school district stand out from others that you found on the Internet?

Of 21 reviews none I have seen are negative. Everyone seems to take pride in the academic and social programs that truly prepare kids for college and life beyond.

• Are there specific features that this school district has to offer that you hadn't thought of before? What are they? If not, what would you like?

Honestly I hadn't thought about private or charter schools before because I had never been exposed to them. I like the push the kids get academically and socially that puts them on track to succeed regardless of their personal aspirations.

• Would you ever consider applying for a job at this school district? Why or why not?

Yes but probably not until I had some significant experience, These schools seem to only choose the best, which is great but I cannot honestly believe you can pretend to be that until you've lived it.

• Based on what we've learned so far in this class, how does this school district measure up?

Best I have seen in terms of performance and standards, I love New Orleans, and being as I have been there and seen some of the poor neighborhoods ( before Katrina) and what seems to be a lack of possibilities for kids in those areas. This schools seems like a beacon of hope, and being that it is based on performance rather than on income. Granted the admissions standards are high, but it gives kids, and parents who want more an opportunity.

Being Constructive

• A summary of what you have learned from the chapter readings.

This weeks Chapter was on Constructivism. I've made a few revelations this week in my approach to teaching. I'm finding more and more it looks as though i'm going to need to step outside my comfort level and teach in ways that pushes kids to take more responsibility for thier own education. Constructivist believe meaningful learning is the active creation of knowledge structures from personal experience. Construction of ideas is strongly influenced by student's prior knowledge. By taking a constructivist approach I can encourage students to seek out not only knowledge but new ways of getting it.

• Compare what you have learned from the reading with what you have experienced in life so far.

My kids give me the buld of the experience I have so far, my own education did not mirror much of what we are learning now, i had a few odd ball teachers who thought a little outside the box but most just stood in the front of hte room and lectured while we pretended to care. The odd balls by the way got my attention and made me care.

• Describe how keeping this journal has helped you organize ideas for teaching; come up with new ideas; etc.

Again i hate to sound like a broken record but I'm relly using this as a place to store ideas an hope someday it will be a valuable resource when i am at a loss for ideas.

2. Your blog should include the following so that you will have something to remember the discussions:

• Comment on anything new and exciting you have learned from the discussion boards that you feel will help you in becoming a teacher.

The discussions this week got me thinking about some of my own experiences with Math. I brought up a problem i had had in the past wwith my unorthodox problem solving and she seemed very receptive to accepting new learning strategies that kids like me used when in school. i hope it helps her understand guys like me aren't trying to skirt the rules but we just do it better another way.

3. The question for this week is: Find another school district's website (this will be your second one) outside of your hometown and/or Springfield (or the city you live in). Make sure that this school district is in a different town and/or state. Copy and paste (or type) the link into your blog. Answer the following questions about the school district in your blog:

http://www.bentonville.k12.ar.us/web/employment/certified_positions.asp

• Would you want to teach in this particular school district?

Yes, i'd heard about their competitive pay and low taxes and reasonable cost of living and so I thought I'd look into it.

• What makes this school district stand out from others that you found on the Internet?

Currently is one of the fastest growing communities in the country but from people I know it still has a small town feel. Kinda like Springfield in a way I guess.

• Are there specific features that this school district has to offer that you hadn't thought of before? What are they? If not, what would you like?

They have an Accelerated reader program which I find to be very important and useful for students and teachers alike. The more prepared tehse kids are with reading the easier my job will be.

• Would you ever consider applying for a job at this school district? Why or why not?

yes all in all seems like a very nice community and the pay and cost of living are both resonable, unlike my last district which had competitive pay but the cheapest house my familiy of 5 could fit in was $795,000

• Based on what we've learned so far in this class, how does this school district measure up?

Seems to be on top of everything even their website is first class.