All Good Things Must Come to an End

As this course comes to a close, I think about how much I have learned, not just about teaching, but about learning.

This course has taught me so many ways to implement various lesson plans, whether it be Direct, Information Processing, or Social Interactive.

Thinking back, I had seen these lessons all the time growing up and in my fieldwork and subbing experiences, but I had never had a name for any of them.

I also learned that writing GOOD lesson plans is more than just jotting down a couple of notes. All lessons are made up of different parts, and all of those parts are needed in order for lessons to be successful.

I have learned to look for all of these parts when I am observing, and use all of these parts when I am teaching.

As for being a teacher, I have learned that one of the most important things I can have is flexibility. Things are going to happen in the classroom. Students are going to act up, the fire alarm is going to go off. What is important is how a teacher handles these situations and maintains control over the class. Even though lesson plans are very detailed, they are not set in stone, and can be tweaked as needed.

One thing that surprised me during my fieldwork experience was how much I prefer information processing and social interactive lessons. Even when I am subbing, I find myself encouraging students to work together and think critically. This does not mean that I am opposed to Direct Instruction. That is not the case at all.

I believe DI is appropriate when introducing a topic and also with working with students with special needs.

Overall, as a teacher, I feel as though I have become more comfortable. I am more confident when I enter a classroom and am not as intimidated when it comes to introducing new topics to students. There had been times when I sub where the teacher asked me to begin teaching a new topic to students. I would have fumbled my way through it. Now I have an idea of what needs to be done and how it should be done.

I think this confidence comes from being in the classroom frequently. Eventually you get the hang of it and are able to adjust.

As for what I can improve on, I think there are plenty of things. I believe there is always room for improvement in anything a person does, including teaching. If there is one thing that I need to work on it is patience. I need to remember that not all students are going to understand information the first time it is presented. Sometimes I will need to slow down and reteach information.

When this course began, I expected to learn about the different methods of teaching. I left with a whole lot more than that. I now feel as though I am prepared for a job interview. I am able to explain various teaching models and provide examples of how I have, as well as how I would, teach all of them. This was an experience that I have not had with any of my other class taken so far.

A significant part of this course was peer evaluation. We were often asked to provide our peers with three pluses and a wish following presentations. I personally liked being on the receiving end of this. Assuming my peers were being honest (and not just nice), it would provide me with constructive feedback and allow me to make changed and improve my work in the future.

Another major part of this course was self reflection. We were often asked to reflect on our work and our experiences. I will admit, I am not the biggest fan of reflecting, but if I am going to ask my students to do it, I must do it as well. Reflecting allows me to really break down what I learned and show my understanding. It allows me to see where I succeeded and where I went wrong. Reflecting helps me to break down and see what I really learned.

I know I still have a lot to learn, but I feel as though I am off to a pretty good start thanks to this class.

Job Interview Adventure

In our last week of class, my teacher held a mock job interview. Five students volunteered to play the role of elementary school principals looking to hire a new team of teachers. All of the questions to be asked were based on what we learned throughout the course.

At first, I must admit I was not terribly excited to do this. In the end though, it turned out to be a pretty interesting experience.

First of all, I discovered that I remembered more information than I had originally thought. I was worried going into the class that I would blank out when asked about the different models and strategies.

I think what I was most impressed with was how I was able to share examples of how I had used all of the models and strategies we learned about in my fieldwork as well as subbing experience.

I thought all of the "principals" asked very good questions and they all seemed to take their roles seriously.

Overall, it turned out to be a worthwhile experience, and I'm glad I did it.

Six Thinking Hats

In my class I learned about different methods that can be used with the social interactive model (SIM).

Our class was put into groups to learn about various methods.

My group was assigned Six Thinking Hats.

This method provides students with a problem. The problem is then looked at from different perspectives. Six to be exact. Each hat is explained below:

White Hat: This person looks at the information provided and makes an educated decision.

Red Hat: Decisions are made based on gut reactions and emotions.

Black Hat: People wearing the black hat look at the problem cautiously and defensively. These people look at all of the bad points to the decision.

Yellow Hat: People wearing the yellow hat are positive and optimistic.

Green Hat: People wearing the green hat find creative solutions to the problem.

Blue Hat: The person wearing the blue hat is generally the person who is in control of the meeting. Example: Chair of a committee.

This method is a nice way to show how people base their decisions on all different reasons.

Social Interaction: What's the Point?

Social skills are vital to being successful whether you're in school or on the job. School is really the place where people learn and practice their social skills. Everybody knows social skills are used on the playground, but what about in the classroom?

This is where the Social Interactive Model (SIM) comes into play.

SIM is used to facilitate group work in the classroom. Unlike Direct Instruction, SIM is student-centered and requires students to work together in a structured setting.

SIM lessons begin with the introduction of the task by the teacher. Students are then placed in groups. There are many different methods for grouping students. It may be done randomly through choosing Popsicle sticks, counting (1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2...), or it may be done based on skill level.

The point of SIM is to make students responsible for their learning. This is because SIM requires students to be able to take what they learned and share it with group members, as well as the rest of the class.

One cooperative learning method that was used in my class to show SIM, is Jigsaw. In Jigsaw, students are put into groups (in whatever manner the teacher chooses). Each group member is assigned a different part of a problem. Students then research their assigned part. Before they return to their group to share their findings, they must first meet with other students in the class from different groups who were assigned the same part. This new group is known as the expert group. The expert group makes sure that everyone has found the same information and come up with a way to share their findings with their home groups.

Jigsaw makes every group member responsible. All students in the group must do their part in order for the final product to be a success.

One advantage to SIM is that is allows for students to use their higher order thinking skills. The disadvantage is that it is extremely time consuming.

It's Time For Inquiry!

I completed all of my lessons on greater than, less than, and equal to in the 2nd grade classroom.

They did well with the WebQuest for the most part. It was hard for some of them to read the information provided on the web sites, which made doing the research a challenge. This was after I consulted with my cooperating teacher about what web sites she uses with the students.

The students really enjoyed using the laptops in class. This was the first 2nd grade class in the building to use the laptops. They are usually reserved for 4th and 5th grade.

After I began by introducing the assignment and explaining what needed to be done, they were free to explore. They loved researching!

According to my cooperating teacher, during this time, it was the quietest she had ever seen them. They were all engaged.

Due to the grade level, age, and overall maturity level of this class, I had to walk the students through every step of the WebQuest.

While students worked on the laptops, I played the role of facilitator. I walked around the room and assisted students as needed. This was their time to learn, however, not my time to teach.

The WebQuest was broken into two separate lessons. The first day was information processing. On this day, students only researched their topics. Day two was social interactive. This lesson required students to work in groups, share the information they learned the day before, and create a riddle.

Overall, I think the riddles came out better than I expected. I knew this would be hard for some of the students in this class, but I wanted to challenge them.

When all of the riddles were written and illustrated, it was time to share. The students loved presenting their riddles and their classmates loved guessing the answers to the riddles.

Looking back, I can't say that 2nd grade is an ideal grade for using WebQuests, at least not at this point in the school year. They are too dependent on the teacher to show them what needs to be done. I think WebQuests are great for older students who are more independent.

Local Interactive Museums

After watching the video on the Long Island Children's Museum, I decided to try and find any local museums that offer the same experience to students.

I found the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum in Poughkeepsie.

There is also an interactive museum for kids in Middletown. Unfortunately, they do not have a link.

Time to Teach

Today was the day that I implemented my Direct Instruction lesson plan!

I introduced the concept of greater than, less than, and equal to in a 2nd grade classroom.

Overall, I think it went well. My cooperating teacher loved my lesson!

I am, however, very critical of my own work. So I can find plenty of things that could have been better with it.

My anticipatory set wasn't as smooth as I had rehearsed. It was a lot tougher to carry out when there are 23 7-year-old kids yelling out answers at me when I was not asking for any answers.

My transitions could have been better as well. Despite writing them in my lesson and practicing ahead of time, it was hard to remember to actually say all of the transitions between the development, guided practice and independent practice.

One activity that I did during guided practice that worked really well, was one that included sorting small pompoms into two groups. They had to count how many pompoms were in each group and then figure out which symbol (>, <, =) to use. In their math notebooks (I needed them to write all of this down to have some kind of record of their work) I had them write the whole problem down, and then write it out in a sentence. For example, they would have to write 13 > 7 -- 13 is greater than 7.

I wanted them to understand that the symbols we were using were taking the place of the words.

Most of the class did very well with this. Some did not get it right away and needed another example, but then quickly picked up the concept.

One of the reasons this activity worked so well was because it was very kinesthetic. they enjoyed using the pompoms and having the hands-on work.

The best part of the lesson for me was the closure, and no, I'm not saying that because it meant it was finally over.

During the closure part of the lesson, I asked students to tell me what the concept of the lesson was, and everyone could tell me. I then asked the class to tell me one thing they learned from the lesson, and most were able to tell me how to use the >, <, = signs correctly.

I felt like my lesson had been a success!

DI is Not Enough

Direct Instruction is the best strategy to use when introducing a topic. After the student has reached automaticity, however, it's time to move on and allow for inquiry.

Students need to be given the opportunity to come up with their own ideas about what they are learning. The video clip of the LICM is a great example of discovery learning. Every student in that video was learning by doing. It was hands-on.

For me, I know that is the way I learn best. The concept can be repeated multiple times through DI, but until I can get involved and do it myself, I won't truly understand what is being taught.

DI Test Reflection

Dr. Smirnova posted the answers to the Direct Instruction test I took a couple of weeks ago.

I don't remember what I posted for my answers then, but I looked at the questions again, and I think I did okay.

I can say this, after spending so much time on DI the past couple of weeks, and looking at the questions a second time, I felt more comfortable answering the questions again.

When I took the test originally, I knew most of the information, but I wasn't confident in my answers. That has since changed.

I'm much more comfortable with DI and I think I owe a lot of that to analyzing a DI lesson plan, and then designing my own DI lesson plan.

Breaking everything down, as you need to do when writing a plan, helps me to figure everything out, and really drove home the concept of DI and all of the points that go along with it.

Professional Organization

As part of the laundry list of things that are required in order to student teach and graduate, I joined a professional organization.

I joined the International Reading Association (IRA).

For anyone that has to still join an organization, the IRA was relatively cheap. Members also receive e-mails discussing different topics in reading and strategies that can be used in the classroom.

What's Happening?

It's been a while since my last post.

This is what you've missed:

I completed my very first full-length MSMC lesson plan! It is an introductory lesson on the concept of greater than, less than, and equal to. It took me almost an entire day to write up, but after writing out everything, I think I could implement this lesson without a problem.

I will be implementing the lesson on Friday, so I'll let you know how it turns out!

This MSMC lesson plan is like no other lesson plan I've ever had to write before. I had to write out EVERYTHING. I had to write what I would do, what the student would do, what I would say, and what I expected the student would say.

I've also created my first WebQuest!

A WebQuest allows for students to engage in inquiry. They are assigned a problem or situation and must find and answer or solution through Internet resources.

My WebQuest is for second grade and deals with the concept of greater than, less than, and equal to.

I had a hard time coming up with something to do for this topic. I searched all over the Internet and could not find a single WebQuest for this topic (Maybe mine's the first one ever!). If anybody knows of one, please feel free to share with me, because I could not find one.

The WebQuest I created has students researching independently information regarding six different animals. They must find out how much they weigh, how tall (or short) they are, and any other characteristic about the animal that can be used for the topic of greater than and less than.

Once the research is complete, they will be put in groups of four and must create a riddle using the information they gathered about the animals.

Example: I'm greater than a house, but I'm less than a mouse.
I'm > a house, but I'm < a mouse.

Once the riddle is complete, the group will share it with the class. Then each groups riddle will be put in a book that will be added to the class's library.

I'll be using this WebQuest in a week. Wish me luck!

Direct Instruction Lesson Planning

Over the past few weeks, I have been learning an unbelievable amount of information regarding Direct Instruction and designing a DI lesson plan.

I have never written a full lesson plan (MSMC style) before, so the thought of having to design and implement one is a little daunting.

I do feel more comfortable now, however, after having to evaluate a DI lesson plan.

Using the MSMC lesson plan rubric, I was able to really examine all parts of the lesson, making sure everything was present (Intro, development, guided practice, independent practice, accommodations, closure, evaluations, reflections) and everything matched (goals, standards, objectives).

To be honest, I wasn't all that excited to sit down and evaluate this lesson, but I'm glad I did.

As I was grading it, I began thinking of ways I would have written it instead, making improvements here and there.

I also began thinking of my own lesson plan. I feel much more confident that I will be able to write a successful lesson plan on my chosen or assigned topic.

The goal of DI is to have students master a concept and reach automaticity (The ability to automatically recall information without having to think about it...Ex: Math facts; addition, multiplication, etc.).

Information presented in DI should be in short chunks.

In the reading, Teaching on target: models, strategies, and methods that work by Daniel C. Elliott, it states that the teach should always explain, or model, the concept being taught. DI is used to teach basic skills. The students need to be shown how to do something.

Even if modeling wasn't a required part of DI, a teacher should still do it for visual learners (like myself).

Modeling should not look like the picture to the right. It is important that the teacher breaks everything down step-by step.

Modeling is the "I do" part of a lesson plan. The next step is the "We do", or guided practice.

In guided practice, the teacher and students work together. This is also a time for the teacher to evaluate the students understanding of the concept being taught.

Finally, there is independent practice, or "You do." This is where the students are required to try their hand at the material without the assistance of the teacher.

One of the most important things to remember when designing the lesson is to remember to constantly check for understanding and provide meaningful feedback to students.

If, as a teacher, you do not do these things, your lesson will not work and your students will not benefit.

Designing a WebQuest

One of our big projects this semester is designing our very own WebQuest based on either a science or math lesson.

A WebQuest gives students a problem or puzzle, and the students must use Internet resources, as well as work in collaborative groups, to answer questions and present their findings.

Every WebQuest consists of the following: Introduction, task, process/resource list, strategies, evaluation, conclusion, credits, and teacher page.

This won't be my first time designing a WebQuest. Over the summer, I tried to design one for a summer class for one of my projects. Let's just say it didn't work out so well.

After the past couple weeks studying lesson planning in my methods course, I feel I am more prepared now. One reason for that is PBWorks. This is the site where my WebQuest will be designed.

I have a lot of experience with PBWorks after using it to create my unit plan last semester.

I also plan on using my WebQuest in my fieldwork.

I have been in contact with the classroom teacher who has kindly allowed me to use her classroom to teach three different types of lesson (direct, indirect/inductive, and indirect/interactive).

Since a WebQuest incorporates collaborative work, I plan on using it during my indirect/interactive lesson.

I am excited to see how this all works out, and I'm even more excited to use my finished WebQuest in the classroom.

Understanding the Connection Between Methods, Models & Strategies

Models and strategies go together. My problem since starting my career in education, was figuring out which model went to which strategy, however, I think I finally figured it out.

A strategy (in case you are unaware) is a series of steps. There are two different methods used in instruction; Direct and Indirect.

Direct Instruction is matched with the Behavioral Model. It is the only model and strategy aligned. When is comes to Bloom, this method and model requires the lowest level of thinking (Remembering: reciting, recalling, labeling, matching).

Indirect Instruction is made up of every other model (Information processing, social interaction, and personal). In terms of strategies it looks like this:

Info Processing: Indirect/Inductive (Give question and look for answers on own)
Social interaction: Indirect/Interactive
Personal: Indirect/Independent

Models, Models Everywhere

As a class we discussed three of the four models used in instruction. Each of the models has an introduction, development and closure.

Below is an example of how a lesson consisting of an introduction, development, and closure could be used in a behavioral model, information processing model, and a social interaction model. Next to the name of each model is the beginning of an example objective.

Behavioral Model: Basic skills and knowledge (Given a word bank...)
Introduction- Access prior knowledge (Say: "I see some students don't know/understand, so I'll teach you...").
Development- Model to the class whatever it is the lesson is about (Show them how to do it).
Closure- Do a formal assessment, possibly an assessment consisting of didactic questions (yes or no questions).

Info Processing: Access information, organize the info, and then reflect (Given a task of solving a puzzle...)
Intro- Give the class a problem to solve (Can use Voki)
Development- Provide resources, give students tasks, inquiry, so they can find solutions to the problem.
Closure- Have students share their findings, and make sure students reach meta-cognition (Can be done by asking how they found the solution).

Social Interaction: Used to build social skills (Given a task to work in a group and whatever content it...)
Intro- Ask students how to behave in a group.
Development- Make up groups, facilitate group roles, and give group materials (Force them to share).
Closure- Students present projects, reflection, feedback (from group members) on how did they work together, contributions, etc.


It is important to note, that a single lesson can be taught using any of these models. The content does not change just because a teacher decides to use on model over another.

Breaking Down a Lesson Plan

I have been looking at/implementing lesson plans as a substitute teacher for some time now, and I never really stopped to think about how many steps are involved in creating a GOOD lesson.

FYI...there are quite a few.

First of all, let's define what a lesson and a plan are.

A lesson is the smallest segment of the learning process.

A plan is a forecast of what you intend to teach.

In every lesson plan, there is an introduction, development, and closure. As a class, my classmates created a list of what is involved in the creation of a lesson plan. When you REALLY break it down, it looks a little like this:

Rationale
Standards, goals, objectives
Accommodations
Prior knowledge
Anticipatory set
Modeling
Guided practice
Feedback
Review
Independent practice
Feedback
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Okay, forget the last part, but as you can see there a lot of steps.

Welcome Back!

Well, it's that time of year again. Another semester is upon us.

Let's dust off those cobwebs and review a little bit.

Who remembers what models, strategies, and methods are?

Anyone? Bueller?

Models are broad and help a teacher to select which strategies, methods, and skills to use during instruction. Instructional models include information processing, behavioral, social interaction, and personal. Each model contains different strategies for instruction.

Strategies are direct, indirect, interactive, experiential, and independent. Within each of these different strategies are methods.

Methods are specific ways in which the student will reach educational goals. Certain methods used are based on specific strategies.

Below is one graphic that helps me to remember these.

No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks!

After taking this course, this saying has new meaning.

21st century learners are finding other ways to learn now without bulky textbooks and pencils.

This class has taught me so much about technology and how to use it in the classroom.

I knew there were plenty of tools available to enhance student learning, but the resources out there are really never ending.

If there was one thing from this class I learned, it's that I need not be afraid to try new things.

Honestly, I had no clue how to use a lot of the resources required for the course, but by just exploring I was able to figure them out.

So for the pencils and books, while they will never truly be replaced in the classroom, they are certainly starting to take the back burner to technology.

As for the, "no more teachers dirty looks" part, I don't know...I don't see that going away any time soon.

Gaining Insight Through Blogs

Over the past 5 weeks I have enjoyed blogging yet again.

I have also enjoyed reading my fellow classmates blogs.

Everyone makes interesting points in their entries and did a great job writing.

Here are a few blogs I read over the course and you should check out:

Let Technology Open Your Mind to New Beginnings

Life of a First Year Teacher

Jessica's Blog

Teach To Learn, Learn To Teach

Not Meant to Use Webex

For the second time is a row, I was not able to get into Webex to attend my online class.

I have no idea why this happened, and I could not find a solution.

Here is why I am confused about it:

We met three times total over the past 5 weeks on Webex. I had no problem getting on for our very first meeting. What happened in between that meeting and then the last two is a mystery to me.

It's too bad it couldn't have worked out, because I think Webex is a neat tool to use.

WoW Project

My final project for this course required me to research and present information on the topic: The Use of Interactive Technology in the K-8 Science Curriculum.

Since my certification is going to be elementary school I chose K-8.

Science is really one of the best subjects to use interactive technology. Being able to use technology to view outer space just makes the material even more fun for the students.

Interactive technology also keep students interested. I know personally, if I had the choice of sitting at a desk and reading out of a science textbook, or playing with the SMARTBoard, I would choose the latter.

I made my power point presentation on Google Docs and then uploaded it onto Slideshare.

The only problem I had using Slideshare was that it did not allow any of my videos or links to work once it was uploaded.

I ended up just opening the presentation through Google Docs and then copying and pasting that URL into Moodle.

Not sure if it was the best way to do it, but it was the only thing I could think to do so that my classmates could view the slide show.

The things I liked most about this project was that now I have all of these great interactive sites to use when I teach science.

To view my presentation, click here.

Parents Need to Be Informed

For our final group project, we had the task of making a newsletter using Web 2.0 tools. My group made our using Glogster.

I still had some issues using Glogster, but overall it was a little better using it this time around than before.

The newsletter uses a video to explain what Classroom 2.0 is to parents. We also decided to come up with an overall theme that could be incorporated with all of the content area. For this we worked with immigration.

All of the projects for science, social studies, ELA, and math were connected to immigration.

All of the projects required students to use technology.

Newsletters are a great way for teachers to keep in contact with parents. I will be making newsletters to send home to my students in the future.

To view my group's newsletter, click here!

Make Up Your Mind-Map

I created a mind-map for the three branches of government using Inspiration. I chose the three branches of government (Executive, Judicial, and Legislative) because I love history.

Since I will be an elementary school teacher, I could have chosen from any content area, but I decided history was best for this assignment.

The learning outcome of this mind map is for students to recognize what makes up the different branches of government, who belongs to each branch, each branch's responsibility, and to understand checks and balances.

Mind-mapping is a good tool for students to use, especially if they are visual learners. Being able to organize the information into a tree-like format could allow students to better understand the concept.

As a student, I have always been able to just read information out of a history textbook and remember and understand what was being read. I now realize how this could help students who learn in a different way.

Overall, this software was not too hard to use. It does take some getting used to, but it was a good experience. If, or when, I use Inspiration again, I need to explore even more of it's tools and be more creative in my designs.

I would ask that of my students, so why not do it myself.

Engrade Makes Grading Easy

Today I signed up for Engrade, a program which allows teachers to post grades online for everyone, students and parents, to see.

So far, after playing around with the site, I like what I see.

Students can log on to see assignments, grades, attendance, upcoming events, and it also provides a convenient way for students and teachers to communicate.

It was very easy to set up a class (I just created a fake class). You add in the student's name and their ID number.

There were three options available for putting grades in. You could make each grade in 10 percent increments (ex. 100% = A, 90% = B, etc.), grades could be put in manually, or you could put in whatever percentage you wanted to correspond with a particular grade.

Attendance could easily be taken on here, and it allows you to export the data to Excel.

Assignments are also easily added. Just click on where it says "add new assignment" and you just type it in.

I was very pleased with Engrade, and I didn't find anything that I disliked about the site.

This software would definitely be useful to teachers in the classroom. Teachers can put in all of their information in no time at all.

It should also appeal to students and parents as well. Students will have yet another place to find out the night's assignment when they forget to write it down (the other places are homework hotline, calling a friend, and teacher's website).

Parents will be able to view their student's grades whenever they want to.

Here is a screen shot I took of my pretend class of five students, and their grades.

Make an E-Folio!

Many times, teachers use portfolios to assess student work. With all of the technology out there these days, portfolios can now be done online.

E-folios allow students to collect data and place in an archive, add hyperlinks, as well as provide peer feedback.

There are a number of Web 2.0 tools available for students to develop their own e-folio.

Some examples include Wiki, WordPress, and Protopage.

Have You Taken the Survey Today?

Polls, or surveys, help to determine what people are thinking. It is an especially useful tool in the classroom.

Polls can be used to determine students prior knowledge and also gauge whether of not students are understanding concepts.

One site which allows you to create polls and quizzes is MyStudiyo.

It was easy to use and allows you to add cool features other than just the question and responses.

I already have a poll on my blog so I didn't add the one I created on MyStudiyo, however, it is neat.

You can add videos to your questions, text, and images to your poll or quiz.

The best part about this site...it's free :)

Making Assessment Authentic

Assessments, as well as learning, mean more to students when both are done authentically.

It should be meaningful to students.

How is authentic assessment different from traditional assessment?

Traditional assessment is curriculum driven. It consists of multiple-choice, binary choice, and fill-in-the-blank exams in which students merely memorize information for the test.

Authentic assessment, assessment drives curriculum. Teachers must design an assessment tool defining what the students are to master. The curriculum is then based on that.

Traditional and authentic assessment are characterized as shown in the table below.

Traditional -------------------------------------- Authentic

Selecting a Response ----------------------------- Performing a Task

Contrived ---------------------------------------- Real-life

Recall/Recognition ------------------------------- Construction/Application

Teacher-structured ------------------------------- Student-structured

Indirect Evidence -------------------------------- Direct Evidence

Examples of authentic assessment include performance-based tasks and portfolios. Rubrics are generally used to determine how well a student performed.

For more, check out this video regarding authentic assessment in schools.

What's Acceptable and What's Not

Through my time as a substitute teacher, it seems as though most of the districts I am in have an acceptable use policy. Most of the schools have filters which protect students from finding inappropriate web sites.

Obviously you can't protect them from every web site. There are going to be times where a student might accidentally stumble upon a web site they are not supposed to be on.

It is up to the teachers to monitor their students while they are on the computer and it is also the responsibility of the students to respect the rules regarding computer use.

Pick a Family, Any Family

When it comes to teaching strategies, there are four separate families; social, information-processing, personal, and behavioral systems families.

The social family is an indirect strategy that includes cooperative learning, peer tutoring, project-based learning, and reciprocal teaching. This family requires students to interact with one another.

The information-processing family is another indirect strategy. This strategy includes concept formation, inquiry learning, and synectics.

The personal family is direct. It allows for personal, individualized instruction to take place.

Finally, there is the behavioral systems family. This is a direct strategy which requires direct instruction, mastery learning, and computer-assisted instruction.

Theories of Learning

There are three theories used in education today. These theories are behaviorist, humanistic, and cognitive.

Behaviorist theory is a scientific approach to learning.

Humanistic theory empowers and liberates the student.

Cognitive theory examines how well someone understands information.

First a Blog and Now a Web Site

I officially have my very own web site thanks to this class.

I created it through Weebly. This site allows you to design your own web sites for FREE.

My site is still a work in progress, but the fact that I was able to get it published online is a success in my book.

Check it out, tell me what you think, and I welcome any suggestions!

Constructivism and the 5E Model Lesson

This week our group had the task of completing a webquest.

For this webquest, we needed to design a power point presentation discussing Constructivism, as well as a graphic and a 5E lesson plan.

The group worked well together once again!

We divided up the topics to be covered in the presentation and met to put it all together. We began making our presentation on Google Docs, and then moved the final version of the presentation to Prezi.

My portion of the presentation consisted of the 5E model.

The five E's stand for engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluation.

In the beginning of a lesson, teachers need to engage their students in an exciting way that will grab their attention. If the students aren't interested in what you have to say, the lesson probably won't be a success. This stage also allows the teacher to access any prior knowledge the students may have on the topic.

After we have the students' interest, we need to allow them to explore. They need to make connections to past learning experiences.

Next up is explaining. Students must be able to communicate what they are learning in order for them to show that they truly understand concepts.

Elaboration allows for the students to participate in further inquiry.

Finally, there is evaluation. Evaluation is a must and it should take place throughout the entire lesson, not just at the end.

Evaluations can consist of observations, rubrics, checklists, peer feedback, quizzes, etc.

It's important to note that in constructivism, and with the 5E model, the teacher is the facilitator. They are there to provide materials and offer guidance to students.

For our group's 5E lesson, we decided to do one on clouds. For me, this was the most fun part of the assignment.

I wrote up the lesson plan, and with a few tweaks and suggestions from my group members, it turned out pretty well!

*Sorry, I'm not sure how to post the lesson on here yet.

Glogster is a ...

Real pain. At least for me.

Our individual assignment this week was to either create a poster for an event or a literacy worksheet. I chose to create a poster.

To do this I chose to use Glogster EDU.

Using Glogster EDU to create my poster online was extremely frustrating. At times, the sidebar where tools are offered would not load and I wasn't able to incorporate graphics or text.

I finally was able to create my poster, although it took a lot longer than I had anticipated.

If you don't click on the link, the poster is also on the side of my blog.

So Long Education 1.0...Hello Education 2.0

Students no longer need to go to school, or find a knowledgeable adult who is willing to help them find out information.

Students now turn to the Internet and look up the information themselves.

This is how Education 2.0 is different from Education 1.o.

Students are able to take it upon themselves to look up information and become experts on whatever subject they want, and they use technology to do it.

In 1.0, students would write essays. In 2.0, students are creating podcasts.

Students are now producers, publishers, peer-reviewers, as well as audience members.

Students in the 2.0 world are creative and have the ability to share their creations with the world.

NETS-S

After examining the NETS-S standards, I must say, schools are lagging. I am not a full-time teacher, but I do substitute teach. It is sad to see that these standards do not appear to be met all the time.

It seems as though most students have an understanding of technology operations and concepts. Students are using digital tools to research topics, but that appears to be as far as it goes. Once the research is done, it's back to paper and pen to write up the finished product.

For myself, I feel I am better prepared to implement these standards. Through the course I have learned some new and exciting tools to include in my teaching.

Technology in the classroom needs to be used more to allow students to create original works and to have them think critically and problem solve, not just for research.

The Net Generation Has Arrived

Teachers...get ready for the Net Generation.

The generation is full of multitasking, networking students used to getting instant gratification.

Want to know what year the Magna Carta was signed?

By the time you get out the history textbook, go to the index, find the page, then read the page, your students will have already found the answer on Google and have moved on to bigger and better things.

That's the thing about this generation. They are fast and we need to keep up.

Having been in a few different school districts, I have seen technology used for good, or not at all.

One district, we'll call it District A, prides itself on its use of technology. Every classroom has a SMARTboard, five computers plus another computer for the teacher, as well as a classroom set of laptops available upon request from the school's computer room.

The teachers in this district take advantage of all that is offered to them and the students are better off because of it.

District B on the other hand, does not take advantage even though the tools are provided. SMARTboards are in all the classrooms, but not once have I seen a teacher use one.

It's not even just about the actual computers or SMARTboards, it's about all of the tools that come along with them.

There are so many tools made available through the Internet. They really are unlimited.

I have to admit I am not all that technologically savvy, but with this new generation I need to get it together and learn quick in order to keep up.


Courtesy: HowStuffWorks

What is 21st Century Literacy?

Computer Literacy - Knowledge and understanding of computers and their uses.

Information Literacy - Knowing how to find, analyze, and use information; the ability to gather information from multiple sources, select relevant material, and organize it into a form that will allow the user to make decisions or take specific actions.

Integration Literacy - Ability to use computers and other technologies combined with a variety of teaching and learning strategies to enhance students' learning; matching appropriate technology to learning objectives, goals, and outcomes.

Teaching is no longer about standing in front of the class and lecturing, or having students read from a book. Technology is a part of students' lives and it should be incorporated into our teaching.

The days of just using textbooks, novels, and chalkboards are gone. In are the days of twitter, blogs, and SMARTboards.

I worked with a 5th grade teacher who began blogging with her students toward the end of the year. The students loved it!

Technology makes students interested and engaged.

Like it or not, technology is something that is not leaving, so we might as well get used to it and discover all that it has to offer.

Google Earth...Explore the Possibilities

In order to be a high achiever this week, I designed a newsletter for Google Earth. I love Google Earth.

There is so much you can do with it, especially in the classroom. Teachers can use this tool in any subject and make their lessons more meaningful by adding real world scenarios.

The Google Earth site offers a number of lessons for incorporating their tool into lessons. My favorite was for math.

I always find that when students are able to make real world connections, in math in particular, they tend to try harder and even have more fun!

With Google Earth, people can create 3D images, tag locations, get driving directions, and even make movies!

For those wondering, I made the newsletter using LetterPop. I found it to be somewhat frustrating to use at times, but it may just have been the template I chose. At times when I was writing, the text would no longer be visible.

It offers a number of different templates to create newsletters, however, and if you sign up for the basic package it's free!

Getting Animated with Picasion

I just put together my first Picasion masterpiece. This was really easy! It did take me a minute to figure out how to get the slideshow in my blog, but then I had myself an aha! moment and realized all I had to do was copy and paste the HTML code in with the text. It is pretty neat to see all of the items I have created in the past two weeks. I'm sure many more are to come!


Create avatar

Literacy Toolkit

This past week, our group has been working on designing a literacy toolkit. Everyone in the group took the time to look up helpful sites for interactive literacy, literacy games, etc. We split the web sites into categories and then each person chose at least two categories to work on. I took interactive literacy, grammar/writing, and videos. Take a look at our toolkit. It is still a work in progress, but let me know what you think!

What's Your LoTi Level?

Photo courtesy of Scientific American

Wondering what these kids are playing with? It's called the Classmate netbook PC.

It is a new piece of technology being used in classrooms to enhance learning. Which brings me to this post's topic: LoTi.

LoTi stands for Levels of Technology Implementation.

There are six levels in which technology may be implemented in a classroom.

Level 0: Nonuse - Essentially technology is not being used in this instance.

Level 1: Awareness - This level consists of only the teacher using the classroom computer.

Level 2: Exploration - This level is teacher-centered, and only uses lower order thinking skills. Technology in this level is used for students to conduct research reports.

Level 3: Infusion - This level is still teacher-centered, however, it requires higher order thinking skills. Students use tools such as concept maps, graphs, databases, etc.

Level 4: Integration - This level is student-centered, and has the student use the technology in relevant ways which they can relate to the real world.

Level 5: Expansion - This is student-centered and connects students to the real world. It also requires students to problem solve by connecting and communicating outside the classroom.

Level 6: Refinement - This level requires everything from level 5, however, in this level there is no distinction between technology and instruction. Technology is constantly available and used in the classroom.

In many of the classrooms I have worked in as a sub, I have to say that many of them range from level 3 to level 5. No classroom, at least that I have seen, is working with technology that is required in level 6.

I think as future educators,our goal should be to begin reaching that top level of technology use. I don't think level 6 is appropriate for all learners and all lessons, but that doesn't mean it should not be used at all.

I have no doubt that today's students would be comfortable working with all of the new technology available.

Now, it's time for schools and teachers to familiarize themselves with the tools necessary to catch up to the skills of their students, and begin incorporating technology more.

WDYDWYD?

Why do you do what you do?

That was one of the questions we needed to ask ourselves this past week.

For me, I do what I do because because of this...



I used this picture of my cousin which was taken after she received her "Terrific Kid Award" in her 1st grade class this past school year.

My cousin was placed on the Autism Spectrum when she was 18 months old. Through early intervention and the work of her general education and special education teacher, she has blossomed into an excellent student.

She has overcome a lot in her short life, and while her parents deserve a lot of credit, I do believe a big reason for her success are her teachers also.

First Time for Everything

This week marked the first time I have participated in an online course. I was a little intimidated going into it, but after we began, I realized I was actually pretty comfortable with it all.

The reason for this...Curricular Planning.

Having experienced Moodle, Elluminate Live, and of course blogging last semester with Dr. S. in Curricular Planning, I discovered this online class wouldn't be nearly as bad as I had thought.

The class met as whole group on Thursday evening. It seemed to go well, except there were a few microphone issues.

Prior to this meeting, however, I had been meeting online with my group, the Tech Quad.

We met three nights this first week through G-Talk and Google Docs. This was the first time I had ever worked with a group collaboratively using either tools.

It is so easy to use and you can edit power points and other documents together. It was also helpful when someone in the group didn't understand how to do something, you could just connect through a web cam and actually tell them how to do it, rather than just type it in and hope they understand.

It's Time To Say Goodbye

Well we have finally arrived. The end of the course.

At the beginning I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Now that we are at the end, I am happy to say that I wouldn't have changed any of it.

Yes, there was a lot of work. And yes, there were a lot of sleepless nights because of all the work.

All of that work, however, made me better.

I have more confidence than ever that I will be a successful teacher some day, and I have the work to prove it.

I have to be honest, I'm pretty proud of my unit plan.

Never would I have ever thought to do something of that magnitude on the Internet. Before this class I couldn't even tell you what a wiki was.

Blogging turned out to also be an enjoyable assignment.

As a past journalist, I used to be against blogging. I thought it was pointless, and just an outlet for people to ramble about their thoughts.

Well after having to blog for this course, I must admit, I now enjoy rambling about my thoughts.

It is an easy and fun way to reflect on what I learned, and share anything new I may discover in the world of education.

In the beginning of the course everyone I talked to that had taken this course with Dr. S in previous semesters said it would be overwhelming at first, but in the end you will see everything come together and make sense.

They were right.

Fieldwork - Assessment

During my observation, there was a lot of test prep going on.

The state ELA and math tests were coming up in a month, so students were being prepped repeatedly for these exams.

Fridays are review days in the 5th grade class I observed. The only day of the week, specifically designated as a day to "teach to the test."

For example, on the state ELA test, students are allowed to use a highlighter. Due to this, the teacher did a whole theme on highlighting during a social studies unit. She taught them how to highlight without highlighting the whole page or simply using the highlighter to draw.

The teacher goes over test-taking strategies, which were established by both her and the students.

Prior to taking a practice test, the students first had to share useful test-taking strategies.

While the students take this practice test, the teacher walks around the room and observes. The practice test is also timed out the way the actual state test is.

After a section of the test was completed, the teacher would read off the answers. If a student answered a question incorrectly, they would have to say where they went wrong.

The teacher has students do this self-assessment when going over homework answers as well.

She believes if the students can find where they went wrong, they can fix the problem on their own.

Fieldwork - Models of Instruction

During the days of my observations, there was little direct instruction.

Direct instruction would take place the beginning of math lessons, lasting only a few minutes. There was some direct instruction during ELA.

During lessons, there was quite a bit of social and interactive work by the students.

Students work collaboratively on certain assignments, but even when collaboration was not required, students were allowed to socialize and share their work.

During direct instruction, the students attention was generally directed toward the teacher. There were a few students who would talk while she was talking.

When other students were asking questions, the class became noticeably noisier.

The teacher quickly gains everyone's attention again and gets the students back on task.

Whenever a students needs help with something, some students raise their hands, while others just call out the teachers name.

The teacher made it known that she cannot stand when students call out her name.

She constantly lectures them on sitting quietly and raising their hands.

When seat work has been completed, students are well aware as to what they can do next.

A list hangs on the wall in the classroom giving students different options.

These options include finishing any owed work, reading a book, write a story/do a journal entry, study notes, practice math problems, or do reading BINGO.

Some students opt to read a book, however, many just talk to their neighbors or anyone else that sits in their group.

This was a VERY chatty class.

When students are speaking in front of the class, for the most part it is done clearly and loudly.

There are one or two who speak very softly or mumble.

As for the teacher, she speaks loudly and with clarity. It did not appear that, at any point during my observations, students may have had a hard time hearing or understanding her.

Fieldwork - Planning/Implementing Lessons

When it comes to planning instruction, the district where I observed simplifies the process with its scope and sequence.

The scope is based on NYS standards.

When writing out daily lesson plans, the teacher must write an objective, sentence or two describing the activity, and what the assessment will be.

Plans must be written for every subject and are handed in to the principal weekly.

As for unit plans, they are subject-oriented due to the state tests.

Science and social studies units are based on the districts scope and sequence. Math is as well.

ELA units are based on what the students need. This includes writing, word study, spelling, etc.

After going through all of the planning of units and lessons, the teacher must then implement these lessons.

The teacher I observed said that she does not even look at her lesson plans after she writes them.

She prepares herself for what she will be teaching ahead of time. It also does not hurt that she has been teaching for a few years now.

The teacher I observed tries to incorporate different subjects into lessons also.

During a math lesson, are was incorporated when students were asked to draw a picture showing translation, reflection, and rotation. Students then had to write a story to go along with their drawing using math vocabulary.

Another example was in science. Students were working on a compare/contrast essay, therefore incorporating ELA into science instruction.

Fieldwork - Student Population/Diversity

In most classrooms these days, it appears students are now classified as a number. You are either a 4, 3, 2, or 1.

The class I observed was broken down like this according to the teacher; no 1's, a few 2's, and mostly 3's.

No student in the class entered the 5th grade as a 4.

For those who do not know about the number system, a grade of A, B, C, D, and F has been replaced by 4, 3, 2, and 1.

The class I observed was not an inclusion class. No student in the class has an IEP.

There was one diagnosed 504.

As for gifted students, there is one who the teacher labeled as gifted, and stated that there were two others who were not far from being gifted as well.

When it comes to working with the gifted students, she stressed that it is important that these students are not given more work, rather the level of difficulty for assignments is higher.

The teacher told me that her one gifted student is one of her biggest challenges do to the fact that she has to constantly think of new ways to challenge the student. This student often gets bored and does not push herself.

One thing the teacher did to address this was to place her next to another student who was near her level as a way to have them challenge one another and keep each other engaged.

Fieldwork - Classroom Setting

Over the course of the semester I have been completing fieldwork that is required for the class.

For this, I observed a 5th grade classroom.

The first thing I noticed when I began my observations was the classroom setup.

For a class with 27 students in it, it was a rather small classroom. The teacher whom I was observing discussed this issue with me.

She noted how while this was the classroom the 5th graders were placed in, the 2nd graders had a much larger room and a considerably smaller class enrollment.

When it came to arranging the classroom before the school year began, she was required to have a certain arrangement, however, when it came to the small stuff like materials, storage, mailboxes, etc. it all came down to where she could find the space.

Desks were arranged in three large groups of nine, making a 'U' shape. In the center of the 'U' was a space for students to gather on the floor, or the meeting area, where they sit in front of the Smart board and receive direct instruction before being sent back to their desks to work on an activity.

Materials (i.e. pencils, paper, pencil sharpener, etc.) are located on the counter by the window. Alongside these materials is the class library. Here, students may check out a book from a number of genres including realistic fiction, nonfiction, fiction, etc.

The teacher's desk was located in the back of the room near the window. Again, this was because that was where it could fit.

Next to the Smart board were five computers for the students to use.

Above the computers was a bulletin board where the students' work was displayed. During the time I was observing, the bulletin board was used to display book reports the class had recently completed.

Coat racks are located along the wall where the door is located. So are the students' mailboxes.

In this classroom, as with most other classrooms I have been in, the traditional blackboard and whiteboard are no longer needed, thanks in part to the Smart board. Therefore, these boards are now used to hang up posters, rules, pocket charts, and student work.

During ELA and math, the class is usually broken up into learning centers. When this happens, one group usually is assigned to the computers, and the rest are split up into two or three groups.

The teacher explained that the district was a Fountas and Pinnell district. This means that the classrooms were required to have a guided reading area and a meeting area. The meeting area is used to bring the students closer together and helps the students to pay attention.

The classroom was essentially set up for ELA purposes, or to create a literacy rich environment.

Unit Plan Is Almost Done!

It has been a while since I last wrote. I have been busy, busy, busy working on this unit plan.

It's all starting to come together slowly, but surely.

Thankfully, we have been spending most of our class time working on our units.

I'm currently working on putting together my possible activities in my unit. I have a total of seven activities.

I have been having a hard time writing up these activities though, and I'm not sure why.

The part of the activity I'm having the hardest time with is the development.

In the development, you are supposed to write out what kind of strategy, model, and method you are going to use for that particular activity.

After this past week's class, however, I feel like I'm starting to get what I need to include.

I need to be very specific in this section.

For example, if my activity has students working in groups, I need to write how I will create the groups.

Once my activities are completed, I can then write up my culminating project and evaluations. After that I should be done!

Wish me luck!

Putting It All Together

Now that we are getting toward the end of the semester, we have to think, how does all of this information we learned go together?

Amazingly, it all fits perfectly.

Take Bruner's Structure of Knowledge.

How would one tie together the different levels of his pyramid with other learning theories.

Meta-Cognition -- Re-Constructionism -- Social-Cognitive Theory.
Generalizations -- Existentialism-Humanism -- Multiple Intelligences/Brain Research Theory.
Concepts -- Progressivism -- Constructivist/Cognitive Theory.
Facts -- Perennialism/Essentialism -- Behaviorist Theory.

Before I continue with making connections, I must write the definitions for strategies, models, and methods.

Strategies are direct or indirect forms of instruction.

Direct instruction involves the teacher lecturing to students. This type of instruction can be done in the beginning of a unit when the teacher wants the students to learn basic information. It is also the easiest form of instruction to plan.

For indirect instruction, the role of the teacher changes. In this type of instruction, the teacher becomes more of a facilitator. The students actively participate through interactive, experiential, or independent ways.

Models are the broadest level of instructional practice and are philosophical.

There are four types of models; personal (develop self-esteem), Social Interaction (develop social skills), Information Processing (finding, organizing, processing information), and Behavioral (develop basic skills/knowledge).

Methods are the most specific ways of reaching goals.

There are hundreds of methods.

Now back to putting all of this information together.

One example of connecting Bruner's Structure of Knowledge, Bloom's Taxonomy, and strategies, models, and methods is this:

Meta-Cognition -- Creative Thinking/Evaluation/Synthesis -- Personal/Independent Study/Experiential.

It's been a lot to take in this semester, but it's all finally starting to come together.

Review Time

Well, it's that time of the semester. Time to start looking back at previous weeks topics and reviewing.

We have covered a lot of material this semester and thanks to Jessica and her micro-teaching, I was able to review a good amount of our class topics.

What I liked about the review was that we weren't just fed all of the information all over again.

Instead, we were forced to THINK.

Given a couple of minutes, we had to make a list of all the concepts, skills, experiences, and theories learned during the course.

At first, I had a hard time. I could not think of a lot of the material we had previously covered. Eventually, it started to come back to me.

Under concepts I wrote content analysis, task analysis, aims, goals and objectives, learning standards, and the pedagogical system.

For skills I had creating a wiki, writing objectives, Webspiration, creating graphic organizers, and blogging.

Experiences included fieldwork, micro-teaching, group presentations, and designing a unit plan.

Finally, for theories, I wrote Bloom's Taxonomy, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, and Cognitive Theory.

After making my own list and then listening to others share theirs, it was amazing to see how much we really went over so far this semester.

Bloom's Changing Taxonomy

This week, we talked about Bloom's Taxonomy, and Bloom's three learning domains.

Bloom's original taxonomy was in the order of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Imagine a pyramid, with knowledge being the base and working your way up to evaluation at the top.

Bloom's Taxonomy, however, has been revised, using new terminology.

It now looks like this...remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating (creating now takes the place of synthesis).

With this revised taxonomy, there are also verbs to go along with each level.

Bloom's Taxonomy can be thought of as a ladder. Each step brings the learner higher and higher.

As for Bloom's three learning domains, they are cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

Cognitive is the learner's mental skills (knowledge). Affective covers the growth in feelings/emotional areas (attitude). Psychomotor is the learner's manual/physical skills.

There are three domains simply because there is more than one factor the teacher should take into consideration when dealing with a student.

Aims, Goals, and Objectives...What's The Difference?

What is the difference between aims, goals, and objectives?

Aims are general statements that express learning targets. Examples of aims are national learning standards.

Goals are statements of the teachers intentions. Goals are expressed in state standards.

Objectives are specific statements of outcomes. Objectives are created by the teacher and can be measured through activities.

Mount Saint Mary College requires that our objectives consist of CBC (Condition, behavior, criteria).

The condition is the setting. The setting is expressed through the words, "Given a task/material..."

Behavior is the action verb used. Action verbs are words such as apply, outline, create, define, explain, etc. Action verbs are NOT the words know, learn, comprehend, etc. These words are not measurable.

The third part of the objective, criteria, refers to the level of performance expected from the student.

An example of an objective I wrote in class using the CBC model was, "Given two illustrations depicting the Boston Massacre, the student will complete a Venn diagram providing two similarities and five differences."

The condition is "Given two illustrations." The behavior, or action verb, is complete, and the criteria is providing examples on a Venn diagram.

While it may sound easy writing objectives using CBC, it's not. The example I provided came after a couple of attempts and discussion with my professor.

Hopefully, with a little practice it will get better.

What is Content Analysis?

Content analysis is the breaking down, or structuring, the kind of learning experience the teacher expects students to know/perform.

Content analysis covers what is most important to know and also what skills are required to learn the content.

One way to do this in an organized fashion is through a subject matter outline.

There are five different types of content analysis; information processing analysis, concept analysis, task analysis, learning analysis, and activity analysis.

Information processing analysis is laid out through a subject matter outline. In concept analysis, the definition, key parts, and examples must be provided to students. The teacher should provide good AND bad examples to students. Task analysis is the skill required. Task analysis can be procedural or hierarchical.

Learning analysis examines the students prior skills and knowledge, as well as the best way the content can be learned. Finally, there is activity analysis. This examines how the information will be delivered. It should show how students will be engaged in the learning.

Why should you use content analysis?

For starters, it can help you classify information, and align that information with learning standards.

Second, it helps to decompose, or sequence, the information. You can identify the components, order of instruction, and select appropriate media, learning context,and methods of teaching.

How can you conduct a content analysis? There are a number of ways.

You can explore learning standards, whether they be state of national. You may interview colleagues. Talking to an experienced teacher can be extremely helpful, especially when you are just starting out in this profession.

You can also visit Internet sites to research your unit theme. You should be an expert on whatever you are teaching.

To show the importance of content analysis, and breaking down knowledge, a woman in my class asked us to tell her how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

While this sounds like a simple task, it involves a lot of steps, and that was the point she was trying to get across.

When we introduce a topic in our classes, we need to be able to break down all of the facts and present them in a logical order so that our students can complete a task.

New Social Studies Curriculum

Texas State Board of Education agreed to new social studies curriculum today. Interesting article. Even more interesting...who makes up this BOE.

Possible Change in Standards?

I read an article on MSNBC yesterday about standards. The U.S. is proposing to have a set of common school standards, and may eventually do away with benchmarks.

Can You Name All Five Standards?

How does one go about memorizing the five NYS social studies standards in order?

My group decided the best way was to create a bulls-eye type diagram.

We divided the standards based on size, going from smallest to largest.

Our order went like this...civics, citizenship, and government; history of the U.S. and NYS; economics; world history; and geography.

While I don't think this diagram helps anybody to remember the standards in order, it worked for us.

I can now tell you all five standards, and in order too!


On a side note...
I am trying to post a picture of my group's diagram of the standards. So far, no luck. Once I figure out how to, I'll be sure to update the post.

Standards, and Key Ideas, and Performance Indicators! Oh, My!

Our groups presented projects this week. Each group was assigned a standard. Our group had the task of presenting mathematics and science standards.

Math and science standards are a part of MST (Mathematics, Science, and Technology).

MST is composed of seven standards. Standard 3 is the math standard, and standard 4 is the science standard.

Each standard is made up of content standards, or key ideas, which are what the student should know within that standard.

Following the content standards, there are performance indicators. These performance indicators are used for students to show that they understand the content.

After learning about all of the standards, my task is to now pick which standards I will use (both national and state) in my unit plan.

I only need to use all five New York State social studies standards in my unit, and be able to correlate those standards with the national standards.

This should be easy, right?

Technology Can Come in Handy

Last week was a hectic one. After getting a couple feet of snow, classes were canceled.

Except for curricular planning.

We used Elluminate Live to have our class online.

It was a little confusing at first to figure out how to connect to Elluminate, and then how to hear people talking. Nick was still able to do his microteaching lesson, which was nice. He did a great job taking advantage of all of this technology.

Unfortunately, my power went out about an hour into class. While I missed the rest of the class, what I did get to see through Elluminate, I liked.

It contains an interactive white board that everyone can right on. Also, if the people in the group you are working with all have microphones, you can all talk to one another, rather than typing conversations.

It's an interesting tool that I think makes learning fun!

Academic Standards - Good or Bad?

Learning standards require students to show what they know and how they are able to take what they have learned and use it. Standards are expectations and guide what is taught in class.

The standards movement began in 1989 when the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) developed math standards. Also in 1989, Congress adopted eight new national standards.

Schools need standards because students need to know there are expectations. Standards allow teachers to see how students are performing and helps the teacher to plan classroom activities. Standards also focus reform efforts.

In a standards-based classroom, a person should see high-level activity. In the classroom, questioning, reflecting, analyzing, discussing, writing and experiments should be taking place.

I believe there should be standards for all content areas. Students need to know that there is a certain level of expectation required by their teachers.

There is the issue of who should set standards and how high or low standards may be set. As of right now, I don't have a problem with there being national standards or state standards. This could of course change once I'm am actually teaching.

Assessment in the Classroom

There are different forms of assessment in classrooms. There is diagnostic, formative and summative.

Diagnostic is like pre-testing. You want to find out what students already know about a topic. The big two are formative and summative.

Formative assessments are continuous and can be done in a variety of ways through journals, peer reviews, observation, etc.

Summative assessments are usually done at the end of units or in some cases at the end of semesters. They are summing up what students learned.

The difference between these two assessments is what the student gets out of them.

Formative assessments should be used throughout units to guide students learning. Students should be able to take the results from their formative assessment and use it to determine what he or she needs to work on.

The biggest part of formative assessment is feedback. Students need to know why they received the score they did and how to correct the problem.

The issue with a summative assessment is that there is no room for useful feedback. By the time a student has taken a summative assessment it is too late. The course or unit is already over and they have lost the opportunity to fix whatever it was they did not understand.

While summative assessment is necessary for teachers to give, it should not be the only form of testing. Teachers must find other ways to see how students are doing and use formative assessments to help students before it's too late.

In the article "A Conceptual Framework for Classroom Assessment," there was a question asking which combination of words I prefer...assessment for learning, or assessment of learning.

I chose "Assessment FOR Learning." While assessments should be used to determine what students have learned, it should also be used as a way to assess how the students can continue to learn.