Results.....Now?
I was disturbed while reading the article by Schmoker. It is sad all teachers do not have the same standards as we do. Our profession is attacked quite often and I understand there are "bad" teachers that just pop in a video and don't actually teach. At the same time we have amazing teachers that change a child's entire future. I know there are students that look forward coming to school just to have class with the teacher that stimulates and excited them to learn. The problem with the system is the lack of accountability. There isn't very much I am held accountable for as far as Physical Education. We are a non tested subject so what we are teaching in the classroom is not deemed as important to the district. I am non tenured so I get observed on a more regular basis, but the teachers in my department that are tenured get observed only once a year. This is not an adequate assesment of a teacher's performance. Teaching is a special profession that not just anyone could do, but it is also a profession that needs a little more tender loving care for it to dodge criticism by people like Schmoker.
DID YOU KNOW???
What are your initial reactions to what you saw in the presentation? I was very surprised at the information I read concerning how other countries are much smarter than us. I was also very intrigued by computers being forcasted to have more capabilities than a human brain.
How are these changes manifesting themselves in your personal lives? professional lives? I noticed I use the computer much more than I every used to. I have a myspace where I keep in touch with all of my friends from college. I also use Google at least 4 times a day to find information. I used it today to look up recipes. What do we think it means to prepare students for the 21st century? I think it means preparing students for what is to come as far as technology. What skills do students need to survive and thrive in this new era? They need to be able to become entrepreneurs. They need to learn and utilize the newest forms of technology to prepare themselves for any type of career.What implications does this have for our current way of doing things? Our current way of doing things may be great in some districts, but in my district the technology is very far behind where it should be. The teachers are not trained in using technology and neither are the kids. I taught at a school before that each kid had their own laptop. That is what we need to strive for.Do we need to change? If so, how? Yes, we need to change. We need to hold many more in service days geared for technology.
How do we get from here to there? We Research schools that have great technology programs, we hold in services for teachers on how to implement technology. What challenges must we overcome as we move forward? The biggest challenge will be the resistance of teachers. What supports will we need as we move forward? What kind of training will we need to move forward? We will need the support of successful schools that have technology as part of their everyday curriculum. The training should be from those kinds of schools that have great technology programs that work.
Is it possible for a teacher to be an excellent teacher if he/she does not use technology? I think an excellent teacher is one that has all of the pieces of the puzzle to guiding a student toward success. Without technology, that excellence isn't there even if the teacher is a good teacher. Technology is a part of our future and we need to face that.
"Reading Don't Fix No Chevys"
When I think about "Flow" , I think about the activities I am good at and want to keep doing. Students are the same way. When they are good at something and shine while doing it, they want to keep doing it. Competence plays a large role in flow. If a person fails at skiing they may not want to try it again for fear of failing a second time, or embarrassment. It is easy to flow when you are the student that gets every question right in math class. When you are the kid in the back of the room dreading to be picked on, flow just isn't there.
As educators we have to provide flow for our students but at the same time let them fall a few times. When we let them fall, we can teach them how to stand back up and try again. Falling is a good lesson for them to learn. When they fall and we teach them to get up...they will get up and try harder the next time. This is what education is all about. Teaching students to think critically, and find their interests. They use those interests to tie in with other subjects.
We have to provide flow for that child in the back of the room. This can be done through differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction will be a great tool for students to find "their way to flow".
As educators we have to provide flow for our students but at the same time let them fall a few times. When we let them fall, we can teach them how to stand back up and try again. Falling is a good lesson for them to learn. When they fall and we teach them to get up...they will get up and try harder the next time. This is what education is all about. Teaching students to think critically, and find their interests. They use those interests to tie in with other subjects.
We have to provide flow for that child in the back of the room. This can be done through differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction will be a great tool for students to find "their way to flow".
Letter to William Pascrell Jr. 8th District
Dear Mr. Pascrell Jr.
I am writing you in regards to the current debate over the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. There have been some positives that have come from NCLB,such as better teachers and more readily accessable information for parents, but I would like to address an issue that needs changed.
I am a health and physical education teacher, so I am not directly affected by NCLB. I have noticed over the past couple of years that my students perform as robots. They are no longer able to have creativity in the classroom due to the gruelling pace of preparations for testing. These tests do not accurately show what the students are learning. Instead, they breed anxiety and frustration. The teachers feel pressure to educate the students directly on what is tested which causes the kids to loose out on many of the exciting field trips, and projects that were done in the past. Standardized testing is only one tool to measure what a child knows, and in many cases not a good one. There needs to be many more accurate ways to assess them, such as rubrics, and projects. Students feel less pressure, and a more diverse group of students will respond to this type of testing.
I urge you to take this issue into consideration and thank you for your time listening to my concerns as an educator in the New Jersey schools.
Sincerely,
Kara Tate
I am writing you in regards to the current debate over the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. There have been some positives that have come from NCLB,such as better teachers and more readily accessable information for parents, but I would like to address an issue that needs changed.
I am a health and physical education teacher, so I am not directly affected by NCLB. I have noticed over the past couple of years that my students perform as robots. They are no longer able to have creativity in the classroom due to the gruelling pace of preparations for testing. These tests do not accurately show what the students are learning. Instead, they breed anxiety and frustration. The teachers feel pressure to educate the students directly on what is tested which causes the kids to loose out on many of the exciting field trips, and projects that were done in the past. Standardized testing is only one tool to measure what a child knows, and in many cases not a good one. There needs to be many more accurate ways to assess them, such as rubrics, and projects. Students feel less pressure, and a more diverse group of students will respond to this type of testing.
I urge you to take this issue into consideration and thank you for your time listening to my concerns as an educator in the New Jersey schools.
Sincerely,
Kara Tate
Saber Tooth Curriculum
When I read this article I thought about curriculum and why it was developed. Educators argue about what they feel should be taught and what is deemed important for the students to learn.
Should education be completely focused on society's needs or ideas that will help make them money? New-Fist took the approach of what society needed at the present time. He wanted to develop a way to provide the children with skills that could allow them to have a better life and keep them from danger.
When change occurred there was a conservative group with elder member of the tribe that felt if children were meant to do those things at such a young age it would be in their instinct and not have to be taught to them. This reminds me of the educators who are afraid of change and reluctant to try new ways of teaching children. Instead of doing what is best for the kids, they do what makes them comfortable. This is an issue in today's education.
Education must always continue to evolve over the years and people will always be resistant to change. There must be people that can think for themselves and come up with their own ideas. If we didn't have those types of people we wouldn't have new forms of curriculum on such a regular basis.
Should education be completely focused on society's needs or ideas that will help make them money? New-Fist took the approach of what society needed at the present time. He wanted to develop a way to provide the children with skills that could allow them to have a better life and keep them from danger.
When change occurred there was a conservative group with elder member of the tribe that felt if children were meant to do those things at such a young age it would be in their instinct and not have to be taught to them. This reminds me of the educators who are afraid of change and reluctant to try new ways of teaching children. Instead of doing what is best for the kids, they do what makes them comfortable. This is an issue in today's education.
Education must always continue to evolve over the years and people will always be resistant to change. There must be people that can think for themselves and come up with their own ideas. If we didn't have those types of people we wouldn't have new forms of curriculum on such a regular basis.
NJ DOE WEBSITE
The website was easy to read for an educator, but not very user friendly for the average Joe. This website should be a tool for parents to access and utilize. As a parent, everything on this website would be confusing. It should be broken down so the standards are clear. It shouldn't be a nightmare to fish around for them. People are reluctant to use websites as tools because of the confusing nature of them. If websites are set up to accommodate everyone, people would use them more often.
"180 Days"
After watching the video "180 Days" I thought about all the days we miss at school and realized how correct the video was. There are so many interruptions during the year that cut into instructional time. As teachers we always think we have so much time to get our lessons completed, but we definitely do not.
The ramifications of mising so many days results in students being illprepared for college or the workplace. The use of instructional time for non-instruction, causes some students to believe education is not as important as it should be. Others who already believe this to be true are reinforced in this belief by the daily fillers.
I would plan a schedule in which Fridays would be designated as the only day to be used for non-instructional activities or tasks that need completed throughout the school year.
The ramifications of mising so many days results in students being illprepared for college or the workplace. The use of instructional time for non-instruction, causes some students to believe education is not as important as it should be. Others who already believe this to be true are reinforced in this belief by the daily fillers.
I would plan a schedule in which Fridays would be designated as the only day to be used for non-instructional activities or tasks that need completed throughout the school year.
Change Response
Educators are very slow to change because they want to remain where they are comfortable. Many are afraid of the unknown and whether or not they will be able to teach the new curriculum as well as the old one. Many of the older educators are intimidated of the use of technology, and they are also very set in their ways about how to teach. They believe what they have been doing for years has worked so why change it. Working hard as educators without fear should be something we are eager to do since we ask our own students to do the same thing.
While reading the different articles, I thought about why change occurs and the benefits of change. Without change in education, our society would not be where it should. The changes are great for the educators as well as the students. The times alter more and more; we have to be ready for this transformation and embrace it. This must be done as a team approach.
I am an educator that really likes change. The article by Patricia Lee Brown about using calming methods in classes excited me because I also thought it was a great idea to use with students. When I think of ways to help students learn better and enjoy what they are doing, I smile and think I have done my job properly. All educators should think about innovative ideas such as what Patricia Lee Brown came up with to educate kids to the best of their ability.
While reading the different articles, I thought about why change occurs and the benefits of change. Without change in education, our society would not be where it should. The changes are great for the educators as well as the students. The times alter more and more; we have to be ready for this transformation and embrace it. This must be done as a team approach.
I am an educator that really likes change. The article by Patricia Lee Brown about using calming methods in classes excited me because I also thought it was a great idea to use with students. When I think of ways to help students learn better and enjoy what they are doing, I smile and think I have done my job properly. All educators should think about innovative ideas such as what Patricia Lee Brown came up with to educate kids to the best of their ability.
Prensky's Challenge
Reading Presnky's challenge really got me thinking as an educator. I thought his ideas were very different and exciting, but at the same time very unrealistic. There are so many different students in the classroom. Some may absolutely love technology, while others could never learn to the best of their ability solely using a technology means of learning.
Presnky was not an educator and that is apparent by reading his challenge. Packing an entire year's work into a semester just would not benefit any students. It would bring a great deal of stress and pressure, and add negativity towards wanting to learn.
Learning technology is very important, and students would benefit from some of his ideas; but this challenge does not accurately describe what can and would happen in the classroom.
Presnky was not an educator and that is apparent by reading his challenge. Packing an entire year's work into a semester just would not benefit any students. It would bring a great deal of stress and pressure, and add negativity towards wanting to learn.
Learning technology is very important, and students would benefit from some of his ideas; but this challenge does not accurately describe what can and would happen in the classroom.
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