Sunday, October 21, 2007
Thoughts About UBD
I am required to turn in my plan book every Thursday afternoon and I do. I use that plan book everyday. I am a very organized person that needs to have an agenda in order to get through the day. I do have to say though at this point that my plans are very basic. They consist of the the lesson's objective and the CCCS. I have been teaching the same grade now for four years, so I have gathered many materials needed to teach an effective lesson. I am also very aware of the material that needs to be taught. Therefore, the whole process of sitting down and writing out a detailed lesson plan took some time to accomplish. The UBD process is a very time consuming process. I really enjoyed it. I think thinking about the end result is a great idea, but doing it for about 8 lesson a day is too much for me to handle. Even though a school day is from 8:30 to 3:30 I put in many more hours of work, so my lessons do have of many different components to them, but in my opinion I would rather gather materials need to teach an effective lesson then sit down and write the lesson plan out. I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing that I think this way, but it is how I feel. Knowing how to get the most out of the lesson is important and the UBD process does really make you think and reflect on your lessons. They are also a great guide for others if they want to use your ideas. I do wonder though how many teachers especially elementary teachers use the UBD process?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Results Now
I am pretty new to the education world. I have only been teaching for four years. In those four years I have grown so much as a teacher. I take a look back to when I just started out and I can't believe how far I have come in those four short years. Schmoker stated that teachers need to collaborate and I completely agree with him on that point. I am blessed to have a great partner to work with. When I just started out I needed to work with her to learn the ropes, but now I work with her and collaborate with her because I want to and really enjoy it. I look forward to coming to work and talking about what the day is about to bring. I also enjoy sharing lessons, ideas, and even having someone to complain to about different issues. Working with others can really make a huge difference in a teachers life. You can learn so much from one another.
I do have to say that if I read this article four years ago I would have been very discouraged. I am a hard working teacher and so are many of my colleagues. This article I feel doesn't give teachers the credit we deserve. I feel that this article doesn't talk about the majority of schools or teachers out there. Teachers are a special kind of person. We have our children's best interest at heart and we want to see our children succeed. Teachers don't wake up in the morning and think about how boring can I make my students day. There is so much work that needs to be accomplished that not every lesson is bells and whistles, but I tend to feel that the majority of teachers' lessons especially where I work make a lasting impression on our students. I do have to say it would be interesting to see how a teacher's lesson or day would change if we narrowed the curriculum.
In conclusion, I feel that in my school and like many other schools teachers for the most part do collaborate with one another and do benefit from it. I also feel that administrators do need to work closely with the teachers to make sure that valuable instruction is going on and that our collaboration isn't being wasted. Helpful feedback is welcomed.
I do have to say that if I read this article four years ago I would have been very discouraged. I am a hard working teacher and so are many of my colleagues. This article I feel doesn't give teachers the credit we deserve. I feel that this article doesn't talk about the majority of schools or teachers out there. Teachers are a special kind of person. We have our children's best interest at heart and we want to see our children succeed. Teachers don't wake up in the morning and think about how boring can I make my students day. There is so much work that needs to be accomplished that not every lesson is bells and whistles, but I tend to feel that the majority of teachers' lessons especially where I work make a lasting impression on our students. I do have to say it would be interesting to see how a teacher's lesson or day would change if we narrowed the curriculum.
In conclusion, I feel that in my school and like many other schools teachers for the most part do collaborate with one another and do benefit from it. I also feel that administrators do need to work closely with the teachers to make sure that valuable instruction is going on and that our collaboration isn't being wasted. Helpful feedback is welcomed.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
"Did You Know"
Actually I didn't know. After I watched that video I was really surprised about some things. I realize that technology is important and that there is always something new happening , but I didn't think that in the near future there would be a computer that would surpass the human brain and possibly the human race. To me that is a scary thought. How do we prepare ourselves or others for that?
There is a great big world out there and we here in the US play a small part in that world. As an educator though I feel I have a bigger part than some others. I feel this way because it is my responsibility to prepare my children in my classroom for the future. Those children are our future. This task is not an easy one considering the fact that I am preparing them for things I don't even know about yet or preparing them for things that don't even exist yet. Our society changes so fast it is hard to keep up so I think as educators it is our job to teach our children the skills needed in order to succeed in this world. Once they have the skills and know how to use them hopefully our children will be able to fit them into their world as they see fit. We need to give our children the confidence to change those skills as they feel is necessary. It is important for our children to become hard-working, strong, and determined individuals.
This responsibility doesn't only lie in the educators hands. The BOEs need to step up also. If technology is so important then why do I have only one computer in my classroom that works and has very, very, limited internet access and why am I using a textbooks that were published in the 70s? Most of information in our social studies books are inaccurate and then as an educator you try to look up accurate information and you realize that the website is denied for who knows what reason. Stuff like this makes our jobs so hard.
The BOE aren't the only ones that need to step up. Parents need to help the schools out. There have been years when I never met a child's parents at all. If the parents don't make any effort toward their child's education then no wonder the children make no effort either.
I think we need to work as one big team; teachers, BOEs, and parents. We need to make sure that our children are prepared for whats to come. Educators and parents need to have basic technology skills in order to help our children. Technology isn't going away and it is time to stop being afraid of it and face the facts, we need it to survive in today's society.
There is a great big world out there and we here in the US play a small part in that world. As an educator though I feel I have a bigger part than some others. I feel this way because it is my responsibility to prepare my children in my classroom for the future. Those children are our future. This task is not an easy one considering the fact that I am preparing them for things I don't even know about yet or preparing them for things that don't even exist yet. Our society changes so fast it is hard to keep up so I think as educators it is our job to teach our children the skills needed in order to succeed in this world. Once they have the skills and know how to use them hopefully our children will be able to fit them into their world as they see fit. We need to give our children the confidence to change those skills as they feel is necessary. It is important for our children to become hard-working, strong, and determined individuals.
This responsibility doesn't only lie in the educators hands. The BOEs need to step up also. If technology is so important then why do I have only one computer in my classroom that works and has very, very, limited internet access and why am I using a textbooks that were published in the 70s? Most of information in our social studies books are inaccurate and then as an educator you try to look up accurate information and you realize that the website is denied for who knows what reason. Stuff like this makes our jobs so hard.
The BOE aren't the only ones that need to step up. Parents need to help the schools out. There have been years when I never met a child's parents at all. If the parents don't make any effort toward their child's education then no wonder the children make no effort either.
I think we need to work as one big team; teachers, BOEs, and parents. We need to make sure that our children are prepared for whats to come. Educators and parents need to have basic technology skills in order to help our children. Technology isn't going away and it is time to stop being afraid of it and face the facts, we need it to survive in today's society.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
"Reading Don't Fix Chevys"
Csikszentmihalyi began his book with a quote that I really liked. He said that, "more than anything else, men and women seek happiness. Everything else we strive for money, health, prestige, everything is only valued because we expect that it will bring us happiness." I think that this is so true we work so hard to make money and become successful, but at times these things can make us miserable. If men and women seek happiness then so do boys and girls. Sometimes I think some of us forget this because boys and girls are just little kids. If children seek happiness as much as adults then as educators we should try to make school a happy place filled with meaningful learning.
Most educators try so hard to incorporate differentiated instruction into their lessons. We try to make sure we touch each type of learner, the ESL child, the special needs child, the academically talented child etc, but what about the differences between boys and girls? You don't hear many educators say that this lesson is geared towards the boys or the girls. Since we don't do that many of our lessons are lost on the children that have no interest in that area. According to the article young men who were passionate about the activity experienced flow and those who weren't didn't experience flow, especially in the content area of literacy. Knowing this why not allow boys to read about topics that interest them. In a way let them make up their own reading curriculum with guidance from the teacher. In my opinion if a child is reading then who cares if it is a classic novel. I would rather have them read something than nothing at all.
I personally love when flow happens throughout the day. It makes the day that much better. I want to share this enjoyment with my class so I try to make it happen for my students. I want my students to walk away from a lesson with understanding. If I need to find out what makes my students tick then that's what I will do. Educators put in a lot of extra hours why not make them count.
Most educators try so hard to incorporate differentiated instruction into their lessons. We try to make sure we touch each type of learner, the ESL child, the special needs child, the academically talented child etc, but what about the differences between boys and girls? You don't hear many educators say that this lesson is geared towards the boys or the girls. Since we don't do that many of our lessons are lost on the children that have no interest in that area. According to the article young men who were passionate about the activity experienced flow and those who weren't didn't experience flow, especially in the content area of literacy. Knowing this why not allow boys to read about topics that interest them. In a way let them make up their own reading curriculum with guidance from the teacher. In my opinion if a child is reading then who cares if it is a classic novel. I would rather have them read something than nothing at all.
I personally love when flow happens throughout the day. It makes the day that much better. I want to share this enjoyment with my class so I try to make it happen for my students. I want my students to walk away from a lesson with understanding. If I need to find out what makes my students tick then that's what I will do. Educators put in a lot of extra hours why not make them count.
No Child Left Behind
Dear Congressman Pascrell,
School is a very important part of a child's life. They are in school for at least 13 years. Since school is such an important factor I feel that the learning experience should be an enjoyable one. A child should be able to walk into a classroom and learn as much as they can without evening knowing it.
I am writing to you because I know that No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization. NCLB effects me directly. I am not only a resident, but I am also a fourth grade teacher. I know first hand what effects NCLB can have.
NCLB has had some positive effects on our schools, but it has also had some negative effects too. To start, NCLB has help parents out. It has made information more readily available to them. This is important because the more parents get involved the better a school runs. It has also increased the number of highly qualified teachers in our schools. These two things are a major plus.
On the other hand, NCLB does have some negative effects. I am a teacher in a testing grade. I know first hand what the standardized test are like. This test is a very stressful test for the students and teachers. There is so much information on the test that the children need to know by March that educators wind up teaching to the test. This is not what teaching should be about. Children are not getting what they should be getting out of their education. Five days of stressful testing is not an effective way to assess our children. There are many other forms of assessment that can be done. These test do not represent the population of our schools. Our schools have such a diverse population. Each child learns differently so why test them all the same. NCLB doesn't benefit all.
The requirements for NCLB need to be edited. With certain changes made NCLB can be a very beneficial thing. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kristin Robinson
School is a very important part of a child's life. They are in school for at least 13 years. Since school is such an important factor I feel that the learning experience should be an enjoyable one. A child should be able to walk into a classroom and learn as much as they can without evening knowing it.
I am writing to you because I know that No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization. NCLB effects me directly. I am not only a resident, but I am also a fourth grade teacher. I know first hand what effects NCLB can have.
NCLB has had some positive effects on our schools, but it has also had some negative effects too. To start, NCLB has help parents out. It has made information more readily available to them. This is important because the more parents get involved the better a school runs. It has also increased the number of highly qualified teachers in our schools. These two things are a major plus.
On the other hand, NCLB does have some negative effects. I am a teacher in a testing grade. I know first hand what the standardized test are like. This test is a very stressful test for the students and teachers. There is so much information on the test that the children need to know by March that educators wind up teaching to the test. This is not what teaching should be about. Children are not getting what they should be getting out of their education. Five days of stressful testing is not an effective way to assess our children. There are many other forms of assessment that can be done. These test do not represent the population of our schools. Our schools have such a diverse population. Each child learns differently so why test them all the same. NCLB doesn't benefit all.
The requirements for NCLB need to be edited. With certain changes made NCLB can be a very beneficial thing. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kristin Robinson
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Saber Tooth Tiger
I found this to be a very interesting and creative story. I really enjoyed reading it. I think this story did a good job of representing education in our society.
In the story New-Fist realized that something needed to be done in order to change their future. He figured out ways to teach the children very useful skills. The children loved learning these skills. The skills that the children learned allowed them to live a healthy and safe life for some time. As the time past things around them changed. These changes affected every aspect of their lives. The skills that were learned were no longer needed. In the end some realized that new skills needed to be learned, but some of the older people thought that the old skills were still good because they were "timeless" skills.
I feel this story reflects education today. Many skills that the children learn are timeless. For example learning how to read, write, add, and subtract are timeless skills that every child needs to know. Even though these skills are very important it is very crucial in our ever changing society to expand on these skills and teach them in new and invented ways. By expanding on these skills we want to open our children's eyes to many more possibilities that will help them throughout life. You can't teach the same thing the same way for ever. As we as a society changes our needs and wants change too, so we need to be prepared for whatever life throws at us. Unfortunately, not all educators feel that way. Change happens very slow in education. Some teachers feel that if it isn't broken then don't fix it. In my opinion, even though it isn't broken why not try to find a way to improve it.
In the story New-Fist realized that something needed to be done in order to change their future. He figured out ways to teach the children very useful skills. The children loved learning these skills. The skills that the children learned allowed them to live a healthy and safe life for some time. As the time past things around them changed. These changes affected every aspect of their lives. The skills that were learned were no longer needed. In the end some realized that new skills needed to be learned, but some of the older people thought that the old skills were still good because they were "timeless" skills.
I feel this story reflects education today. Many skills that the children learn are timeless. For example learning how to read, write, add, and subtract are timeless skills that every child needs to know. Even though these skills are very important it is very crucial in our ever changing society to expand on these skills and teach them in new and invented ways. By expanding on these skills we want to open our children's eyes to many more possibilities that will help them throughout life. You can't teach the same thing the same way for ever. As we as a society changes our needs and wants change too, so we need to be prepared for whatever life throws at us. Unfortunately, not all educators feel that way. Change happens very slow in education. Some teachers feel that if it isn't broken then don't fix it. In my opinion, even though it isn't broken why not try to find a way to improve it.
Monday, September 24, 2007
N.J. Standards Website
Every teacher no matter what they teach has a set of guide lines to follow throughout the school year. Those guide lines are the core curriculum standards. I am quite familiar with these standards like most educators are. I have used this website before and each time I use it I tend to get somewhat overwhelmed. I can't believe I actually accomplish this all this work in school year. It is amazing what can actually get done in 65 or so days.
Educators have such a limited amount of time to prepare students for the next school year that I feel it would be beneficial for the site to include some helpful tips for educators. For example the site can give sample lesson plans or tips on how to implement the lesson. This would really help out new teachers just starting out and even veteran teachers looking for ways to spice things up. Don't get me wrong the website is helpful and organized, but there is always room for improvement.
I work in a district where a lot of families do not own computers or have access to the Internet. Since these families are not able to access this website I feel this is not a useful tool for some community members. These families should still know what is going on in the schools. I think that possibly the department of education could send out a newsletter to keep families up to date and informed of what is going. Families should not be punished for what they don't have, especially if they can't afford it.
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