After looking over a few websites to refresh my memory on NCLB, one thing caught my attention. According to NCLB, all students should be able to read. I did not see anything about comprehension. For me the two should go hand in hand. A student might be able to read the passage on a test but if they can't comprehend it how can he answer the questions correctly? The same thing is true for math. Not all problems are a number sentence/model written out. Higher level math problems include critical thinking and comprehension. For my second graders, they not only need to know how to read a word problem, they need to comprehend and use clues to decipher if they are going to add, subtract, pattern, group, etc.
NCLB has helped to create a consistency throughout the state in terms of curriculum and mandated testing (SOLs) but sometimes I wonder if the curriculum we hold them accountable for is a little advanced for them developmentally. As for accreditation, is it truly fair to punish a school because they have low marks for tardies and absences? Administration can only do so much in ways of gentle reminders to parents. In the end it is the parent's responsibility to get their child to school.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Teaching for Understanding pt 2
The third, fourth and fifth chapters in Teaching for Understanding deal with how to create lessons and units that peak students' interest and incorporate technology. Wiske (2005) states the topics should connect to multiple important ideas across subject matter; be authentic, accessible and interesting to students; be interesting to the teacher; be approachable through several entry points' and generate continued inquiry. Subject matter they suggest teachers use "teaching for understanding" are literature, biology, history, social sciences and math.
There are several questions teachers should ask themselves before creating lessons; What topics are really important but difficult for students to understand? and How can I use technology to create lessons students find interesting yet help them to understand the topic? After addressing these questions, teachers need to create clear cut goals and objectives for the students. Without these goals, students are unclear about what they are learning or trying to master. Basically, there needs to be a lot of prep time before implementing the lesson. If you are introduction a new technology, you have to teach the students how to use the technology before hand.
These chapters are fairly self explanatory on how to create the lesson plans and give examples of real world applications. Being a first year teacher it is very overwhelming to try to implement these kinds of lessons. I would like to try it out but given the short time allotted for teaching subjects, I feel like I have to fall back on reading chapters in books, lecture and worksheets. It would be nice if someone could come in before school started and help me plan out how to introduce technology to my students. It would make implementing these types of lesson plans seem less overwhelming.
Wiske, M.S., Franz, K.R., & Breit, L. (2005) Teaching for understanding with technology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
There are several questions teachers should ask themselves before creating lessons; What topics are really important but difficult for students to understand? and How can I use technology to create lessons students find interesting yet help them to understand the topic? After addressing these questions, teachers need to create clear cut goals and objectives for the students. Without these goals, students are unclear about what they are learning or trying to master. Basically, there needs to be a lot of prep time before implementing the lesson. If you are introduction a new technology, you have to teach the students how to use the technology before hand.
These chapters are fairly self explanatory on how to create the lesson plans and give examples of real world applications. Being a first year teacher it is very overwhelming to try to implement these kinds of lessons. I would like to try it out but given the short time allotted for teaching subjects, I feel like I have to fall back on reading chapters in books, lecture and worksheets. It would be nice if someone could come in before school started and help me plan out how to introduce technology to my students. It would make implementing these types of lesson plans seem less overwhelming.
Wiske, M.S., Franz, K.R., & Breit, L. (2005) Teaching for understanding with technology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Friday, February 16, 2007
Using Technology Wisely
Friel (2001) states that once the computers are hooked up and we are ready to go online we still need to look at how are we going to use the internet, what types of resources should the students have access to and how are we going to show the students the correct way to use the internet? Students need to understand copyright issues, how to site work of others and acceptable ways to use the internet. Friel also brings up the debate of using filters throughout a school district or only at specific schools. She also touches on privacy issues.
In Stafford Co. we do have internet filters, at least in the elementary schools. With these filters it will not bring up websites that contain explicit language, porn and dating services. Personally, I am glad they have these filters but they only work so far. One day I was trying to look up meteorologists for my second graders. I used ask.com to see if there was a site to explain about the profession. The first two website addresses that came up had blurbs that had explicit language in them and I told the students to go away until I found a better site.
I did have a problem with the Privacy Issues section in the article. Yes, we should explain to the students that it is wrong to try to read, copy or change other people’s e-mail but school e-mail is not a good example. Since public schools are funded by the state and county all of our e-mail falls under the Freedom of Information Act. At and time, school or state officials and parents can request to see our e-mails.
Friel, L.L.(2001). “Using Technology Appropriately” Technology In Its Place. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
In Stafford Co. we do have internet filters, at least in the elementary schools. With these filters it will not bring up websites that contain explicit language, porn and dating services. Personally, I am glad they have these filters but they only work so far. One day I was trying to look up meteorologists for my second graders. I used ask.com to see if there was a site to explain about the profession. The first two website addresses that came up had blurbs that had explicit language in them and I told the students to go away until I found a better site.
I did have a problem with the Privacy Issues section in the article. Yes, we should explain to the students that it is wrong to try to read, copy or change other people’s e-mail but school e-mail is not a good example. Since public schools are funded by the state and county all of our e-mail falls under the Freedom of Information Act. At and time, school or state officials and parents can request to see our e-mails.
Friel, L.L.(2001). “Using Technology Appropriately” Technology In Its Place. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Technology in Schools
I can relate to Perry and Areglato’s (2001) assessment that computer and technology labs tend to be pushed off into a dark corner. Teachers are consumed by the paper work and constraints of teaching and they forget about computers and technology. Or, if they are older teachers, fear the unknown factor of adding technology to the lessons they have been teaching for the past ten to fifteen years.
Perry and Areglato (2001) state that along with teachers, principals need to change their practices with the introduction of technology. In the past, principals were managers who were problem-solvers, compromisers, bureaucrats, and task completers. With the integration of technology, principals now need to be leaders who have goals, develop new approaches to old problems, are comfortable with high risk and are intuitive and empathetic.
Principals need to form committees that will create a goal or vision of technology. From that vision, a strategy of how to fulfill this vision will is formed and it is presented to the faculty. From there, professional development needs to be implemented to update and inform teachers on how new and improved technology is used. This can be done in a “one-sized fits all” approach or in smaller more specific technology based groups.
I agree that professional development is important to help teachers understand new technology, but as a first year teacher, it would be nice to be brought up to date with what technology is available in the school. I have substituted/student taught in three different schools, which had three different types of technology. The school I current work at has different technology or programs I do not know a lot about. How am I supposed to use what is available if I do not know what is available?
Perry, G.S. & Areglato, R. J. (2001). “The Computers are Here!” Technology In Its Place. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Perry and Areglato (2001) state that along with teachers, principals need to change their practices with the introduction of technology. In the past, principals were managers who were problem-solvers, compromisers, bureaucrats, and task completers. With the integration of technology, principals now need to be leaders who have goals, develop new approaches to old problems, are comfortable with high risk and are intuitive and empathetic.
Principals need to form committees that will create a goal or vision of technology. From that vision, a strategy of how to fulfill this vision will is formed and it is presented to the faculty. From there, professional development needs to be implemented to update and inform teachers on how new and improved technology is used. This can be done in a “one-sized fits all” approach or in smaller more specific technology based groups.
I agree that professional development is important to help teachers understand new technology, but as a first year teacher, it would be nice to be brought up to date with what technology is available in the school. I have substituted/student taught in three different schools, which had three different types of technology. The school I current work at has different technology or programs I do not know a lot about. How am I supposed to use what is available if I do not know what is available?
Perry, G.S. & Areglato, R. J. (2001). “The Computers are Here!” Technology In Its Place. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Teaching for Understanding with Technology
According to Wiske, Franz and Breit (2005) there are four basic questions which need to be addressed when teaching for understanding. What topics are worth understanding?, What exactly should students understand about such topics?, How will students develop and demonstrate understanding?, and How will students and teachers assess understanding?
They state that educators should choose topics that they find interesting or want to know more about. These topics should be cross-curricular with research tools easily accessible. Like PBL, they should be questions that have infinite answers or research ability. Student's understanding should go beyond rote memorization and rehearsed skills. They need to go past the who? what? and where? questions and work with deeper mean questions such as how? and why?. Students should be able to analyze and draw conclusions, basically they should be tapping into the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. In order for students to explore these topics, units and activities should be planned for longer periods of time. Teachers should create and plan activities that introduce basic elements of the topic and later expand and build on that introductory information. Activities should start out teacher oriented and gradually give students more and more freedom to explore the topic, until finally they are independently searching for answers. Wiske, Franz and Breit suggest using rubrics to assess the level of mastery of the topic. These rubrics should be presented to the students beforehand so students understand what the teacher is looking for.
In an ideal world this would be a great way for students to learn but several factors can impede this philosophy. A few of these factors could be, standards based instruction, a class's ability/behaviors/dynamics and resources. I have noticed, especially with elementary there is a feeling of urgency when planning for units. We do not have the luxury of planning three or four week units on one topic. Sometimes we are lucky if we get two weeks to teach a unit. Some groups of classes do not have the maturity and/or social abilities to function in small group or individual inquiry. I do agree that we as teachers should be posing more how and why questions to our students.
Wiske, M.S., Franz, K.R., & Breit, L. (2005) Teaching for understanding with technology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
They state that educators should choose topics that they find interesting or want to know more about. These topics should be cross-curricular with research tools easily accessible. Like PBL, they should be questions that have infinite answers or research ability. Student's understanding should go beyond rote memorization and rehearsed skills. They need to go past the who? what? and where? questions and work with deeper mean questions such as how? and why?. Students should be able to analyze and draw conclusions, basically they should be tapping into the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. In order for students to explore these topics, units and activities should be planned for longer periods of time. Teachers should create and plan activities that introduce basic elements of the topic and later expand and build on that introductory information. Activities should start out teacher oriented and gradually give students more and more freedom to explore the topic, until finally they are independently searching for answers. Wiske, Franz and Breit suggest using rubrics to assess the level of mastery of the topic. These rubrics should be presented to the students beforehand so students understand what the teacher is looking for.
In an ideal world this would be a great way for students to learn but several factors can impede this philosophy. A few of these factors could be, standards based instruction, a class's ability/behaviors/dynamics and resources. I have noticed, especially with elementary there is a feeling of urgency when planning for units. We do not have the luxury of planning three or four week units on one topic. Sometimes we are lucky if we get two weeks to teach a unit. Some groups of classes do not have the maturity and/or social abilities to function in small group or individual inquiry. I do agree that we as teachers should be posing more how and why questions to our students.
Wiske, M.S., Franz, K.R., & Breit, L. (2005) Teaching for understanding with technology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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