Week 6

I have learned a great deal of information as it pertains to curriculum. Curriculum 21 is an insightful resource which has made me think about ways to change the learning process in my own classroom. As a teacher I need to strive to make learning experiential and “minds on” as much as possible. The use of technology enhances student learning and is a valuable tool to use in the classroom. There are many things I hope to incorporate in my classroom this year as a result of this class. I have found all of the readings/videos very interesting and thought provoking which I appreciate. I will continue to check out the TED site and listen to talks that I am interested in. Being able to collaborate with fellow teachers has been a wonderful learning experience even though it was difficult to correspond with everyone at the same time. As a result of this course I have learned about the many factors that play a role in developing and changing a curriculum. I know that as a school we are working toward aligning our curriculum with the CCSS but I hope to begin by focusing on what goals are we trying to attain. What is it that we want our students to know and what skills should they be developing? I would like to change the mindset that “things must be working” since our test scores are good. Just because students do well on standardized tests does not mean that they are learning the skills needed for the future. 

I would love to continue this blog as a way to evaluate the new ideas that I want to integrate into my classroom. In my school we do have to create professional goals for each school year so this blog would be an excellent way to keep track of my work and review how the year unfolded. 

Week 5 Post #2

Response to the learning format options from pgs. 148-149 from Inevitable:

The learning format options that are currently available in my school are online learning, lab work, and projects. These learning options are used in various classrooms throughout the school. As far as my room goes, students use their laptops to engage in learning when studying various concepts. Students might be asked to create slides about certain topics in which they would use their laptops to find the appropriate information. Sometimes I give the students guiding questions and then they find the answers to those questions by using various sites. As a science teacher I try to engage students in labs and activities as much as possible. One thing I want to use this year is an interactive notebook where students will respond to the class work. Responses can be in the form of questions, drawings, data tables, etc. The goal is to have students be more "minds-on" when performing science activities similar to what scientists do in the real world. I am not a big fan of projects but I know that other teachers in my building do a fair amount of projects.

As a school I would like to see more online learning options for students, especially for enrichment purposes. Students that are academically capable could enroll in an online class that might better fit their needs. I know that some of the lower level students participate in the ALEKS program as a way to enhance and develop their math skills. Of course Khan Academy is another excellent resource for students. Seminars are another excellent learning format but I am unsure how that option would fit into our school. This school year we are supposed to have an RTI period so maybe that would be a time for students to participate in a seminar style program. Another learning format mentioned in the book is mentoring/shadowing which would also be an excellent way for students to learn. It is difficult to envision how some of these formats would work since we are tied to a schedule which is affected by the high school. There certainly are plenty of options and ideas out there!

Week 5 Post #1

Technology - where to begin? That is honestly how I feel because there are so many excellent sites and tools that are available, but it is extremely overwhelming. I could spend days just looking up sites and resources to use in my classroom. I am constantly thinking about ways to increase the use of technology in order to increase student learning and interest. Currently my students all have google accounts which they have been using since 6th grade (I teach 8th). In the past I have sent students emails with assignments, rubrics, tests/quizzes, feedback, and check-in questions. I really have not used google docs very much but want to use it more as a collaborative tool. Other ways I have used technology is having students create presentations using keynote to share their work with their classmates.

Some ideas that I took away from the TPCK and SAMR talks are how neat google earth is and the cool things that students can do with it. You can use google docs as a way to collaborate and then publish the document as a web page. Many articles have talked about the value of publishing student work for others to see and how much more invested the students are when they know their work will be critiqued. I thought it was neat when he talked about creating a slideshow on google docs as a class and how you can include speaker notes as a way to interact with the students. He also talked about google forms which I have used before. It is nice how the data is put into a spreadsheet so you can view which questions the students are still having difficulty with and which ones they understand.

Other articles focused on tools such as VoiceThread which I would like to try in my classroom. The thing is, if I am not comfortable with a tool then I am hesitant to use it, but really I should enjoy learning with my students. Another article talked about using cell phones as a learning tool. I am not ready to allow cell phones into my classroom because I am concerned with how they would truly use them. I know you must have guidelines and expectations, but the truth is that we have guidelines for laptop use and students do not always follow them. Part of bringing this technology into a classroom is teaching students how to use them effectively and in a meaningful and appropriate manner.

The Digital Dossier clip was very interesting and something that I would like to share with my students. As much as we tell them that everything they post/send is out there in the virtual world, I don't think they completely grasp that idea. This clip would be a different way to approach showing kids how much of your information is out there.

Other thoughts about technology are what about those students who still do not have access to a computer or the internet at home. There is great resource available but the truth is that not all students have a way to access it outside of school. I think we have to be mindful of that. There certainly is a variety of tools ready for use in a classroom. For this school year I am thinking about having a class blog where students can pose questions or thoughts which others can respond to. I am also thinking about using google docs more as a means of collaboration. I would love to have students present information in different manners other than slideshows, so maybe try doing podcasts. Endless possibilities, but it is important to remember to take small steps and learn along the way!

Week 4 Post #2

Thoughts on Curr 21 Chapter 6:


There appears to be this larger push to make sure students are prepared for the future, a future which involves working with others from different countries and cultures. I agree that people should understand other cultures and beliefs, but sometimes I feel that there are already so many things on our plates. One thing that I read which I would like to try in my own classroom is collaborating with a classroom from another country. Since I teach science, maybe my students and the students from the other country could do the same experiment and then compare their data. Since this is what scientists do, I think it would be a powerful experience for the students. Of course it is easier said than done, but it is something I have been thinking about. The more we can integrate learning about other cultures into our curriculum the more prepared our students will hopefully be for the future.

Thoughts on Curr 21 Chapter 7:


The reading on Mabry Middle School was very interesting and encouraging. I agree that most schools base their curriculum around the standards because that is what the tests cover. But what Mabry does and what schools should probably be shifting toward is having students really invested in and excited about their learning. I don't think that shift is happening yet because schools are so tied to the test scores which look more at basic facts and skills and not so much on critical thinking or applying their knowledge. A quote that I agree with is, "Peer pressure, after all, is a powerful motivator in middle grades." If students know that their peers are going to view and critique their work then hopefully they will be motivated to do their very best. I think that many students are not competitive anymore and are fine with doing the minimum in order to complete the assignment. The approach that Mabry uses allows students to collaborate with each other which is an important 21st century skill. I also like that students are taking ownership of their learning and seem to be more invested.

Week 4 Post #1

The Myth of Charter Schools

According to the article we spend too much money on education but yet we are failing. Test scores are low due to bad teachers which are protected by unions. How many times do you hear that certain teachers should have retired a long time ago? Or, how come they haven't fired that teacher since there have been so many complaints about them? I do agree that sometimes it probably would be better for some of the more experienced teachers to move on to something else because the students are not benefiting. I don't agree that test scores are low due to bad teachers. I believe it is a combination of many things. According to this article, the recommendation is to leave public school and go to a charter school where you will be taught by great teachers and therefore the test scores will increase. I found it interesting that only 1 in 5 charter schools is able to get amazing results that they boast about. It seems as though the film was biased since the focus was on the best charter schools. There certainly are great public schools as well. According to the video, teachers affect student achievement the most. I partially agree with this but students also need to play a major role. A lot of what we have been reading lately encourages students to take more ownership in their learning. Teachers need to offer guidance and support as needed. As I read this article I wondered how much will charter schools grow in Maine. It bothers me that people may read or watch things about public schools and not realize the bias behind them and believe what they see which is not always true. I do agree that teachers need to be evaluated by the administration in order to be held accountable. I agree that socioeconomic status plays a major role in education as well. When comparing schools in different countries you need to look at various aspects such as how many students live in poverty, not just the test scores.

Week #3 Post #2

 I decided to look at an article/video on Edutopia titled Finland’s Formula for School Success as I was thinking about what schools in other countries do and why some are more successful than others. Schools in Finland focus on early detection/intervention of any difficulties or problems students seem to have - they don’t wait until problems are evident. When a classroom teacher sees any problem they have the first intervention which is a meeting with the "special teacher". The special teacher can bring students to a special classroom if needed, and students are put on a plan. Schools have a student welfare team which meets twice a month to discuss student progress. To me it seems like the teachers really care about students and are invested in helping students with any issues. It doesn’t appear that they put a limit on number of students for special services like we do. Some interesting facts I learned about the education system is that children do not begin school until they are 7. To me this seems like a great idea because you are allowing kids to mature a bit more before entering into school. I am not sure how well this would work in the US since I think some parents may not be able to afford child care for 7 years. Another interesting facts is that students rarely do homework or take exams until they are teenagers - this is quite different than what we do. In Finland they only have one mandatory standardized test which is given when students are 16. In the US we seem to be testing our students too much. I know that my own students take the NWEA in the fall, NECAP, science MEA, and then the NWEA in the spring. They get tired of all these tests. I thought it was very interesting that they only allow 16 students in their science classes in order to perform experiments in every class. Although I don’t have large classes in my school, I know how difficult in can be, and a safety issue, if you have too many students conducting a science lab. The teachers in Finland are selected from the top of their graduating class, they must have a master’s degree, and in society they are looked at with the same status as doctors and lawyers. As educators I think it is important for us to look at the education systems in other countries, especially those that are high performing.

Week #3 Post #1

I went to the Curriculum 21 site and located an article which also included a video segment about 

“Reading in American Schools: Will Common Core State Standards Improve Literacy?”. The article talked about the low reading levels of American students based on standardized tests such as NAEP and the SAT. According to this data there is a need to change the way that reading is taught in our schools. The hope is that the common core state standards will improve literacy in schools because there is more of an emphasis on nonfiction texts. As a science teacher I feel that it is my job to incorporate nonfiction texts into my classroom. We do have 2 textbooks which are used from time to time as students read and take notes, working on their annotating skills which are also reinforced in language arts class. The video segment looked at 3 different schools to see how much their reading program would have to change in order to meet the CCSS. One of the schools, like many other schools, uses basal readers which are cheap and easy for new teachers to use. The schools using basal readers will have to change the most in order to include more nonfiction texts which will be very expensive. The second school uses a balanced literacy approach which is more expensive than the basal reader program. With this program students get to choose their own books to read independently or with a partner. Teachers assess students to determine which books they should be reading. This particular school is working to increase the amount of nonfiction texts in their classrooms. The last school works on teaching more about content, using a curriculum called Core Knowledge. This type of curriculum is not used by many schools and can be challenging so teachers need training. The staff in this school feel they are where they need to be to meet common core. It was a very interesting topic to read and listen about. I think the more we can incorporate the CCSS into our own classrooms now, the better off we will be in the near future.