NCLB and Charter Schools

NCLB and charter schools were topics I did not know much about before this presentation. I had definitely heard of them before but usually only in a negative context. I had often wondered if so many people thought they were no good why the laws had been passed at all. The group explained both very well and I feel like I know have a clear understanding of both. Now that I feel relatively informed I can make an opinion about each. I think that NCLB had some good points like the accountability for schools, a standardized form of showing achievement nationwide, it has the proper backing to be enforced. What I do not like about it is that it takes funding away from schools if their scores drop, it holds all students (ELL and disabled students included) to the same standards, it places an unhealthy amount of importance on a standardized test, and treats schools like a business. Margo made the situation perfectly clear when she did the demonstration with the candy representing funding. I also like the news report video that showed the condition and need for space for charter schools in California. There really was not enough room for all the students and in one particular shot right behind the fence a brand new public school was just built. I think the group did a wonderful job.

Classroom Philosophy in Action

My classroom will be organized with moveable desks so that presentations, individual work, small group work, and discussions in a circle were all possible. Most of what my students do will be either individual or group tasks they do at their own pace. Whole class discussion and presentation of material will start or wrap up a particular topic.
I would like students to have intrinsic motivation. That is the only motivation worth having I believe. I honestly wouldn’t know how to motivate a student extrinsically in high school. I don’t think there is anything I can offer a student that will help them more in life than how to discover knowledge on his or her own. As a teacher I think that if I gain the student’s trust then I get his respect. Maybe then I can model desirable qualities and guide a student on his journey to achievement.
Students will inevitably misbehave when that happens a teacher should be prepared. Any sort of minor infraction will warrant a reminder of the rules the class has made for themselves. If moving students to different desks will help, I will do that. Any sort of dress code, fighting, or tardiness I will refer to the school policy for disciplinary action. For perpetual or reoccurring disturbance in my class I will have the student write up a plan of action with the student, his or her parents, and I signing it so the expectations are clear for everyone.
There are three kinds of assessment pre assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. I plan on using all three in every unit. They each have a specific and very important purpose. I want to know what previous knowledge my students possess so I can tie the new knowledge with the old knowledge and help them build connections. This is also important to create a common experience. Not all students in the class will have taken all the same classes. Formative assessment is any form of feed back to the students so they know how they are doing. Summative is the end product to demonstrate what the student knows and this of course is the goal of assessment in the first place.
As with any teacher the ultimate goal is to offer my students a physically and emotionally safe environment where students feel free to express their ideas, form or change opinions, and discuss controversial topics. That said I want the climate of my classroom to be fun and not too serious. I hope my students feel pushed but not pressured to succeed.
I know in my first few years I will be student focused. This is where my role as a teacher is the facilitator of learning. I will choose whether students work cooperatively or independently, what assignments they will do, and offer them the information to learn. Eventually once I get more comfortable with the classroom management part of teaching and keeping students on task I want to switch to learner focused. In that type of teaching the students have more control over what they learn about. They can choose topics of interest, how assignments are to be completed and when, and keep track of their own progress. The responsibility of their learning is completely on them where as in the student centered classroom the teacher and student share responsibility.
Technology is such an important part of educating students for the future. I want to use technology as much as possible. I think anything that can be done in the classroom can be done also on the computer. Depending on the resources available to me it will take me some time figuring out how to incorporate it into everything. I know my students will know of different programs they like personally and if I can figure out a way to use them in class I will try to. Technology will change, that is guaranteed, this means I have to be willing to change with it. This is actually what is exciting about education for me, I love change. I can’t wait until someone makes what I already know how to do better.
In my history methods class we had to decide what kind of teacher we were. A few examples were coach, performer, evangelist, and some that I can’t remember. I decided that I was an evangelist; I want to convert my students to be independent thinkers. I think the relationship between student and teacher will be different for me depending on the grade I end up teaching. If I teach 6th grade I will have equal student and teacher control. I have to keep in mind that these students are still kids and they need the guidance I should provide. However on the opposite end of the spectrum if I taught seniors I would give them an acceptable level of autonomy and choice. I do not feel like I need to micromanage a classroom in order to be in control of the class.

Standardized Testing

This presentation was on standardized testing. It began with a brief history. The reason for standardize testing in the beginning was to categorize students. I liked how this group had half of the class answer a multiple choice test about the beginning of their presentation and the other half draw a concept or web map. These are both two different types of assessment testing our class’s knowledge of the information in the presentation. It really showed the difference between the two. I also liked how we brain stormed collaboratively at each table the pros/cons of standardized testing and examples of good and bad assessment. Overall it was well done and even though I didn’t learn many new things the concepts and information became much clearer to me after this presentation.
A suggestion would to be to let us know what the plan is for the presentation at the beginning of the class. I was lost at first when you guys handed us the concept map and the rubric. I didn’t understand its purpose. However you tied it together nicely and I understood the point being made by the end.

Promising Futures

This was a document prepared by the commission of secondary education highlighting the present conditions in Maine, clearly stating future goals, and offering an extensive and detailed list of proposed changes to work towards meeting those goals. Granted this document was written in 1998, it still has validity today. The ten core principles of the commission were: 1. a safe, respectful, and caring environment, 2. high universal expectations with a variety of learning opportunities, 3.understanding and actions based on assessment date, 4. teacher practice which values and builds upon the contributions and needs of each learner, 5. equitable and democratic practice, 6. coherence among mission, goals, actions, and outcomes. The biggest problem outlined repeatedly in the document was that every aspect of school life should be coordinated with the same goal and that goal should be to exceed the standard. The standard is outlined in the NCLB for each subject. The school structure, schedule, assignments, and assessments should teach students the necessary knowledge and skills outlined in the standards. Suggestions for teachers such as keeping the same students with a teacher throughout high school, lessening the quantity of students each teacher is responsible for, and adding professional development days or workshops for teachers. The final key is that for a school to attempt a change any sort of change all teachers, staff, administration, and even the community have to be on board.

I think a lot of what was written for suggestions in this report has basis in recent research and information about how students learn best. A lot of books that I have read in practicum and in other education classes at Farmington have said a lot of similar things. This report was written 12 years ago, I wonder if information was collected today from the schools in Maine what the report would say.

The History and Philosophy of Education ‘voices’

After reading this article I felt like it had taken me through the evolution of the philosophy of education throughout time. Many philosophers believed in lofty ideals such as free education for the poor, the blacks, and even women. This is a reality today in the United States. I connected with pieces of nine different philosophers’ ideas about education. I will briefly mention the parts of the philosophies that I agreed with and will incorporate into my own. Quintilian believed in no corporal punishment of students and for information that was age appropriate for students. Augustine thought that teachers should build on the students’ previous knowledge. The teacher is a role model who treats the students fairly and compassionately. Aquinas believed that the purpose of education was to help the student develop their intellect and understand how to use their power of choice and freewill. Students learn through discovery: of themselves, the world, and life’s purpose, which is ultimately their own happiness. The one thing I took from Erasmus’s philosophy was the use of excellent examples to correctly and vividly explain concepts. Comenius thought that parents played a critical role in character formation. Teachers ought to encourage and be kind to students, offer them individual attention when possible, and share a non-coercive atmosphere. Also teachers should be paid more considering all they do. Pestalozzi thought learning should be catered to the interests and for the motivation of students. Motivation should not from punishment and fear. Teacher and student relationships should be caring with teachers taking into consideration the emotional and social developmental needs of students. Pestalozzi said, “The teacher is like a gardener helping the child to unfold.” Dewey believed that there is no reason and it is impractical to break up subjects into separate areas such as math, science, social studies, and English. Real life application and also the best way to learn is through thematic/interdisciplinary units. Tyler considered students’ problem-solving skills a priority and he thought modeling for them a democratic society in the classroom helped the students learn. He advocated summer in-service workshops for professional development and educational evaluation for teachers and the system. Freire believed the purpose of education is for freedom and that discussing the issues of social class, gender, and race are the task of education to create informed citizens and tolerant people.

I picked these beliefs of these 9 philosophers because each one had something different to add that I believed in. I am not a person that can be sold whole heartedly into an ideology of any kind be it a philosophical, political, or religious. There are elements that I like and agree with where as other parts I think are garbage and have no relevance to me. So by taking bits and parts I can make it my own and create my own individual philosophy of education.