Final Blog

1.     a) The first thing that needs to be done is to get anyone involved in education (including the politicians, parents, and communities) and discuss that fact that there is no quick fix in education.  Too much pressure is placed on improving schools, and the adults tend to lose sight of the main goal- providing a quality education for our kids.  When the adults are too focused on being perceived to have the answers an claim credit for success in schools, the goals for our students are pushed aside and placed with short term goals that often times prohibit learning.

b) Second, a curriculum needs to be developed that outlines the most important content and skills to be taught and fostered in the classroom.  This will ensure that students are receiving the same curriculum regardless of what class they may be placed in.  Also, if teachers do not have to worry about what to teach, they can focus more on the delivery of the content and skills.  Teachers will have the opportunity to develop activities and strategies to use to relay the information to students. 

c) Stop giving money to charter schools and focus on the existing public schools that already exist.  Charter schools are not the answer, and the continual additions of new charter schools are only fragmenting an already damaged system.  Instead, the money invested into charter schools should be given to low performing public schools who may need additional funding for facility improvements, technology, or other needs that are being sacrificed because of lack of funding.  I believe that charter schools are only continuing to widen the gap, and instead of focusing on solutions for all schools the divide is being made more apparent with the addition of more and more new charter schools.

d. Get rid of standardized testing.  As shown throughout many chapters in Ravitch’s book, standardized testing is prohibiting students from actually learning in the classroom.  Instead, students are being taught strategies to find the right answers to multiple-choice questions.  We are doing students such a disservice by teaching to the test.  Students are losing out on transferable skills that will prepare them for competitive jobs in the real world.  As long as standardized tests remain the measurement for student learning, students will be pressured to learn skills that will not prepare them for what is to come after their years in the classroom.

e. We need to begin to focus on our teachers.  Teachers are one of the most, if not the most, single important factor in education after the students.  Teacher education before entering the classroom should prepare them for delivering content while teaching pedagogical skills.  Similarly, we need to make the teaching profession appealing so that the most qualified people will be drawn to the profession. 

2.     The most meaningful aspects of Ravitch were ones that I felt I could apply in my own classroom.  I believe that it is important that we, as educators, work to develop a solid curriculum that delivers the most important content and skills.  This will provide some sense of unity despite the fact that students and teachers are in individual classrooms.  Mostly, Ravitch was very educational for me.  I learned a lot that I had not previously known about the education system for which I work.  I feel that I am more knowledgeable when it comes to issues that plague the education.  It will give me a ground to stand on when I may possibly face some of these issues in my career.

3.     As a teacher, I can continue to work my hardest in the classroom.  After reading Ravitch, I realize that there is so much to learn about the system for which I work.  Most importantly, I need to continue to educate myself about the education system so that I can make the most educated decisions in regards to my own classroom and decisions that I make in my own career.  As a citizen, I need to foster skills, qualities, and values in my students that will make them better prepared to become functioning members of society.  Students spend so much time in school and as an educator I need to model the values that are important for students to learn.  I need to continue to create a learning community that educates the student as a whole.

4.     Ncte.org is an association that is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts across all levels of education. The association and website provides aid for instruction, assessment, and evaluation.

Cateweb.org is an association that provides a magazine and countless opportunities to attend conferences that develop skills for teaching English. 

5.     Experiential sources:

-       California Shakespeare Theater

-       The Tech Museum in San Jose

-       Attend a CATE conference

-       Seek of art museums that may have culturally relatable exhibits that could highlight elements of a particular novel

-       Interview a Twitter/Facebook employee to gain knowledge on how to implement the social network as an educational aid.

Still Like to Read: I would like to spend my spare time, when I can find it, to read some of the “classic novels” that are so celebrated in public schools.  Because I attended private high school, I was not exposed to many of these great novels.

-       The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

-       Moby Dick- Herman Melville

-       Clearing the Way: Working with Teenage Writers by Tom Romano

-       The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School by Neil Postman

-       Novels by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Still like to investigate:

-       California English Journal from CATE

-       English Journal from NCTE

Still like to attend:

-       Keep Calm and Read On in Santa Clara presented by CATE

-       Any conference by Kate Kinsella in regards to ELD learners

Still like to see:

-       Shakespeare’s Glob Theater in London

-       Oxford University in England

-       The American Writers Museum in Washington

-       England, specifically places many of my favorite authors once walked

-       Cambridge University

Education and Technology: Session 5 Post

Dr. Roberts

I found Dr. Robert’s presentation fascinating and entertaining.  It was interesting to see the depth of his research and how it can be so easily outdated because of the constant innovations in the field of technology.  I also can imagine how difficult it would be to do his job.  Not only are students provided access to television and the internet, advances now allow students access to these forms of technology on iPhone, iPods, and iPads that students can carry around in their pockets.  Therefore, I feel it would be difficult, as Dr. Roberts mentioned, to get an accurate account of how often technology is used by students.

According to Dr. Roberts, students spend about sixteen hours engaged in technology per day.  As an educator, it forces me to think about providing further access to students in the classroom.  Students do not get the personal interactions when using technology, and it is important to provide opportunities for those interactions in an academic setting.  Without these interactions, students are losing interpersonal skills that they will need in a job setting.  Yet, as an educator you must also think about engaging students, and if students are interested in accessing content through technology then it may be wise to utilize that resource.  It is a difficult decision, and one that I think needs to be taken into consideration carefully by the teacher.  I feel that a balance of both technology and interpersonal interactions can teach valuable skills while engaging students in content.

Online Courses

Online courses were newly implemented in my school last year in hopes of allowing the opportunity for credit recovery for failing students.  I think that online classes can be valuable when all aspects are taken into considerations.  I do not think it is wise to offer online courses for low performing students who have previously failed a course.  As the article mentioned, many of these students simply look up the answers on the internet and are not learning the material they failed to learn the first time.  These students need to be in intensive courses with teachers who are able to provide extra attention to explaining skills and content that was not learned in the original course.  In situations like these, students are being done a disservice because they are receiving credits to move forward but they are not learning what is needed to succeed in future courses.

Online classes can be successful when students have the independent skills and knowledge to teach themselves.  Many college level students or advanced high school students may find the independent work and autonomy of an online course challenging.  Students may need to do research to teach themselves skills or content and they may find that the knowledge they acquire is learned rather than memorized.

The emphasis being placed on online courses is also worrisome as an educator.  Although online courses are cheaper, valuable interactions are being lost between teachers and students.  Students learn very differently, and teachers can recognize these different learning types and tailor lessons to their unique group of students.  Online courses offer one way to relay information, and many students may be left behind confused and still lacking the information.

Technology Resources for Teachers

1.     www.prezi.com provides a more interactive means for relaying content.  I often use PowerPoints to deliver a new literary device or term to students.  This website offers an animated way to present information that tends to captivate students attention.

2.     www.rubistar.com is a website that offers teachers the opportunity to create their own rubrics.  It also offers guidelines and formatting for popular assignments that a teacher may be creating a rubric for.  I often use this website for creating rubrics for large projects or grading essays.

3.     DropBox provides an easy way for students and teachers to share documents.  I have found this to be more helpful when it comes to sharing documents with other teachers.  Teachers can gain access and share worksheets, lesson plans, etc.

4.     Finally, as an English teacher I allow my students to use easybib.com. This website allows an accessible way for students to create correct citations for various types of resources.  Students are often turned off by the feat of citing sources and this website subsides many of those fears by taking students step by step through the citation process.

Interdisciplinary Blog Reflection

As mentioned in class, English and Social Studies as interdisciplinary lessons tend to lend themselves to one another.  This past year, and when student teaching, I taught novels that are set in America in the 1930’s and deal with racism.  The social context of the novels play such a large role as they directly relate to setting, theme, character development, and many other literary devices. 

Matt mentioned the video “The Century, America’s Time: Boom to Bust” provides a broad background of America in the 1930’s.  It provides students a broad, yet informative, look at the social and economic issues Americans faced throughout the decade.  I would use this video as a precursor to a PowerPoint that highlights the main “need to know” historical events prior to reading the novel.  Because the video provides a broad overview of many issues, I think it would be helpful to let students choose a topic that interests them most covered in the video (women’s right to vote, segregation, etc.)  This would allow students to further investigate an aspect of the 1930’s that interested them, then share that information with their peers.  This way, when we begin to read the novel as a class, students will have a reference point for specific events and characters in the novel.  Also, I have found that students enjoy documentaries, and it would be a great way to pique their interest, even if it was only in a specific topic covered in the documentary clip.

The Century, America’s Time: Boom to Bust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foooDFF9Dgs

I also came across a webpage that encompasses a few resources on one webpage.  The homepage has an overview of the Great Depression.  On the left, there are various useful links.  The first useful link is entitled “Discrimination at Home and Work.”  Once you click on the link, you will arrive at a page which has interview from African Americans.  These interviews detail the discrimination these African Americans experienced in the work place (one man discusses how he received a $1 raise after working for a company for 12 years).  The interview transcript is also true to the speech of the interviewees and provides students a brief introduction to the unique dialect that is also seen in the novel. 

The link “Photographic Evidence of Racial Segregation” provides various galleries which depict segregation.  These galleries provide students with a broad view of several means of segregation.  This link is great for visual learners but also makes the segregation very real.

The last link that is resourceful is “Three Generations- White and Black.”  This link interviews a white woman who was a kindergarten teacher in Georgia in the 1930’s.  She describes the relationship between her family and the employees who were descendants of slaves owned by her own ancestors.  This link provides interesting insight into the resulting relationships that form after slavery has ended and African Americans and whites interact under new circumstances.

The Library of Congress:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/depwwii/race/

Interdisciplinary teaching provides various opportunities to engage students.  Students always feel empowered when they can bring something to classroom conversation.  Therefore, if students have learned about a historical context for a novel they are reading in English, they will be more likely to become involved in class discussions.  As we all know, students are more interested in specific subjects.  Therefore, if a student enjoys history they may be more likely to invest themselves in a novel in English when an English teacher draws upon historical events or settings in the novel.  Interdisciplinary teaching also provides the opportunity for students to showcase their best work.  Some students may not be great at writing essays, but they may be able to display their understanding of a symbols meaning in a novel through artistic representation.  Also, collaboration provides time for the teacher to learn as well.  If a teacher is comfortable with the historical context through discussions or planning with another teacher, they are more likely to bring that aspect of the novel to life in their classroom.  This provides students various modes to access the content, and you may find that more students become invested in the content.

One challenge that may be faced when trying interdisciplinary lessons is the amount of time it may take a teacher who is unfamiliar with the second discipline to create lessons.  Interdisciplinary lessons can spark the interest of students, but it would be necessary to make sure that content is still being delivered.  I feel it would be easy to have the desire to create interactive lessons that draw upon multiple disciplines, but it would be important to make sure that the objectives are being delivered to students.  The teacher would also need to be mindful that students would need guidance as they attempt to access information through two different disciplines.  This might take a lot of work on the part of the teacher and constant checking for understanding.

I posted a response to Karen Vigna's Blog: karenvigna.blogspot.com

Mind the Gap: Session 2

In chapter one Ravitch states, “Some of the new generations of reformers- mainly Republicans, but not only Republicans- imagine that the schools of the future would function without unions, allowing management to hire and fire personnel at will” (10). Interestingly, the idea of hiring and firing teachers at will tends to be a hot topic of debate.  This is a controversial topic for two reasons: the first being that there are many teachers who have gotten into a routine and teach using strategies that may not be beneficial to student learning.  Some of the older teachers tend to be stuck in their ways, but because of policies like tenure they are protected from being fired.  Second, teachers do need to be protected and unions tend to be the protective force that ensures the fair treatment of teachers.  It seems like a double-edged sword.  We want to do what is best for our teachers but there also needs to be protection for teachers who tend to be the first group scrutinized when schools are not performing well.

Ravitch states, “We must ensure that students gain the knowledge they need to understand political debates, scientific phenomena, and the world they live in. We must be sure they are prepared for the responsibilities of democratic citizenship in a complex society” (13). It was previously thought that students needed to understand the content as presented from the book and teacher.  Yet, in modern society students need to be able to apply this content knowledge to the real world within which they exist.  This concept of applying knowledge will prepare them for the complex world of competition, technology, and advances like the world has never seen before.  Students need to be critical thinkers who have been taught and who have learned transferable skills that will allow them to function in modern society.

According to Ravitch, the well-educated person is knowledgeable in all of the content areas.  Not only would a well-educated person know the content, but they would be able to explain this information to others.  I believe that a well-educated person is someone who is well versed in all content areas.  Even further, a well-educated person would be able to apply critical thinking in regards to all of the areas and solve problems using both knowledge and skill.   In today’s world, I think that a well-educated person will have transferable knowledge and skills.  This means that the well-educated person would be able to use their knowledge of specific subjects to solve real life problems and issues that plague modern society.  The knowledge of the well-educated person would be a resource to problem solve.

In the class discussion, I was intrigued especially by some of the comments from the multiple subject teachers.  It was interesting to hear how students are taught to the test at such an early age which obviously forces teachers to forfeit many of the creative activities they may be able to implement with you children who have thriving imaginations.  In reflection, I think about how many other creative and “outside the box” thinking activities are foregone because teachers are forced to teach to the test.  Because of these reasons, it is easy to criticize standardized tests.  Yet, the point about accountability and reasonable measurements was also brought up during the discussion and begs examination as well.  How else would we measure students?  How else would we, as educators, measure large numbers of kids to know where they may need more support?  Standardized testing seems to be the easiest way to do that, although it is obviously not the most telling.  If we take into consideration special populations, such as ELD students, these standardized tests are by no means a measurement of what that particular group of students knows.  Therefore, it is inaccurate to measure specific populations of student on a standard test that does not consider the individual needs of many of the students.  It is obvious that the education system is failing many students, but tangible solutions need to be implemented to make a change.  I think there is a lack of balance when it comes to accountability.  Accountability is absolutely necessary, but in many cases teachers and schools are being held accountable for things that are out of their control.  One classmate brought up the fact that in grade school students are entering Kindergarten at different levels of skill.  That is a factor that is far beyond the reach of the teacher, yet teachers are being punished for not producing students who prove proficient on the standardized tests.

The standard I am choosing to work with is: 1.3 Identify Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology and use the knowledge to understand the origin and meaning of new words (e.g., the word narcissistic drawn from the myth of Narcissus and Echo). 

Website:  https://sites.google.com/site/milfordhighschoolrti/tier-2-resources/greek-and-latin-root-words/greek-and-latin-resources-for-teachers

Article: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=31ffa9fb-8ebb-4ff1-b5e6-d11658812f5f%40sessionmgr104&vid=4&hid=121

Book: Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots: Book 4 by Elizabeth Osborne –this particular level is for freshmen/sophomore high school students

The article by Deacon (link provided above) proved to be the most useful because it provided various reasons as to why understanding and having knowledge of root words is imperative.  At a young age, children ages 2^nd through 4^th grades, students who learned how to spell the root form of the word will later on be more likely to correctly spell the derivative of the word.  Although this does not guarantee they will understand the meaning, it resonates with the idea that root words, and an understanding of them, proves to benefit the student later in their academic career.  This article supplies various reasons for a teacher to use in an argument as to why knowledge of root words is important.

In my first source, “Identity and Motivation Among Hispanic ELLs” much information proves significant when considering the specific group upon which my inquiry question is based.  The article taught me that a students’ perception of themselves plays a large role in their performance, or in their desire to perform at school.  It lead me to ask questions such as, how could a parents involvement in the students interactions with school and education shape the child’s perception of school? Further, how could this influence the student’s desire to perform at school? The article was convincing in that it surveyed a wide variety of students who interact within the realm of ELL.  I would like to know more about the study, although I am not sure if I would seek out this specific author. 

One of my secondary sources was entitled “Why Can't I Just See the Movie? Fostering Motivation in Children Who Struggle.”  This article was particularly interesting because there are many strategies that teachers are taught in credential programs that are supposed to encourage or motivate students to read, even further, to help them become more proficient readers.  This article caught my attention because many of the strategies tend to be generic.  In this article, the subject of how age plays a role in making certain strategies effective is discussed and scrutinized.  Not all strategies are effective even if a teacher varies the level of difficulty.  It brought me to questions such as: can any reading strategies prove effective across age barriers?  I would seek out this author as she proved to have interesting insights based on previous studies.  In looking at her cited sources, I plan to do further investigation into the sources she used in the article.


I responded to:


Troy Bristol: fatheadtroysmc.blogspot.com
Betsy Varellas: getmovingintheclassroom.blogspot.com
Karen Vigna: karenvigna.blogspot.com

MAT 402: Blog Reflection #1

My adoration for books began at a young age.  I can remember my mother reading me infamous children books such as “The Giving Tree” or “Love You Forever” as a young child.  I soon began to memorize the words (I still called it reading) and would rummage through the pages reciting the words out loud.  I have always been an avid reader.  My enthusiasm about reading can often be motivated and overwhelming.  During the summer of my sophomore year in college, I read a novel entitled “A Thousand Splendid Suns.”  The novel details a story of two women living in the Middle East and their struggle to escape lives of oppression and violence.  The novel was interesting and captivating, but it did not have a profound affect on me.  In the months prior to entering the program I re-read the novel.  The second time around the characters were real and heart-breaking.  It was then that I realized that characters, novels are a means of living someone else’s experience.  I believe that my affection for books, rich stories, drive my passion experiences in an English classroom. 

Initially, when reading Ball’s article I was turned off by the rhetoric that was used.  I felt somewhat attacked when she emphasized the idea of being a master of your content.  It was discouraging because, as a first year teacher, I felt like the level of mastery that was being stressed was unattainable as a first year teacher.  As we discussed the article in class, it became more apparent that the emphasis being placed on content was to highlight the idea that an in depth knowledge of your content allows you to captivate the interest of your students.  During the discussion, I became less critical of Ball’s argument because it became apparent that this “mastery” should be something every good teacher strives to acquire as their career unfolds.  Ball highlights the idea that the good teacher, the motivate teacher, will strive to delve deeper into their content and seek to uncover new territory which they can then bring into the classroom.  I agree with Ball on that front.  Teachers should constantly seek to refine and redefine their craft, but it is the passion within the teacher that drives the quest to obtain more knowledge.  Although it may place another task upon the shoulders of the teacher, it is important that teachers have a passion for their content and that passion should drive them to continue to uncover as much as possible about their subject.

At this point, I have no focus for my capstone project.  I am playing with two ideas- but as I continue to focus on them, I am not sure how fond I am of either idea.  The first question focuses specifically on ELD students.  My interest is in what programs can be placed in schools to heighten the chances for ELD students to attend four year colleges? Also, why many low performing students tend to drop out of community colleges. The second surrounds the idea of the “great books.”  What is taken into consideration when deeming a novel a “great book.”  Are the “great books” an essential aspect of content and delivering skills in the classroom? Could more current novels heighten student’s interests in reading? I either need to work to drastically reform one of the above ideas or refocus on another topic because I am not happy with either of these as of now.  At this point, I think it would be wise to do more research on both topics to see if the research could lead me to a more concrete topic and question.

See my Comments for Colleagues:
Alana Scott: mademoisellescott.blogspot.com
Mike Rose: Mikejas.blogspot.com
Sheridan Arrendondo: sheridanarredondo.blogspot.com
 

Warm Up Reflection

Warm Up Reflection:


As an English teacher, with only one year of real experience under my belt, I have more quickly been introduced to topics that I am unfamiliar with.  Yet, this year also provided me with insight into what type of teacher I want to be, what I am comfortable with, and what I hope to accomplish and foster inside my own classroom.  I am comfortable and thrive when teaching American Lit.  But, this year I taught Sophomores.  The literature that exists in the realm of Sophomore required reading lists is difficult, somewhat bland, and apparently uninteresting to Sophomores.  What I realized as the year went on is that I needed to find a way to capture the interests of the students.  I needed a way to allow them to make connections to texts that were written years before they were even born.

Interestingly, the quantitative article that I chose for the blog discussed student motivation to read.  The researchers stated that students placed heavy emphasis on the cover of the novel as well as how well the teacher introduced it to the class.  I learned this the hard way.  Half way through our first novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, I looked up to see many dreary faces.  I realized that they were disinterested, unmotivated, and half of them hadn't even read.  They say the first year is trial by fire.  I missed the mark with that novel, but I continued to seek out new methods of capturing student's attention and desire to read.  I definitely did not have pre-reading activities perfected by the end of the year, but I can say that I was able to refine how I introduced novels.  I think that these misfires are what the first few years about.  As educators, it is important to continuously refine our skills.  That is what I hope to gain from this program.  I hope that I am able to develop skills that will allow me to continuously seek out articles or discover new resources that allow for change and evolution in my own classroom.  I hope to learn how to continue learning on my own and with a group of colleagues.

Guiding Questions:
1.)  How does student motivation factor into students completing assigned reading?
2.)  What strategies can teachers use to create higher success rates for ELD students in hopes of them pursing higher education?
3.) What pre reading activities will pique student's interests to read transcendentalist texts?
4.) What themes in Shakespearean literature would high school students find most enjoyable?
5.) What types of non-academic activities can school sites host to intrinsically motivate ELD students?