Standard 12 Meta Reflection: Professional Citizenship

In my Issues of American Education: Past and Present class, EDU 6120, I learned a great deal about the history of Education in America and how it came to its current structure. Throughout the course I discussed with my classmates the characteristics of good schools and good teachers. As a culminating project my group put together a Power Point Presentation that shows our understanding of Standard 12: Willingly engages in dialogue that transcends the individual classroom, taking informed, coherent positions on important matters of educational policy and practice. The presentation is focused on helping new teachers as they step into this wonderful profession. This artifact was formed throughout the course as we discussed and reflected on questions surrounding successful schools. I enjoyed this very thought-provoking class and look to use the valuable knowledge I gained in my classroom daily.

Artifact

Final Presentation

EDU 6120 Module 9 Key Identification Reflection

While reading “Must all children go to school” I had so many questions and thoughts about each of the leading questions and subsequent answers. The overall reading seemed to be an overview of how can I keep my child out of school? This idea is so absurdly intriguing to me because I can’t fathom why parents wouldn’t want their child to learn. I get the notion that there are things that happen at school, on the bus, in the hallways, cafeteria and recess that scare parents, but can’t we use those as teaching moments with children? The paper seemed to show that the courts have a fairly strong support toward public education. The lecture this week was a great overview of court cases from the past about both religious and civil right freedoms. The most “close to home” case for my school was the Swann vs. Charlotte Mecklenburg in the state of North Carolina. This case helped with truly desegregating schools by busing students out of their neighborhood. My school, located in a middle-upper class neighborhood has been traditionally busing students from around the city to increase the diversity. This has been a great money burden on the district and starting next year we will be mainly just schooling the local, neighborhood students. Teachers across the district have obvious concerns about how this will affect overall student learning as well as discretionary funding. We recognize the pro to keeping students within their neighborhood to building community schools.

EDU 6120 – I Learned, Module 8

I Learned

• Although there seems to be a lot of reform and change in education there is still not any evidence of actual growth in achievement (Hirsch).
• Head Start is below par compared to similar early intervention models world wide (Hirsch)
• The black-white wage gap is most likely caused by the fact that “blacks have been on average less well educated by the schools” (Hirsch).
• Modern education, as a break from the Middle Ages, involves the idea that students should do more than memorize, that they should analyze, discover, access, evaluate, and be more dependent upon their own investigations than upon authority (lecture). 
• Spencer believed that knowledge that is of the most worth is that which prepares a person for complete living. To him, this meant science was of the most worth. Spencer also felt that learning should be done through actions and hand-on activities (lecture).
• As I read the E.D. Hirsch paper and the lecture I considered to myself what knowledge I felt was the most worth?
• I question what real actions the education system is taking to reduce the black-white achievement gap?
• Lastly, what are the other countries doing different (curriculum, standards, professional development) the has resulted in greater student learing?

Standard 11 Meta Reflection: Inquiry/Research

As a culminating activity for my EDU 6976 Interpreting and Applying Educational Research I, I completed a Research Proposal Outline to investigate the success of Project Based Learning (PBL) in middle grade mathematics. A few quarters later I took EDU 6975 Interpreting and Applying Educational Research II and wrote a paper on The Debate Over Equity in Public School Expenditures. These two artifacts show my understanding of Standard 11: Competently consumes and produces where necessary empirical data to guide educational practice. Both of these artifacts are comprehensive of my learning and understandings of the Research classes. Through these classes I have become more aware of reading research studies and papers. I am able to look at research articles through a more educated lens than prior to these courses.

Artifacts

Research Proposal Outline

Project Paper

Standard 10 Meta-Reflection: Technology

In my Instructional Technology and Information Management class, EDTC 6536 I designed a technology enhanced learning activity that addressed the math standards for sixth grade as well as NETS standards for students. This artifact, which is a math lesson about creating Excel spreadsheets during the Alaska Iditarod Race, shows my understanding of Standard 10: Integrates current technology into instruction and professional communication/collaboration activities where appropriate.

This class inspired me to continue to focus on various ways I can appropriately integrate technology into my math teaching. Technology is a tool for enhancing learning activities and assisting in keeping students engaged in learning. This artifact is just one example of how technology can easily be integrated in the math understandings.

Artifact

Iditarod Math

Standard 1 Meta Reflection: Instructional Planning

In my Curriculum Design class, EDU 6524, we focused on lesson planning to monitor for student academic success. My artifact that exhibits my understanding of Standard 1: Designs and monitors long and short-term plans for students’ academic success is an example of a weekly lesson plan template from my classroom. Each week I complete this template to monitor my lessons to focus on student learning. I try to have two to three formative assessments each week to monitor short term success; these are located on the template. Every few weeks we do a more comprehensive check in to monitor for a wider range of understanding. The unit is from the current math curriculum and the teaching points are based of the goals and standards put forth by Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 

Artifacts

 Weekly Lesson May24-28

Edu 6120 Clear/Unclear

Clear

Unclear

–    Hirsch’s “Cultural Literacy” novel gave Americans some direction they were searching for with some grade level guidelines.-    Essentialism is academic focused, demanding and rigorous. –    A teacher in essentialist education should be knowledgeable scholar in the academic subject matter. –    We should challenge the talented kids because they are our future. –    Essentialism focuses on academic standards and holds no regard to teaching social/moral issues during educational class time.

–    Is Essentialism the opposite of Progressivism, or just different?-    Did Hirsch’s novel “Cultural Literacy” help fast-track educational standards at each grade level? –    Why can’t we find a “happy medium” between students-centered and teacher-directed? –    Shouldn’t we challenge all our students with the understanding that we don’t know what talent students have if we don’t challenge them?

According to “Progressivist and Essentialst lecture”

Module 6 Reflection – EDU 6120

This week the focus was on moral values and responsibility in respect to both social and the individual. I easily was able to make the connection and contrast between Colonial America and current America. Adults in Colonial America, according to this weeks lecture, took accountability for their own actions and expected others to do the same. This is not to say that people today don’t take responsibility for our actions, however it seems that the people are quick to shift the accountability on others when possible. Moral education is not taught in all homes and schools are burdened with more of the role in teaching moral values instead of just refining the values taught at home. As an educator, I feel it is my obligation to teach my students what they need to learn; this sometimes entails moral values and responsibility. I often discuss with colleagues, are we crossing the line? My beliefs and values may vary from other families depending on our personal opinions. I think moral education in schools is important but boundaries need to be in place.

EDU 6120 – Search for Meaning, Module 5

The focus of the reading and lecture this week was the history of American Education and more specifically on the proposals and contributions of Horace Mann. Horace Mann truly shaped education in America both structurally and philosophically to what we see today. Some of his most notable contributions were professional development for teachers, removing religious focus from public education, and obtaining monies for schools through tax dollars. Interestingly enough these are three common topics of need and conversation around public education today. I wonder what Horace Mann would focus on in today’s society if he had the opportunity to make changes to Education in America? Would he put his influence on test scores or promoting college education for all, or perhaps he would continue the fight for money in the schools and teacher development?

EDU 6120 Module 4 Search for Meaning

The lecture this week, although on European Education Ideas, allowed me to think about how I teach in my classroom. American Education was formed on some emerging ideas of European Education. These ideas stemmed from the four movements that have ultimately affected education: Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, and Romantic Movement. One of these emerging ideas is close to my profession as a middle school teacher. The idea is that learning should proceed from the simple to the complex, from the concrete to the abstract. The statement in the lecture from John Dewey that “one of the biggest mistakes teachers make is the false assumption of experience on the part of students.” I think I forget sometimes that my students do not have the life experiences I have, and so they might not pick up on the ideas with allowing the experience. I believe this is one of the reasons why the CMP2 Math Curriculum truly is an adequate curriculum for middle aged students. The math is learned through experiencing the algorithms. I believe this also ties in with the idea of critical thinking.

The connection to memory and understanding was an important one. I believe memorization is essential for some concepts, but ultimately understanding is imperative. However, as a teacher I sometimes struggle with the balance. I allow students to use a discovery method for finding the area of a triangle is base times height divide by two. They seem to understand that we have to divide by two because a triangle is half a rectangle. But from there I need to move on to the next concept and that is when I push students to recognize that remembering this formula is essential. Where is the balance? Is it different with every student? Every class? I assume my experience in the classroom over time will help me find the answers to these questions.