Did You Know?? Reaction

Should I be scared? Are there people still out there that don’t realize that we live in a world that is not even remotely close to Shakespeare’s time, the 1800’s, and even England in the 1900’s? The music also made me think of a painted and angry Mel Gibson ready to slaughter the British. Are some of the numbers interesting? Yes, but this is nothing new, shift does indeed happen and we are racing top speed into an un-chartered territory of the incredible technology age.

I remember when my father bought our first computer in 95’, now I check two email accounts daily, blog, communicate on Ning, use Wiki, and post homework online for easier access. I look forward to finally getting and using a smart-board and getting rid of that dusty overhead projector that has an incredible power to hum students to sleep.
Am I preparing my students for the 21st century? As an English teacher, I would like to believe so. I use my laptop to access videos and power point presentations; we also use the lab to research online and play interactive grammar games. I tell students that they will always need the skills to write well, whether they are sending an email or preparing a presentation; that can never be replaced.

From what I have seen, students that have access to technology are preparing themselves. In my school, students informed me about http://www.blockmyass.com/, a website that helps them get around districts’ control of what they can and can’t access in school. I also saw one of my seniors filling out a Rita’s job application online while simultaneously checking on the status of her admission at Montclair. Inadvertently, we are all moving with the shift.
As educators, technology is truly essential, conversely it should not replace traditional teaching, instead gently blend with it. We need more money for technology! We need to train older teachers to implement more technology in the classroom; we need to train young teachers to effectively apply technology to increase the effectiveness of lessons and learner’s motivation and enthusiasm.

Can a teacher be successful without any technology? I am sad to say, no. No longer is a strong personality and personal enthusiasm enough. This is especially true for students from low socioeconomic areas. Give these children access to information, give them skills to do simple things like communicate well in an email, send at attachment, and find a job online. Maybe then this student will realize that China has four times the population of U.S and our honor students can beat up their honor students!

Japan Video

I was definitely not impressed. I expected to see young students doing advanced math. I agree with my classmates, the noise was too much, kids seemed to be everywhere, and if I were that teacher I would rip my hair out. I wish I understood the content better to see how advanced their lesson really was. Did they do well? Or did the teacher simply check if they did the work? Are these students our kids' competitors? Was that chaos or really motivated future engineers and scientists? I would like to see more.

My first, second, and third grade were spent in a Soviet Union school. We wore uniforms with a Lenin star on it, we raised our hand, but never lifted it off the table, we were petrified of our teacher, and we learned, a lot. When I came to United States I skipped from third to fifth grade. The math at the Elizabeth elementary school which I attended was at my second grade level.

I've Been a Bad Teacher

I know when I am being a bad teacher. Today is one of these days. After going to bed past midnight for the last two nights, it is hard to be creative, exciting, motivating, enthusiastic. It is even harder to be a good teacher as I begin my lesson, " Today, we will be covering Persuasive Text of the H.S.P.A" I say with obvious dread. The kids look back at me with glassy eyes. I understand them and refuse to get mad. Today I am not doing what I love, I am doing what I am suppose to . So I try my best to gather patience and strength.

In one of my classes, instead of taking a practice test, we ended up talking about what persuasive texts we encounter in real life, not on a test. The discussion lead to everything from PETA to abortions to republicans to vegetarians and credit cards. The kids woke up, well sort of, they actually just slowly emerged from their standardized test-induced coma. I really think they learned more in that discussion than from the entire month of "HSPA Blitz".

On Thursday instead of practicing open-ended question we will be debating topics like the Octomom, obsession with celebrity gossip, and other controversies that are bound to get them fired up. Maybe there is a way to teach even test prep in a manner that connects to students through an authentic and relevant learning experience. Maybe there is hope after all.

Next week I'll send them off with a blessing to do well as they sit in a room for almost 10 hours. I hope that some of them will still like learning after that.

Comment to Kati on EWEG (problems)

Kati,
I really like your idea about updating and aligning curriculum to create flow. I also like the idea of purchasing technology such as smart boards and new calculators. I wonder how you would get the students to the mathematics breakfast club? Do we have enough money to also provide extra transportation?

Budget from EWEG Grant

Title I: $45,000

-reevaluation and rewriting of the middle school math curriculum to more closely align it with state standards.
- designing a summer math program for students to prevent summer learning loss
- updating materials: textbooks, calculators
- technology: purchase of smart-boards, computers etc.
- establishing/maintaining a free tutoring center.

Title IIa: $38,000
- relevant professional development focusing on most effective math practices and
use of newly available technology
- establishment of peer-coaching groups led by master –teachers to exchange techniques and strategies.
- workshops on creating successful inclusion classrooms to ensure raising test scores of special education students
- Achieve 100% highly qualified staff

Title III: $12,000
- updating ESL curriculum to include interdisciplinary concepts such as mathematical terms and word problems.
- updating materials: dictionaries, teaching materials
- hiring ESL teacher to run weekly workshops for ELL students focusing on math

Title IV: $3500
- assemblies that will focus on motivational speakers with personal experiences.
- Establishment of an after school club that focuses on an anti-drug message through work with community.

Title V: $7200
- establishing a reward program to raise teacher motivation and morale.
- establishing a student reward program for academic achievement.
- any needed technology, textbooks, teacher materials
- pep rally before the standardized test to raise motivation

Pink: A Whole New Mind

I agree with Pink; the Conceptual Age is truly upon us. However, we must not forget the left side that has gotten us this far. Again, balance is key. Although minor, it is a pleasure to see the Visual Prompt added to the Language Arts portion of the H.S.P.A. While a small step, it is in the right direction.

Letter to Dr. Hirsch: Week 3

Dear Dr. Hirsch,

Your many laudable accomplishments no doubt make you an expert in your field. As a fellow pedagogue, I am delighted to see that we both share a passion for literature, so much that we have devoted out professional lives to it. No doubt you have been inspired by Wordsworth, Shelly, and Keats as much as I have; yet I find it equally hard to imagine that a right brain man like yourself would truly believe that our educational goal is to force facts on our students.

I cannot reject your entire theory; students undeniably need to know core knowledge in order to then generalize it and apply to real-life situations. For instance, I understand that knowing the definition of “metaphor” is an important step to extrapolating metaphors from text. Nevertheless, I believe that creating an original metaphor is the ultimate learning tool. How can we take that away from our students? Like many of your critics, I too feel that “because a child's experience cannot be assumed by a teacher, teaching must allow for hearing and seeing -- for listening to and interacting with the child”(Feinburg 1). While your ideas seem to over-simplify educational goals, you also ignore the myriad of reliable research which has formed our policies up to this point. Your theories lack essential components which foster curiosity, promote experience, and create motivation for our students.

I have a proposal which I believe will further enlighten the weaknesses of your ideas. You speak of creating socioeconomic and racial equality in our schools through uniform content knowledge, so I propose that you test out your theory in a low socioeconomic, urban environment. Try to implement repeated practice and memorization as your founding elements of instruction. It would be difficult to imagine what would happen to student motivation and classroom management as a result. How will you connect you instruction to students’ previous experiences? How will your students benefit from memorizing terms and facts such as “abominable snowman”, “absolute zero”, “absenteeism”, etc.? I can hear the questions now, “Why do we have to know this?” and unless you can provide a meaningful answer, you will loose your students.

Is our educational system ideal? No, but to revert to the basics of feeding facts and expecting a result is archaic and obsolete. Unfortunately, life is not a game of Trivial Pursuit and our successes are not measured through an engaging conversation about Lincoln. I respect the dedication you have put into your work, but even you at times must admit that all you have accomplished has not been merely through a memorization of facts.

Respectfully,
Alla

The Saber-Tooth Curriculum : Week 3

1. Should education be based on disseminated the important skills needed by society in the present and for the future?
I think the word “based” scares me. Should skills necessary to thrive in our society be included in all areas of education? Absolutely! Should the curriculum be based on those skills alone? I have to disagree. We have to strive to provide our students with skills that will not only help them get and then keep a job; we must also instill a sense of human decency, compassion, acceptance, respect, and global awareness.

2. Should curriculum change reflect the common goals of the community in enabling its members to function as citizens?

Creating a meaningful curriculum should undoubtedly include shared goals of the community. However, as in the “Saber-tooth” community, these vital decisions seem to often be made by outdated wise men whose ideas are rooted in obsolete theory and practice. So the answer is yes, changes in the curriculum should reflect needs of the community, yet these changes must be made with foresight and input from a variety of sources.

3. Should curriculum focus on skills or content knowledge as its primary focus?

I absolutely believe that between the two, skills should be the primary focus of curriculum. As an English teacher, with skills as an emphasis, I can have flexibility in my approach to teaching these skills. Although I would love to cover many great short stories, poems, a few more novels, and plays, I put my selfish needs aside, as I think of my students in the real world. As a result, I realize that knowing the basic plot of Hamlet will not help them as much as being able to interpret text, extrapolate meaning, and express themselves through writing. Although skills should be the focus, the content must be congruent to these skills. After all, in order to teach essential skills, students must be motivated by the content.


P.S I really enjoyed reading "The Saber-Tooth Curriculum"! Besides being clever, it is a perfectly simple reflection on our faulty education system.

Try and hang the English teacher

I thinks it's especially funny that the English teacher is a bottom-heavy, old woman.