I really enjoyed reading Chapters 8 & 9 in Best Practice (Zemelman et al., 2005). As I read through the seven structures of best practice teaching, I learned just how creative one can be with implementing these strategies. As a new teacher, I don't have a lot of experiences to relate to these different structures; however, I think it will be beneficial for me to learn about these various techniques and methods prior to becoming a head teacher. In my classroom, I find that small-group activities are quite effective. Although, it doesn’t take long for students to realize that there is an unstructured element to small-group work. The head teacher and I will walk around the class and listen to the conversations, answer questions, and at times suggest an idea or topic to help, but I can see and hear other groups slacking off when they know there is no teacher around. I liked the idea of small-group activity centers because it gives students an opportunity to visit and explore ideas in an organized sequence (pg. 230). I wanted to see a 'center' in action, so I recently observed our kindergarten classroom where the students were participating in literacy centers. Two tables read the story independently, two tables do structured phonics work from the curriculum, two tables work on phonemic awareness and ‘word work’ activities (i.e.: word families, site word memory). One head teacher is in the classroom facilitating the centers, and the other head teacher is working with a small group outside of the classroom with reading out loud. The day I observed, the students knew exactly what to do. I was impressed how seamless the process appeared to be; however, both head teachers said it has been a work in process. Similar to the example of Delois Strickland in Ch.9 (pg. 269-273) implementing new strategies within a classroom takes time. The kindergartners at my school have been working in these centers all year and now they’ve finally mastered the process. You can see the confidence in their faces as they work because they’re comfortable in this learning environment.
Chapter 9 'Making the Transition' was an interesting read for me, because I don't really feel like I am in a place where I need to transition from one way to another. As a new teacher, I can observe other classrooms and teaching styles, but I'm not going to know what works and doesn't work in my classroom until I am actually teaching. It takes the effort of the entire faculty and staff to really bring about a change. It won't work if I'm using the seven structures of best practice in my classroom, but the teacher in the grade level ahead of me is not. Zemelman et al., made me realize just how important it is to work together in a teaching community to create student-centered classrooms at every grade level.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Blog #4 - Schools That Learn: Orientation
‘The classroom, school, and community are all interrelated. Any success you have on one level can be blocked by inadequate capabilities, resources, or understanding on another.’ (Senge p. 25). I found Senge’s orientation informative and insightful on the relationship between the three key elements that create a school that learns: the classroom, school, and community. In order to produce organizational learning, all three levels must work together. The complexity of the community level made me realize just how many roles the community plays in the overall educational experience. The members of this community who should have the biggest impact on students are the parents. As facilitators, I think we all recognize parents as the primary educator to their children. Senge suggests that teachers, students, and parents must work together in a continuous cycle in order to produce a successful learning classroom. While I agree with this idea of mutual influence, I find it hard to conceptualize because I’m not sure it’s possible to form that relationship with every single student and parent. As I read and came to understand the bigger picture of the other two elements, a learning school and learning community, I realized that Senge is absolutely right when he says to focus on one or two new priorities for change, not twelve.
As I read through the five learning disciplines, I think the discipline of Team Learning is probably one of the most important. I recently experienced just how effective collective thinking can be within a classroom. Our 7th graders have been working on developing complex sentences for their Language Arts class. We gave each student a different Kindergarten reading book. The books contain sentences with three to four words. We had the students rewrite the book using complex sentences. The class completed the activity individually and then in groups. The creativity, energy, and effort put forth in their group work far exceeded our expectations. They were all so excited about their final product; they were begging to present their ‘books’ in class!
As I read through the five learning disciplines, I think the discipline of Team Learning is probably one of the most important. I recently experienced just how effective collective thinking can be within a classroom. Our 7th graders have been working on developing complex sentences for their Language Arts class. We gave each student a different Kindergarten reading book. The books contain sentences with three to four words. We had the students rewrite the book using complex sentences. The class completed the activity individually and then in groups. The creativity, energy, and effort put forth in their group work far exceeded our expectations. They were all so excited about their final product; they were begging to present their ‘books’ in class!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Blog #3 - Reaction to Ozar Ch. 5
As I read Ozar’s chapter on choosing a set of outcomes, I found her simplistic approach extremely thought-provoking. “Learning means responding effectively to the situation. It implies growth and leads to more learning” (Ozar, p.61). Creating an outcome-centered curriculum is the most effective way to communicate and observe what students learn. Ozar states that significant outcomes will lead to significant learning (p. 61). Although, when I think about choosing my own set of outcomes, I begin to over-analyze each outcome questioning whether or not it is ‘significant’ enough. As Ozar suggests, outcomes state the ‘what’ because they focus on student performance. Creating an effective set of outcomes that focus on discipline-specific and value-integration will help make the overall process of integrating an outcomes-centered curriculum easier. Having the learning outcomes specific to both planes will help remind me that I am teaching to the whole student. It's important to be cognizant of the differences between students. Individual personalities, various learning styles, and life experiences are all elements that can affect a student’s learning.
As I reviewed Figures 5.1 – 5.4, I found myself treating each example like a checklist for both my personal and professional life. I wasn’t surprised by the results of Heath’s study on attempting to correlate school-related factors with effectiveness as an adult (p.65). I agree that involvement in extracurricular activities is imperative to a student’s growth. My class recently completed a project where the students had to write an essay on their ‘American Dream’ (where they see themselves in twenty years and the path that got them there). I didn’t think about it until after reading this chapter in Ozar, but every student’s ‘American Dream’ somehow revolved around an extracurricular activity they are involved with today. As we continue to move forward, away from the Industrial-Age model, the hope is to create a learning environment full of opportunities which provides excitement in the classroom for every student.
As I reviewed Figures 5.1 – 5.4, I found myself treating each example like a checklist for both my personal and professional life. I wasn’t surprised by the results of Heath’s study on attempting to correlate school-related factors with effectiveness as an adult (p.65). I agree that involvement in extracurricular activities is imperative to a student’s growth. My class recently completed a project where the students had to write an essay on their ‘American Dream’ (where they see themselves in twenty years and the path that got them there). I didn’t think about it until after reading this chapter in Ozar, but every student’s ‘American Dream’ somehow revolved around an extracurricular activity they are involved with today. As we continue to move forward, away from the Industrial-Age model, the hope is to create a learning environment full of opportunities which provides excitement in the classroom for every student.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Blog #2, Reaction to Ozar - 2/24/09
Prior to reading the first four chapters in Ozar’s book Creating a Curriculum that Works (1994) I never thought about the difference between the questions what shall I teach? vs. what shall students learn? I honestly don’t know if I ever actually knew there was a difference before now. I found Ozar’s outcomes-centered curriculum approach enlightening. Shifting a curriculum to an output mindset rather than an input mindset will create a learning environment most advantageous to the students. While I was reading, I was thinking about our WASC evaluation last year. Although I wasn’t physically there to experience the evaluation, the majority of our faculty meetings and/or in-services this year have primarily focused on our School Improvement Plans and In-Depth Studies. I went back and reread our Science In-Depth Study that our faculty is currently updating. We collaborate in teams (broken out by grade level) to answer the following questions: what students learn, how students learn, and how assessment is used. At times, our teachers are resistant in putting forth the energy and the effort towards these Plan of Action/In-Depth Studies; however, if we shift our focus and create a curriculum revolving around significant learning it can be, as Ozar says, ‘stimulating and rewarding.’
While I was reviewing our Science In-Depth Study, I found it hard to differentiate our goals and outcomes/objectives. Our study states that by identifying learning goals with students before they begin new material, we help the students understand what they are expected to learn with each lesson. After reading Ozar and better understanding the benefits to an outcome-centered curriculum, I think the statement should be revised to say learning outcomes instead of learning goals. “Curriculum that focuses on significant learning begins with clearly articulated learning outcomes.” (p.3)
As a new teacher, I think this book will be a great resource and guide for me. I can apply this approach to create unit and lesson outcomes. I want to be able to observe what has been learned and make it tangible for my students and for me! “Affective outcomes define the significant learning in terms of what students will do in the affective domain in relation to the subject matter.” (p.48)
While I was reviewing our Science In-Depth Study, I found it hard to differentiate our goals and outcomes/objectives. Our study states that by identifying learning goals with students before they begin new material, we help the students understand what they are expected to learn with each lesson. After reading Ozar and better understanding the benefits to an outcome-centered curriculum, I think the statement should be revised to say learning outcomes instead of learning goals. “Curriculum that focuses on significant learning begins with clearly articulated learning outcomes.” (p.3)
As a new teacher, I think this book will be a great resource and guide for me. I can apply this approach to create unit and lesson outcomes. I want to be able to observe what has been learned and make it tangible for my students and for me! “Affective outcomes define the significant learning in terms of what students will do in the affective domain in relation to the subject matter.” (p.48)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Blog #1 - Due 2/17/09
Due to my limited experience, I haven't fully formed all of my own personal beliefs about teaching in a Catholic school. Every teacher has a different approach, and I observe teachers utilizing both Industrial-Age and New Science thinking daily. Lecturing to the students is a continuous Industrial-Age practice, which all teachers at my school (both Natives and Immigrants) use. It's important to me that I recognize the differences in each of my students. Even though lecturing to a class doesn't specifically cater to different learning styles, I think it's important that all students realize that listening is a skill worth cultivating. I am a firm believer in always trying to integrate technology into my lesson plans. Most of my beliefs on learning in a Catholic school are derived from my own personal experiences of attending Catholic schools K-12. Throughout my education, I feel I went through a learning transformation, experiencing the shift from Industrial-Age to New Science thinking. I can recall many of the Industrial-Age assumptions on learning being practiced in my early education. The idea of 'smart kids and dumb kids' was one of those assumptions that held true for many of my teachers. When we were divided into academic groups (smart, average, or below average), there was not a lot of room to avoid being categorized or classified. As the technology/dot com era exploded, New Science thinking was integrated quickly into my education. I went from playing Oregon Trail to learning various Microsoft applications within a short time frame. However, a few my teachers refused to accept this New Science thinking for themselves, which as a student we categorized these teachers as 'boring!' Students today embrace technology with a passion and eagerness and I feel it's important as a 21st century educator to implement New Science thinking in all subject areas.
I would consider myself a Digital Native. I am always open to learning different shortcuts, features, or applications that can speed up my process in creating new and engaging lesson plans. We are fortunate to have a SmartBoard in every classroom in our school. While I am still learning everything the SmartBoard has to offer, for me, it's the best resource in creating a stimulating, interactive way to teach the curriculum. With our SmartBoard, I've been able to create lessons like (pre-algebra) Jeporady games and interactive cross-word puzzles for Vocabulary. It's been a great tool to get the kids excited about learning, rather than just sitting there listening to me talk. I am trying to incorporate both the Industrial-Age and New Science thinking by using our SmartBoard as I lecture. I want to create an environment where my students want to ask questions and engage in group discussion while having a clear idea of what is being taught.
I would consider myself a Digital Native. I am always open to learning different shortcuts, features, or applications that can speed up my process in creating new and engaging lesson plans. We are fortunate to have a SmartBoard in every classroom in our school. While I am still learning everything the SmartBoard has to offer, for me, it's the best resource in creating a stimulating, interactive way to teach the curriculum. With our SmartBoard, I've been able to create lessons like (pre-algebra) Jeporady games and interactive cross-word puzzles for Vocabulary. It's been a great tool to get the kids excited about learning, rather than just sitting there listening to me talk. I am trying to incorporate both the Industrial-Age and New Science thinking by using our SmartBoard as I lecture. I want to create an environment where my students want to ask questions and engage in group discussion while having a clear idea of what is being taught.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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