As a former middle school computer technology teacher and a current grade 8 teacher, during a class titled "Curriculum and Organization of the Middle School", I have enjoyed working with blogs, Voicethread, and Moodle, as well as the idea of using voice memos. Incorporating these tools in my class would not only provide another way to offer information and resources, but truly attract the attention of my students.
Though I've considered using blogs in the past, I have not implemented their use yet. This is mainly because my tech department is wary of students giving out information that could identify who or where they are. I believe that the readings we were asked to do will provide some support in my use of them and make those who have blocked their use in the past at least think about it. I can see this to be valuable for students, because they could be researching particular topics, voicing opinions, and responding as necessary...all supporting questioning, communicating, and learning.
Voicethread...wow! I've used Voicethread in other classes, but it was mainly for responding to artwork. Our use of it in EDC 524 has allowed me to think of other options (my creativity overflowing at this point). For example, during a unit on the Holocaust, I can see Nazi propaganda posted with the expectation that students are to respond to it and one another. Our 8th grade Social Studies curriculum focuses on US History and Maine History. I'm hoping to use it on the different sections of the Constitution. The opportunities are endless!
Moodle is used in my school and classes regularly. In the past I've used it mainly as a place to organize resources students need for various projects and assignments (because I had 1 site for both 7th and 8th graders). I'm hoping to include the use of the wiki option this coming school year, however, to allow collaboration.
The reading materials we used should be required reading for all middle level teachers! I would be curious to know if all teachers' perspectives would change by reading This We Believe in Action. It's easy for people who have been in the same position for a long period of time to forget the specifics of the development of this age group. Our expectations begin mirroring those of NCLB and become unrealistic. :)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Where are We Heading?
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. "
~Abraham Lincoln
In all the reform that needs to occur in many of our middle schools, one point is very clear to me...change takes time and courage. Do we keep things status quo because we disagree with changes that need to be made? I don't think so. I think for many it is more about the fear of the unknown. People worry about the effect on students, they worry that they may have to do more work, and they worry that they aren't capable meeting standards that have been set for them. Taking the steps to change is hard. We take risks by putting ourselves out there for criticism, and for many, that is very scary!
It is obvious, though, that we must make these changes, if we want our students to be ready with 21st century skills. We need to allow our students to connect with people all over the world and show them how to do so appropriately. Instead of a dictated curriculum, we need to allow our students to form questions and find the answers to those questions. We need to facilitate students' learning, rather than dictating it. The mandatory standards and assessments are neither realistic or motivating. If we truly want our students to learn, we need their input. Conversations need to be held and their voices need to be heard.
The idea of partially following the middle school concept is too real for me. Unfortunately in my own school, we infrequently listen to what our students have to say regarding what their learning should be on a large scale. I do believe individual classroom teachers have those conversations, yet changes have not been made. Some of the teachers in my building follow the "old school" version of middle level teaching by teaching "their" subject separately. Changes are being made to support integration, because of strong leadership. Along with teaching our children how all subjects are intertwined, we need to take the time to help them develop into positive, thinking, productive citizens who take interest in the world around them. Pieces of this are definitely being met at PIMS, but we still have some work to fully embrace the middle school concept.
~Abraham Lincoln
In all the reform that needs to occur in many of our middle schools, one point is very clear to me...change takes time and courage. Do we keep things status quo because we disagree with changes that need to be made? I don't think so. I think for many it is more about the fear of the unknown. People worry about the effect on students, they worry that they may have to do more work, and they worry that they aren't capable meeting standards that have been set for them. Taking the steps to change is hard. We take risks by putting ourselves out there for criticism, and for many, that is very scary!
It is obvious, though, that we must make these changes, if we want our students to be ready with 21st century skills. We need to allow our students to connect with people all over the world and show them how to do so appropriately. Instead of a dictated curriculum, we need to allow our students to form questions and find the answers to those questions. We need to facilitate students' learning, rather than dictating it. The mandatory standards and assessments are neither realistic or motivating. If we truly want our students to learn, we need their input. Conversations need to be held and their voices need to be heard.
The idea of partially following the middle school concept is too real for me. Unfortunately in my own school, we infrequently listen to what our students have to say regarding what their learning should be on a large scale. I do believe individual classroom teachers have those conversations, yet changes have not been made. Some of the teachers in my building follow the "old school" version of middle level teaching by teaching "their" subject separately. Changes are being made to support integration, because of strong leadership. Along with teaching our children how all subjects are intertwined, we need to take the time to help them develop into positive, thinking, productive citizens who take interest in the world around them. Pieces of this are definitely being met at PIMS, but we still have some work to fully embrace the middle school concept.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
"Linking report cards to state standards is the newest report card trend. Here's why schools are doing it and what you can expect if your school makes the change. "
~Great Schools Staff
Though parents are the second to complain (only behind teachers), standards based report cards offer specific information for how children are performing compared to what the requirements are. For those who are against schools using them, I have a not-so-simple question, what does an "A" or a "94" represent? Though we'd love to be able to say they represent true learning, that grade could depict a number of things, including attitude, behavior, and completion of homework (not necessarily done well, but completed). Wouldn't putting the specific standards students are to meet listed on a report card truly clarify where each child is at in their learning? Not only would this clarify the content the teacher is to cover, but it would also give specifics on how parents can help their children.
Along my travels, I've heard that it is a seven-year process to transfer from traditional report cards to those that are standards-based. Some prolong the beginning of this transference because of fear of the unknown, while others do it because of the outcry from the community. Wouldn't it be interesting to include our students in the process and see how they handle the change?
~Great Schools Staff
Though parents are the second to complain (only behind teachers), standards based report cards offer specific information for how children are performing compared to what the requirements are. For those who are against schools using them, I have a not-so-simple question, what does an "A" or a "94" represent? Though we'd love to be able to say they represent true learning, that grade could depict a number of things, including attitude, behavior, and completion of homework (not necessarily done well, but completed). Wouldn't putting the specific standards students are to meet listed on a report card truly clarify where each child is at in their learning? Not only would this clarify the content the teacher is to cover, but it would also give specifics on how parents can help their children.
Along my travels, I've heard that it is a seven-year process to transfer from traditional report cards to those that are standards-based. Some prolong the beginning of this transference because of fear of the unknown, while others do it because of the outcry from the community. Wouldn't it be interesting to include our students in the process and see how they handle the change?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
High-stakes Testing
"...I believe that high-stakes testing, in its current manifestation, is a serious threat to excellence and national standards. Unchecked, it will choke the life out of many excellent schools and drive gifted teachers out of classrooms. Unchecked, it will lead to debased and unnecessarily low standards.
"...A more rational approach is broad-based assessment, which involves multiple measures of what a student has learned. Assessment relies on teacher-made tests, teacher evaluations, student demonstrations, etc. all over an extended period of time, instead of one score on a single, largely machine-scored tests (even if it includes a writing test). Unfortunately, the supporters of high-stakes testing have more faith in machines than they do in teachers."
-- John Merrow
Choosing Excellence (Scarecrow Education, 2001)
Wow! I love this! In thinking about how our students are assessed for state-level assessments, I think of how awful it is for a student who comes to school regardless of not feeling well. I think of the student who found out on the morning of testing that their family pet had been run over. In either of these situations, how could a student truly show what they know/know how to do? To truly assess what a student knows, multiple assessments are supposed to be done over a period of time, rather than a week-long block of test, test, test. Whenever I've given an assessment to students, I walk around, I clarify questions, and I modify for individuality. How state-run assessments are administered is completely different than how most teachers would run an assessment in their classroom. Does this provide the best opportunity for students to show what they know?
"...A more rational approach is broad-based assessment, which involves multiple measures of what a student has learned. Assessment relies on teacher-made tests, teacher evaluations, student demonstrations, etc. all over an extended period of time, instead of one score on a single, largely machine-scored tests (even if it includes a writing test). Unfortunately, the supporters of high-stakes testing have more faith in machines than they do in teachers."
-- John Merrow
Choosing Excellence (Scarecrow Education, 2001)
Wow! I love this! In thinking about how our students are assessed for state-level assessments, I think of how awful it is for a student who comes to school regardless of not feeling well. I think of the student who found out on the morning of testing that their family pet had been run over. In either of these situations, how could a student truly show what they know/know how to do? To truly assess what a student knows, multiple assessments are supposed to be done over a period of time, rather than a week-long block of test, test, test. Whenever I've given an assessment to students, I walk around, I clarify questions, and I modify for individuality. How state-run assessments are administered is completely different than how most teachers would run an assessment in their classroom. Does this provide the best opportunity for students to show what they know?
Relationships
"Stop trying to make schools great schools and take up the task of trying to make teachers great teachers. Never in my life have I heard a friend or colleague say, 'That school changed my life.' Hundreds of times I have heard people I respect say, 'That teacher changed my life.' And it goes
without saying that great teachers are doubly precious in lousy schools. So let us work at .. helping teachers teach better, and let us succeed at that task before we take up the next one."
"The End of School Reform" by Peter Temes, Education Week, April 4, 2001
(as seen in NSDC's Journal of Staff Development, Summer 2001)
This quote affirms so many of my thoughts about middle level education. I've often wondered why most teacher prep programs don't include specific classes focusing on the middle level. In order for us to improve student achievement, our students need to have prepared educators who take the time to build healthy relationships with them. What exactly could be done to better prepare those interested in teaching early adolescents?
without saying that great teachers are doubly precious in lousy schools. So let us work at .. helping teachers teach better, and let us succeed at that task before we take up the next one."
"The End of School Reform" by Peter Temes, Education Week, April 4, 2001
(as seen in NSDC's Journal of Staff Development, Summer 2001)
This quote affirms so many of my thoughts about middle level education. I've often wondered why most teacher prep programs don't include specific classes focusing on the middle level. In order for us to improve student achievement, our students need to have prepared educators who take the time to build healthy relationships with them. What exactly could be done to better prepare those interested in teaching early adolescents?
Friday, July 9, 2010
"As a result of working in middle school, I am much more self-reflective. Looking at students' work has become the driving force behind my instruction. It is the kids who show us what they need and where we need to go next. 'Follow the child.'"
--Juli Kendall, reading teacher/coach
Whittier School, Long Beach CA
It has been a long road to get me to the place where I can say that this is true for me. I once went to a workshop on dealing with students who are non-compliant and the presenter said something along the lines of how the first 10 years or so, he shouldn't have been paid for teaching, because they were just practice. Truly that could be my own sentiment. It has been about 10 years to get me to the point where I'm comfortable using students' work as my gauge, rather than feeling like it's my responsibility to cover all curriculum that is listed for my subject areas. I feel it is my responsibility to take students from where they are and TRY to cover all the curriculum, but some just aren't ready for it all. Am I doing an injustice to my students? I don't think so. I need to consider each individual child...that's what being a middle school teacher is all about, isn't it?
--Juli Kendall, reading teacher/coach
Whittier School, Long Beach CA
It has been a long road to get me to the place where I can say that this is true for me. I once went to a workshop on dealing with students who are non-compliant and the presenter said something along the lines of how the first 10 years or so, he shouldn't have been paid for teaching, because they were just practice. Truly that could be my own sentiment. It has been about 10 years to get me to the point where I'm comfortable using students' work as my gauge, rather than feeling like it's my responsibility to cover all curriculum that is listed for my subject areas. I feel it is my responsibility to take students from where they are and TRY to cover all the curriculum, but some just aren't ready for it all. Am I doing an injustice to my students? I don't think so. I need to consider each individual child...that's what being a middle school teacher is all about, isn't it?
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