Synthesis: Everything you need to know about teaching

This blog project has encouraged me to think critically about the importance of teaching and why it is important to be an effective teacher.  That being said, what does an effective teacher do?  The answer to that question is always changing.  The rest of this blog post will attempt to uncover why teaching is important, what types of teaching techniques and lesson plans teachers can use to be effective, and what teaching actually looks like from a professional perspective.

Unfair Education: Why teaching is important

In my Week 5 Free Post, I talked about charter schools and whether or not they are effective as well as why so many people want to send their children to charter schools.  The reason basically boils down to public schools being unfair and experiencing a large achievement gap between black students and white students.  In urban areas, income tends to be very low, students have single parents that work multiple jobs, and less emphasis is placed on education.  These factors, combined with several others, contribute to lower achievement in urban schools which, in turn, leads to less funding from the state as test scores are a major factor of distribution of funds.  Parents want the best for their children so they enter them into the lottery and are hopeful that their child will be picked to attend the charter school that is supposed to be better than public schools (this is certainly not always the case though).  That being said, it should not be the case that a child is entered into a lottery system to be given a reasonable education.

Teaching is important because every student needs to be given a fair education opportunity so they can have a chance at succeeding in life.  There are currently so many dropout factories in the United States (a school that has less than 40% of it's students graduating on time).  The people that don't graduate from high school have a higher tendency to end up in jail for various crimes, where citizens then pay taxes to house these dropouts in jail.  So, for the sake of humanity and the future of America, good teachers are important.

I believe teaching is important because I believe education has the ability to impact humanity on a large scale.  The more educated people are, the better equipped they will be to make good decisions and support themselves.  This will hopefully alleviate poverty, the number of people in jail, some of the global sustainability problems, and a surplus of other issues.  In my opinion and reflection, education and understanding is the first step to solving any problem.

Teaching ideas: Recognizing modern teaching as more than blackboard lectures

Throughout my blog, I have provided several resources/ideas for modern teaching techniques. This post discusses overall teaching techniques such as individualized learning, repetition, and engagement and explains why each of these techniques helps students learn better.  I really like the idea of individualized learning because allowing students the freedom to learn about things that interest them will keep them interested in learning.  Additionally, this individualized education allows students to move at their own pace, so students that need more of a challenge won't be bored and students that need a little more time on certain subjects will be allowed to learn the material fully before moving on so that they don't feel behind.

There is also an article about video games and how teachers have incorporated the use of video games such as Minecraft into their classroom.  I had never thought about learning from this angle before, but as soon as I started tutoring a 2nd grade student, I realized that Minecraft is what he lives for.  This experience inspired me to figure out a way to relate to him and the video games post discusses potential ways to use video games in a classroom setting, as well as discussing why video games can be considered educational. 

Furthermore, I recognize that online education is becoming increasingly popular, not only for college students, but also for high school students that want a specific class that their high school might not offer.  In my week 7 post, I discuss the pros and cons of online education.  I don't have a strong opinion on online education one way or another.  I believe that it might work for some students and might not work for others because everyone learns differently.

Finally, I had the opportunity to attend a professional development event this semester that provided insight on a new method of teaching called a process drama.  I am very excited to try this type of learning at some point in my career because I was excited and engaged when I had the opportunity to be the "student" at the event.  I am also excited about this strategy because it allows for so much flexibility.  I know teachers that use process drama in their college classes, but I know that it can also be adapted to work for elementary school classrooms.  A process drama covers multiple disciplines such as writing, social studies, science, and math.  It really provides the students with a real life example that will help them connect with concepts they are learning in the classroom.  Additionally, this activity can take anywhere from one hour to several weeks to complete.  It can correspond with several units in the elementary classroom if the teacher is creative.  I am really excited to continue researching this idea and potentially using it in my own classroom someday.

Teaching as a profession: What it's really like to be a teacher

Everyone has their own perspective of what teaching is, but what does it really mean to be a teacher?  What is it like?  I had the opportunity to interview a professional, experience a classroom, and attend some club meetings where teachers were present.  Each of these experiences provided me with a new outlook on what teachers really do.  An incoming teacher might not have report cards, parent teacher conferences, and weekly parent newsletters on their radar.  They might not be concerned about making a website.  However, these are all critical components of the teaching profession.  They are things that you aren't taught in college classes.

Final Reflections

Looking back through all my blog posts, I realize that I have learned quite a bit about different teaching methods and philosophies.  I know this will really help me develop my future teaching because I will be able to better understand the students needs and will already have some ideas about how to incorporate some of the new techniques.  I have also learned about some of the other aspects that come with the job of teaching, and will be able to prepare myself for those tasks, as college doesn't necessarily do that.

In conclusion, there is a lot to the teaching field.  It is a major that I feel is often not taken seriously enough.  Teaching isn't for everyone, just like engineering isn't for everyone.  It is important to me, and to future generations that good teachers are being placed in schools that need them.  These teachers will recognize and feel passionately that every individual child deserves a chance and they will do what they can to make students succeed.  This blog has made me more excited to become a teacher and it has made me realize the seriousness of the profession.


Citations
Waiting for "superman". Dir. David Guggenheim . Perf. Anthony. Paramount Home Video, 2011. Film.

Week 10 Free Post: Motivation in Schooling

Okay, so I have been struggling with what to write about for my last free post for the last week.  I took a trip to Chicago with the Urban Education Cohort Program here at Michigan State and had the opportunity to visit some Chicago Public Schools and an Urban Prep Academy and thought for a while about writing about that experience.  I have also been talking about some motivation strategies in one of my classes and thought that might be useful for new teachers too.  However, I couldn't find a large enough purpose for either of these topics, so I went searching on the web.  I revisited a playlist of Ted talks that I started earlier in this blog experience, and there I found the perfect video to tie everything together.  It is called The Key to Success? Grit.  I would strongly encourage you to watch it.

Angela left a job in management consulting to teach 7th grade math in the New York Public Schools.  While she was there, she realized that there was not a direct correlation between IQ and her best students.  So, she left her job teaching several years later to go to graduate school for psychology.  In her study she asked "who is successful here and why?".  She tried to predict which students would advance furthest in a spelling bee, which teachers would be most successful in urban districts, and several other settings.  She realized that the most prominent indicator was grit.  Grit is long term motivation for a goal.  A person with grit will work really hard to make their dream future a reality.

Angela studied grit in Chicago Public Schools and concluded that the grittier students were more likely to graduate.  This was a more likely predictor than several other factors like family income and how safe kids feel while at school.  I would like to pause from the video for a moment to reflect on my own experience in Chicago, specifically at the Urban Prep Academy.  This charter school prides itself on 100% acceptance rate into a four year college for all of it's students.  That is certainly a lot to be proud of, especially in Chicago where several students in public education are dropping out.  How do they do it?  Well, I'll let you make your own conclusion based on information I learned while I was there.

• I learned that admission to this schools is based on a lottery system, meaning that the number of students that apply is over the carrying capacity of the school and students that get in are randomly selected.  
• I know that the public school system isn't great, so students that apply for the Urban Prep Academy are more motivated and want a better education.  
• Urban Prep is a 100% African-American male school
• Teachers are required to be available 24/7 by cell phones, provided to each student and teacher when they enter the school. 
•  On average, students are at school from 8-5:30 each day because they are required to be involved in 2 extra-curricular activities.  
• Each student is a part of a pride which is a group of students led by a teacher that meets daily to provide mentoring, support, and encouragement.  
• Students are treated with respect and are referred to by their last name ("Mr. Leeforth")

So returning to the video, the question then becomes, how can we make our students more gritty?  How can we motivate them long term?  Angela says she doesn't know the full answer to this question, but the best partial answer comes from the incremental motivation theory, which is something we have been learning about in one of my classes.  Incremental motivation is essentially believing that abilities can be developed and learned with effort.  Angela suggests that when kids learn about how the brain grows and develops as you learn, they are more likely to persevere when they fail, because failure isn't permanent condition.

So, all that being said, the incremental growth system is a great start to building grit, but that's not enough.  What do you think can we do to build more grit?




Citations
Duckworth, Angela Lee. "Angela Lee Duckworth:The Key to Success? Grit." Ted.com. Ted Conferences, Apr. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Urban Prep Academies." Urbanprep.org. Urban Prep Academies, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

Week #10 Prompt: Teacher Website Remix

My task this week was to find a remix created by a professional teacher.  Well, I happen to have a teacher right now who has created her own website as a resource for the class.  Here is the link to her website.  It is a remix because it puts what we've learned/done in class in a different format.
Students in Math 202 are the audience for this remix.  PowerPoint lectures are posted as well as homework packets and additional resources that may be helpful for students.  The page is arranged so that information can be easily found.  General information is at the top, more specific information for different classes are categorized into labeled columns.  If you continue to check the website you will notice that it is constantly being revised.  The teacher will post a PowerPoint preview before class and then post the modified version after class is over.  Sometimes the two are the same, other times what we get though in class is different than the plan.
Considering the audience and purpose, the remix is successful because it helps students find information they need outside of class to be successful in class.  I know from personal experience that I have benefited from this remix.  The way the information is organized could be said to be logos because it is logical and follows a clear pattern.  To an outside source, there appears to be a lack of rhetorical strategies.  However, there is no need for rhetorical strategies because the audience is only students.  The students establish trust and connection with the "author" in real life, so there is no need for rhetorical strategies in the remix.

Citation
Opperman, Amanda. "MTH 202 Course Page, Sections 2 and 3." Msu.edu. Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Week #9 Prompt: Why Education is Important

This week's assignment was to find a news article about why education and teaching are important.  My article is called Solutions Under Siege? Is prison the only answer?.  Now, you might be wondering how in the world that article is going to explain why teaching is important.  I shall explain.

The article discusses the violent crime that occurs in Chicago, but recognizes that the crime rates have dropped drastically.  The reason for the decrease in violent crimes, they say, is likely due to the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative that focuses on counseling, employment, education, and other events that will keep people off the streets.  Money was used to teach youth life skills such as conflict resolution and job preparation.  The state rep. is now suggesting cutting that program, a program that has saved lives and redirect that money to the rich suburbs.

The most important part, though, is who these programs were targeting.  They are targeting urban youth at risk of dropping out of school.  If kids drop out of high school, they are bound to be unemployed because they are not being educated well enough to get a job.  Currently 92% of African American teenage males are unemployed and walking the streets every day with nothing much to do.  A combination of characteristics in these men such as self-confidence, helplessness, and need lead to violent crime.  From a previous blog, I indicated that taxpayers spend more money on keeping people in prison for 4 years than they would paying for someone's private education for 13 years.  Based on this information, I would say that it's safe to claim that money spent towards a program like the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative would be beneficial in the long run.
Better education --> fewer kids on the streets --> lower unemployment --> lower crime rates --> less people in jail --> less cost for the taxpayer

So why is education important? Why is the teaching field important?  It's important to engage all students and encourage them to complete their high school degrees so that they will be employed and can support themselves.  The public education system is "free", or something taxpayers pay no matter what, so it's a resource that everyone might as well use.  It's a shame to see so many people dropping out.  If we had better, more qualified teachers we might see drastic changes in the poverty, fertility, and crime rates.

Citations
Muhammad, Richard B., and Ashahad M. Muhammad. "Solutions Under Siege? Is Prison the Only Answer?" Finalcall.com. The Final Call, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Week #9 Free Post: Freedom in Schools

This news article caught my attention today.  The headline reads: NC school bans boy from carrying 'My Little Pony' backpack because of bullying.  Essentially, this little boy's blue backpack was causing a disturbance in the school day because students were bullying him.  The school called his mom and told her that she couldn't send that backpack to school anymore because it was causing bullying, and that her child was to blame.  After this issue caused so much drama, Grayson told his mom that he wanted to be home schooled.

Okay, so this post is going to go more in-depth than just the news article.  I spent several weeks in a class last semester discussing the challenges young students face for being different.  Grayson was defying a social norm and he was picked on for it.  Life can be hard for students like Grayson, and often times the hurt stays with them for several years, impacting them for the rest of their lives.  I did research last semester on other students like Grayson, students that were picked on to the point of wanting to be home schooled.  I couldn't find the exact article, but essentially this little boy was very excited for his first day of school and especially excited about his pink lunch box, but as soon as lunch time rolled around he decided to take everything out of his lunch box and leave it in the cart so that the other kids didn't have to see it.  It seems so sad to me that a school can not be a place where everyone feels safe.

As a teacher, what can be done to help students like Grayson?  How can we make him feel welcome in a school environment and comfortable enough to learn and grow?  I believe the answer to this lies in teaching lessons specifically based around accepting diversity, whether that be accepting people of different races, of different sexuality, or of different abilities.  Some ideas that have been suggested to me are encouraging parents of different races to come in and show something special or arrange a family exhibit where students can send in pictures of their families and then showcase all the photos at an event.  The purpose of activities like this would be to teach that even though families or people are different, everyone is still special and shouldn't be picked on.  Creating a bully free environment will help children like Grayson achieve more than you might think is possible.

Citations:
Milligan, Mandi. "NC School Bans Boy from Carrying 'My Little Pony' Backpack - WNEM TV 5." Wnem.com. WNEM, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Week #8 Free Post: 3 New Teaching Methods

I read an article about 3 new teaching methods that are being implemented and claim to be achieving greater success than traditional methods.  In general, teaching is becoming more interactive and student run.  There is less focus on authority of teacher over student and more focus on interactions between students. Additionally, there is more focus being placed on enjoyment rather than grades.
Here is a summary of the three teaching methods:

Spaced Learning

• Content is repeated 3 times, with 10 minute breaks between
• 10 minute breaks are used for physical education
• Helps create connections
• Relaxes students

Flexible Fridays

• An in depth section is taught all day (for example, math)
• Focused study time that helps students grasp tough subjects
• Prevents meltdowns at home for not understanding
• Personal connection with students individual needs

Engagement

• Students are encouraged to analyze what's happening in every part of the world
• Look at different spheres: economic, social, political, environmental...
• Field trip to local business allows students to understand what they've been learning and create connections

In my opinion, this article has some interesting ideas, but it is incomplete.  I have heard about all of these ideas before (with different names) and I believe they do work, but I also believe there are other modern teaching techniques that will also work.  Psychologically, introducing the purpose of each activity will ensure the activities are relevant for students and will hopefully make them more interested.  Praise is used carefully to reward students for effort and progress, not just for being intelligent, and evaluation reflects this idea.  Group activities that force collaboration and build community will strengthen the learning environment and can be flexible based on common interests or achievement level.  Individualizing learning and encouraging all students is how education should happen.  School the way it works today isn't for everyone, but since it is required until the age of 16, teachers should work to make school a place where everyone can be involved and engaged.

Citation:

Jackson, Sonia. "3 New Teaching Methods Improve the Educational Process." Gettingsmart.com. Getting Smart, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Week #8 Prompt: Experience in a Classroom

I spent my Thursday afternoon in a 3rd grade classroom learning about Henry Ford, natural resources, Spanish, and how to send e-mails.  This is the second classroom I have spent time in since starting my degree at Michigan State.  The first classroom was in Lansing.  I found it very interesting that these two classrooms were so different just because of the location and types of people attending the schools.  The Lansing school was very urban.  I saw a mix of races, where white was a minority.  There were several kids that didn't know how to read, and even more behind in math.  I spent most of my time in that classroom working with individual kids trying to get them caught up from missing so much school, or helping them understand what was going on in class.  In the school I visited today, white was definitely a majority.  I spent most of my time observing and walking around the classroom to help kids when they had questions.  I worked with one student for a while on reading and understanding, but that was only for about a half an hour.
A common interest shared between both groups of kids, was an interest in computers and technology.  The Lansing school used computers as a station, where only 4 kids could use the 4 classroom computers at a time.  The school I visited today had computer lab time where each kid checked out a laptop and a lesson was taught about how to send e-mails.  It was hilarious to watch the kids send each other e-mails and then race across the room to see if their friend got it.  I'm not sure they understand that the point of an e-mail is to send a message that doesn't require face-to-face dialogue.
This hands-on experience is much different than reading about teaching in a textbook.  A teacher can be well prepared and still have a lesson flop if they aren't willing to be flexible.  Trying to lead 25 children in a direction is a difficult task, and it requires much patience.  Every day is different, it makes the job like an adventure, which makes it exciting.  However, no textbook will ever prepare a teacher for teaching.  Hands-on experience is really the only way to go.  After all, a textbook doesn't teach you how to deal with broken computers, chaos, and classroom visitors all at the same time.

Week #6 Prompt: Evaluating Sources

I found an article called From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools by Gloria Ladson-Billings.  The article discusses the achievement gap between black students and white students as reflected in test scores.  She suggests that we need to take historical, economical, sociopolitical, and moral factors into consideration when analyzing why there is such a large achievement gap.  The gap has been around for a very long time.  From a historical perspective, blacks weren't allowed an education during the slave period.  When education was finally offered to black students, it was defined by the government as a separate but equal education.  However, most people would agree that it wasn't actually equal education.  From an economic standpoint, the funding of schools with mostly white children is much different than that of a school filled with mostly black children.  Sociopolitical debt reflects the way colored communities are being/have been excluded from things like voting.  Moral debt is the most difficult to describe, but it relates to the idea of knowing what is right and doing what is right.  We recognize that we have moral debt to people like Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr.

Based on what I know about urban education, I find Ladson-Billings article to be quite accurate when describing the reasons behind the achievement gap.  I believe that it is important to take these things into consideration when attempting to close the achievement gap, because it is not something that is going to close quickly.  We have done years and years of damage.  It will take time for all of those things to heal.  It is also important to recognize what decisions were made in history that could help or hurt the recovery.

Citations:
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. "From the achievement gap to the education debt: Understanding achievement in US schools." Educational researcher 35.7 (2006): 3-12.

Week #7 Free Post: Video Games in the Classroom

Okay, so I just finished tutoring a 2nd grader in math.  He spent the entire time telling me that he couldn't wait to get home to play Minecraft.  Now, you have to understand that I have this stereotype that all video games are bad for you and that video games reflect negatively on your school work.  However, having spent an hour with this student, and having spent time previously with other children talking about video games, I have realized that I am not going to be able to avoid video games and disregard them as a useless waste of time.  An effective teacher uses relatable examples in her classroom.  So, I suppose I am going to have to figure out how to teach addition and subtraction methods using Minecraft.  For those of you like me that don't know what Minecraft is, head to their website and watch the introductory video.

Here is an article about how to use Minecraft for education.  It doesn't have ideas for simple addition and subtraction, so it doesn't solve my problem with my student, but it has some good ideas that apply to early elementary geometry.

• Explore a theater (or other building) and label the parts
• Practice ration and proportion (set a scale to build things, determine the volume of object built)
• Learn about survival
• Visualization and reading comprehension

Additionally, here is a Huffington Post article about why video games are actually good for you.  I'm not sure I could justify playing just based on the reasons they give, but it's something to consider anyways.

If anyone can think of a way to teach basic addition and subtraction using Minecraft examples please comment.  We were working on borrowing in subtraction problems.  

Citations

Miller, Andrew. "Ideas for Using Minecraft in the Classroom." Edutopia. 2014 The George Lucas Educational Foundation, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

"Minecraft." Minecraft. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

Week # 7 Prompt: Is an online education good or bad?

Pros

• Students can choose from a wide variety of courses that might not have been offered in their school
• Allows for flexibility in scheduling
• Allows for networking opportunities with people across the nation
• Students can work at their own pace
• Often costs less than traditional schools
• Save gas money
• Students can choose the learning/evaluation system that works best for them
• Studies show that it is effective, and that online students outperform traditional students
• Can provide a more equal education for everyone

Cons

• Require more time than on-campus classes (communication has to be typed, reading lecture materials can take more time than listening...)
• Easier to procrastinate
• Can create sense of isolation
• They can provide more freedom than the student can handle
• Doesn't promote face-to-face social skills
• Limited instructor interaction
• Technology isn't always 100% reliable
• In low-income districts, some students don't have required technology

What causes the controversy?

• Change
• There are clear arguments on both sides
• Some people have the perspective that there is more to education than knowledge
• Some people believe those "extra" things can be acquired elsewhere and don't need to be taught in schools
• Some people are more traditional, trying to avoid being consumed by technology
• Some people are progressive, wanting to move towards a more technology encompassing future

Citations

Littlefield, Jamie. "10 Reasons to Choose Online Education." About.com Distance Learning. About.com, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Chamberlin, Sean. "Ten Disadvantages of Online Courses." Montgomerycollege.edu. Montgomery College, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Week #6 Free Post: Why America's Education System is Tanking

I watched this video on TED called "How to Escape Education's Death Valley" by Ken Robinson.  In the video, he suggested that America's system is corrupt because the education system contradicts human nature.  He pointed out several things that were wrong by using an example of a country that seems to be doing things right.

Finland is known for it's successful education system.  Robinson suggests reasons why Finland is so successful:

• little to no emphasis on standardized tests
• broad approach to education, including humanities, physical education, art...
• support for individuals in trouble so they don't drop out
• value individuality
• value teachers and seek to support them through means of professional development, investment
• place responsibility in individual schools rather than federal/state government to get the job done

America spends lots of money on education, but Robinson suggests that it's going the wrong direction.  What can we do to get it back on track?  Is Finland right?  I certainly think they are on to something.  Standardized tests aren't important in the real world, but curiosity and creativity when combined with knowledge of math and science could bring about drastic changes for the world.

Citation

Robinson, Ken. "Ken Robinson:How to Escape Education's Death Valley." Ted.com. Ted Conferences, May 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Week #5 Free Post: Waiting for Superman

I had to watch this video called Waiting for Superman in one of my classes this week.  It discussed some interesting statistics about education specifically related to test scores, urban education, and charter schools.

Interesting thoughts from the movie:

• The U.S. averages 20-35% of students proficient in reading and scores are low in math too
• A dropout factory is a school that has less than 40% of students graduate on time
• There are over 2,000 dropout factories in the U.S. 
• Failing elementary/middle schools feed into high schools where students are years behind
• Dropouts often end up in jail, where it costs the government $33,000/year 
• Private school costs $8,300/year
• $33,000 x 4 years (average time in prison) = $132,000
• $8,300 x 13 years (years spent in school) = $107,900
• Paying for private schools is extremely difficult for single parent families in an urban setting
• Enrollment for boarding/charter schools works like a lottery system, all the names are placed in a drawing and only 10/135 applicants will get to attend that school

Argument for charter schools:

• Higher reading/math scores
• Better graduation rate
• Freedom to hire/fire teachers (they aren't tenured)
• Parents are more involved since they had to work to get their student in

Argument against charter schools:

• Opportunity is not obtainable by every student
• Less than half of the charter schools out-perform private schools, and that is in a state where charter schools are good
• High teacher turnover rates, which can be confusing
• Don't have to meet state curriculum requirements
• Spend more time preparing for tests results in less well-rounded students
• Not a good place for special education or ELL (students learning English)

Questions:

• Would it make more sense to spend more on education so we could spend less on prison?
• Did you go to a charter school?
• Are charter schools beneficial or are they only a band-aid to the problem?
• What should be done to correct the broken education system?

Citations:
Waiting for "superman". Dir. David Guggenheim . Perf. Anthony. Paramount Home Video, 2011. Film.

Week #5 Prompt: Ethics

The National Educational Association has a code of ethics on it's website which I will investigate for this post.  I will compare that statement with my own code of ethics and then tie it all together by explaining how my college experience is helping to prepare me for work in my field with the ethical guidelines in mind.

Some of the main points in the NEA's code of ethics are:

• belief in dignity and value of each individual
• devotion to excellence
• recognizing importance of pursuit of truth
• nurture of democratic principles
• commitment to help student realize their potential
• stimulate spirit of inquiry, knowledge and understanding
• raise professional standards by ensuring trustworthy and qualified educators are teaching

My own code of ethics:

• honesty
• integrity
• responsibility
• respect
• doing my best

College experiences helping prepare me:

• Classwork - preparing me to do my best work at all times in order to achieve excellence
• Dorm life - living with a roommate forces me to practice respect and professionalism
• Tutoring - allows me to work individually with students to encourage them and help them value themselves and understand their potential

Citation:

"Code of Ethics." NEA.org. National Education Association, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Week #4 Free Post: Two Islands Process Drama

During a Professional Development event I went to we learned about a process drama, which is something I had never heard of before.  It is a very interactive form of learning that engages students and allows them to really take control of their learning and develop independent thinking skills.  The meeting leader took on the role of the teachers and I (along with other classmates) were the students.

The process drama started by having the room split into two halves where one half was the island of Greenel and the other was the island of Graynel.  She started by reading us descriptions of our islands.

"Once there were two islands, Greenel and Graynel. They sat in the middle of the ocean with a wide stretch of deep water between them.  The very first people who came to the island of Greenel found a peaceful place with tall green trees and dark, fertile soil. Their leaders said, “Since we are here in the middle of the ocean, and our island is only so big and no bigger, we will all have to work very hard to tend it and keep it as lovely as it is today. If we are careful and wise we will be able to grow our own food and learn to make the other things we need to be happy and comfortable.”  And down through the years, that is the way it was on Greenel. Life was simple and it moved at the pace of the Sun and the Moon and the changing seasons.
The first people who ever came to Graynel found an island very similar to Greenel—quiet and green and lovely. But their leaders said: “Since our new land is here in the middle of the ocean and is only so big and no bigger, we will have to work very hard if we are to keep up with the rest of the world. We will have to build ships and factories and use all of our land very wisely or we will never be able to make and buy all the things we want.”  There were changes on Graynel, big changes. Even though the island was small, it kept up with the world, and life on Graynel moved at the pace of the shipping timetables, the factory clocks, and the traffic lights."

Below is a list of activities that follow from the above story as well as a list of things that can be learned from the activities, and how they could be turned into social studies or science lessons.

Activity 1: Draw a map of your island considering jobs, what you do for fun, government systems, what happens to the people that die...

• Demonstrate understanding of government systems
• Use of natural resources
• Artistic/fine motor skill development
• Practice working with a group to make decisions and exercise compromise skills

Activity 2: Greenel people circle around Graynel map and talk about what they see (keeping their job back on Greenel in mind) while Graynel people listen.  Graynel then has a chance to respond to the comments.  Same activity for Graynel people surrounding the Greenel map.

• Understanding and appreciating different value systems

Activity 3: Graynel and Greenel members line up and face each other and proceed to talk about "those people" behind their backs.  There is graffiti on some rocks that face the opposite island.  We are supposed to come up with what the graffiti says.  For example, a Greenel person might say "they say that those people all act like robots".  Graynel and Greenel islanders continue to insult each other trying to top the previous insults.

• Developing the plot
• Ability to think on your feet

Activity 4: Cautionary tales are told on both islands.  Greenel island members have to act out a scenario in which their fisherman went out to sea and got run over by a Graynel speed boat, was then captured and taken back to their island where he was poisoned but eventually escaped and rowed all the way back to his island.  The same story is then told from the Graynel perspective.  A Greenel man was fishing in a poisonous area so they went to stop him, discovered he was already passed out, brought him back to their island where he was treated with medicine and then couldn't find him when they came back to check on him.

• Acting
• One story can be twisted into multiple perspectives

Activity 5: Some people from both islands are proposing a bridge be built to connect the two islands so that they can share resources.  Based on your job on your island, decide whether you are 100% for the idea, 100% against the idea, or somewhere in the middle and then line up accordingly.

• Logical decision making
• Understanding of external factors effecting business

We didn't have time to finish the whole story, but you get the drift.  Through this process drama students are able to really interact with concepts they might have normally learned from a textbook.  This is not just a one day lesson, but is something that can be spread out over several days, even weeks.  There are also so many different variations of this that it can really be adapted to work for any age and any unit.

Have you ever experienced anything like this in a classroom?  What other lessons could you think of that might go along with this story?  Do you think teaching in this style is a good idea or not? Why?

Week #4 Prompt: Community of Teachers

This weeks assignment was to participate in a club's activity related to your field.  Since I am already a member of SMEA, I went to their professional development event on Wednesday.  SMEA stands for Students of the Michigan Education Association.  In this post I will talk about the community that was there, but in my free post I will elaborate more on the activity and what I learned as a teacher from this event.

A community of teachers is much different than a community of engineers.  I know this because I live on a floor full of engineers and am always witnessing them running around chasing robots or pulling their hair out trying to do math.  Teachers have a tendency to have a little more "fun".  I have noticed this especially in my education classes where conversation before and after class always seems to revolve around some sort of guy that someone met at a party the weekend before or their plans for Thursday night.  Obviously the club event I went to was much more professional than that, but I figured that might be something relevant to mention on a blog post about the teacher community.

The meeting was a group of females, each with their own unique hobby.  I know this because at the beginning of the event we had to say our names and do an action that would "say" something about us.  For example, since I am musically inclined I used my hands to play the piano and sang my name.  Others kicked a soccer ball and shouted their name or pretended like they were swimming.  I thought this was an interesting activity because it helped you learn names, but it also helped you get to know a complete stranger.

The ladies in the room did have some things in common though.  Obviously the overlying theme was teaching and education, but with that comes the ability to work well in groups, excellent participation skills, as well as listening skills.

This club uses Facebook as a primary source of communication.  There is a SMEA Facebook group where event information is posted.  In addition to the Facebook group, there is also a website to elaborate on more details and requirements for the club.  The club requires members to participate in community service, professional development, fundraising, and outreach to teach events.  There is a point system in place to ensure that everyone is participating.  The purpose of this club is to aid students studying to become teachers in the transition to the classroom.  

Week #3 Free Post: What Students Remember About Teachers

Someone sent me this article about what students remember most about their teachers.  It is a letter written from an experienced teacher to a new teacher as she watches the new teacher stress about lesson plans and all the things she has to keep up with.  The more experienced teacher's purpose is to help the new teacher step back and realize that students aren't going to remember lesson plans or crafts, they are going to remember personality.  They will remember their third grade teacher because she was caring and compassionate and available.

As I reflected on this article, I realized that the author is right.  I remember excellent teachers, not necessarily because of their lesson plans, but because of their personalities.  Interestingly enough, if I liked a teachers personality, I almost always thought of them as good teachers as well. 

What do you remember about your good teachers? What made them great?

Citation
Gard, Lori. "What Students Remember Most About Teachers." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

Week #3 Prompt: Interview a Professional

This week I am supposed to interview a professional in my field and ask them what they write and how they write it so that I can compare it to what we are learning in our writing class.  I interviewed my third grade teacher who has been teaching for 32 years.  Here's what she said:

What do you write?

• Report cards
• Weekly newsletters
• Notes home
• IEP's
• Lesson Plans
• Classroom Website

How do you write it?

• Think about the audience and the message that needs to be conveyed
• Outline what needs to be included
• Revise/edit to make sure it is professional because it is a reflection of me as a teacher, and one of the only ways parents know me

How does this writing process compare to what we talk about in class?

• Audience and purpose are taken into consideration
• Outlines and summaries are used
• Revision/editing 

Week #2 Free Post: Does Learning Require a Personal Relationship?

I watched this TED talk called Every Child Needs a Champion by Rita Pierson.

In the talk, Rita argues that students need to have a personal relationship with a teacher in order to learn. What do you think?  Can you think of an experience where you learned but didn't have a relationship with a teacher/professor?

She also talked about writing +2 instead of -18 on a quiz with a smiley face.  What do you think about that?

Are relationships really that powerful?


Resource:
Pierson, Rita. "Rita Pierson: Every Kid Needs a Champion." TED. Ted Conferences, May 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

Week #2 Prompt: Comparing Scholarly Article to News Article

This week's assignment was to find a newspaper article or blog and compare it with a scholarly article taking a careful look at delivery and style.  I chose two articles that had to do with teacher testing and certification requirements.

The Newspaper Article uses language that everyone can understand to communicate recent issues with the Professional Readiness Exam that the state of Michigan uses as part of the certification requirement to be a teacher.  The state and testing company just made changes to make the test more difficult so that we don't just have anyone teaching future generations.  According to the article, before the test modifications 82% of the teacher candidates passed.  After the modifications, that rate dropped to 26%.
In terms of delivery, the article was originally published on a Dean's blog and then made it's way to the Michigan news website as a news article.  I also know the article has been shared on social media websites by teacher candidates effected by the changes in the test.  The style is consistent with the delivery when considering the target audience.  It captures feelings and struggles teacher candidates are feeling while also explaining the need for a more difficult test.  It uses language and style appropriate for the online blog/news delivery.

The Scholarly Journal is clearly geared for people doing research on the relationship between teaching requirements and teacher quality.  It is structured much differently than the news article because it has an abstract, introduction, and multiple pieces of data to support research that was done.  The use of the scholarly style gives the audience a more credible lens to view the information with.  It also helps the author relate with the reader because the reader is likely reading to gain factual supported information regarding the relationship between teaching certification and teacher quality.  The reader is looking for the answers, and the author uses a scholarly style to relate to them by giving them credible answers.
In terms of delivery, this work is accessible on the internet through Science Direct.  This delivery method will attract the right audience because it is not a scholarly website rather than a blog or news website.  It was also published in a book called Economics of Education Review which makes the information even more credible and once again, focused on the intended audience.

Resources:
Heller, Donald. "Donald Heller: Restructured Professional Readiness Exam Means Changes for Michigan Teaching Programs (Guest Opinion)." MLive.com. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

Angrist, Joshua D., and Jonathan Guryan. "Does teacher testing raise teacher quality? Evidence from state certification requirements." Economics of Education Review 27.5 (2008): 483-503.

Week #1 Prompt: Asking Questions

Below are 10 questions I have about education and some answers I found by looking in a textbook.  I was unable to find answers to all of my questions using only the textbook, so the answers to remaining questions will hopefully be found later during the research process.  There is a lot of information online that will answer a few of my questions.  The remaining questions are more opinion based and will have to be answered in a more round-about way through a combination of experience, and research. 

1.      Where are teachers in high demand? Urban? Suburban? United States? Other countries? Certain States?

There is a projected growth in the demand for teachers in the United States.

2.      How does the United States education system compare to other countries? What can we do to improve?

3.      What role does politics play in education?

4.      What are the requirements for becoming a teacher in different places?  Are there different requirements to be certified between cities? States? Countries? Is there a universal certification that is accepted everywhere?

There are two accredited teacher organizations on the national level.

·        National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

·        National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) 

5.      How can new teachers be better prepared for their first day and what resources do they need to be the best teachers for years to come?

6.      What makes a teacher the best?

A good teacher:

·        is enthusiastic

·        loves learning

·        treats each child as an individual

·        is willing to take risks

·        seeks to make the world a better place

·        is kind

·        is considering

·        is patient

·        is fair

·        has a sense of humor

·        has wide interests

·        has a skill at presenting subject matter

·        is willing to accept responsibility for his/her actions

·        passes along compliments

·        is flexible

·        demonstrates good citizenship

·        keeps accurate records

·        makes an effort to know parents

·        knows what is going on in the community

·        likes children

7.      What purpose should a teacher have?

8.      Why is teaching math important?

9.      How can a teacher engage all students?

10.   What summer internships for college students will be the most beneficial in preparing them for their teaching careers?

Citation:

Fine, Janet. Opportunities in Teaching Careers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

Week #1 Free Post: How a Teacher Makes a Difference

As I start a new semester, I am realizing how much of a difference a good teacher makes in what students get out of a course.  Last semester I was dealt quite a diverse hand of teachers that made my classes, overall, less than enjoyable.  I was really looking forward to coming to college to network and connect with professors and last semester I wasn't able to accomplish that goal as I had hoped.  I hate to say it, but there are some people that are just really bad teachers.  At the same time, there are teachers out there that aren't necessarily bad, they just aren't going to click with everyone.
That being said, I'm not willing to let the cons outweigh the pros.  Having to deal with bad professors was a good learning experience for me as a pre-teacher and it makes me more appreciative of the professors I have this semester.  I was especially worried about all the general education classes I had to take this semester (writing, some sort of insects class...) but they have all turned out much better than expected thanks to the professors.
As I mentioned this to others, almost everyone I talked to can relate.  Everyone has had a bad teacher at some point and everyone has had a really good teacher.  In almost every case, the student has been more motivated to learn with the better teacher.  I have even known college students to change their field of study because of a teacher.
When I am a teacher, this is an important lesson to remember.  I will be the one that makes a difference in my students' learning.  It is my job to engage them and make them interested in the subject.  It is my job to make the material relatable and present it in a clear fashion.  Teachers have a large influence over students, so being the best teacher I can be at every given point is extremely important and probably equally challenging.