Educational Issue: NCLB and Charter Schools

I enjoyed the organization of the teaching and presentation of this educational issue. The presenters did a nice run-through of the background information of NCLB and Charter Schools, with a good use of resources, like the GW and Charter School videos, internet resources, and giving us the opportunity to try the test. The presenters all seemed really knowledgeable about NCLB and especially the problems associated with it and its "results," and Charter Schools as well. With Charter Schools, one of the aspects of your presentation that I found most useful was to examine the advantages and disadvantages. It was cool to be able to generate ideas for our ideal Charter School, yeah! The clip at the end was interesting after discussing and creating Charter Schools, because we could see how successful they can be, and areas where they are lacking, like in funds and space.

Philosophical Thinking

As I think about my philosophy of education, naturally I have been reflecting on how this will impact my classroom. I want my classroom to be a safe, caring environment for all learners, so I will try to be as flexible as I can with the room arrangement, taking into consideration what my students suggest. I would start of the year with some type of circular, discussion-ready set-up, depending on if I have desks or tables will impact this. I would love to have enough floor space so students can work on the floor for certain activities, which I know some student prefer, or it is just nice to have options. I will have shelves on the walls and different displays and posters that represent various things from what we are learning to the cultures that exist among the students, because who I am teaching is just as important as what I am teaching. As far as motivation is concerned, I know that some students are motivated by grades, and others will only be motivated if it pertains to them and they can feel some sort of connection to what I am teaching, so I would want to motivate in different ways. I will motivate with words and with grades, always giving students positive feedback when I can, and working hard to pertain the lessons to real life. I think what I will be teaching is important, and I plan to work hard so students can make these connections as well. I want to encourage students to motivate themselves and one another, which kind of plays a role in having them work together and with me to create the rules and expectations for the classroom. We will all work together to ensure the success of the class. This also of course goes along with discipline, and by enlisting students' help in creating and establishing rules and expectations, students will be aware of the outcomes that misbehavior will have in our classroom. I will handle discipline problems as aligned with the rules we make, but will also consider the student and his or her personal situation, so, for instance, if they have a behavioral problem associated with a learning disability, I will take this into consideration when deciding how to encounter them. I will assess my students by asking thoughtful questions to get them thinking and to see how they are thinking and understanding the content. I will meet with them one-on-one as much as I can, and encourage them to give me feedback on how they feel they are doing in the class. I will always let them as clarifying questions. I will try not to use tests and quizzes unless they seem necessary, and will ask students to journal about ideas and what they learn. Through journals I will write back to them and be able to assess where they are in the class and how much they are getting out of it. For assessments that will be associated with grades I will assign students to do projects and papers to show me what they have gained from taking my class. I want my classroom to be comfortable and students can feel encouraged to learn and interact with peers and myself. I will use humor and a be good-natured when appropriate, and encourage students to be themselves and share their insights on the class. I will enforce the rules and adhere to the curriculum, so I will hold high expectations for all students. I will let them know this from the beginning, and that I believe in all of them. I plan to use technology frequently, and will probably want to incorporate a wiki in the class and have them do blog posts. I will use the blogs to assess and encourage them to comment on one another's blogs as well. I will have my desk at the back of the class but will frequently move about and teach from anywhere in the room. I will be easy-going when I deem it fit, but will stress the importance of each lesson and student participation. I will show students that I respect them and expect them to show me and others that they have respect in return. I want my classroom to be fun and engaging, and that all students will be able to learn and feel confident in my class. It will be our classroom, where we value respect, learning, difference, individuality, cooperation, and having fun.

Reading through our printout of sections from Drive I have found a few things of interest to me. One idea I liked, among many, was the concept of DIY Report Cards, which has students list their top learning goals at the start of a unit/year, and then at the end of it they create their own report card and reflect in a couple of paragraphs about their progress. Afterward,they meet with me and I show them their "real" report card and we compare and discuss how they align or do not align with one another. I also appreciated the section on praise, and how to use it correctly. This means, for instance, praising effort and strategy over intelligence, making praise specific, doing it in private, and only offering it when for a good reason and if it is completely honest and heartfelt. The section "Help Kids See the Big Picture" aligned nicely with my ideas of motivation; make certain that kids can successfully answer questions like "why am I learning this and how does it relate to my life and the world I live in?" Make the lessons and content relevant, and students will be encouraged to learn, and make their own connections. Additionally, I liked some of the section "Turn Students into Teachers," because I think it can encourage students to want to learn and to further explore the content. It also holds them accountable of learning and can be used to assess their knowledge. One thing I did not like about this was making students teach to other classes, teachers, etc., because I think this would work better as an option for students, or maybe if they were allowed to work in groups or partners, because some of them would certainly not be comfortable doing this nor would they enjoy it. Overall, I enjoyed reading what we received for sections from this book and it seems like a useful educational resource.

Ms. G's Secret Sauce: My New Favorite Recipe!

The teacher's guide to Ms. G's Secret Sauce presents each ingredient that help make the recipe for success. These are as follows:
1)Believe in your students;
2)Break down comfort zones;
3)Establish a safe environment;
4)Validate prior knowledge;
5)Motivate your students;
6)Encourage collaboration;
7)Teach tolerance;
8)Promote diversity;
9)Create community;
10)Build bridges;
11)Expect accountability;
12)Celebrate success.
Reading through these I would say that I completely agree with including all of these in the recipe and they each hold a lot of value in the classroom. I feel like I wholly support every one of these, but I especially find myself relating my philosophy most to the first one, believing in your students. I believe that all students can succeed, no matter what their background, SES, race, ethnicity, previous academic background, or anything else. I want to convey this to every student and help them believe in themselves as well. The fifth ingredient was about motivating your students, which is most certainly something that I want to do and I think it is so important in ensuring that the students can be successful too. I want to get to know them and be able to identify what they will be able to relate to or what will encourage them to want to do the work and succeed. As it was aforementioned, I think each of these ingredients are extremely important, but another one that really spoke to my philosophy was the eighth one about promoting diversity. I want all of my students to feel accepted and to embrace their own differences and the uniqueness of one another. I want everyone to feel valued and respected in my classroom, and I want to acknowledge the diversity through my actions and lesson plans.
Overall I appreciated reading about Erin Gruwell's "Secret Sauce," and my philosophy centers on a lot of the ingredients that she also felt were important to ensure success. It was useful for me to not just think about how I want these ingredients in my own classroom someday, but to see that she succeeded at it by reading the excerpts that aligned with each ingredient, as well as the diary entries.

Educational Issue: Standardized Testing

This presentation on the educational issue of standardized testing was a useful and informative one that related to this topic that I have always found disheartening. The presentation was organized nicely, as it presented the history of standardized tests and different ways that have been used to assess over time, different types of standardized tests, and a video about tests. The other video that we watched was an interesting one as it made a unique connection between how students can use math textbooks to figure out solutions in the same ways they can approach these standardized tests; doing both in ways that they can find the answer without really knowing it. I did not enjoy doing the concept map, I felt unprepared for this, but I appreciated how this activity was done, providing two types of assessment. The brainstorming at the end of class was also useful, collaborating with others and sharing and listening to ideas of assessment and standardized tests. So overall, the presentation was well done, the presenters seemed well-informed on the topics and the information was given in an engaging way.

Bright Futures

This article "Bright Futures: A Framework of Twelve Core Practices for Maine Middle Grades Schools Developing Full Academic, Personal and Social Potential for Maine Young Adolescents," presents the twelve Core Practices that should be implemented and adhered to to ensure effective middle schools for Maine youth. The concept behind these practices is to fully prepare students to be contributing members in today's society and to be successful in their futures.
The first practice states that students should have access to curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory and maximizes accessibility for all individuals. The second says that teachers use instructional practices that are research-based and are effective in upping the learning and achievement of the students. Core practice 3 is about teachers in every content area using teaching and learning practices that have their foundation in 21st century literacies. In the fourth practice students can access one-to-one computing technology integrated throughout the curriculum, which allows them to gain the critical thinking skills related to information, media, and technology. The fifth practice states that all middle school students experience learning opportunities that stress creativity and innovation. In the sixth practice school leaders focus on establishing an environment that supports the learning needs of the students. In the seventh, faculty, administration, and students all work together to build a safe and caring climate that nurtures the individual. Number eight focuses on how students benefit from organizational structures within the middle school that increase the sense of community, support meaningful relationships, and optimize curriculum delivery. The ninth core practice says that students have access to a co-curricular program that encourages all students to become involved, develop skills, be a member of a team, and simply have fun. Number ten states that teachers' professional development is an ongoing process that is included in the school daily. The eleventh is about how parents are actively involved in the life of the school and their child's education. The twelfth and final core practice states that teachers, administrators, and staff who are responsible for the education of the middle grade students are knowledgeable about their developmental needs and appreciate them for being unique.

One thing I did want to reflect on after reading this was the idea of having teams in the middle school. Prior to my practicum experience at Mt. Blue Middle, I had never heard of or seen in place teams, and so I sort of assumed that this was just something this school did. After reading this, however, I realize that not only do other schools implement this, but it is highly suggested that they do so. One of the core practices that related a great deal to my own beliefs about myself as a future educator was the twelfth one. Since my time in the middle school during Practicum, I knew this was where I wanted to teach; I appreciate the students and what stage they are at developmentally in their lives in and out of school and I enjoy teaching the content. Core Practice 12 assured me that if this is how I feel, then I will be in the right place, for myself and my students. I think that all middle schools should try to put in place and adhere to any and all of the 12 Core Practices, I think they would benefit on an individual, community, and state-wide level.