Sunday, May 4, 2008
Things I Need to Know
I read about three important things that UMF Secondary Education majors should know.
- Well about the first article involving the PRAXIS examination, everything on the page was new information to me. I am in the process of looking at my options for taking the PRAXIS test this summer, so all this information was important and something that I will use in the near future. It is good to know that educational institutions are requiring a certain amount of knowledge needed after getting into college to continue with your selected major.
- In the second article, I learned a bit about Practicum and how to go about signing up and receiving more information on it. As I am a secondary ed. major, all this knowledge is important for me to look at now, but will become more vital in the coming semesters. I'm also going to try and arrange my schedule so that I will not have any other classes during my semester with Practicum.
- I am already in this major, so the third article was all that valuable to be. But I think that for someone who is looking to get involved in the Secondary/Middle Education majors it is important to have this information available to you. It makes it easier when looking for a rough outline of things you need to do in order to officially change majors.
Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers
Under "staff and organization" there were some similarities between our group's school and the examples given in chapter 4. I think communication was the biggest aspect that we had in common. As a big school or school system there needs to be organization. The key to having that organization and being successful is done through means of good and strong communication. Knowing who to talk to about certain things and how to go about doing it is important to know. Our team did not really focus on specific details within staffing the school and the administration, though as far as hiring teachers is concerned, we are committed to providing a wide range of ethnic backgrounds within our faculty to provide a more well rounded educational experience.
Under the section about "The relationship of schools to school districts and the state" a concentration our team had that was described in chapter 4 was about having a well staffed and and knowledgeable school board. The values of the school board match those listed in the reading, but also we are making it the responsibility of the school board to make the decision on which students aged 21+ are to be enrolled in our school. Since we accept all people, not discriminant on age, the school board would be responsible for running checks on applicants and seeing that they meet requirements to become a student.
As far as the section about the position that the government has over public schools, our teams school and an example of a public school in today's society is much different. Most of it has to do with Project Lead The Way. Our school does not have learning standards nor do we make a strict "to do" list for teachers to follow on a day to day basis.
When it comes to funding our school, I believe that in both situations, the funding is going to be very similar. Taxes and other forms of government funding will be used to pay for much of what the school requires.
Under the section about "The relationship of schools to school districts and the state" a concentration our team had that was described in chapter 4 was about having a well staffed and and knowledgeable school board. The values of the school board match those listed in the reading, but also we are making it the responsibility of the school board to make the decision on which students aged 21+ are to be enrolled in our school. Since we accept all people, not discriminant on age, the school board would be responsible for running checks on applicants and seeing that they meet requirements to become a student.
As far as the section about the position that the government has over public schools, our teams school and an example of a public school in today's society is much different. Most of it has to do with Project Lead The Way. Our school does not have learning standards nor do we make a strict "to do" list for teachers to follow on a day to day basis.
When it comes to funding our school, I believe that in both situations, the funding is going to be very similar. Taxes and other forms of government funding will be used to pay for much of what the school requires.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning
One thing in chapter that I picked up on was what teachers think about their methods on teaching certain children. It is important to keep in mind that as a teacher, it's not just about what you teach and expecting all of your students to retain the information. The manner in which the material is taught can make learning the material easier to understand, and remember.
Keeping in mind others' beliefs is an important aspect of teaching, especially in public schools. With so much diversity is today's classrooms, the instructor needs to be careful with what he/she discusses and how they talk about it. Also, as a teacher it is important to be tolerant of the students whom you are teaching.
Probably the most important aspect I got out of the chapter was the importance of stories. The importance of stories and how they can be used to reinforce concepts being taught is powerful. I think that being able to relate material being learned/taught to what is occurring in the classroom can help students grasp concepts they may not have understood otherwise.
Keeping in mind others' beliefs is an important aspect of teaching, especially in public schools. With so much diversity is today's classrooms, the instructor needs to be careful with what he/she discusses and how they talk about it. Also, as a teacher it is important to be tolerant of the students whom you are teaching.
Probably the most important aspect I got out of the chapter was the importance of stories. The importance of stories and how they can be used to reinforce concepts being taught is powerful. I think that being able to relate material being learned/taught to what is occurring in the classroom can help students grasp concepts they may not have understood otherwise.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Chapter 3: Families and Communities
"English proficiency is an attainable goal for all students."
I strongly believe this statement. Especially since English is the dominant language in society. If you aren't familiar with the English language, than you will have a hard time adapting to the culture. Having programs like ESL for English Language Learners greatly improve the student's ability to speak and write in English. It is my belief that it is near impossible for a teacher to be responsible for teaching a class that he/she is not equipped for; an example being teaching a classroom where there is an ELL that cannot understand entirely what you're saying. Learning English needs to be an option for all immigrants and citizens of the United States. In the majority of public education, and in the business world, English is the language used. There are plenty of programs and people willing to help those people learn English. So not only do I believe it is an attainable goal, I believe it should be required.
I strongly believe this statement. Especially since English is the dominant language in society. If you aren't familiar with the English language, than you will have a hard time adapting to the culture. Having programs like ESL for English Language Learners greatly improve the student's ability to speak and write in English. It is my belief that it is near impossible for a teacher to be responsible for teaching a class that he/she is not equipped for; an example being teaching a classroom where there is an ELL that cannot understand entirely what you're saying. Learning English needs to be an option for all immigrants and citizens of the United States. In the majority of public education, and in the business world, English is the language used. There are plenty of programs and people willing to help those people learn English. So not only do I believe it is an attainable goal, I believe it should be required.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Chapter 2: Today's Students
Teaching students where English is their second language can be a struggle. To help these students, it is the duty of the teacher to help in two main areas. To help them improve in the English language, and to help them progress in that subject area. Immigrant children come from different educational backgrounds, so it is important for the teacher to know and understand the level that the particular student is at. Being bilingual is a great thing, especially as someone living in the U.S., as there are so many ethnicities in our nation, so teachers should do everything they can to help the student learn English.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher
The first chapter of the book discusses some of the "joys" teachers have during their career. You can also pull some not so joyful moments that teachers sometimes have.
As a teacher, the general feeling of working with the youth is a joyful one. After all, that is what your job encompasses. Though I'm sure everyone at one point or another has a teacher where they questioned that instructor's "love" for the job.
Another joyful experience that teachers have are the intrinsic rewards that come with teaching. When a student is struggling with the material being taught and a teacher can work with that student and help them improve, it's moments like that that make teaching worth it. Improvement is a quality I bet all teachers enjoy seeing.
Lastly, the overall feeling of making a difference is a feeling that every educator wants. To know that what they're teaching is being heard, understood, and implemented is a rewarding thing for teachers to be able to experience.
As with every profession, there are moments that teachers may find not joyful. Something people often hear teachers kiddingly complain about is their pay. Granted it's not the highest paying job, but in my years as a student I've never seen anything indicating that teachers don't make a lot of money.
Advancement opportunities in the education field are hard to get. This is another thing that teachers see as not such a joy.
Also, with laws put into place such as NCLB, educators feel like they're getting less and less freedoms in their classroom. Having to teach certain things so students can meet standards is tough on teachers.
As a teacher, the general feeling of working with the youth is a joyful one. After all, that is what your job encompasses. Though I'm sure everyone at one point or another has a teacher where they questioned that instructor's "love" for the job.
Another joyful experience that teachers have are the intrinsic rewards that come with teaching. When a student is struggling with the material being taught and a teacher can work with that student and help them improve, it's moments like that that make teaching worth it. Improvement is a quality I bet all teachers enjoy seeing.
Lastly, the overall feeling of making a difference is a feeling that every educator wants. To know that what they're teaching is being heard, understood, and implemented is a rewarding thing for teachers to be able to experience.
As with every profession, there are moments that teachers may find not joyful. Something people often hear teachers kiddingly complain about is their pay. Granted it's not the highest paying job, but in my years as a student I've never seen anything indicating that teachers don't make a lot of money.
Advancement opportunities in the education field are hard to get. This is another thing that teachers see as not such a joy.
Also, with laws put into place such as NCLB, educators feel like they're getting less and less freedoms in their classroom. Having to teach certain things so students can meet standards is tough on teachers.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Scavenger Hunt
Our assignment was to go into the Education Center and take part in four small group activities. The first thing my group did was go into the Kalikow Center. Our responsibility was to pick out five books that we feel we could use as teachers in our content area; history for me. The books I chose were:
The March on Washington
Number The Stars
The Wall
A Nation Challenged
The Day We Landed on the Moon
A Nation Challenged was the book I was most adamant on using. When I'm a teacher, a lot of my students probably wont remember very well what September 11th, 2001 was all about. So, I want to make sure I cover the topic well, as it is without a doubt the biggest and most recent event in our nation's, if not the world's history.
The next activity our group did also took place in the Kalikow Center. We were to look for low-tech items and find possible use for them in our future classroom. I chose these three items:
Tongo
Prentke Ramich Vantage Plus
Go Talk 9+
The last thing we were responsible for was to discover the assistive technology on the Macs. Some of the features our group discovered were:
Zoom in and out on the screen-visually impaired
Flashing screen-hearing impaired
Certain sounds when there are alerts-hearing impaired
sticky key option
These were the three activities that I found most useful during the scavenger hunt. It helped me realize what can be done to help students with disabilities learn at the same pace as everyone else.
The March on Washington
Number The Stars
The Wall
A Nation Challenged
The Day We Landed on the Moon
A Nation Challenged was the book I was most adamant on using. When I'm a teacher, a lot of my students probably wont remember very well what September 11th, 2001 was all about. So, I want to make sure I cover the topic well, as it is without a doubt the biggest and most recent event in our nation's, if not the world's history.
The next activity our group did also took place in the Kalikow Center. We were to look for low-tech items and find possible use for them in our future classroom. I chose these three items:
Tongo
Prentke Ramich Vantage Plus
Go Talk 9+
The last thing we were responsible for was to discover the assistive technology on the Macs. Some of the features our group discovered were:
Zoom in and out on the screen-visually impaired
Flashing screen-hearing impaired
Certain sounds when there are alerts-hearing impaired
sticky key option
These were the three activities that I found most useful during the scavenger hunt. It helped me realize what can be done to help students with disabilities learn at the same pace as everyone else.
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