The "dominant paradigm" that is showing signs of wear is the traditional instructional method where knowledge comes directly from the teacher through textbooks, lectures, discussions and readings. This way of teaching versus the new movement in instruction is not preparing our students for real world situations.
Unlike traditional teaching, in Project-Based Learning students are completing more complex tasks that typically result in a realistic product, event or presentation. It focuses on bringing real world problems into the curriculum. Research has found:
1. "students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learning" (Thomas, 2000)
2. students show an increase in the ability to define problems (Gallagher, Stepien, &Rosenthal, 1992)
3. students have an "enhanced ability to plan a project after working on an analogous problem based challenge ( Moore, Sherwood, Batemna, Bransford, Goldman, 1996)
Problem-Based Learning is where students work in groups on authentic problems to see what they need and produce a solution. Research shows:
1. medical students score higher on clinical problem solving and clinical performance (Vernon & Blake, 1993; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993)
2. students from correct hypotheses and are able to explain with accurate reasoning(Hmelo 1998b; Schimdt, et al., 1996)
3. teachers have a better acceptance of cultural diversity (Darling-Hammond & Hammerness, 2002)
Learning by Design allows students to design and create an artifact that requires deep understanding of what they're learning. Research shows:
1. Students have a better understanding of complex systems (Perkins, 1986)
2. ... increases motivation in both groups and individuals Fortus and colleagues (2004)
3. this approach leads to better learning outcomes ( Holton & Kolodner, 2000)
From reading the article I think the approaches are different in that project based focuses on creating realistic products, problem based is generating a solution to a problem, and learning by design is creating artifacts.
In my opinion the most important benefit between the approaches is that they relate to real world issues and offer a different type of instruction rather than the traditional textbook and lectures.
Resource:
Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. Teaching for meaningful learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Reverence and Listening in Teaching and Leading
Quote: "If an educational leader's community is foolish enough to make say, only test scores the good of education, then that lack of reverence limits even the best leaders" (Rud, 2010).
Response:
I chose this quote because in today's school system I feel that the wrong things are emphasized. Case in point: test scores. I am by no means saying that test scores are worthless.They provide essential information to educators in order for them to modify and teach the curriculum. However in my experience, as testing season becomes closer and closer, instruction changes considerably from engaging and meaningful to drill and kill "learn the facts". As the article suggested, school leaders (superintendents and principals) focus a surplus amount on raising the scores in math and English and exclude the fine arts subjects. When this happens students are likely to have an aversion to language arts and math because the subjects that offer equal or greater values are being taken away. This example does not hold a strong foundation for reverent and culturally responsive teaching.
Reverent listening is the "recognition of the need for aid and sustenance by others" (Rud, 2010). This supports culturally responsive teaching because as educators you need to listen to your students in order to know their needs. This can happen through communication or more powerfully, silence. Reverent listening requires you to know the students in your classroom inside and out to be able to teach them effectively . If you are culturally responsive this should be easy to do.
In order for reverent listening to take place, teachers must be able to catch their students' attention. My high school biology teacher always had an interesting story to tell relating to what we were learning. This often turned into a whole block period off subject but in the end his students learned not only through hands on experiences but having a story to connect the concept as well. Having an engaging lesson or just like the teacher in the Hobart Shakespearean movie, having a passion for what your teaching isn't forcing your students to listen. If you are enjoying what you are teaching, more than likely so will your class.
Having a "laundry list of value ethics" is saying that you have a predetermined ranking of ethical values. Many teachers run a "tight ship" when it comes to their classroom because they want things done their way. This is not culturally responsive because not everyone has the same "predetermined list". Teachers need to be flexible and prepared to help students when they are struggling. If students are seeing something differently it doesn't mean that they are incorrect, they just don't have the same views.
I've had many teachers that expressed reverence. They each took their time to listen to a students explanation and didn't single a student out when a mistake was made. Having a teacher like this made me want to go to their classroom and not be afraid to participate when needed. Each student was valued and made to feel important.
A "toxic" school is one that exhibits "irreverent culture where listening no longer occurs" (Rud, 2010). In schools like this, teachers are arrogant, dominating, and do not take difference into account.
"...reverent teachers exhibit the following traits. They show awe and wonder before the subject matter they teach. These teachers also have deep respect for their students while seeking to deserve their respect. Reverent teachers show strong leadership and include others in their deliberations. They also understand the importance of ritual and ceremony in establishing classroom and school community" (Rud, 2010).
This quote fits into my teaching philosophy because I believe that by possessing these traits you're establishing a respectable reputation with your students and creating an atmosphere that allocates student learning.
Below is a link to a list of activities to use to teach students respect. I think it is extremely important for students to not only respect their teacher but also their peers. These are great activities that can be modified to any level.
35 Activities for Respect
References
Teachers College Record Volume 112 Number 11, 2010, p. 2777-2792
http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 15792, Date Accessed: 9/19/2012 9:32:00 PM
Borba, M. (2006). 35 activities your students can do to learn respect. Retrieved from http://www.micheleborba.com/Pages/BMI05.htm
Response:
I chose this quote because in today's school system I feel that the wrong things are emphasized. Case in point: test scores. I am by no means saying that test scores are worthless.They provide essential information to educators in order for them to modify and teach the curriculum. However in my experience, as testing season becomes closer and closer, instruction changes considerably from engaging and meaningful to drill and kill "learn the facts". As the article suggested, school leaders (superintendents and principals) focus a surplus amount on raising the scores in math and English and exclude the fine arts subjects. When this happens students are likely to have an aversion to language arts and math because the subjects that offer equal or greater values are being taken away. This example does not hold a strong foundation for reverent and culturally responsive teaching.
Reverent listening is the "recognition of the need for aid and sustenance by others" (Rud, 2010). This supports culturally responsive teaching because as educators you need to listen to your students in order to know their needs. This can happen through communication or more powerfully, silence. Reverent listening requires you to know the students in your classroom inside and out to be able to teach them effectively . If you are culturally responsive this should be easy to do.
In order for reverent listening to take place, teachers must be able to catch their students' attention. My high school biology teacher always had an interesting story to tell relating to what we were learning. This often turned into a whole block period off subject but in the end his students learned not only through hands on experiences but having a story to connect the concept as well. Having an engaging lesson or just like the teacher in the Hobart Shakespearean movie, having a passion for what your teaching isn't forcing your students to listen. If you are enjoying what you are teaching, more than likely so will your class.
Having a "laundry list of value ethics" is saying that you have a predetermined ranking of ethical values. Many teachers run a "tight ship" when it comes to their classroom because they want things done their way. This is not culturally responsive because not everyone has the same "predetermined list". Teachers need to be flexible and prepared to help students when they are struggling. If students are seeing something differently it doesn't mean that they are incorrect, they just don't have the same views.
I've had many teachers that expressed reverence. They each took their time to listen to a students explanation and didn't single a student out when a mistake was made. Having a teacher like this made me want to go to their classroom and not be afraid to participate when needed. Each student was valued and made to feel important.
A "toxic" school is one that exhibits "irreverent culture where listening no longer occurs" (Rud, 2010). In schools like this, teachers are arrogant, dominating, and do not take difference into account.
"...reverent teachers exhibit the following traits. They show awe and wonder before the subject matter they teach. These teachers also have deep respect for their students while seeking to deserve their respect. Reverent teachers show strong leadership and include others in their deliberations. They also understand the importance of ritual and ceremony in establishing classroom and school community" (Rud, 2010).
This quote fits into my teaching philosophy because I believe that by possessing these traits you're establishing a respectable reputation with your students and creating an atmosphere that allocates student learning.
Below is a link to a list of activities to use to teach students respect. I think it is extremely important for students to not only respect their teacher but also their peers. These are great activities that can be modified to any level.
35 Activities for Respect
References
Teachers College Record Volume 112 Number 11, 2010, p. 2777-2792
http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 15792, Date Accessed: 9/19/2012 9:32:00 PM
Borba, M. (2006). 35 activities your students can do to learn respect. Retrieved from http://www.micheleborba.com/Pages/BMI05.htm
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Honoring Dialect and Increasing Student Performance in Standard English
One of the things that this article brought to my attention is that students have trouble picking answers on standardized tests because of what their dialect features. These students are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to taking these types of tests. This is where the second topic I have learned comes into play. "Code switching" is something I think highly of. We've had this discussion in class about "proper English"; if it's a legitimate thing and if it should be taught in our classrooms. By teaching code-switching students are able to stay within their dialect but are also able to understand how language works in other variations. I also learned that keeping students' dialects in the classroom makes them more willing to share their ideas in class through speaking, reading, and writing. The fear of saying or writing something on a piece of paper the wrong way should not hold anyone back from success.
This article portrays culturally responsive teaching by building bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences and acknowledges the legitimacy of the cultural heritages as worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum. The teachers in this article kept their students dialect in their classroom and didn't force them to speak "proper English" at school. They acknowledged the students' background and used it to their advantage. What students bring from home is vital to how they learn. By keeping these two things in mind, their students were able to learn with full advantages.
An experience I've had in school relating to culturally responsive teaching happened in third grade. My teacher used to tell us "Ain't fell into a bucket of paint and was never heard of again". "Ain't" clearly isn't a part of Standard English, but in our dialect people use it all the time. Students were constantly corrected for they way they spoke. I'm sure this teacher meant no harm by correcting all the time. She thought she was doing her job. Little did she know that she was hindering students learning experiences by making them shy away from sharing in the classroom.
The link below is a blog posting from a teacher who made being culturally responsive a big part of her instruction. What I like about this post is how she reflects that she wasn't allowing the students to bring their culture into her room as much as she thought. It made me realize how fine the line is between being culturally responsive and teaching "our culture".
Early Years Blog
This article portrays culturally responsive teaching by building bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences and acknowledges the legitimacy of the cultural heritages as worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum. The teachers in this article kept their students dialect in their classroom and didn't force them to speak "proper English" at school. They acknowledged the students' background and used it to their advantage. What students bring from home is vital to how they learn. By keeping these two things in mind, their students were able to learn with full advantages.
An experience I've had in school relating to culturally responsive teaching happened in third grade. My teacher used to tell us "Ain't fell into a bucket of paint and was never heard of again". "Ain't" clearly isn't a part of Standard English, but in our dialect people use it all the time. Students were constantly corrected for they way they spoke. I'm sure this teacher meant no harm by correcting all the time. She thought she was doing her job. Little did she know that she was hindering students learning experiences by making them shy away from sharing in the classroom.
The link below is a blog posting from a teacher who made being culturally responsive a big part of her instruction. What I like about this post is how she reflects that she wasn't allowing the students to bring their culture into her room as much as she thought. It made me realize how fine the line is between being culturally responsive and teaching "our culture".
Early Years Blog
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Where I'm From
I am from the winding road of Duck Creek and the sweet smell of fields full of wild flowers in the wind
I am from endless summer days at Tygart Lake, from a Crownline boat and long ski pulls up and down the smooth water
I am from the creek banks filled with crawdads, the driveway lined with Queen Anne's lace and the harmonic sound of birds as the sun rises
I am from Sunday dinners and story telling from my Papa and those ornery boys
I am from the calloused hands of my dad and the old fashioned home cooking of my mother
From " I can do all things through Christ" and " Love like there's no tomorrow"
I am from the little white church on Main Street; the blood of Jesus Christ who set us free
I'm from the Blackfoot Indian tribe, the Irish, the Dutch, and German roots that my Nanny has traced ever so meticulously
From the giggling of two sisters and our mother because we're tired, and a brother and dad who sat back and called us crazy
I'm from WVU football games, nature lovers and animal cuddlers
From rolling farmland where the grass meets the horizon
I am from a place called West Virginia
I am from endless summer days at Tygart Lake, from a Crownline boat and long ski pulls up and down the smooth water
I am from the creek banks filled with crawdads, the driveway lined with Queen Anne's lace and the harmonic sound of birds as the sun rises
I am from Sunday dinners and story telling from my Papa and those ornery boys
I am from the calloused hands of my dad and the old fashioned home cooking of my mother
From " I can do all things through Christ" and " Love like there's no tomorrow"
I am from the little white church on Main Street; the blood of Jesus Christ who set us free
I'm from the Blackfoot Indian tribe, the Irish, the Dutch, and German roots that my Nanny has traced ever so meticulously
From the giggling of two sisters and our mother because we're tired, and a brother and dad who sat back and called us crazy
I'm from WVU football games, nature lovers and animal cuddlers
From rolling farmland where the grass meets the horizon
I am from a place called West Virginia
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