Final Post

This class has helped me tremendously. I had a basic knowledge of what goes into curriculum development and at the end of this class I was able to create a new curriculum. I feel that this class gave me some great tools or maybe a box of tools that I will need to help my students be successful. A curriculum needs to include so many things but most of all you shouldn't be afraid to try new things and make sure that technology is included.

My classroom curriculum

I think this class has helped a lot with my understanding of where I would like the curriculum  in my classroom to go. As I have said before after eight years of teaching this is my first year as a high school social studies teacher and I took over a classroom by being handed a curriculum guide. I think that this class has really helped me to see what I want in a curriculum. No matter what format it takes it needs to allow students to think and format ideas. It needs to engage them reading and writing that enables them to express their ideas more.

I know that students can't just sit in a classroom and listen to lecture or read a text. They need to be active both physically and mentally. So the curriculum needs to reflect this fact. I have been looking at my curriculum as part of my inquiry project often lately asking myself, " What do students need to know to have  a global perspective and how can I provide that in my classroom?" It is a big question and it has a lot of different implications but it is important. The current curriculum does not engage students to think beyond where we live. It doesn't engage them in thinking and problem solving what is going on around us. I know that is important and that they need these skills to be successful.

Where are we headed?

I am wondering where are we heading? It seems as if politicians don't really care if they fund education or they want to throw money at something that isn't working. I am wondering when do we give money to schools that are working. Why aren't we supporting programs that are engaging student and are producing students who can read, write, and think?
It seems we are very hung up on a test and the scores of the test. Is that how we have always gauges the success of students? I sat in a meeting this week, where I heard someone say all students should be college ready and go to college when they are finished with high school. I replied, " Are you really serious?" He was and I promptly went on to explain my way of thinking. Not all student will ever be college ready when they graduate and it is not fair to expect them to be. We have been limiting students for years by getting rid of the programs that met their needs. They needed shop and automotive, as well as other programs that got them ready to go to work. But we stopped tracking and put all students in the same class on the same track. Why? Because we didn't have the money to continue the way we were, so we put all kids into the same box. We need to have realistic expectations and stop forcing kids into the molds we want them to be in.
I was not well received, needless to say but it gave everyone something to think about.

Book Review Pod Casts

First, I just want to say thank you for helping me develop my summer reading list. It was amazing to see how the different podcasts were. Some of use added music or used powerpoint which was extremely interesting. 

When listening to pod casts I have to say I think Hamlet's Blackberry  will be at the top of the list. I was very engaged by the digital maxiumists theory. I am probably a minimalist in my family my mom, and both my sisters have Blackberries. Everywhere they go they are connected. It has been a choice not to always be connected. 

I was also liked the book Why Don't Student Like School?. I think this is a question we all would like to answer.  I enjoyed the fact that the author talked about teaching though stories. It has always been something I try and get my students to do I like to engage them in story telling.  It was also interesting how the author suggested that all people learn the same way. I want to see where the author was going with that.

My Weekly Blog for last week!

I have to say this week was just overwhelming! I don't think it what was due but just the week in general. We started using an online program in my freshmen Social Studies class and technology through us all for a loop. The program did not like 18 students on all at once and showed some of the quirks the program has not all that it showed me how much students really depend on the teacher. They had no idea how to work independently on the program. They wanted all the answers and didn't necessarily want to do the work for it.
I think that this when talking about chapter 8 and chapter 9 lead to an interesting week. I think that instruction in how to use media is important. On page 145, Jacobs point out some of the benefits of Education in Media Literacy.

• Media Literacy is interdisciplinary and easy to integrate into existing elements of existing/emerging curriculum
• Media literacy works well in teams and groups, fostering cooperative learning
• Media Literacy connects the curriculum of the classroom to the curriculum of the living room

I think I need to find a way to make sure this program is connecting to them and their life. Many of them so far think it is just busy work and I am not teaching them anything. I hoping when they see the end project they will realize that it is all worth learning.

Chapter 10: Educating for a Sustainable Future

As I read this chapter may thoughts went through my head but one was always louder. Coming from rural Maine, I am constantly hearing about how can we sustain education and preserve schools. This changed the conversation for me. I never looked at it as we were trying to sustain something that was really viable the way it was. We need to look at how can we create a school system that is healthy fininanical and can support itself as well as provide students the tools and skills that they need to be successful.
I think it goes back to the question how are we going to help our students live, long and healthy lives? We have to provide a foundation with the curriculum they are taught. We need to make sure we that we are teaching students how to sustain the future. We need to engage them in meaningful experiences in and out of the classroom. We them to be an active part of sustaining the future, it is not just about their education but it is about the world.

Drive

Is Education today too Type X?

In today's school I think that a lot of students are extrinsically motivated. They don't necessarily want to learn unless they know what they are going to get out of it. It is up to us as teachers to make sure that students have a cleat understanding of the purpose of a lesson. We have to provide this so that students are motivated to participate and be actively engaged. 

I know that we I was working at the elementary I had a reward box in my classroom. All my students had a chart and when they got so many stickers they got a reward. It provided motivation for those struggling readers that I worked with they need to see that they had earned the stickers for making progress.

Now at the high school I don't have a reward but I do have a candy jar. This candy jar does provide motivation for some. They look forward to the 3 jelly beans at the end of class. But I think that most of the motivation at the high school level has to be intrinsic. Students have to have this motivation in order to succeed. If they don't have this motivation then it is hard to provide it. I know that many high school students want to bargain with you and make deals for better grades. They weren't motivate in the beginning to get better grades.  How do we help these students?

Running List of Questions

• What is the difference between curriculum change and differentiated instruction? Do they overlap?

I think that curriculum change is not really the same as differentiated instruction. When you the curriculum is changed it doesn't necessary mean that instruction is being differentiated. Differentiated instruction means that the teacher is changing instruction to fit the needs of the students but they are not changing the curriculum. 

What was she thinking?

I have read several articles in the last few days about a teacher in PA, who blogged about her students. She expressed her honest opinion in the blog thinking because she didn't use her full, where she worked, or students name that it is was okay. I have been going back and forth about if this is alright. As a social studies teacher I understand free speech but I am always aware of the fact that whatever you say on the internet is out there for the world to know about.

But my students are the ones who really made up my mind after a discussion about the background. They laughed at first and said sure it was covered under free speech but then I asked the question what if I did what she did. Several said, don't expect me in your room again, one said that would be awful I would cry, another said you wouldn't be my teacher anymore, but the one the hit home the most is we trusted you and you betrayed that trust. That is one of the most important things we have to offer our students. Trust, they trust that we know what they are doing, they trust that we will be their for them, and they trust us to always put them first. It is important that we don't break that trust. 


This teacher lost her students. No amount of compassion or great teaching will fix this fact. She can't get her students back. I believe that every teacher has a bad day now and then. It is because we treasure each and every student and often want to fix all of their problems. But no matter how bad the day they always deserve us to think of them before we act.


Link to the story:


http://abcnews.go.com/US/pennsylvania-teacher-wrote-insulting-blog-posts-students-suspended/story?id=12929001

What happen when curriculum fails?

What do we do when the students fail the traditional curriculum? Is it the students fault? Is it the teachers fault or is it the design of the curriculum? I know at the high school I work at all class are heterogeneous meaning all classes are at the college preparatory level. I have been wondering lately if this is a realistic expectation that all students go to college. I am not sure it is coming from rural Maine. I think that it is important to have a curriculum that meet the students needs and expectations. Many are not going to college and some may not graduate from high school and the curriculum isn't necessarily preparing them for the world they are going to live in. SO what do we do? The curriculum is failing them, do we modify it to fit their needs? 

I believe that we need to do something to help these students. We need to make the curriculum relevant to what they are doing and what they need to be successful in the future.

Chapter 5 :Five Socio-Technology Trends

As I read this chapter my mind was spinning. I can remember how quickly technology changed from the time I ended high school in 1993 until I went to college in the fall of 1994. It was amazing how much it had changed in that year. Today it changes everyday but we tend to keep up with it more because we use it everyday. 


On page 81, it states "All learning is social." Students today keep connected through technology. They learn about technology through interaction with each other. It surprises me often about how much they learn about it from each other. But it is also amazing how by interacting with technology in the classroom you often find them more engaged. 


It is amazing to me how many students find away around the filter and how they spend hours trying to figure it and once they do they share it with everyone. It seems if we could find a way to engage them in our classrooms the same way they would learn the content we want them to. 


I have started a Wiki page for my Intro to Social Studies Class. It amazes me how some student check it everyday and if I haven't updated it they let me know. Others though care less and won't look at even when you ask them to. The Wiki page though helps me to make the students more independent. They can now start to take some of the responsibility for  their learning. 

What Works

What Works

• Class Discussion- This works well because we have come to agreements as a class about what is acceptable and not acceptable. We have had time for reflection when a discussion has not gone well and this has enable us to make sure that our discussion are rich and meaningful.
• Wiki Page- This was a struggle to get up and running but it is now an excellent tool for both my students and myself. It allows students to take responsibility for missed work. It also keeps me organized because I need to update it daily for students.  
• Integration of Technology- With one to one computing it is easy to integrate technology in lessons. Students have instant access to facts and figures. They can research easily and use the technology to enhance what is going on in the classroom. There is also support for me with technology, someone who is always there willing to help me find ways to use it successfully.
• Class Size- With it is something that Mt. Abram values. The most students I have in class is 21 and this is only in one class. Most of my classes are smaller than that and it really helps you to build a relationship with your students. You know who is struggling and who needs you attention.
• Advisor/Advisees- All students are given an advisor (a MTA teacher) when they enter MTA and that teacher meets daily with that group of students. They check-in with the students make sure that they are passing their classes and help them with their portfolio for graduation. It helps build a support system so that they can be successful.

Link to an article about Finland and it schools turn around

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/12/27/learning_from_finland/?sudsredirect=true

Comparative Education

As I read all the articles this week I kept saying to myself  "wow".  The world of education has changed so much from when I was in school and the students of today and tomorrow deserve all that we can offer them. They live in a world where techonology changes very day and where the world changes very moment. It is important to make sure that the education they recieve fits this.
They need a global perspective that enables them to see more than just what is in front of them. They need to see the whole world and how it effects all of us. It is important that they see relevance in waht they are learning. That relevance is key to keeping them engaged. This generation of learners are fast thinkers who need constant stimualtion. This is because the world has, so much more stimulation then before. It is important to bring techonolgy into the classroom that can connect them to the whole world.

Responds to the Chapter 2

Boy does this chapter make you think! Aren't we all Mr. Eldridge sitting there trying to figure out how we are going to do something that we are being asked to do. Student are technology savvy. They know how to use the technology and it engages them. It is important that we find ways to use it and that we have the support we need to be successful. Professional development is key in anything a teacher is asked t o do if they have a toolbox filled and someone their to ask questions they can transform student learning,

Blog Links to those blogs I am followinf

http://blog.teachersfirst.com/thinkteach/

http://theedublogger.com/

 Creating lifelong learners http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/

 High Techpections http://elemenous.typepad.com/weblog/

Definition of Curriculum

The following bullets are two definitions I found in my search of curriculum. One is rather simple and the other adds  a little more clarity to the first definition.

• course of study: an integrated course of academic studies;

• means the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives.

I struggle with a definition myself for curriculum. I  definitely think it is the sequence of content covered to help students meet the learning results. But it is hard to go beyond that, should a curriculum include resources to use and instructional strategies. It is hard to implement a learning result without much to go with it. This year I was handed a course guide for a class I did not design and all it had was the learning results I was to cover over the course of the year. I have found it  extremely challenging. It is hard to understand what needs to be covered and what content students should have from learning result. I have started to develop a sequence of content that I hope meets the stated learning results that I need to cover. But it would have been nice to have an actual curriculum. It is important to have that planned sequence of events and know that this sequence will take you where you and your students need to go. 

Initial Thoughts

I have some experience with curriculum planning and development at the elementary level. We implemented a Reading 1st grant at the elementary school I worked at prior to coming to Mt. Abram. It really made us look closely at the sequence of instruction and how we taught literacy. As we did this we had professional development provided to help implement the new curriculum. It made me see how important the professional development can be.
Here at Mt. Abram I am currently designing my own curriculum. When I took over the position this fall I was left with a course guide and not much else. It has been an experience thinking on my feet. But I know realize how important it is to know where you want your students to end up. I have definitely started looking at the sequence of the material I need to cover and how it all fits together.