I confess that I probably don't use the internet often enough when I am planning my lessons. But, when I occasionally do, I really like the website readwritethink.org. It's created by the International Reading Association and it has a lot of really good ideas for teaching reading. I've been trying to learn more about using electronic books with my students and the link below is a lesson plan that centers on reading skills through the use of digital photos and a slide show. Even though it is for Kindergarten, I think it could be adapted for most elementary grades, as well as special ed and foreign language. Enjoy!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1010
Sunday, November 18, 2007
What Did I Learn This Semester?
Thinking back over the semester, I feel that the most important items I learned in this course centered around our reading from Friedman's The World Is Flat, as well as the activities that went with that section of the course. I had never really thought about how technology will impact the lives of the students we are currently teaching and preparing for the future. Through the reading in Friedman, as well as the info provided in Shift Happens, it became clear to me that our students are going to need to be able to constantly adapt to new changes in technology in order to have successful lives. So, it's very important that our curriculum center on teaching students how to learn, rather than on specific skills that may become outdated. One way to do this is to provide our students with time to use and experiment with technology. When we had to create the video assignment in class, a lot of us figured it out through trial and error. By providing our students with these types of assignments and opportunities, we will be helping them to develop their abilities to learn new things, while also becoming confident users of technology. In the past, I have shyed away from just letting my students "play" on the computer because I didn't feel like that was a good use of their time. I now realize that there are many life long benefits to this type of practice and I plan to make time for my students to experiment with technology in the future.
One other thing that really impacted my thought process during this course was the style in which Professor Bachenheimer taught us. I was very impressed with the many different engaging activities and teaching methods he used with us. (ex. blogs, U tube clips, the class in the tech center where we voted on line, partner and group work that simulated real situations, specific readings rather than entire texts, etc) I think a lot of times people approach adult learning/teaching in a way that is much different from what the research defines as good teaching. Most of the workshops and grad school classes that I have taken center around power point slides, lectures, and lengthy readings that never get discussed. Clearly, we would never rely entirely on these methods to teach our students. So, I appreciated the time and effort that went into teaching this class in a way that was creative and engaging. As a potential future administrator, I would like to utilize this perspective when working with the teaching staff. It is more interesting and engaging, which should lead to increased learning. It also models the type of teaching that I would want my teachers to be using in their own classrooms.
One other thing that really impacted my thought process during this course was the style in which Professor Bachenheimer taught us. I was very impressed with the many different engaging activities and teaching methods he used with us. (ex. blogs, U tube clips, the class in the tech center where we voted on line, partner and group work that simulated real situations, specific readings rather than entire texts, etc) I think a lot of times people approach adult learning/teaching in a way that is much different from what the research defines as good teaching. Most of the workshops and grad school classes that I have taken center around power point slides, lectures, and lengthy readings that never get discussed. Clearly, we would never rely entirely on these methods to teach our students. So, I appreciated the time and effort that went into teaching this class in a way that was creative and engaging. As a potential future administrator, I would like to utilize this perspective when working with the teaching staff. It is more interesting and engaging, which should lead to increased learning. It also models the type of teaching that I would want my teachers to be using in their own classrooms.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Orange Middle School
After reading the Star Ledger article about Orange Middle School, I was impressed with the many changes being made to the school's structure in order to positively impact student learning. This is one example where being identified by weak test scores has lead a school to make improvements and progress. It sounded to me like students, families, and staff were benefiting from the new, smaller school structure, as well as the many newly established programs that encouraged collaboration and communication.
As far as commendations, I felt that the best decision that Orange Middle School made during the restructuring process was to organize the 600 middle school students into 5 smaller houses. This structure, most commonly used by middle schools, allows students to more smoothly transition to the middle grades from elementary school. It also allows students to form closer peer groups, as well as stronger relationships with their teachers. All of these factors make them more comfortable in school and better able to learn. I also thought that the school's development of weekly discussion groups that included administrators, teachers, and students was very innovative. These types of groups allow students to express themselves, while also forming relationships with peers and teachers. Involvement in this type of activity most likely has a positive impact on self esteem and social growth, two factors that are crucial during an adolescent's development. The groups also allow teachers and administrators to be more aware of the issues with which their students are dealing. This awareness should help them to create lessons and programs for the general student body, while also enabling them to better provide needed guidance and counseling to individual students.
In the area of suggestions for further improvement, I thought the school might want to consider how they could include parents/family members in the teaching staff's twice weekly meetings about curriculum and individual students. These team meetings could become a time when the teaching staff met with parents to discuss concerns/issues/strategies. The teams might even want to consider conferencing by telephone (or email), if the parents/family members were unable to physically come to the school building. By involving the families of their struggling students in the meetings, the teachers might be able to more quickly and effectively impact the progress of their at risk students. Another suggestion would be to establish an after school tutoring program. This type of program would benefit the students that come in with behind grade level skills (as mentioned in the article), while also providing them with a safe environment for part of the afternoon/early evening. I would think that the school would qualify for state or federal monies to fund this type of program. If not, the school might want to consider shifting the hours of a few teachers in order to provide a tutoring program.
Overall, I was impressed by the changes that Orange Middle School made in a very short time period. By continuing to monitor progress and make needed changes, Orange Middle School may not need as much state monitoring and involvement in the future. Also, possible changes to NCLB may make it possible for this school to monitor its' individual progress (as suggested by one of the teachers in the article), rather than try to make the AYP established for all of NJ. This particular school faces ALL of the challenges of middle school students, PLUS ALL of the challenges of a low income area (I don't envy them). I admire the dedication of the administration, staff, community, and students and wish them well.
As far as commendations, I felt that the best decision that Orange Middle School made during the restructuring process was to organize the 600 middle school students into 5 smaller houses. This structure, most commonly used by middle schools, allows students to more smoothly transition to the middle grades from elementary school. It also allows students to form closer peer groups, as well as stronger relationships with their teachers. All of these factors make them more comfortable in school and better able to learn. I also thought that the school's development of weekly discussion groups that included administrators, teachers, and students was very innovative. These types of groups allow students to express themselves, while also forming relationships with peers and teachers. Involvement in this type of activity most likely has a positive impact on self esteem and social growth, two factors that are crucial during an adolescent's development. The groups also allow teachers and administrators to be more aware of the issues with which their students are dealing. This awareness should help them to create lessons and programs for the general student body, while also enabling them to better provide needed guidance and counseling to individual students.
In the area of suggestions for further improvement, I thought the school might want to consider how they could include parents/family members in the teaching staff's twice weekly meetings about curriculum and individual students. These team meetings could become a time when the teaching staff met with parents to discuss concerns/issues/strategies. The teams might even want to consider conferencing by telephone (or email), if the parents/family members were unable to physically come to the school building. By involving the families of their struggling students in the meetings, the teachers might be able to more quickly and effectively impact the progress of their at risk students. Another suggestion would be to establish an after school tutoring program. This type of program would benefit the students that come in with behind grade level skills (as mentioned in the article), while also providing them with a safe environment for part of the afternoon/early evening. I would think that the school would qualify for state or federal monies to fund this type of program. If not, the school might want to consider shifting the hours of a few teachers in order to provide a tutoring program.
Overall, I was impressed by the changes that Orange Middle School made in a very short time period. By continuing to monitor progress and make needed changes, Orange Middle School may not need as much state monitoring and involvement in the future. Also, possible changes to NCLB may make it possible for this school to monitor its' individual progress (as suggested by one of the teachers in the article), rather than try to make the AYP established for all of NJ. This particular school faces ALL of the challenges of middle school students, PLUS ALL of the challenges of a low income area (I don't envy them). I admire the dedication of the administration, staff, community, and students and wish them well.
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