Blog Post #16

Blog Post # 14

Teaching Our Children Can be a Profession

-Problem 1- Better Teachers

Solution- Recruit from the top third of our graduates. Change the reward system for teachers.

-Problem 2-  Teachers Knowledge of Content

    Solution-  Albert Shanker suggested "national teacher exam" that test content knowledge. Supervised internship for 1-3 years.

-Problem 2-  Change in the education system

  Solution- Establish own board for the profession of teaching to establish standards. Teaching assistants. Choice for schools.

For the first problem, I would have to disagree. I do not believe picking students who graduate from the top of their class are necessarily great teachers. If a student works hard and shines in the classroom, they deserve a chance to be a teacher. Some students are good at getting good grades but not very good at teaching. They may not know how to relate to their children or provide their students with the correct information. However, I do agree with changing the reward system for teachers. I believe when the school honors a teacher, they will always strive to be better. Rewards can include luncheons, trips for the summer, or a pay raise.

The second problem, I have to disagree. Since you have to complete all these tests to become a teacher I feel there is no need to retest the teachers. If the article had stated, every 5 years teachers have to complete workshops and attend seminars to refresh or learn new information to improve their classroom skills, I would have agreed. Also, I disagree with the supervised internship because I feel that no classroom is alike. I think the only way a teacher can learn is by having her own classroom. If a teacher lesson fails, she has the opportunity for self reflection to change the lesson or improve the lesson.

Lastly, the third problem I agree, because I feel each board should choose to meet the highest standard of their choice. Examples are: introducing children to a different genre of literature, becoming fluent in a new language, or completely converting to PBL.  I believe the standards should have requirements for what is expected from that teacher, as well. I agree that teachers need assistants in the classroom because children will have an opportunity for 1 on 1 interaction. I think a teacher can be easily overwhelmed with a classroom of 30 or more students. I think an assistant would help with grading, activities and managing the classroom.

These are just a few problems in our education system. I do believe teachers should be praised as lawyers or doctors because we are in charge of guiding the next generation.  Albert Shanker and Joel Klein has some great point in this article.

Blog Post #5 Final

This has been an amazing adventure. I have started a PLN on Symbaloo. I have added some new apps  such as Nearpod, Toondoo, and Build you Wildself. I am excited about using these websites once I start teaching. I really like the Pintrest and Youtube apps. My favorite app is the Wildself, I play on it all the time. I like to see all the different animal creations that can be made. I also love that Nearpod gives you example lessons on any subject. I will definitely use these items, as a student teacher, to help me write lesson plans for my classroom.

C4T#4

Teacher Summary

In the first post, Building Mathematical through Thinking Through Play, by Mrs. Jennifer Brokofsky, explains different board games that can help children with math skills. She then explains what and how the different games work.  Logic links helps with logical thinking. Noodlers helps with problem solving. Q-Bitz extreme helps with spatial sense.

Comment

I really liked this article because I did not know any of these games existed. I think this would be fun to do in the classroom because it is something different. I could also incorporate this in math stations.

Teacher Summary

In the post, Cooking with Your Kids, Mrs. Brokofsky, explains how children benefit from helping their parents cook. The children learn skills such as listing, ingredients, and fractions. She talks about how her children love to help her cook.

Comment

I liked this article the best because I never looked at cooking as being helpful. I love how you can use the measurements to help with fractions. I am looking forward to having  my children help me in the kitchen once I become a mother.

Project 12 Part B

Blog Post #13

PBL and Special Education
Read these two articles and answer these questions:

What are some of your thoughts about special education and teaching PBL?
How can you teach PBL effectively to special education students?

Special Education and PBL
Gifted Education 

My response:

The first article I read was Special Education and PBL, I was amazed about the solar system created  by an autistic student. It was incredible. I really like the fact that they did not exclude the students from the classroom. I would make sure that the students understands the project by breaking the material down. I would type out different lessons so the student helper can relate the information to the student.
In the article, Gifted Education, I would make sure that the question I have asked challenges them intellectually. I would make sure that the student is constantly being engaged, and if they finish early I would have the student do more research on a topic that is interesting to them. I would have them do a small projects to share with the class. If I taught a gifted class, I would allow each students to pick a topic and have them do a half of a semester study. I would also have the students do projects and meet deadlines as well.

Both articles have great information! I love how the first article gave ideas about how to teach a special education student. I love how the second article encouraged me to motivate my students.

Blog Post #12