Thursday, December 11, 2014

Summative Remarks




An overview of my learnings in SED 407 this semester could probably be best described through a sense of gained comfort and confidence.  As I think back at my experience in Central Falls High School, I remember feeling quite apprehensive at first.  Central Falls was not a community I was familiar with and I felt out of place.  But over the semester my weekly visits and interactions with the staff and students allowed me to feel like I was becoming part of their learning community.  Plus, repeatedly walking the halls and constantly entering classrooms to observe really helped me establish a normal presence in the school.  Through this process, I feel I developed a sense of professional confidence that now allows me to personally feel that I belong in a learning environment as a teacher.  Instead of feeling like a stranger I now feel like a welcome contributor to the learning process.  I believe this new professional confidence I have found is essential to my future success as a teacher.  With it, I feel I can present myself better in the role of a classroom manager or learning facilitator.  Therefore, I feel it is the most important holistic aspect of my learning this semester. 
More specifically, the most valuable experiences I have learned this semester are how to best design a lesson through backward design, the fact that students need multiple reading sources, and that student engagement is difficult and a never ending endeavor.  I have found that backward design to lesson planning is the most efficient method to designing instruction.  It is a method that clearly allows the teacher to plan directly to what they want students to know or be able to do.  Especially with using standards such as Common Core as goals, teachers can plan units and lessons that specifically satisfy requirements with in their content.  This process not only focuses instruction to more pertinent aspects of content and skills acquisition for students, but it also reduces the likelihood of time mismanagement for the teacher. 
Another key concept I have learned this semester is the importance of a “Balanced Diet of Reading” for students.  As a student of history, I clearly understand the biases, lack of detail, lack of perspective, and the uninviting narrative a textbook can tend to have.  Therefore, I have come to understand that students need to be exposed to different and engaging texts that are relevant to their interests.  This is a crucial step toward getting students excited about their content and learning.  If I as the teacher can motivate students to practice literacy through fun activities and readings, then I can possibly redirect negative connotations of reading and writing for my students as lifelong learners.
Student engagement and learning is not necessarily something that I have completely learned how to do, but I have rather accepted that developing ways to get and keep students interested in my instruction will always be evolving.  I understand that knowing my students is essential to designing lessons that will to appeal to them.  I have also realized that a student is never unwilling to participate.  Instead I need to believe that my instruction needs to be better catered to their interests.  I have learned that I must always hold this belief so I can repeatedly reflect and modify lessons throughout my career to meet the needs and interests of all my students.    
I believe I have met all of the course outcomes dictated in the syllabus.  I have participated in the different literacies of my content through teaching two lessons, and I truly realize the importance of knowing my students and the funds of knowledge they bring to the classroom.  Through multiple readings I have learned about current pedagogical theories and practices and I have also learned to question all educational strategy’s effectiveness in certain situations.  Our reading this semester has also helped me question and form my own beliefs about myself and what kind of teacher I want to be, which is a fun, innovative, and effective teacher.     

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Textbook analysis



To whom it may concern:

My name is Brian Flamand and I am writing this letter to advocate for the purchase of “World Explorer: The Ancient World” (2003 Pearson) for our social studies department.  After thoroughly reviewing this text and many others with some of my colleagues, we decided that this text was the best option for our students. This text provides many maps, pictures, and artwork that enrich and support the content described.  The style of writing is also a friendly narrative that is pleasant and relatively easy for students to read.  There are also clear headings to depict changes in topic, and highlighted key terms and people for easy reference.   Although I agree that students need to be challenged with their readings, we as a staff belief the main textbook should be an unintimidating resource that students feel welcome to return to.  Also, the Fry Readability Level of this book averages to be a 7th grade reading level, which is exactly the grade we intend to use it with.  This text also seems to be culturally unbiased, as it equally explores all relevant religions that originated during the ancient era with politically correct language and tone.   
Another reason we should adopt this text is the fact that we are planning to revise the curriculum next year.  The wide range of pertinent historical topics coupled with an acute focus on themes and concepts will help guide our department and establish a high quality curriculum.  In addition, each chapter has “Questions to Explore” which could provide great framework for questions that will foster enduring understanding of concepts.  This will assist both our teachers and our students.  Also, each chapter has “Read Actively” prompts in the margins that encourage certain exercises before, during, and after readings.  These prompts advise students to preview, predict, visualize, ask questions, and make connections to their prior knowledge.  Most importantly, the many exercises the text provides not only allow for multiple methods of differentiated instruction, but also address many of the standards required by Common Core.
Although myself and my colleagues agree that there is no perfect textbook, this text will provide great framework for curriculum and differentiated instruction.  Where this text lacks, is where we as teachers will have to supplement content and readings for our students.  This text specifically lacks examples of primary sources and it does not include opinionated historical arguments.  It does cover the main origins of modern history such as Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome, but its connections between each of these ancient worlds are weak and they need to be elaborated.  Another aspect that should be addressed is the role of economics and trade in each region and their global significance.  Therefore, in order to cover these voids, teachers will be required and encouraged to supply students with alternative texts for students to examine.  This in turn creates a great opportunity for the students to learn important research skills as well.  Providing such alternative texts to the students will also allow for teachers to get creative with readings, challenge students further, and deliver a balanced diet of reading which will also enhance every student’s learning experience. 
Therefore, although this text may have shortcomings, it contains all or most of the pertinent information we as a department deem necessary for students to learn.  These shortcomings also provide opportunities for differentiated instruction through different types of skill development and alternative readings that will support the main concepts dictated by the text.  I truly hope you consider our recommendation for this text, because with it we as a team firmly believe that we will be able to sincerely deliver a high degree of instruction for our students. 

My Cooperative Lesson Student Task Sheet Example (7th Grade)



Hieroglyphics Poem Activity
-          In groups of 4, collaboratively create your own poem in hieroglyphics that depict an important event, person, or concept in Ancient Egypt. 
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       Use the hieroglyphics decoder provided to encode a message for your classmates to decipher.
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       Each member of the group must provide one line to the poem.
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           Social Skill Focus – Respectably speak and work with one another using Stems.
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             Each member of the group will have a role.  Choose one:
§  Artist/Scribe -  Responsible for visual creativity which includes overall layout, clarity, and visual appeal.
§  Schedule Keeper/Time Manager – Responsible for keeping group on schedule to complete the message before the final decoding activity.
§  Stem Monitor/Tally-Keeper -  Responsible for ensuring all members have an equal voice, use Stems to communicate, and respectfully work with one another.  This student will keep notes of all students’ contributions to the project and make a brief report to the class afterwards.  This report will include commendations of fellow group members. 
§  Message Coordinator – Responsible for honing in group input and focusing the group’s efforts on the message or concept they collaboratively decide. 

Decoding Activity - Poems will be posted around the room and students will decode other groups’ hieroglyphic poem at the end of the unit.  



RAFT Example - Eric Garner (postmortem)



Dear Officer Pantaleo,

I am Eric Garner, the man who died after you administered a choke hold on me.  Why did you do such a thing?  I understand I may have been breaking the law by selling loose cigarettes, but do you think that was a reason to die?  Now I am dead and you are receiving a bunch of negative publicity because someone recorded your actions on their smartphone.  Why did you think it was necessary for so many police officers to confront a man selling loose cigarettes?  Don’t you think you police officers could be spending your time better fighting more severe crimes?  

If I had the chance to relive that day I would not have argued with all of you police officers.  Also I would not have chanted “It Stops Today” during our interaction.   I have been watching this case develop from the afterlife because of all the media attention this case has received.  From what I have learned now, I realize that aggressively chanting, pulling my hands away from police, and arguing with police only gave the officers involved reasons to believe I was resisting arrest and possibly hostile.  I do not agree! I do not think I was being aggressive or hostile! But I do think that you policemen were harassing me for an issue that was not an arrestable offense.  I should have probably been issued a ticket or summons to court, not tackled to the ground with a choke hold around my neck! 

Anyway there is nothing we can do about it now.  We cannot change the past.  I do not hold a grudge against you because I cannot believe that were actually trying to hurt me.  Hopefully all of the media attention this case is getting will only force police officers in the future to really consider their actions.  I leave you with this thought - You are here to serve and protect Officer Pantaleo, not attack people committing misdemeanors. 

Sincerely,
Eric Garner