Parking at our school is frustrating. Two little, tiny parking lots on opposite ends of the building. In between our building and our admin. building, another small lot, but for some reason we are not suppose to park there. Now....new city rule.... parking is prohibited on all other streets, except the Central Business District. when a snow emergency is declared.
Soooooo....if you are like me and you don't get to school early(I am more of a stay late person than come early).....that doesn't leave very many places to park.
My parking spot, one block over on a side street and I walk down that street and over to the crosswalk where the crossing guard(Marie) is waiting for me. She says, " Good Morning Mary! How are you today?" Now every morning when we greet each other and have a short conversation I think of the woman who drives The Energy Bus because Marie is just like her.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Flexible Teacher
I read the article The Flexible Teacher by Leila Christenbury from the Educational Leadership December 2010 / January 2011 edition.
In this article I read about effective teaching and what it encompasses. Christenbury says in the intro that she has explored ineffective teaching through herself and has written this article because of her consistent aspiration to become a better teacher. Then she goes on to point out and explain the effective teaching characteristics. A few of the characteristics pointed out were: Effective teaching is variable. Effective teaching is contextual. Effective teaching is premised on students’ intellectual curiosity. Effective teaching must be somewhat autonomous. A final comment in the article was,
“ Once we improve teaching with school content and student need, we can look more confidently to a future where all students can experience success.”
What I have gained from this article is frustration. We are in the midst of MAPS testing. Why is there such a focus on all this testing! At our last 3rd, 4th combined grade level discussion a teacher commented on administration’s motives with MAPS. She said it has moved from the students and has begun to center on teachers because she feels if a class tests low on a MAPS math test and another class tests high she said they (administration) feels they need to move that teacher to teach the class that scored low. Now…are they looking at ALL factors making this decision???? Has this way of thinking come about because “teaching” has not always been a central part of the public discussion on education reform??
What am I doing resulting from reading this article? I am keeping the characteristics of effective teaching in a spot where I will take time to read them over when I get frustrated with lack of time, etc. I am remembering a part of the article that said, “ Good teaching comes not from following a recipe, but from consistently putting student needs first.” Also, when I get concerned about MAPS testing, getting through the curriculum, etc., a comment from the article comes to mind, “ Students always should learn more, less, or differently than “what they should”.” And the article mentioned, “Good teaching is integral to student success, it can not supersede the many other factors that contribute to educational success or failure. “ Why can’t all who are concerned about educating children think “outside the box” about achieving success and not so one-dimensional?
Christenbury, L. (2010-2011). The Flexible Teacher. Educational Leadership, 68, 46-50. doi:http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/The-Flexible-Teacher.aspx
Giving Students Room to Run
I read the article Giving Students Room to Run by Lorna Greene from the Teaching Tolerance Spring 2011 edition.
I chose this article because the title caught my eye. I am always telling my fourth graders to read the back of the book and the first page or two to make sure it is a good fit and I did not even listen to my own advice! I also though the grabber really worked, that is what I tell the 4th graders grabs your attention as a first sentence. The 1st sentence of the article was, “In the third grade, near the end of World War II, I learned why I wanted to be a teacher.”
The article explained what a great impact a teacher had in this author’s life. The author gave a detailed account of how this teacher related to a student who now may have been diagnosed ADHD or autistic. The article told how the teacher taught respect for others to all students as they observed the respect she showed this student with his “different” needs.
This article brought to the front of my mind how we treat each and every student is still one of the most important lesson for other students. It continues to be what students remember even in this “testing” era.
I think this is a good reminder to all educators that if we do connect with all students, differentiate the way we approach them and talk to them we will get further with educating them.
Greene, Lorna. "Giving Students Room To Run." Teaching Tolerance 39 (2011): 1-3. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. <http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/giving-students-room-run>.
Technology To Watch: 5 Questions with Kathy Schrock.
I read an article called: Kathy is a supporter of educational technology to support instruction in the classroom. I was drawn to the article Technology To Watch: 5 Questions with Kathy Schrock. I have enjoyed following her since I stumbled upon Kathy Schrock’s guide for Educator’s through Discovery School a number of years ago. This article definitely shows that her opinion regarding technology is highly valued.
What I gained from this article is a clearer picture of where technology was, is and where it could go. Kathy mentioned some of the things she predicted that would happen are not as well developed as she would have liked. She mentioned the Web. 2.0 revolution was not even on her last prediction list and it has become quite popular because of collaboration aspect of this tool. Also Kathy mentioned how she was anxiously waiting for the digital textbook which will have traditional content but interactivity.
After I read this article, I wanted to get more informed about the latest and greatest in Educational Technology. It also brought to the front of my mind to research the “newest” Web. 2.0 tools. These are things I love to use in my classroom and the students really enjoy also.
This article may be of help to others if they want to keep informed about technology from a woman who has experience and expertise in this area.
Schaffhauser, D. (2011, January 5). Technology To Watch: 5 Questions with Kathy Schrock. Technology Horizons In Education, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/home.aspx
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