Obama's View: Education system

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Post Student Teaching

Woohoo! I am now a teacher. I passed student teaching with success and the joy of knowing I can teach AND not only am good at it but enjoy it! The summer was spent teaching art camps, another joy, and trying to get in as many outdoor activities as possible. My teaching program prepared me to be a teacher no doubt, but it did not prepare me for not being a teacher.

I have filled out countless job applications, searched website after website, counseled school district job pools, and even hand-delivered a couple apps. to get the personal touch. And still no job. I am subbing. This is where I was before I started and completed my teaching program. And Obama's interview on Today yesterday addressed teachers in training to not give up hope and that jobs were coming. I doubt, no I know, I am not the only teacher with training and some expereince that does not have a job. I wish Obama would have addressed those teachers that have been displaced and have been great teachers for the last 5 or ten years or could be great teachers yet the money is not there for district to hire them. He wants to up spending in education (fabulous) but what about the cuts that have already been made?

Yes I was given hope when I watched the interview but am still without a job and more questions. Is a money incentive enough for states and districts to have high standards for all students so that ALL students are successful? History did show us that it worked with desegregation. Will taking over schools that are so behind and poor and creating charter schools really work? What will that do to the public structure? One fact remains all change is done for the betterment of student success. The real test will be if ALL students become more successful. The history of education is a great example of best intentions not working out the way one thought.

Here starts another kind of journey then. I am a teacher who wants to teach, one who believes in the power of education for all. A teacher who can be relentless not only for my students but for those students yet to come. Let the wild rumpus start!

Why I Teach

Process of Assessment

"Intervention must be relevant and meaningful in order to produce positive results in child's learning" (Mesmer, 2008 p. 283). I think Routman would whole heartedly agree with this statement. Routman may not agree on what intervention may be. But I think these three authors would agree that it must be meaningful for the student to have any impact and that assessment is a continually on-going process. The overall idea that assessment is on-going is a relief. I have multiple opportunities to help students. And to think once one issue is resolved that assessment is done would be a grave mistake. I completely agree with the idea of if at first you do not succeed try, try again. As a teacher though hopefully because my assessment is useful and relevant as coupled with intervention that is relevant and meaningful I will not have to try too many times and will be able to help most students.

Books in a Series

I like the idea of supporting reading from a series to improve fluency and comprehension (Routman, 2003). When students read books in a series the style of writing and sometimes themes continue making comprehension and fluency not just easier in a way of quickness but in a way that can support students motivation to read and to keep reading. This to me is the big bonus; students reading books that help keep them motivated to read.



In my literacy class and at my main placement I see students who are not motivated to read even though it is modeled by the teacher and the teacher shares their own reading experiences. The idea of series reading could be plan B for helping students become engaged in reading. I also like the idea that Routman points out, of starting with any form of reading to later in life support more deep reading such as the classics or books that may take more thinking as a reader to understand (I too grew up as a closet romance reader until just after undergrad). I identify and can easily see how this can help students, coupled with the idea of series reading, to become life long learners through reading. Ultimately this can help with the transition from learning to read to reading to learn!

Reading Comprehension

At my main placement as a class we are reading The Cay, in which my master teacher uses think alouds very effectively. She has students use thinkmarks which is similar to the sticky notes or note cards that Routman talks about. As students read they write on their thinkmark if they have a connection to what they just read, a question, prediction, inference or any other thoughts that help students comprehend the story better. The first four chapters my master teacher has been modeling and doing it with students, basically doing the demonstration and shared demonstration of the optimal learning model. I appreciate this technique the most because we have many ELL students as well as behavior disabilities in our class. The combination of demonstration and shared demonstration really helps ALL students comprehend what is happening in the book.

Overall I think Routman would like what my teacher is doing, as once they are done with the first four chapters students then read on their own but can listen to the story on tape while they read. Once the first four chapters are done the teacher uses literacy circles as a way to scaffold to help students and check for comprehension. As this seems to move to the guided practice and independent practice part of the optimal learning model I think Routman would appreciate the transition and level of differentiation that occurs with reading comprehension this way.

Overall Cooper may still have some mixed feelings. My master teacher does use implicit modeling and explicit modeling but I am not sure to what extent Cooper would like the structure that she has developed. Cooper makes a statement that when modeling, most will be implicit. I think my master teacher found a way to make her modeling both explicit and implicit but more on the explicit (think aloud) modeling as she is directly "showing and talking with students about what is being modeled" (Cooper 2007 p. 157). When my teacher transitions to literacy circles would this then be considered part of Cooper's implicit modeling? I think so as students are now more independent but the teacher is not modeling to them unless perhaps they are in their literacy circles for discussions. I think then, the implicit modeling according to Cooper would only be prevalent when students are in their literacy circles. I wonder what Cooper would think about the other students working independently as one could argue that neither implicit or explicit modeling is occurring at that point.

Reading Conferences

Routman writes, "It is our job as knowledgeable professionals to ensure that our students are reading what they are supposed to be reading that means that they are effectively using phonics, word analysis, comprehension strategies, and whatever else they bring to the text to understand it. Otherwise we are squandering precioius time."

The above quote resonates with me as it gives the reasoning behind informal reading conferences. As teachers we are not here to simply get children to read or even teach them to read but help with the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. What I also appreciate about reading conferences is that students could pick their own goal for reading make a picture in your mind to help with comprehension, think about why characters act and behave the way they do and many more. I also like that the idea of reading conferences fits it with an optimal learning model of responsibility slowing switching from the teacher to the student. Reading conferences can help with this transition as the teacher helps students focus on certain skills within reading but giving students the autonomy and some of the responsibility by letting students pic there own goal when reading and working towards that. I also like how in general students just get to share what they are reading and in turn I would think teachers can get to know their students better. Overall I feel that the process would also support more student confidence in themselves as readers as students set goals of their own choice and reach them with perhaps some guided help from the instructor.

Our Learning Lives

In Routman's book Reading Essentials, at the end of chapter two she tells a story of a dear friend who enjoyed life, ending with how her friend reminds her how "important it is to celebrate our learning lives." I want to be constantly celebrating and showing my learning life to my students. Whether we are doing science or art and all the other subjects in between I think it is important for students to see the joy in learning. As a teacher this means, for me, that I will need to know my students, to engage them in things of interest for them and not just do activities of interest for me. In the end students will only be life long learners if they see the joy in learning and are allowed to celebrate it in class and out of class.

Steps to Reading a Video Vignette

By converting my Literacy Vignette to Video, I realized the importance of knowing how you are communicating with your audience and what works best. As humans we can remember a visual image way better than a text but, after about ten minutes of looking at something we can easily loose interest. (For more information check out Brain Rules by Dr. Medina). Photostory3 which is a free software downloaded from Microsoft can be used to help students learn this difference in communication and how our medium can evolve by doing an assignment similar to converting a written story to digital form.

2 out of 5 or 3 out of 5

In the blog, On the Shoulders of Giants had a post titled "Great Expectations and the Disheartened" focusing on a report titled "Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today" in which it was emphasized that 2 out of 5 teachers are disheartened in their profession with other choices being content or idealistic. This to me is not a bad thing. As a pre-service teacher I see this as uplifting and commented so as it means that 3 out of 5 teachers are NOT disheartened, either being content or idealistic about their profession. Moreover I appreciated seeing that even after many years of experience a teacher is still thinking about how she can be a better teacher for herself and her students. This verifies my idea that there is no perfect lesson and as teachers we need to be constantly changing our lesson plans/ideas to fit the needs and development of our students.

In self evaluation as teachers we can add another level to our profession I think, of respectability and accountability not to mention just over all good for our students and ourselves. Furthermore when we self assess AND share (through blogging!!! woohoo!) it can build community between teachers in our profession not limited to only our classrooms, schools, or districts. This kind of community can be very powerful and uplifting for teachers in building a voice in the world of education, as a part of building a professional community.

Death by Powerpoint

Brain Rules for PresentersThis video is great! Not only does it tell us how to use our brains better to communicate (throw away the power point with tons of text!) but it also applies to teaching. If people learn better and remember more through visuals than why in the world as a teacher would I load my power point slides up with text. This is only one application for educators from this slide show embedded from Glen Malone's blog Almost Monday adapted from Dr.John Medina's book Brain Rules.

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Social Context in Literacy

Karen Au writes in Expanded Definitions of Literacy that, “reading and writing are used in ways appropriate to the requirements of a particular social context” (1993, p.24). This made me think of the social context in the classroom and the importance of building a welcoming and accepting environment that is safe for all students. The social context at home may be different at school in terms of which literacy skills are used. This can hinder or help students in their development but also reminds me of the reasoning for differentiation when teaching so that all students no matter how they communicate at home are supported in their strengths of either reading, writing, speaking, or listening, or develop the weaknesses. As the teacher I think it is my responsibility to help each student develop in all areas of literacy.

Furthermore in the section Critical Literacy she writes, “literacy requires not just that teachers accept students’ experiences but that they help students of diverse backgrounds understand their own experiences, as well as the experiences of others in terms of the dynamics of the larger society” (1993, p.33). This really resonates with me in supporting a democratic classroom and helping students to learn about cultures outside of their own and not just that they learn but that there is a level of understanding and acceptance. Social Studies is not the only subject that can help promote the idea of acceptance and understanding for all peoples and cultures. Literacy can do this too. Not only through reading about another culture but exploring our own personal cultural within school, home and the community through writing, I think, would be very beneficial to students.

In conclusion the acknowledgement of social context and what is necessary to communicate is integral to the development of literacy. To ignore this as a teacher would be a grave mistake.

Assessment

In Ranking, Evaluating and Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgment by Peter Elbow, he states that,”Evaluation requires going beyond a first response that may be nothing but a kind of ranking (‘I like it’ or ‘This is better than that’), and instead looking carefully enough at the performance or person to make distinctions between parts or features or criteria.” This quote defines for me the dilemma I as a teacher will face with assessment. I want to set standards and expectations that are upheld, but at the same time I need to make sure in my assessment of student work and thinking especially with writing that there is room for creativity. The 6 Traits of writing is a great guideline for evaluating students work but this evaluation should be ongoing and congruent with the development of the student.

Also I think as the teacher which ever “ranking”, as Elbow would call it, students may receive should not come as a surprise to the students. Assessment should be a combination of their own evaluation on their writing through a variety of communications through formal and informal conferences as well as a graded rubric of expectations. What kind of teacher would I be if I handed students expectations, a rubric, for an assignment but did not guide and support them to reach those expectations?

E and His "Just Right" Book

I met with E today and his "just right book" was way to easy. We read over 1000 words. He only made three errors. It is important to have student autonmy in the classroom but students still need to be challenged. When do is it ok for E to have a "just right book" and one that he is more comfortable with? The challenge is to find this balance so that students are still challenged yet have choice in the classroom. Will I be able to know my students well enough that all have a just right book but at the same to have books that they can read and just enjoy and be comfortable.

I know for myself I need to pick up a $6.99 romance novel that can be read in three hours which I don't have to use any brain power to read, after reading academic texts and informative articles throughout the quarter. Should students in the classroom be given this "time off" as well?

The Joy of Sticky Notes

Routman, in chapter 9, Writing Essentials, has a list of things that make a conference between teacher and student on writing productive and successful. At the far end of the list she put,"Don't write directly on the writer's paper. (Use sticky notes.)" YES!

At my dyad placement the master teacher has students use sticky notes for an array of different things. Specifically for literacy she has them use sticky notes to mark a place in their own books that they read on their own in the class and out the literary concept they have been talking about in class. For example if students are learning about plot summary they would then as they are reading their own book use a sticky note to mark a main event that happens in their story AND why they think it is a main event. Once students are done with the book they back and use the sticky notes as a tool for writing their plot summary. This was also used when I taught about character change. When students thought their character changed from an event they would mark it with a sticky note and write why on the sticky note as well.

Once students are done they leave their note book with the summary or character change or which ever literary concept was focused on opened on their desk before going to recess. The master teacher then goes around and checks their thinking and understanding responding back on the sticky notes they used in the beginning or getting a new one if needed. (Sticky notes are never at a low as their is a basket at each cluster of desks with sticky notes in it.)

The use of sticky notes as a form of communication with students on their writing is a version of the "simple" conference that Routman was talking about. This technique also seems to correlate with the direct instructional model as well! Their journal writing focusing on one literary concept is part of the guided practice when the teacher responds and part of their independent practice when they are showing their own thinking and reasoning behind their decisions on what to write about. I like the progression the journal and sticky notes provide by following the class reading a book together and focusing on the same literary concept with sticky notes as they read as a group.

This activity also creates a bridge between reading and writing by students having to write about what they read but in their own words. This reminds me of how sometimes to learn how to write well, we need to start with someone else's story before we can make our own.

Moreover because students need to be metacognitive when they are reading, I think it helps students to move away from learning to read and reading to learn, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons for teaching literacy; to support learning.

My New Reading Buddy

My new literacy buddy is awesome! E has two brothers and doesn't just like to read, he LOVES to read. Today we had a written conversation in which we do not talk but communicate by writing back and forth on the same piece of paper. I asked him if he celebrated Halloween in which he replied yes and that he was a vampire. Then I asked him if he got any candy which he replied (this makes me laugh again just thinking about it), bar graph! with an arrow pointing down to his bar graph of lots of chocolate and a small amount of other candy. Unfortunately he wrote he does not like chocolate.

I enjoyed this activity with my buddy because I was able to see his writing skills as well as breaking the ice and getting to know him better right away. He read to me fairly easily and I am interested to see what his "just right" book will be tomorrow when we meet again.

Bird By Bird by Anne Lamontt

Anne Lamontt writes on page 103 in her book, Bird By Bird, "If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't ever bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately. You need to put yourself at their center, you and what you believe to be true or right."

I identified a great deal with this passage. It created a bridge for me from my experience as an artist and the struggles I have to the less understood struggles I have when writing. There are many times I will be working on multiple paintings at once and sometimes leave a painting alone face-up against a wall (I don't want to have to look at anymore) for months before I work on it again. Usually I don't work on that particular painting for awhile because I can't figure out what is wrong, and why I don't like it. Lamontt gave me the idea that I may not like this painting because there is not enough of myself, my ideas and beliefs in it.

Maybe this is why writing has always been a challenge for me. It is hard for me to put myself in my writing so when I do write creatively or not, the writing to me seems very contrived and incomplete. I need to do what I do when I paint; give the passage a break and come back with new perspective and the idea that I am going to put more of myself in it. Is this really what I want to say? What I believe? What exists for me?

With concerns to teaching, I think it would be very beneficial to my students to know that I struggle too and how I deal with those struggles. Also I would want to be able to give them the time to not be happy with their writing, walk away for a bit, and come back with new motivation to put more of themselves in it. Is this possible? If I'm teaching language arts for 50 minutes a day to 6-7 different groups of students is it possible to let them set it aside and come back to it next time? Or if I'm teaching 4th grade and we only actually have 4 hours of teaching time from transitions, specialists, lunch and recess and a need to teach math, science, arts, social studies, health, and other aspects of literacy besides just writing.

I think my answer to this dilemma of time is interdisciplinary teaching, where two subjects are taught at once. For example maybe after studying the planets and researching one, each student will write a creative story using aspects of their planet about what life is like on their planet. In this way I am combining their knowledge of science in a certain subject area with their skills of writing. Awesome! Even more, what if we make a class wiki or the students made their stories on a classroom blog (only if available through the school district server of course). Now there is technology too and way more excitement and engagement without being too contrived.

In the end I think it would be important to help students realize that the writing process is not something that comes easy or is quick, it takes time and dedication to an overall idea and belief. Whether the belief is policy on health care or that there are martians who swim on Neptune in a society similar to that of the story of Atlantis, students need to be able to feel that their writing is not something I as a teacher have contrived for them to do but is creatively their own!

Babies' literacy development!?

Babies May Pick Up Language Cues in Womb

NPR had a story today about babies and their tone when crying. It seems we start to develop language and perhaps literacy skills as early as inside the womb. Sweet! The study linked above studied German and French babies crying and found that french babies have a high pitch at the end where as German have a low pitch indicative of the native language spoken by the parents. Wow! The study points out that crying is not linguistic but that babies are able to echo the acoustic sounds they hear either in utero or very early on after birth. Amazing! I wonder how this then relates to the literacy development of a newborn. Does it play a key role or help language acquisition leading to literacy? The article talked about how it may affect bonding with members of the family as each group liked the pitch known for their language as well. Does it only have social impacts or any really?

Shared Writing in a Dual Language Classroom

In Room 20, which is part of a dual language curriculum, at first glance I thought they used shared writing talked about in Routman. But in further observation I think it is closer to the technique of shared demonstration. The teacher is still bringing the ideas and content to write about and the content is not from the students. But at times the teacher will use their ideas from the story they read together in a read aloud form but again the teacher picked the book not the students. And fore example when it come time to write the summary of the book they read they do it independently using the main ideas they came up with as a group to help them if they want. They do not write the summary out together. These activities seem to be somewhere in between shared demonstration and shared writing.

I wonder if literacy was done in a shared writing form especially during the afternoon and mornning when it is taught in something other than the students native language, if it would help students more than the shared demonstration. Which is better shared demonstration or shared writing? It seems to me that both are good and that shared writing could be done as part of the shared demonstration in Routman’s Optimal Learning Model. In this way the shared demonstration because more meaningful to students because the students bring the ideas and content instead of the teacher. This in my opinion would make the shared demonstration less artificial and more applicable for students.

A Writing Check List

In the text, Writing Essentials, by Regie Routman (2005), she shares a list of twelve writing essentials for all grade levels which in my opinion could be retitled as Twelve Ways to Improve Critical Thinking and Critical Communication. By critical thinking I mean making decisions in an informed, educated and thought out manner. By critical communication I take critical thinking one step further in meaning by the idea that what is critically thought out should also be communicated in a similar manner.

When Routman says things like, "present ideas clearly with a logical well organized flow", "create engaging leads" and "satisfying endings", and "write for a specific reader and a meaningful purpose", I think of the idea that education should help students improve critical thinking and decision making. Why should teaching writing not help develop critical thinking and communication as well? In my opinion these essentials only help support one of the main reasons behind literacy development; to be an active member in society.

Also I completely agree that all of her essentials can be taught at any grade level but in a progressive manner. The degree to which a senior in high school can be responsible by Routman's definition for one's own writing, may be higher than that of a kindergartner. That's okay in my mind. Just as applying "correct conventions and form" may be more of a sought after goal in sixth grade than in first grade. But in both grades both essentials can be used and improved. The level of independence may change but not the writing essential behind the instruction.

The question in my mind is not can these essentials work for all grades. They can. But when do some essentials really become essential? When is it not ok for a student to misspell words, or not be interested in writing and would rather do a performing arts piece to communicate? And the really problem comes when a student does not like to write? As as the teacher have to figure out a way to literally steal their interest. That to me is harder than teaching these twelve writing essentials at all grade levels.