The following is a threefold question that relies upon the information shared in our assigned reading, Keeping Good Teachers: Why It Matters, What Leaders Can Do by Linda Darling-Hammond and the question also asks each one of us to reflect upon our reasons for remaining in this profession. You may choose to answer any two of the questions posed.
1. What are the reasons that you reamin in the teaching profession?
2. Which of the following suggestions made by the author would, in your opinion, help to improve teacher effectiveness: higher salaries, better working conditions, better preparation, or better mentoring?
3. Which of the suggestions made by Darling-Hammond would, in your opinion, help school districts retain its novice teachers?
Professional Discussions in Curriculum Development and Change
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Jennifer speaks to the praise or non-priase of ethnic and cultural differences
Our text (Ornstein) discusses the issue of cultural
demographics and how the nature of race is changing. As our nation changes into a more diverse
population many cultural aspects must be taken into account. It is the American
way to take full credit for all that one has achieved. Our text discusses how
Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians tend to downplay their individual
achievement, stating that theirs is a family achievement.
As children most of us were taught to treat everyone the
same and that discussing or pointing out the differences of others was
“impolite.” Should we do this as
teachers? Should we be colorblind, or as
our text suggests, go so far as to make a list of student success in any ethnic
group? How do cultural demographics come into play in your classroom? Should we
“celebrate” differences or politely leave the subject alone?
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Dr. Ries and Chapter 3 of Brookhart
Just a short question: Can we and should we assess student logic and reasoning? Why? Also, feel free to add anything that you have learned over the past two weeks.....................about life!!!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Amy asks us to ponder the philosophy of Paola Friere
What is critical pedagogy and why is it so important in education? Do you feel that there is a place for critical
pedagogy in our curriculum structure today? Or do you think that the time has passed
for us to embrace ideas of social justice and economic transformation? Do Paolo Freire’s philosophical
positions interest you? Do they make sense to you? Why? Which of the six principles
of pedagogy from Freire’s philosophy do you feel that you incorporate into your
teaching…….if any?
Monday, October 22, 2012
Kate asks us to think about the importance of the arts
How might repeated significant encounters with the arts be used to
combat standardization and dehumanization?
If you agree with Greene, how do you personally act to help your
students avoid intellectual numbness?
Monday, October 15, 2012
Dr. Ries and Insensitivity of Tests
According
to the author of this week's article, W. James Popham (2011, p. 298), when evaluating a large scale accountability test one
must consider the test’s “instructionally sensitivity.” A test’s “instructional sensitivity” represents the degree to which students’
performances on that test accurately reflect the quality of the instruction
that was provided specifically to promote students’ mastery of whatever is
being assessed. An “instructionally
sensitive” test should be capable of
distinguishing between strong and weak instruction by allowing us to validly
conclude that a set of students’ high test scores are meaningfully, but not
exclusively, attributable to effective instruction. Similarly, such a test would allow us to
accurately infer that a set of students’ low test scores are meaningfully, but
not exclusively, attributable to ineffective instruction. Popham goes on to suggest that the only practical way in which to appraise a test’s
“instruction sensitivity” is to create
panels of 15 to 20 curriculum specialist and teachers who are knowledgeable
about the content under study, and to add to that group of specialists several
noneducators. Popham recommends that
such a panel rely on four evaluative dimensions. In essence, those who judge large scale
accountability tests should consider: 1)
the number of curriculum aims assessed,
2) the clarity of assessment targets,
3) the number of items per assessed curricular aim, and 4) the instructional sensitivity of the
items. First of all, do you agree with
Popham that large scale accountability tests need to be examined more closely
by expert panels? Why or why not? Then you are being asked to discuss any one of these four evaluative
dimensions suggested by the author and make a case as to why it should or
should not be used for the large scale evaluative purposes discussed here. Taking this thought a step further, can the
“four dimensions of evaluation” model that has been discussed in this article be applied to you in
your classroom and to your teacher-made assessments? How do you evaluate the "instructional sensitivity" of the tests you create for your students? Do you apply any of the evaluative dimensions to your personal evaluation of tests?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Maureen is asking us to further exam our educational philosophy
Chapter thirty-two of the Ornstein text is entitled “Dichotomizing
Educational Reform.” It is an article
written by C.D.Glickman. In his
article, Glickman discusses what he believes
American public education is about and what philosophical beliefs should
drive that education. Glickman shares with us his belief that “public education is supposed to serve a
common good” and he goes on to state
that Horace Mann, in the mid 1800s,
wrote that public schools “would be the great equalizers of human conditions,
the balance wheel of the social machinery.”
The debate remains however as to what an “educated” person in our
democracy actually is. Who is to make
the decisions as to what constitutes a thorough education? Does one need three years of high school or
college level preparatory classes in order to be an “educated” person in our
society? What essential knowledge and
skills should an educated person in a democracy possess? Glickman, however, believes that we should not think in terms of
any one structure , method or system of education but rather that we must
consider competing views as we go about answering the above questions.
Do you agree with Glickman’s position?
Why? Why not? And finally, do you agree with Horace Mann’s
statement above? I look forward to
reading about your philosophical preferences with regard to the education of
our young people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)