Lindsay is concerned about standardized testing and the curriculum

Standardized testing has become ubiquitous over the past few years in many districts. Students, sometimes as early as kindergarten and first grade, are required to take high-stakes standardized tests in order to assess their academic performance. As a result of so much testing, teachers often have to “teach to the test” to ensure their students are meeting certain benchmarks. I believe that this focus on standardized testing often results in many other academic areas, such as the arts, science, and social studies, being close to being eliminated from the curriculum. I am distressed to see such an emphasis being placed on standardized test scores. I think it not only severely limits the curriculum, but this approach to assessment is also unfair to the many students who perform poorly on standardized tests but who perform well in the classroom.

Do you think standardized testing should play such a significant role in assessing students? Why or why not? Do you think the emphasis on standardized testing has gone too far? How do you think the emphasis on standardized testing has affected the curriculum? Do you think standardized testing is a fair and accurate indicator of how a student performs in a classroom setting? As a future teacher, do you have concerns about having to “teach to the test” to ensure your students meet a certain benchmark?

Jennifer has a concern about parent-teacher conferences

          It is that time of year again when parent teacher conferences are taking place! I recently had the opportunity to observe a parent-teacher conference and was left generally unsatisfied with this experience! The entire conference between the parent and teacher took a total of 10 minutes, the parent only had one opportunity to ask questions and the teacher appeared to be rushed! 

          I understand that there is not enough time in a day for a teacher to sit with a parent for a long period of time and touch upon every detail of the student’s education. My question for you is this then, do you think that 10 minutes is enough time for both parent and teacher to discuss everything about a student?  Do you think that the time given for parent-teacher conference should be lengthened? 

         When I observed this meeting, the teacher touched upon the student’s progress in writing and math.   Do you think that each subject should be discussed during this meeting? Finally, are there any other alternatives teachers can utilize in order to stay in touch with parents?  As a future teacher what method of conferences do you prefer and how does this method benefit parent, teacher and student?

Kristen Wagner and differentiation question

I am currently observing in a very differentiated classroom.   I will be student teaching in this classroom in the spring.   This particular second grade class has 20 children--four of the children have IEPs and two are classified as "gifted."  The two children who are classified as “gifted”  are finding second grade very easy, especially in math. These children started the school year at a third grade level and use the third grade  math books. It would be a huge help if I could get advice from my fellow classmates because my concern is how to incorporate a wide variety of differentiation into my lesson plans when I student teach. I have incorporated differentiation in classrooms that had children with IEPs and children who are "above average," but I have never had a class in which there were two children who were classified as gifted. What are some "tips" you have that I might incorporate into  my lesson plans (specifically math) that will allow me to focus on all learning levels while keeping the gifted children still engaged and part of the classroom?

Amelia and Danielle and who has the responsibility to teach values?

In light of the recent natural disasters, both globally and locally (i.e. the typhoon in the Philippines or Hurricane Sandy here in New Jersey), do you think elementary school teachers should be discussing these disasters and their consequences in the classroom?  Should teachers be the ones to start a discussion of values and “helping thy neighbor”   or should this be left to the family?   Is it the teacher's role to broach discussions that address value systems or is  the role of the elementary teacher one that just addresses content ?  In essence, should we teach our students about being empathetic, or should we focus only on the subjects we are required to teach and on which the students will be tested?  Does school play a role in teaching children how to be sensitive toward the plight of others or is the role of school to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, sciences, music, art and physical education leaving that other "stuff" to the family?    We would like to have your input. *

*You may wish to reflect upon some of the chapters in the Ellis text.         

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Kim and Christina and our overweight children

            Everybody from Michelle Obama to the Naked Chef Jamie Oliver has turned their attention to that kid who can’t quite fit behind his desk in the back row. According to the federal government, nearly one in five children and adolescents are obese—nearly triple the rate of a generation ago—putting them in great risk of diabetes and heart disease.   Bills are being passed to mandate that children are provided with healthier options in the cafeteria, but without learning about the benefits of choosing healthier alternatives, how can we expect them to know what to eat? What exactly is our role as teachers in helping the children in our classrooms to “get healthy?”

            Some teachers might take on an active position on the issue.  These teachers believe that teaching children about balanced meals and about why it is important to fuel our bodies with healthy foods is just as important as teaching any other subject. Other teachers might feel that it is more realistic for teachers to avoid involving themselves in the health of their students.  The belief her is that,  as teachers, there are so many subjects that need to be covered within a given day! There are standards waiting to be met and tests waiting to be prepped for! As teachers, we can only do so much.

            Our question to you is this: Which teacher are you? Do you identify more with the teacher who believes it is important to take an active role in helping students to “get healthy,” or do you identify more with the teacher who does not feel it is the responsibility of the education system help children “get healthy?”  Perhaps you agree with certain ideas from each of the extreme points of view. We are curious to hear about your position on the topic, and about why you feel the way you do!

How can teachers stay grounded? Christina and Tiffany want to know.

In the past, we have both witnessed teachers being overly negative toward their students. Most teachers have a classroom of students that are at all different levels.  If the teacher already has a negative attitude it will reflect on her students. When teachers with a negative attitude teach a lesson, they expect for all the children to understand the objectives right away.  Most of the time the teacher teaches in one way and doesn’t take into consideration the different learning styles of the students.  When the children do not understand, they blame the parents for not raising the child properly or helping the child or they blame the child for not paying attention.  Instead of making excuses as to why the students don’t understand, the teacher should reflect on her/his teaching and find a way to address all of her/his students’ needs.

Having students go up to the board to solve a problem can be very rewarding for a student or very embarrassing.   If a child makes a mistake on the board, some teachers don’t give the child enough time to correct himself/herself  before the teacher begins to criticize the student, making comments like, “if you were paying attention, you would know this.”   Also, when a student who never understands the lessons fails a test or a quiz, the teachers automatically say that they are not surprised and move on with the lesson.  When teachers read test grades out loud to prove that some students are failing, doesn’t make the students learn from their mistakes. It makes the students even more scared to ask for help and makes them feel ashamed that they may not understand a specific lesson.   The teacher puts in requests for students to be aided by the child study team, but tells the students and says, “I’ll see you next year.”

In our opinion, patterns of this type frequently come from those that have been teaching for many years and implement the same lessons year after year without changing any content.   These types of teachers are constantly yelling and become stressed out when they realize their children aren’t understanding the lessons.  These teachers are never calm and because of that, their classrooms are very hectic, resulting in their students acting out of control.  Do you agree?

Have you seen this type of behavior on the part of some teachers?  Where?   Do you think that these teachers affect  students negatively or positively? Do you feel that their age or years of teaching are affecting their ability to be compassionate towards students? What are some ways that these teachers can go back to the mind set they had when they just began their teaching career, or can’t they? How can teachers stay grounded?

Lauren and Avonte

We have now reached week three in the search for Avonte Oquendo. If you not are aware of who Avonte is and what happened to him, here is a brief explanation.  Avonte is a 14 year old boy who is severely autistic.  He is unable to speak or use language. On October 4^th he went missing from his school in Queens NY. Since then, there has been a search going on around the city to locate the missing boy. Police and search teams have been paying close attention to the subway, because his family says that the boy loves the train system. Since he is also non verbal, he is unable to tell someone that he is lost, hurt, or needs to get home. The police are also trying a new approach to help locate him, which is playing a recording of his mother speaking to him.    They play this recording out of an emergency response vehicle hoping he will hear it and follow the sound of the voice.  Since he is autistic, the authorities believe that Avonte might  respond to his mother’s voice rather than to the voice of a stranger.
            My concern is  more with the school at which Avonte was a student. How could this have happened and how could it have been prevented?   The  special school that Avonte attended was part of another regular middle school.   The school did not house just special education students.   Avonte’s brother had met with a Manhattan civil rights attorney who specialized in special education litigation.   Gary Mayerson, the attorney,  outlined three layers of protection that should have been followed:  

·        First is the IEP. Mayerson stated that a student who is non-verbal, as is Avonte, and a student who is a known wanderer and who has been found in subway tunnels in the past, should have had goals and objectives on his IEP to deal with that issue.   Instead Avonte was in a classroom with one teacher, one aide and six students.  

·         Avonte’s IEP should have had a behavior intervention plan that would tell the teachers what to do if he began to wander.  

·        There should have been better security measures in place in the school that Avonte attended.  It is suggested that there should have been specific protocols in place for when people/students left the building and those reason for leaving needed to be stated.   

            Do you think that the school administration was negligent in this case?    What better security measures should the school have implemented knowing that there were special education children within in the building?  Do you agree with the attorney in this case and why?   

Jessica asks, "Are two teachers in a classroom necessary?"

Elizabeth Stein’s post “What Kids Say about Inclusion” reveals students’ perspectives on co-teaching and management in inclusion classrooms. Generally, students view co teaching as a positive and like the extra help the second teacher can provide. However, students typically view one teacher, usually the general education teacher, as the “real” teacher and the special education teacher as the “co-teacher” or “helping teacher.” Steins' students stated that they understand the second teacher is there to support those students who need a little extra help, but believe that the two teachers are not there to benefit all students. 

            What is your opinion on co-teaching? Do you view it as a positive or a negative? What do you imagine classroom management in an inclusion classroom to look like? Do you think it is possible for both teachers to be viewed as “real” teachers or will one always be viewed as the “helping teacher?”  Can a better message be sent besides “a second teacher is there to help the special education kid”?  

http://www.middleweb.com/5729/what-kids-say-about-inclusion/

Jessica and Paul on Monday

Paul is a bright first grader placed in an inclusion setting who loves to draw. He can write sentences relating to his picture but needs some push from the teacher. He is distracted very easily. However while he can write a sentence, he struggles when asked to verbally tell one. While he seems interested in language arts, because he can draw a picture to correlate with his sentence, he does not enjoy math.

Paul does not make eye contact. He does not speak with other children or interact socially with them. Paul sits at the table with the boys at lunch but eats by himself and plays with a toy he brings, usually an action figure, alone. His parents are aware of the issue and say it is something he has dealt with his entire life. After being in school for a month, Paul speaks with his special education teacher, Mr. Carter and me. He rarely speaks with the regular education teacher or many of the specials teachers.

Paul does receive speech therapy twice a week to help him with social settings and has received it since kindergarten. The speech therapist has informed Mr. Carter that he does talk to her, telling her about very basic things pertaining to his life but nothing in detail.

Paul also does not quite know how to act in social settings. During a special, when there are social interactions he does not play or talk with the children. He attends an after school enrichment program that Mr. Carter runs. Mr. Carter asked one of the students to grab Paul and bring him to play basketball in the gym, while waiting for the parents to pick the children up at the end of the session. Paul did hesitate at first but Mr. Carter encouraged him and he became involved in the game. Paul will not go into a social situation on his own, even with other children, he needs a push.

If put into this position, how would you handle it, how can you help this little six year old feel more comfortable in a social setting and with other children each day?

Zeth says, "All hail to the math geeks!!"

I am planning to be a mathematics (all grades) and science (up through middle school) teacher. I greatly love both subjects and have many ideas for how to teach the subjects in different and sometimes quirky ways. I grew up loving science fiction and educational programing; therefore my interest goes beyond the academic. I am well aware of the stigma that seems to follow mathematics and/or science kids and adults alike. Often the issue seems to lie in a lack of fun, interest, or value for the students and adults in question. So my questions to you are as follows: Why do you like or dislike mathematics and/or science? What could have been done to make the subject more interesting for you? Are intellectual types the only viable audience for these two subjects?

Allison poses a questions about an ESL student

This semester, I am observing in a second grade classroom. The teacher in the classroom has great classroom management skills and is a fun and creative teacher. She always knows how to help struggling students and differentiates her lessons to fit the needs of all of her learners. She has been a teacher for seventeen years now, and this is the first time that she has a student in her class who is an ESL speaker.    The ESL student in this class is from Saudi Arabia and speaks Arabic. We discovered the other day that he can speak limited English but he can read English fluently. He can decode words, retell a story, and answer comprehension questions. During all other subjects, he is basically a space cadet. His ESL teacher believes that he speaks English fluently and understands what you say to him when you give him directions. 

When you are put in a situation like this, where you have a student who seems to not understand any directions given to him in English, but,  it is believed,  really speaks and understands English, what do you do? So to my fellow future teachers, I ask your advice. How do you make a student comfortable enough to speak his/her  second language in your classroom? What would you do if you had an English language learner (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) student in your classroom? How would you help them? Is there a good way to find out if the ESL teacher is correct?   Is this  young man really able to speak English?    How can we solve the mystery?    I await your suggestions.   

Danielle and Morgan are concerned about social media in school. Is it appropriate?

A brief post on BusinessDayOnline.com by Naomi Ndbueze questions social media, children, and education, and how they fit together.  Social media sites, such asFacebook and Twitter, have become a staple in the lives of most children, teens, and even adults.  While these social networks can be beneficial to keeping in touch with friends and family, they can become huge distractions and take away from time that can and should be dedicated to schoolwork. It's even more of a concern when children are being givenSmartphones at such young ages, because it makes these websites accessible 24/7. Technology definitely has its place in the classroom, but does social media?  Technology can be extraordinarily beneficial, but when social networking comes to play does it become an addiction? Also, should elementary-aged students even be permitted to have access to social networking where stalkers and pedophiles may be in such of a target audience?

Nicole poses a question about virtual trips in social studies class

The article "Yes, You Can Take a Field Trip to India" by Nancy Casolaro reveals the importance of technology in the classroom. It shows how the use of technology enhances learning for students and can bring to life different places, cultures, and people students are unfamiliar with. As I was reading the article, I was able to see how much this virtual trip benefitted the students. They were able to learn about a new culture, country, and group of people through Nancy’s blogs, pictures, and presentations. 

I think this idea is a great way to teach students about different cultures, people, and history. Apparently, the class did not respond to Nancy’s posts while she was in India, however  I think that would have been a great idea and would make it a more interactive experience.  I also think that using Skype to communicate with the travel guide would be another great experience in learning about another country.   Nancy wrote, “It took a group of children to a place they normally couldn’t go.

What, in your estimation, were some of the benefits to students in  using this approach to teaching history and geography?    Can you think of other social studies units that might benefit from using blogs and Skype?   What impressed you most about this approach to a social studies unit?    Would you expand it in any way?     I look forward to your answer to one or two of my questions.