Inquiry Plan

Well, so far, so good!! I have been able to incorporate my exit slips into the end of classes very nicely. My students have been doing them for a week, today I was a minute or two late in passing them out and several of them brought it to my attention right away. I have also noticed a significant difference in the behaviors of the students in 3 of my classes. I think it is working out great so far.

Inquiry Plan

OK, so I started implementing my inquiry plan today. I video taped while explaining to my students the idea behind this little project and the completion of the first round of exit slips. I am pleasantly surprised by some if their responses. They were very honest about what they were doing that caused them not to understand today's lesson. So, I am very excited to see how it goes over the next week or so. I will keep you posted....

Task 5

I read the article entitled Ten steps to Better Student Engagement and watched video entitled Classroom Management Tips for Teachers.



I liked the article very much. The main point of the article was that when you are on and your students are on you have more energy at the end of the day. I totally agree - thinking back on some bad days at school, I come home totally exhausted. It definately takes more energy to get through a bad day than a good one. On good days, I am a totally different person when I get home. The article also included a list of strategies to help maintain an atmosphere of good days. They are as follows: create and emotionally and intellectually safe environment, cultivate your engagement meter, create appropriate intermediate steps (for projects, for example), journal writing/blogging, create a culture of explanation instead of a culture of the right answer, etc. This list of strategies includes things that should naturally develop over time for teachers, like the engagement meter, and things that could be implemented to help a classroom run smoothly, like journal writing. I like the idea of journal writing. I can see how it would be beneficial for both students and teacher. The idea is that at the end of a lesson, students would write an entry about what that days lesson was about, what they understood, what they struggled with. The teacher would then have the oportunity to read them and make adjustments. I really like this idea, but I think it would be difficult to implement within the time I have for a class period. It would be better to use with block scheduling.



The vidoe also had some good suggestions. I especially like the middle school science teacher who greet each of his students at his door every day with a hand shake and a question. He asks each student a different question and doesn't let them enter the room until they answer it correctly. I love this idea, but fear that some of my students would never get to enter the room...



Thinking about my inquiry plan, I would like to focus on managing student behavoir. I think I can do this more effectively by finding ways to build a more personal relationship with each student. Both journal writing and playing the "walmart" greeter every day could help me accomplish this, if I can find a way for them to work in the limited time that I have....

Task 4

I have chosen Domain 2: The Classroom Environment to be my focus for the next section of this class. The components of this domain that I am most confortable with are organizing physical space, managing classroom procedures and establishing a culture for learning. I struggle most with managing student behaviors. I think they all directly effect creating an environment of respect and rapport. I think a positive respect/rapport environment exists in my classroom, but it could be better.

Component 2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport is an umbrella for the other components of the domain, so I feel that it is the one that is most strongly tied to instruction.

Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior is the one I would like to focus on and improve within my classroom.

I have established procedures that allow my classroom to flow on a daily basis. For example, every day I check agendas and there is an OA (opening activity) to be done. This gets the students working immediately upon entering the room and cuts down on behavior problems at the beginning of class. I have also utilized some procedures from CHAMP's that give students clear bahvior expectations during various classroom activities. Having clear, posted class expectations goes a long way in classroom management.

I am always looking for new classroom management techniques/ideas. Does anyone have a management technique that you feel is particularly effective? Please share!

Task 2

1. What is the purpose of curriculum? Or should we ask, what should the purpose of curriculum be? Testing, testing, testing.... As teachers/schools, we are told that our goal is to do well on the test. How we are perceived by society is determined by this, our school's report card. The problem is, this report card is too limiting. This leads to another question, and I'm not even going to pretend to know the answer..... Should we be more concerned about the long term effects of what our students learn and how they are able to use what they learn and apply it to their lives or how much information they can regurgitate on a test at the end of the school year? The purpose of curriculum should be to prepare students for life. Do they need to learn science, math, social studies and english to be successful in life? Yes, but they need to learn about them in ways that are practical and relevent to them. Current curriculum is too focused on the short term, it needs to be shifted to include some long term goals.

2. There is a difference between curriculum and instructional design. As a teacher in the state of Kentucky, I am given the curriculum I am expected to teach within 1 school year. I have no control over this. I do, however, have control over how I design my instruction/lessons. This enables me to use different strategies from day to day and make changes when I feel necessary to help my students understand the curriculum and reach their full potential. I feel that teachers should have more input in curriculum. Too often, curriculum is influenced by individuals who are not in a classroom on a regular basis. There are too many variables and unknowns involved. What works 1 day won't necessarily work the next, a student who behaves 1 day may be extremely disruptive the next.

3. My curriculum, or more so my instructional design, is constantly evolving. I do have constants in my classroom, certain behvior expectatins, etc. But, I have to adjust and make changes and improvements sometimes from 1 class to the next. And, I am always trying out new strategies and ways to keep my students focused and engaged. I just started a new reward system, both individually and between classes, based on missing assignments. For some reason, 7th graders don't see the need to do their HW. Imagine that! Anyway, my point is that as teachers, we are on the hot seat at all times, so to speak. Our instructional strategies/designs must evolve in order to meet the needs of our students and teach them curriculum that has not evolved as quickly as the students who are learning it.

Task One

1.Why do we need to consider curriculum? If we take a step back and really look at what the goal of education is, I think we would look at curriculum differently. To much focus is put on what is taught, not on what is or can acutally be leanred in a biven amount of time by a given student. Individuality is not taken into consideration enough. Yes, we use different ways to teach, but we still have the same expectations. We expect of our students to learn the same things. And, what we expect them to learn is very concrete. There is no room for evaluation or self-discovery. At an early age, children learn by questioning. They ask and ask and ask, sometimes until an adult gets tired of answering them. But, they are encouraged to do this and are not afraid to do so. As they go through middle and high, students question less and less. They become afraid that they will ask a "stupid" question. They do not want to admit that they do not understand what they should be learning, but more so that they will be outed in front of their friends.

The curriculum in our schools also needs to be made more meaningful. Wraga mentions that students do not feel that what they are doing in school is meaningful or will be beneficial to them later in life. It is also difficult to remember something taught in the 8th grade in the 11th grade. Think about it, would you remember something that you are told is important for any longer than you have to. Even as adults, we hold on to info long enough to get us what we want, or however long we feel necessary. Unless we want to learn the information. The curriculum in our schools needs to be re-evaluated so it can become important to our students. If they want to learn something, they will learn it and retain it. They are never going to hold onto information if they don't think it will benefit them at a later date.

2. A correlated curriculum would best describe my current situation, and, I would imagine, is the most common. I teach 7th grade math. All the core classes at my school are seperate. Do we collaborate on subject matter? Yes. Do I make connections to other subject areas when the opportunity arises? Yes. But, my class is completely seperate from social studies, science, and language arts. In considering the other two curriculum models, the integrative core curriculum intrigues me the most. Especially when I think about the social and personal problems faced by the student at DHS. I think they would thrive in an educational environment that placed their actual lives at the center of their education. If this was done, they would come to realize how a good educaiton can benefit them and improve thier lives.

3.Wiggins mentions the need to view curriculum in a modern way as opposed to a medieval view. Meaning that what is taught in our schools today is the same thing that has always been taught. "If it's aint broke, don't fix it." This mentality is what has gotten the edcuation sysem in the pickle that it's in. The unwillingness to make changes by teachers, administrators, districts, states... The students of today are not the same as they were 20 years ago. They do not have the same goals in life. It is no longer "OK" to go through life with only a high school diploma. Twenty years ago, someone who did not go on to college was still presented with opportunities for success. And, don't get me wrong, its still possible today, but not likely. Any job worth having requires a college education. If we don't view curriculum in a new "modern" way and make adjustments, students will not be ready to enter college after high school. Curriculum needs to be updated and made to be meaningful to the modern student if they are expected to place a high value on education and continue on to college.

Hello!

I am new to this whole blogging thing, so this should be an experience. I guess I should tell you a little abuot myself. I teach 7th and 9th grade math at Dayton High School. I have taught there for 4 years. Teaching is a second career for me. I worked in banking for about 12 years before deciding to make a change. I have an 11 yr old son and 2 dogs. I love sports, especially basketball. I coached high school girls for 2 years and am in the middle of my 2nd year coaching my son's team. I am definately looking forward to March Madness, Go Big Blue!!