In the beginning of the semester I was hesitant about this class. I really wanted to take it, but I wasn’t sure I could put as much effort or time into it as I wanted to, given the demands of the other four, required classes I was taking. But practicum block helped me realize I could do anything I put my mind to; that even thought it seemed like I could never accomplish what I wanted to, I always did. I had to find the drive, and did. So finding it for something I really wanted to do was easier than I believed it would be. It sounds corny, and perhaps it is, but this class was the sunshine in my semester of cloudy days. It turned out that this class made the semester worth while; I struggled with my other classes because I didn’t like any of them, and this one, focused on middle grades education, a newfound passion, made it all worth while, and I learned and experienced so much. There are a few select concepts and pieces that I pulled from the semester to reflect on.
I learned that integrated units are the backbone of a good middle school curriculum. When we went to Dirigo and spoke with the teams, we got to hear first hand how their integrated units worked. By exposing students to a specific topic or concept from various angles, they absorb more, relate it to and see the connection to their lives. Questions like, “Why are we doing/learning this?” no longer come into play because it is clear in the activities they participate in, in the content they learn.
While I say that integrated units are the backbone, clearly the teachers, made into teams, who create these units are the vertebrae that make up the backbone. We soon came to realize how much work is put into an integrated unit; it takes a lot of time, commitment, focus, creativity, and teamwork. We sat there and toiled and argued and brainstormed and gave advice and stared blankly at each other class after class in attempts to put together our unit. And we had an hour and forty-five minutes twice a week set aside specifically for that; I can’t imagine how difficult and time consuming it is for teachers in the field. On top of this time crunch, they’re actually trying out their units and individual lessons, so when they do meet, they’re discussing and reflecting on how well things went, or didn’t. It takes a lot of work; in addition to creating engaging, meaningful lessons for your content area, you must ensure that each one of those lessons is tailored to the concept lens.
Meeting with the Dirigo teams was an inspiring experience; it was amazing to be presenting our ideas to practicing teachers and have them welcome those ideas, as if we were colleagues rather than teachers-in-training. We met with the eighth grade team, and they had just done a unit on the Holocaust, so it was kind of like a compare-and-contrast session. It was interesting to see the similarities and be shocked by the things we didn’t think of. We had focused mainly on the concentration camps, but the science teacher looked at how the atomic bomb had turned the beaches nearby Hiroshima to glass. I spoke with the Language Arts teacher afterwards, and she gave me a more in-depth look at what she had done with poetry during her Holocaust unit. I can’t wait to bring this to a school and share my ideas and my knowledge and see where we can take them! It was an awe-inspiring learning experience; I felt so good coming away from our time there. The experience reinforced that experience is just as important as up-and-coming technology and the newest research –a healthy balance of the two is most effective, and that day, with us and them in the same room, we had it.
All the chapters we read and discussions we had about the “student-teacher-parent triad” reinforced my belief that it is necessary. However, as my sister and my mother are locked in a never-ending battle over my sister’s grades, I have mixed feelings as to whether or not it’s a good thing. My sister is a senior in high school, heading off to college in the fall, and my mother is still constantly on her about her grades and missing work because Mom accesses in online. She’s not going to be able to do that in the fall; it’s time to let go. I guess what I’m getting at with this is that I think it’s a gradual letting-go process, and in middle school it’s good, but once kids get into high school, parents and students need to be weaned off the parental involvement factor. But I digress. I believe that it is important to develop clear communication between all three parties, and early on in the school year so that an understanding relationship can bloom.
I found the student-oriented curriculum absolutely fascinating. I’d really like to see it in action; yes, they showed us the video, but I’d love to observe it actually taking place. I have so many questions, but I don’t know what they are. I just want to know more about it and see how it is implemented. It seems to be similar to the way that the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb is run, and it is reminiscent of the Montessori method. It’s just amazing to think of how much more kids would learn if they created their own learning experiences.
The books we read were a wonderful addition to the content of the course as well as the effect on group dynamic. It was another thing we had to work together on. I think it would be useful to allow for some choice and decision-making in terms of what book to read. Maybe have a list of several and allow the teams to choose, or have them bring in recommendations and then decide. While A Whole New Mind was interesting and certainly insightful, I would have had an easier time reading it and getting into it if I had been given a choice.
What we’ve learned and are learning –student-oriented curriculum, brain-based learning, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, student-led conferences, how boys and girls learn differently, the importance and effectiveness of team teaching, not to mention the amount of rich resources we acquired along the way—makes me want to work harder. None of this was implemented when I was in school; I received a fairly traditional schooling. I feel I’m not as equipped as I’d like to be, and I want to put everything I have into making sure my students don’t feel that way. Ever.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
If I had been there...
This blog is a student sample for my eighth grade class' unit on the Holocaust.
I can't imagine what life would have been like living in the Holocaust. To have been put through that much pain and suffering is unimaginable. In this blog I'd like to share more of my feelings about what it would have been like to live through the Holocaust and to have been an outsider looking in (like I am now).
This unit has given me so much respect for the victims of the Holocaust.
I can't imagine what life would have been like living in the Holocaust. To have been put through that much pain and suffering is unimaginable. In this blog I'd like to share more of my feelings about what it would have been like to live through the Holocaust and to have been an outsider looking in (like I am now).
The victims of the Holocaust went through so much pain and suffering during Hitler's rule. First, all of their material possessions were taken away and they were told that they were the reason
This unit has given me so much respect for the victims of the Holocaust.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Turning Points 2000: Chapter 9
Chapter 9 of Turning Points 2000 is all about parental and community involvement in schools. By combining schools with parents and the community, students will have a strong foundation on which they can learn more effectively. Parents should also create a home environment that encourages learning and also have high expectations for their child's learning. Moreover, with more constant contact between schools and parents there will be less of a reason for parents to put their guard up when a school calls home. Student-led conferences are also a way to get parental involvement (in a way) and have contact between parents and teachers. The surrounding community can also be seen as a an extension of the school as well and parents and schools should utilize the tools that the community may offer. Finally, a great way to incorporate the community is through service learning.
A lot of the information given in this chapter can be seen as common sense but most of it needs to be reiterated because many parents still are not involved enough with their children's education. Everybody wins when parents and the community are involved. Teacher and student attitudes both improve and that means more effective teaching is bound to occur. Holding parent nights in middle schools is a great way for teachers, parents, and those involved in the community to get acquainted. These types of get-togethers allow for all parties involved to develop some sort of communication structure.
A lot of the information given in this chapter can be seen as common sense but most of it needs to be reiterated because many parents still are not involved enough with their children's education. Everybody wins when parents and the community are involved. Teacher and student attitudes both improve and that means more effective teaching is bound to occur. Holding parent nights in middle schools is a great way for teachers, parents, and those involved in the community to get acquainted. These types of get-togethers allow for all parties involved to develop some sort of communication structure.
MMM 15 -synthesized
Abstract:
Chapter 15 in Meet Me in the Middle discusses the importance of involving parents in their students’ education. Here Wormeli coins the term “student/teacher/parent triad” (172) to describe the necessary open communication between all three parties –parents are a vital ingredient in the recipe of student success because students’ learning does not only occur inside school grounds. Wormeli also stressed the idea of sending out postcards to parents whose children have done something positive; this shows them that we are paying attention and we appreciate student effort and work. So often, news is only sent home for bad behavior or trouble in class; these postcards help students’ success by highlighting the things they do well. Wormeli gives several suggestions that are both digital and non-digital to accommodate families that may not have internet access; it is important to be flexible so that all parents can be involved. Schoolnotes.com, blackboard.com and myclass.net are a few internet sites that serve similar functions as a wiki; parents and students can access it anywhere to look up homework, notes from class, directions for upcoming projects, quizzes/tests, and grades. Email is also a great way to communicate. For families who do not have computers at home or internet access, mailing out newsletters, making home visits and inviting parents to the classroom are ways to keep communication open and parents involved.
Reflection:
Everyone seemed to find this chapter useful; it gave several suggestions for communicating with parents and students at home. This open and understanding relationship between parents, teachers and students helps ensure student success by making expectations known to all parties involved, which in turn avoids “he said, she said” situations. Many of us seemed to have our sights set on having a wiki in our classroom to serve this purpose, but this chapter helped open our eyes to other ways of communicating and involving families that do not have access to the internet.
There were some concerns, however. A few people did not like the idea of giving out home phone numbers or personal email to students because to do so would force us to walk a thin line. This can be a) overwhelming for us as teachers because young students may take advantage of it and call us with every little problem, and b) asking for trouble in that it can be seen as inappropriate, or escalate quickly to that end. Another concern a few people expressed was that still not all parents would become involved in their child’s education, and what can we do? What other ways can we get parents involved? And then there is the idea that students need to be weaned off parent “helicopters,” that parents should only get involved to a certain degree, and that students need to be held accountable and take some responsibility for their work and their education.
Chapter 15 in Meet Me in the Middle discusses the importance of involving parents in their students’ education. Here Wormeli coins the term “student/teacher/parent triad” (172) to describe the necessary open communication between all three parties –parents are a vital ingredient in the recipe of student success because students’ learning does not only occur inside school grounds. Wormeli also stressed the idea of sending out postcards to parents whose children have done something positive; this shows them that we are paying attention and we appreciate student effort and work. So often, news is only sent home for bad behavior or trouble in class; these postcards help students’ success by highlighting the things they do well. Wormeli gives several suggestions that are both digital and non-digital to accommodate families that may not have internet access; it is important to be flexible so that all parents can be involved. Schoolnotes.com, blackboard.com and myclass.net are a few internet sites that serve similar functions as a wiki; parents and students can access it anywhere to look up homework, notes from class, directions for upcoming projects, quizzes/tests, and grades. Email is also a great way to communicate. For families who do not have computers at home or internet access, mailing out newsletters, making home visits and inviting parents to the classroom are ways to keep communication open and parents involved.
Reflection:
Everyone seemed to find this chapter useful; it gave several suggestions for communicating with parents and students at home. This open and understanding relationship between parents, teachers and students helps ensure student success by making expectations known to all parties involved, which in turn avoids “he said, she said” situations. Many of us seemed to have our sights set on having a wiki in our classroom to serve this purpose, but this chapter helped open our eyes to other ways of communicating and involving families that do not have access to the internet.
There were some concerns, however. A few people did not like the idea of giving out home phone numbers or personal email to students because to do so would force us to walk a thin line. This can be a) overwhelming for us as teachers because young students may take advantage of it and call us with every little problem, and b) asking for trouble in that it can be seen as inappropriate, or escalate quickly to that end. Another concern a few people expressed was that still not all parents would become involved in their child’s education, and what can we do? What other ways can we get parents involved? And then there is the idea that students need to be weaned off parent “helicopters,” that parents should only get involved to a certain degree, and that students need to be held accountable and take some responsibility for their work and their education.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Boys and Girls Learn Differently
Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about your presentation. You incorporated the most important things I can think of into this presentation: humor, discussion, interaction, and having us physically involved. Most of all, it was very informative. Personally, you kept me in suspense because you had me and a few others dress up while the other half did not. I had no idea why but it definitely got me thinking about the presentation a lot. You really taught us that not only do boys and girls learn differently but we do things differently as well. Case in point: the human knot activity. The ladies thought things out while the guys got competitive and just went really fast. Overall, excellent job and nice comic at the end. It made me laugh quite a bit and at the same time gave some closure to your presentation. Great job!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Book Respone to "Boys and Girls Learn Differently"
Overall I thought you guys did an awesome job. I loved how your presentation was more hands on than just you guys standing up there telling us what the book was about. Through your activities you showed us what the book was about. I thought it was very clever how you only told half the class to dress the same, while not telling the other half. It showed to me how in middle school students are judged so much on what they wear, and more learning can take place when students don't have to worry about being picked on in class. Even though I was a little mad that I didn't get a stress ball, that activity showed how different boys are than girls when it comes to paying attention to a lecture. I usually take notes because it helps me pay attention in class, but that same strategy doesn't work for guys. By far my favorite activity was the human knot. It was a great example of how different guys and girls really are. It would have been great if we could of had a team of all guys and a team of all girls, but the point was still shown. The guys did more of a trial and error method, where the girls had to think it out first. Because of this I am leaning toward have separate math classes. It just seems like the most differences are in math. Great job on the book presentation!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Boys & Girls Learn Differently Book Talk response
You guys did a great job of sneaking little pieces in to make your points: the "dress code," the stress balls/powerpoint outlines, the human knot, etc. They were clever and had us wondering until you explained each one to illustrate your point. The directions on the questionnaire activity were a little fuzzy, but the idea was good, and generated a good discussion about dress codes. The activities were engaging and fun. The powerpoint was well done -not too detailed so that you had to do much of the talking. I learned a lot about how boys and girls learn differently in terms of content area, group work, instruction and discipline; thanks to the powerpoint outline you gave me, I have it as a resource! The comic book was a clever and humorous wrap-up. Awesome job.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Boys and Girls Response
I really enjoyed the presentation today about the book, "Boys and Girls Learn Differently." You had some good information, and the hands on activities were fun and educational. I really liked the discussion we had on the different topics. I can see how uniforms/a dress code could bring down the level of teasing in a school, but I just feel like it isn't worth the suppression of student expression and I feel like it will not help to mask a student's SES. It was great to have the conversation though, because it helped to develop all of our philosophy.
The only criticism I have is something you recognized during the presentation, that we didn't talk much about how boys and girls learn differently. In the future groups may want to break up the reading by having someone whose interested in Ele. Ed. read that portion, a Sec. Ed. read that portion, etc etc. That way you could have shared more knowledge and maybe gotten that background info that seemed to be missing. That would also have given you more information to present, as it seemed you were heavy on the hands-on and short on the information.
Overall, I enjoyed the presentation (and winning at the human knot!).
The only criticism I have is something you recognized during the presentation, that we didn't talk much about how boys and girls learn differently. In the future groups may want to break up the reading by having someone whose interested in Ele. Ed. read that portion, a Sec. Ed. read that portion, etc etc. That way you could have shared more knowledge and maybe gotten that background info that seemed to be missing. That would also have given you more information to present, as it seemed you were heavy on the hands-on and short on the information.
Overall, I enjoyed the presentation (and winning at the human knot!).
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Response to Becoming a Wiz
First off I want to say that you guys did an awesome job with the wiki. It had so many links, charts, tables, and just a lot of information - too much information to be covered in one class period. It seemed like you guys had the hardest book to summarize because it had the greatest amount of information. It was just too much information for us to soak in at once. My first suggestion was for you guys to cut out some of that info, but then I didn’t want you to change your wiki because it was so good. So what if you would have given us like 20 minutes to explore the wiki on our own? It would have eliminated a lot of the explaining that you guys had to do, and it would have made more time for the activities, which I really liked. The quizzes gave everyone info about themselves that they never knew before. The true color activity was engaging and fun, but it also told us stuff about ourselves and others that we never thought of previously. My favorite was the game with the cards because we got to compete against the other teams. Overall I thought you did an awesome job with the amount of information you had in your book.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wiz Response
I felt like this presentation had a lot in it that was useful. I really liked your wiki page, because it was full of resources and it helped to unify your presentation. One thing I thought was highly important from the book was the section on memory. As teachers we need to make sure we've got our students' attention and that they are remembering what we teach them. Also, we need to become students of how the brain functions in order to maximize our teaching time. Lastly, it's really important that we make our classroom environment welcoming, because it becomes a home for our students.
I also have a few pieces of constructive criticism for you. A lot of the specifics about the parts of the brain and how it works weren't really relevant, yet you kept telling us to "remember them for the activity after." This was contradictory to everything you were teaching us, because you weren't helping us to learn the material and remember it. Overall, one thing that I think would have been helpful was to have a mini-activity between each section, so that you could make use of the down-time that you taught us our minds' have. This would also have helped to make for easier transition throughout the presentation, and maybe if one activity had been kinesthetic, it would have reduced antsy-ness.
I also have a few pieces of constructive criticism for you. A lot of the specifics about the parts of the brain and how it works weren't really relevant, yet you kept telling us to "remember them for the activity after." This was contradictory to everything you were teaching us, because you weren't helping us to learn the material and remember it. Overall, one thing that I think would have been helpful was to have a mini-activity between each section, so that you could make use of the down-time that you taught us our minds' have. This would also have helped to make for easier transition throughout the presentation, and maybe if one activity had been kinesthetic, it would have reduced antsy-ness.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
response to "Becoming a 'Wiz' at Brain-Based Teaching" presentation
I really like how you guys stepped outside of the book and found websites to supplement the points and to give us more examples. I wrote down/tagged many of the resources you offered us, and the activities were fun and engaging. I particularly liked the color activity; using it will force students to step outside and look at themselves in a different light, in a more holistic sense.
The need for a safe and supportive environment was reiterated a few times throughout the presentation; this was effective. Adolescents are susceptible mood changes and their egos are fragile; a supportive environment is necessary in the classroom to maximize learning. You delved deep into memory --what it is, what it means, and most importantly, how to make productive use of it with out students. Again, your resources will help later when the facts you gave and points you made may be forgotten. I thought it would have been useful for you to address specific ways to make concepts and content more significant; you spoke of the importance of sense and significance, but didn't shed any light on how to go about actually making the content significant.
I really liked that a couple of pages have a "review" at the end of the page that listed the big ideas and overarching concepts of the chapter; it fit in well with the steps the author gives for moving information from sensory memory to long-term memory. The last page reviewed the prominent themes in the book, which was a helpful in tying everything together. Great presentation.
The need for a safe and supportive environment was reiterated a few times throughout the presentation; this was effective. Adolescents are susceptible mood changes and their egos are fragile; a supportive environment is necessary in the classroom to maximize learning. You delved deep into memory --what it is, what it means, and most importantly, how to make productive use of it with out students. Again, your resources will help later when the facts you gave and points you made may be forgotten. I thought it would have been useful for you to address specific ways to make concepts and content more significant; you spoke of the importance of sense and significance, but didn't shed any light on how to go about actually making the content significant.
I really liked that a couple of pages have a "review" at the end of the page that listed the big ideas and overarching concepts of the chapter; it fit in well with the steps the author gives for moving information from sensory memory to long-term memory. The last page reviewed the prominent themes in the book, which was a helpful in tying everything together. Great presentation.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Student Oriented Curriculum
Overall, I enjoyed the presentation on Student Oriented Curriculum. I really enjoyed the activities you had the class participate in but I think even more would have been great. They were very original and I think they could be used in any classroom. Moreover, the ideas stated in your presentation were great and I think that the book, along with the other books to come, will be great tools for all of us someday. The wiki and the PowerPoint were great as well and can be easily accessed for future reference. Lastly, everyone participated in the presentation evenly and that is very important for any group presentation. Again, very nice job and good explanation of the book and its important ideas.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Book Talk: Student Oriented Curriculum
I thought that the ideas in this book were helpful, especially since we are currently doing an integrated unit. I really liked how the teachers had such free reign over what they could teach, it seems like their administrator really let them go crazy. However, I don't feel like we got to know enough about the teachers, and that you guys jumped into the effects of their work before we knew a lot about it. I don't know how much freedom we would have in our classrooms, and I also think having more teachers on a team makes it more complicated to be as integrated as they were. Regardless though, their success is a great example to follow.
Your presentation was alright, but I felt like there could have been better use of the MIs and maybe more hands-on activities for us. You would have to have shortened your other activities, but it would have kept us more engaged. It also seemed like some of the members of the group put a lot more effort into the presentation, but that the work they did was really good. Lastly, I feel like your wiki was very jumbled, and that you should have all stuck with the wiki format rather than just linking your individual pieces to it.
I really liked the idea of team building, and having us do an activity was a great idea. It can be very important for a class to come together (as we saw with the Freedom Writers). I also like how students guided the curriculum and how you guys walked us through the process of designing curriculum. Having teachers and students sharing all of the roles in a classroom is a great way to turn everyone into teachers and help provide a sense of ownership to the work you do.
Your presentation was alright, but I felt like there could have been better use of the MIs and maybe more hands-on activities for us. You would have to have shortened your other activities, but it would have kept us more engaged. It also seemed like some of the members of the group put a lot more effort into the presentation, but that the work they did was really good. Lastly, I feel like your wiki was very jumbled, and that you should have all stuck with the wiki format rather than just linking your individual pieces to it.
I really liked the idea of team building, and having us do an activity was a great idea. It can be very important for a class to come together (as we saw with the Freedom Writers). I also like how students guided the curriculum and how you guys walked us through the process of designing curriculum. Having teachers and students sharing all of the roles in a classroom is a great way to turn everyone into teachers and help provide a sense of ownership to the work you do.
SOC blog-Abbie
Although it all came together as you went through the presentation, it was hard to follow along with you at first because there wasn't enough explanation of the book and what its actual purpose was. The diagram on the wiki helped pull it together and clarify the idea of Student Oriented Curriculum -great use of a graphic organizer to pull together the key components.
The team-building activity was a great example, and it really gave me the feel of what is needed to get the students to work together so that the responsibility can effectively move from the teachers to the students. The unit-deciding activity also gave some insight as to how much the students are involved, how much they are in charge of their education.
You had some great resources: Steph's chart is certainly helpful; again, it lays out what is necessary, and how the process works. The clip we watched on "This We Believe -In Action" was great because we can see that these ideas and concepts are really being implemented in the classroom -Dr. Grace should consider showing us more of it because of what our goal is in this course. I'm going to go out and get a copy of Student Oriented Curriculum; it will be a great tool, even if the school I end up at or the team I end up working on doesn't go all out as Lee did, it appears to have some good ideas and resources for integrating students' opinions and needs into a regular curriculum.
It's interesting that this appeared to be specifically useful to students who were on the "cusp of staying and taking directions, or moving on and thinking on their own." It's great that your group pointed this out because that is the point that many middle schoolers are at, and it's important for us as future educators to take note of it.
Overall, great job; it was quite interesting and informative.
The team-building activity was a great example, and it really gave me the feel of what is needed to get the students to work together so that the responsibility can effectively move from the teachers to the students. The unit-deciding activity also gave some insight as to how much the students are involved, how much they are in charge of their education.
You had some great resources: Steph's chart is certainly helpful; again, it lays out what is necessary, and how the process works. The clip we watched on "This We Believe -In Action" was great because we can see that these ideas and concepts are really being implemented in the classroom -Dr. Grace should consider showing us more of it because of what our goal is in this course. I'm going to go out and get a copy of Student Oriented Curriculum; it will be a great tool, even if the school I end up at or the team I end up working on doesn't go all out as Lee did, it appears to have some good ideas and resources for integrating students' opinions and needs into a regular curriculum.
It's interesting that this appeared to be specifically useful to students who were on the "cusp of staying and taking directions, or moving on and thinking on their own." It's great that your group pointed this out because that is the point that many middle schoolers are at, and it's important for us as future educators to take note of it.
Overall, great job; it was quite interesting and informative.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Katie's SOC Blog
I really liked the way that the team building part was introduced, but I felt like there should have been a little more explanation about Student Oriented Curriculum first. The diagram on wiki explained the important parts of team building well and the activity was a good way to introduce it to our students. I know the activity wasn’t meant to be done twice but being able to change activities when they don’t work out the first time is a part of teaching.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 3
This chapter was about how to improve teaching and learning through the use of backwards design. It is a process where the teacher begins with the standards before they develop their curriculum. When selecting standards for schools to use, the book recommends the following characteristics: concerned with the essential ideas, useful and clear, rigorous, accurate, sound, brief, feasible, taken together, assessable, developmental, selected and modified or supplemented by consensus, and adaptable and flexible. Another important idea is tailoring mandated standards, when teachers take the vast number of standards and decide what is most important and work on that first before focusing in on the narrower ideas.
When you start with standards, teachers know exactly what students need to learn from their class. Focusing on the big ideas and essential questions is the best way for teachers to accomplish this. They also have to create units that connect with students' lives and maintain their interest. Just because a teacher covers a lot of material during a school year, it doesn't mean that the students will learn any more material. Students will do a lot better if they spend more time working and mastering the big ideas, instead of speeding through smaller concepts.
Assessment is another big part of backwards design. Turning Points 2000 supports varied and authentic assessments along with some formal test and quizzes and informal, such as walking behind students and check their work. Projects are another great assessment strategy. Students need different ways to show that they know the material. They also need to know exactly what is expected of them. Rubrics are a great way for students to know what they are going to be graded on before they even start their project.
Chapter 3 also discusses the "twin towers" of education - excellence and equity. Excellence and equity should be present in both the curriculum and assessment. Excellence requires high standards that makes students acquire and utilize specific skills. Equity means that the standards set expectations that every students can meet.
When you start with standards, teachers know exactly what students need to learn from their class. Focusing on the big ideas and essential questions is the best way for teachers to accomplish this. They also have to create units that connect with students' lives and maintain their interest. Just because a teacher covers a lot of material during a school year, it doesn't mean that the students will learn any more material. Students will do a lot better if they spend more time working and mastering the big ideas, instead of speeding through smaller concepts.
Assessment is another big part of backwards design. Turning Points 2000 supports varied and authentic assessments along with some formal test and quizzes and informal, such as walking behind students and check their work. Projects are another great assessment strategy. Students need different ways to show that they know the material. They also need to know exactly what is expected of them. Rubrics are a great way for students to know what they are going to be graded on before they even start their project.
Chapter 3 also discusses the "twin towers" of education - excellence and equity. Excellence and equity should be present in both the curriculum and assessment. Excellence requires high standards that makes students acquire and utilize specific skills. Equity means that the standards set expectations that every students can meet.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A Whole New Mind
Now that we have discussed the concepts of A Whole New Mind and participated in a few activities dealing with the six senses, reflect on what you learned. What sense most appeals to you? How would you teach it to your students?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
"This We Believe" -Abbie
The authors of "This We Believe" preface their book by giving an overview of their philosophy of Middle Level Education. They discuss the challenges students meet because of their continuous development throughout this stage in life, and how changes in social structure impact our students. The authors, the National Middle School Association, outline fourteen characteristics and attributes of a successful middle school before delving into each in subsequent chapters.
Successful middle schools must have educators that are prepared for young adolescents and their dynamic lifestyles; these educators must put students first, love what they are doing, and "serve as role models for students" (9). Collaboration and the use of teams in middle schools is vital; these elements better serve our students and help them reach their goals of success. These elements also join educators --teachers, staff, principals, superintendents-- in a shared vision of sticking to the school mission statement to ensure student success. Within this community, there will be smaller teams of teacher/advisors and student/advisees so that each student has an adult advocate; to coincide with this idea of each child having an adult advocate is the idea of communicating with parents, and inviting community members to take part in the learning community.
A safe and supportive environment gives the sense of community and fosters learning for all; this sense of community gives everyone -teachers & staff, students and the outlying community-- a feeling of teamwork and goals towards which to strive. A safe and supportive environment fosters learning by upholding high expectations for every member of the community; teachers work together to appropriately challenge and engage students so that each individual is continually striving.
Successful middle schools provide a “curriculum that is relevant, challenging, and integrative and exploratory” (19), and successful teachers take advantage of teachable moments to address the “hidden curriculum” (20). Relevance, integration and exploration refer to a curriculum’s relation to the real world, as well as its ability to incorporate and be sensitive to students’ questions and interests. These three components also speak to a curriculum that is interdisciplinary, one that does not isolate subject areas, but rather connects them. Challenge calls attention to whether or not a curriculum is developmentally appropriate, and pushes our students to go beyond the covering of content; challenging our students to master necessary skills to look at a concept from all angles, and discover how as well as why.
The authors continue on to discuss the importance of multiple teaching and learning approaches to accommodate student diversity: multiple intelligences and learning styles, skill levels, cultural experiences, and prior knowledge. Successful instructional approaches include an emphasis on collaboration and cooperation, technological integration, various individual and group activities, and hands-on experiments –all of which cater to student interest and/or have a real-life application.
Successful middle schools must have educators that are prepared for young adolescents and their dynamic lifestyles; these educators must put students first, love what they are doing, and "serve as role models for students" (9). Collaboration and the use of teams in middle schools is vital; these elements better serve our students and help them reach their goals of success. These elements also join educators --teachers, staff, principals, superintendents-- in a shared vision of sticking to the school mission statement to ensure student success. Within this community, there will be smaller teams of teacher/advisors and student/advisees so that each student has an adult advocate; to coincide with this idea of each child having an adult advocate is the idea of communicating with parents, and inviting community members to take part in the learning community.
A safe and supportive environment gives the sense of community and fosters learning for all; this sense of community gives everyone -teachers & staff, students and the outlying community-- a feeling of teamwork and goals towards which to strive. A safe and supportive environment fosters learning by upholding high expectations for every member of the community; teachers work together to appropriately challenge and engage students so that each individual is continually striving.
Successful middle schools provide a “curriculum that is relevant, challenging, and integrative and exploratory” (19), and successful teachers take advantage of teachable moments to address the “hidden curriculum” (20). Relevance, integration and exploration refer to a curriculum’s relation to the real world, as well as its ability to incorporate and be sensitive to students’ questions and interests. These three components also speak to a curriculum that is interdisciplinary, one that does not isolate subject areas, but rather connects them. Challenge calls attention to whether or not a curriculum is developmentally appropriate, and pushes our students to go beyond the covering of content; challenging our students to master necessary skills to look at a concept from all angles, and discover how as well as why.
The authors continue on to discuss the importance of multiple teaching and learning approaches to accommodate student diversity: multiple intelligences and learning styles, skill levels, cultural experiences, and prior knowledge. Successful instructional approaches include an emphasis on collaboration and cooperation, technological integration, various individual and group activities, and hands-on experiments –all of which cater to student interest and/or have a real-life application.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Meet Me in the Middle Ch. 9
The subject of this chapter was the benefits of using block scheduling, the idea that you have fewer classes in the day (usually 4) that last for a longer period of time (around 80 minutes). This may make it so that less material is covered over the course of the year, but Wormeli asserts that more material will be remembered by students than in the traditional schedule. The chapter goes over the backward design model, and explains how it is important for us to use this model in blocks because it helps us define what we want to do with all the time we have. The author argues that block scheduling is less stressful for students because you are not trying to cram everything into a short period of time. A potential drawback with them is that students don't remember as much from the middle of the period, so teachers should place their most important material in the beginning and end of the period, and save tasks like attendance and homework review for the middle. Other benefits of blocks include more time for teachers to integrate their curriculum, more time for students to reflect on their work, better opportunities to integrate the community into the learning process, and more time for teachers to incorporate all of their students unique learning needs. In the end, block scheduling can only be successful if teachers fill all the time with engaging activities for their students.
That last point is something I think we can all relate to, even in college. Long periods of time can be powerful for learning, but if they are not filled with engaging activities they can feel like they are dragging on forever. Another thing many of us noticed was that the beginning and end of our classes are usually for administrative tasks when they should really be for the most important subject material. The beginning of class should be for engaging material, and the end should be for reflection. One negative criticism some people had of the chapter was that it focuses on backwards design, something many of us learned in practicum. Also, block scheduling does not allow for teachers to see their students every day. At the end of the day, block scheduling focuses on what's important, the learning.
This video is a documentary about one school's move to block scheduling and shows a variety of opinions about the issue. Everything we said in our reflections seems to be represented well. You should know also know that is student made, so it's not always appropriate and it is very long.
That last point is something I think we can all relate to, even in college. Long periods of time can be powerful for learning, but if they are not filled with engaging activities they can feel like they are dragging on forever. Another thing many of us noticed was that the beginning and end of our classes are usually for administrative tasks when they should really be for the most important subject material. The beginning of class should be for engaging material, and the end should be for reflection. One negative criticism some people had of the chapter was that it focuses on backwards design, something many of us learned in practicum. Also, block scheduling does not allow for teachers to see their students every day. At the end of the day, block scheduling focuses on what's important, the learning.
This video is a documentary about one school's move to block scheduling and shows a variety of opinions about the issue. Everything we said in our reflections seems to be represented well. You should know also know that is student made, so it's not always appropriate and it is very long.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Katie's This We Believe Blog
"This We Believe" starts out by stating that all middle school students deserve schools and teachers that support them during a difficult time in their life. In order for this all to happen the school's organization, curriculum, pedagogy, and programs must be based on the needs of the students in the school. In order for all of this to be effective, middle schools have to follow 14 characteristics that are interdependent and must be implemented at the same time. These characteristics are split into two categories, characteristics that the culture of the school must have and characteristics that need to be provided to young adolescents (p.7). Young adolescents go through a lot of changes during their middle school years and they need the support of their schools and teachers to help them succeed.
Successful schools for young adolescents are characterized by a culture that includes educators that enjoy it and are prepared, collaborative leadership, a shared vision, a supporting environment, high expectations for everyone, active learning, an advocate for every student, and family and community partnerships. Middle school teachers have to be prepared to teach young adolescents, developmentally they are unique to other age groups. Not only do teachers have to be positive in the classroom, but they have to be positive role models in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and at recess. If students see positive relationships between adults and see adults working together, they will start to do the same, not only with teachers but with their peers. Young adolescents are more mature than a lot of people give them credit for, so also having high expectations for all students will help them succeed in middle school.
Successful schools for young adolescents provide a curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative and exploratory, multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to their diversity, assessment and evaluation programs that promote quality learning, organizational structures that support meaningful relationships and learning, school-wide efforts and policies that foster health, wellness, and safety and multifaceted guidance and support systems. Young adolescents will not respond to a curriculum that they don't find relevant or challenging. It is the teachers' job to make the connections for their students, and allow them to explore different aspects on their own. "They need, for instance, the chance to be a member of a musical group, though never destined to become a professional musician, to have a part in a play, though never to become an actor, or to create visual images through drawing and painting, though never to become an artist" (24). Young adolescents need the opportunities in the classroom to see which way they learn the best, and this can only happen through multiple teaching approaches. A good way to do this is through technology. Technology opens up new learning opportunities for students, and new teaching strategies for teachers. Finally young adolescents have to be graded on assessment and evaluation, not just one or the other. Teachers need to see how much progress is being made and what the level of achievement is.
In order for middle schools to become successful middle schools, there are a lot of people that need to support the school during the transition. Firstly, the teachers have accept the new methods of teaching and use it in their classrooms. Principals have to make sure that it is being used properly by all teachers. Parents need to become familiar with the changes going on in their child's school. The first step to becoming a successful middle school is the simplest - read This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents. Creating middle schools that can handle all the responsibilities that are talked about in this book takes a lot of work, and to start the transition everyone needs to be on the same page. Young adolescents have different characteristics then students that are younger or older than them. They are going through periods of physical development, cognitive-intellectual development, moral development, psychological development, and social-emotional development. Young adolescents can't be successful during their middle schools years by themselves, they need support in and out of school. This We Believe can teach us not only how to teach them, but how to help them succeed.
Successful schools for young adolescents are characterized by a culture that includes educators that enjoy it and are prepared, collaborative leadership, a shared vision, a supporting environment, high expectations for everyone, active learning, an advocate for every student, and family and community partnerships. Middle school teachers have to be prepared to teach young adolescents, developmentally they are unique to other age groups. Not only do teachers have to be positive in the classroom, but they have to be positive role models in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and at recess. If students see positive relationships between adults and see adults working together, they will start to do the same, not only with teachers but with their peers. Young adolescents are more mature than a lot of people give them credit for, so also having high expectations for all students will help them succeed in middle school.
Successful schools for young adolescents provide a curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative and exploratory, multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to their diversity, assessment and evaluation programs that promote quality learning, organizational structures that support meaningful relationships and learning, school-wide efforts and policies that foster health, wellness, and safety and multifaceted guidance and support systems. Young adolescents will not respond to a curriculum that they don't find relevant or challenging. It is the teachers' job to make the connections for their students, and allow them to explore different aspects on their own. "They need, for instance, the chance to be a member of a musical group, though never destined to become a professional musician, to have a part in a play, though never to become an actor, or to create visual images through drawing and painting, though never to become an artist" (24). Young adolescents need the opportunities in the classroom to see which way they learn the best, and this can only happen through multiple teaching approaches. A good way to do this is through technology. Technology opens up new learning opportunities for students, and new teaching strategies for teachers. Finally young adolescents have to be graded on assessment and evaluation, not just one or the other. Teachers need to see how much progress is being made and what the level of achievement is.
In order for middle schools to become successful middle schools, there are a lot of people that need to support the school during the transition. Firstly, the teachers have accept the new methods of teaching and use it in their classrooms. Principals have to make sure that it is being used properly by all teachers. Parents need to become familiar with the changes going on in their child's school. The first step to becoming a successful middle school is the simplest - read This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents. Creating middle schools that can handle all the responsibilities that are talked about in this book takes a lot of work, and to start the transition everyone needs to be on the same page. Young adolescents have different characteristics then students that are younger or older than them. They are going through periods of physical development, cognitive-intellectual development, moral development, psychological development, and social-emotional development. Young adolescents can't be successful during their middle schools years by themselves, they need support in and out of school. This We Believe can teach us not only how to teach them, but how to help them succeed.
Sean's Blog.....It's Pretty Sweet
"This We Believe" begins by talking about just how important middle grades education is. Middle school students, ranging from ages 10 to 15, are constantly changing physically, emotionally, and intellectually. These students need a school where healthy growth is promoted and students can become life long learners. Adolescents are not the only thing changing; the times are changing as well. Race, poverty, and ethnicity all play an important role in the lives middle school students. Family structures have changed from nuclear and extended families to families that vary in number, ethnicity, race, and gender. Some of these families lack the right amount of parental supervision as well. To be successful middle school teacher we need to recognize all the changes around students' lives and listen to the ideas offered in the book.
A major theme from this section of "This We Believe" is communication with students. It is important to be there for students and let them know that you can be someone that they can talk to. Moreover, involving families and the communities around the student is a positive effect. Kids at this age tend to (for the lack of a better word) "copy" what adults do because when they see an adult doing something they assume it is the correct behavior. It is important for teachers to try and remain positive in school and to work together with other teachers. When students at this age see positive interaction like that then they will tend to treat both teachers and classmates with respect. Finally, a successful middle school is one where teachers and students are engaged in learning together. Students and teachers working together give students deeper levels of understanding and motivation.
The next issue that "This We Believe" tackles is middle school curriculum. They say that curriculum in middle schools (in order to be effective) needs to be relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. It mentions how curriculum had changed with the introduction of new laws and state and federal standards. Curriculum is different in the 21st century and need to fully accommodate to students. Also, teaching skills need to change as well. Teaching should now enhance and accommodate diverse skills and prior knowledge of students. Every student has an individual learning style and teachers need to recognize this. Assessment/evaluation programs and organizational structures that support meaningful relationships are also kept in mind when selecting teachers and organizing a curriculum. One last important aspect of a school curriculum in the 21st century is the implementation of health awareness in schools because a regular health program can interfere with learning while promoting proper health throughout the school will not.
The final section of "This We Believe" starts off my offering different actions for everyone that is involved with students in middle school. It lists actions for teachers, principals, parents, superintendents, state boards and departments of education, and teacher educators. The main actions pertaining to teachers include reviewing teaching styles and talking in depth about team teaching. The other actions listed for the other groups are quite useful, as well. Next the books discusses the changing characteristics of adolescents. These include physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and social characteristics. It is important to remember that all students will being experiencing these changes at different times in their adolescence. With the help of a caring and concerned middle grades teacher students will thrive to succeed and know that they will have plenty of help throughout their middle school years.
A major theme from this section of "This We Believe" is communication with students. It is important to be there for students and let them know that you can be someone that they can talk to. Moreover, involving families and the communities around the student is a positive effect. Kids at this age tend to (for the lack of a better word) "copy" what adults do because when they see an adult doing something they assume it is the correct behavior. It is important for teachers to try and remain positive in school and to work together with other teachers. When students at this age see positive interaction like that then they will tend to treat both teachers and classmates with respect. Finally, a successful middle school is one where teachers and students are engaged in learning together. Students and teachers working together give students deeper levels of understanding and motivation.
The next issue that "This We Believe" tackles is middle school curriculum. They say that curriculum in middle schools (in order to be effective) needs to be relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. It mentions how curriculum had changed with the introduction of new laws and state and federal standards. Curriculum is different in the 21st century and need to fully accommodate to students. Also, teaching skills need to change as well. Teaching should now enhance and accommodate diverse skills and prior knowledge of students. Every student has an individual learning style and teachers need to recognize this. Assessment/evaluation programs and organizational structures that support meaningful relationships are also kept in mind when selecting teachers and organizing a curriculum. One last important aspect of a school curriculum in the 21st century is the implementation of health awareness in schools because a regular health program can interfere with learning while promoting proper health throughout the school will not.
The final section of "This We Believe" starts off my offering different actions for everyone that is involved with students in middle school. It lists actions for teachers, principals, parents, superintendents, state boards and departments of education, and teacher educators. The main actions pertaining to teachers include reviewing teaching styles and talking in depth about team teaching. The other actions listed for the other groups are quite useful, as well. Next the books discusses the changing characteristics of adolescents. These include physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and social characteristics. It is important to remember that all students will being experiencing these changes at different times in their adolescence. With the help of a caring and concerned middle grades teacher students will thrive to succeed and know that they will have plenty of help throughout their middle school years.
Ryan's This We Believe Blog
"This We Believe" starts out by outlining the challenges facing adolescents today. Developmentally, they are going through a time of change. During this time they are also being bombarded by the media and are facing peer pressure to try new and potentially dangerous things, such as drugs, sex, and alcohol. Today's adolescents also have a much more diverse family life than in even the recent past. All of these things mean that middle-grade students need more than just the standard education that Junior Highs have been providing for the last century. As teachers, we need to be committed to implementing all of the following ideas set forth by the National Middle School Association in order to improve the education and development of our students.
TWB's first section is about the culture of a strong middle school. Teachers are a critical part of that culture. TWB argues that teachers of the middle grades need to be trained specifically in the needs of adolescents, something that is hard in a school like UMF, where our certification runs K-8 and 7-12. Teachers also must be positive role models for their students, because as individuals they are at a very impressionable age. Teachers also need to work together as leaders and follow a common mission statement, that way they can guide all of their actions. I believe this shared vision is a great way to point a large group of teachers, who normally would march to the beat of their own drum, in the same direction. Part of this vision should be that teacher and students have high expectations of each other, because it pushes them to achieve more. This We Believe concludes that schools should have an advocate/advisory program for its students and should involved the community in it's learning, because both of these things provide more attention to the students and push them to achieve more.
TWB then discusses the things that schools need to do for their middle level students in order to be successful. They start with curriculum, because it's the vessel that a school's goals are accomplished. It most be relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. This curriculum should use diverse instruction methods that appeals and challenges every student. As a teacher, you also have to use authentic assessment in your units. It helps if your students set their own goals, and then are evaluated based on their individual progress. As we've read in our other books, teaming in schools helps to make them smaller and improves teacher/student relationships. Physical and mental health are also very important in today's day and age. TWB states that schools need to encourage exercise through activities like gym, health, and extracurriculars. I think this is incredibly important in today's age of obesity. Mental health is also troubling for our children today, and a strong middle school needs to make sure it's teachers and guidance counselors offer the support that developing adolescents need.
TWB goes on to provide everyone involved in the different aspects of schooling with a way to get involved in the process of implementing their recommendations. One of the overarching goals this section provides is for everyone to read TWB and become familiar with it's recommendations. It makes me feel accomplished to know I've done that. I focused a lot on reading the aspects concerning teachers and parents. I really liked the idea of teachers getting colleagues to come and observe them. I don't think we get enough peer feedback, and if you have someone who shares your educational values, you can really improve your pedagogy. One of the most important things they say for teachers is to always remain an advocate for your students. I think whenever we do something in our classroom, we should be asking ourselves, "How can this help my students?" An important thing that parents can do is to volunteer in the classroom. I think this could allow them to make a difference and implement small pieces of TWB's philosophy without infringing upon the schools and stepping on anyone's toes. Lastly, I was glad to see that UMF is following these recommendations by using TWB in our curriculum.
TWB closes by going over the characteristics of the young adolescents we will be dealing with. While I found this section helpful, I really think it's a discussion for the beginning of the paper, not the end, because it is the reasoning for making change. Physically, our student swill be growing rapidly and may feel awkward in their changing bodies. Additionally, they will need time during the day for physical activity. This means that it is important for us as teachers to incorporate bodily-kinesthetic learning into our lessons. Cognitively, our students are beginning to be able to think abstractly and are curious about the world around them. For this reason, we need to allow our students to uncover the material for themselves, and to challenge them with their work. They also love to work with their peers, so activities like jigsaws and group projects should be used. Adolescents are in a time of transition morally. Stuck between being self-centered and recognizing the feelings of others, they may not always make consistent decisions. They are also capable of recognizing the grey area many issues have, but are very idealistic in their thinking. All of this being said, they still rely on adults and see them as role models. The most important thing to know about them psychologically is that their self-esteem fluctuates and is very impressionable, so the smallest amount of praise can make their day and even a little criticism can bring them right back down. Socially, they are also vulnerable, and will seek out a group to identify with. I think that as teachers we can make our class that group, so that our students don't have to identify with the clicks that seem to ruin school for so many people. Adolescents are at a crossroads developmentally, and it's our job as teachers to help them make a smooth transition.
TWB's first section is about the culture of a strong middle school. Teachers are a critical part of that culture. TWB argues that teachers of the middle grades need to be trained specifically in the needs of adolescents, something that is hard in a school like UMF, where our certification runs K-8 and 7-12. Teachers also must be positive role models for their students, because as individuals they are at a very impressionable age. Teachers also need to work together as leaders and follow a common mission statement, that way they can guide all of their actions. I believe this shared vision is a great way to point a large group of teachers, who normally would march to the beat of their own drum, in the same direction. Part of this vision should be that teacher and students have high expectations of each other, because it pushes them to achieve more. This We Believe concludes that schools should have an advocate/advisory program for its students and should involved the community in it's learning, because both of these things provide more attention to the students and push them to achieve more.
TWB then discusses the things that schools need to do for their middle level students in order to be successful. They start with curriculum, because it's the vessel that a school's goals are accomplished. It most be relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. This curriculum should use diverse instruction methods that appeals and challenges every student. As a teacher, you also have to use authentic assessment in your units. It helps if your students set their own goals, and then are evaluated based on their individual progress. As we've read in our other books, teaming in schools helps to make them smaller and improves teacher/student relationships. Physical and mental health are also very important in today's day and age. TWB states that schools need to encourage exercise through activities like gym, health, and extracurriculars. I think this is incredibly important in today's age of obesity. Mental health is also troubling for our children today, and a strong middle school needs to make sure it's teachers and guidance counselors offer the support that developing adolescents need.
TWB goes on to provide everyone involved in the different aspects of schooling with a way to get involved in the process of implementing their recommendations. One of the overarching goals this section provides is for everyone to read TWB and become familiar with it's recommendations. It makes me feel accomplished to know I've done that. I focused a lot on reading the aspects concerning teachers and parents. I really liked the idea of teachers getting colleagues to come and observe them. I don't think we get enough peer feedback, and if you have someone who shares your educational values, you can really improve your pedagogy. One of the most important things they say for teachers is to always remain an advocate for your students. I think whenever we do something in our classroom, we should be asking ourselves, "How can this help my students?" An important thing that parents can do is to volunteer in the classroom. I think this could allow them to make a difference and implement small pieces of TWB's philosophy without infringing upon the schools and stepping on anyone's toes. Lastly, I was glad to see that UMF is following these recommendations by using TWB in our curriculum.
TWB closes by going over the characteristics of the young adolescents we will be dealing with. While I found this section helpful, I really think it's a discussion for the beginning of the paper, not the end, because it is the reasoning for making change. Physically, our student swill be growing rapidly and may feel awkward in their changing bodies. Additionally, they will need time during the day for physical activity. This means that it is important for us as teachers to incorporate bodily-kinesthetic learning into our lessons. Cognitively, our students are beginning to be able to think abstractly and are curious about the world around them. For this reason, we need to allow our students to uncover the material for themselves, and to challenge them with their work. They also love to work with their peers, so activities like jigsaws and group projects should be used. Adolescents are in a time of transition morally. Stuck between being self-centered and recognizing the feelings of others, they may not always make consistent decisions. They are also capable of recognizing the grey area many issues have, but are very idealistic in their thinking. All of this being said, they still rely on adults and see them as role models. The most important thing to know about them psychologically is that their self-esteem fluctuates and is very impressionable, so the smallest amount of praise can make their day and even a little criticism can bring them right back down. Socially, they are also vulnerable, and will seek out a group to identify with. I think that as teachers we can make our class that group, so that our students don't have to identify with the clicks that seem to ruin school for so many people. Adolescents are at a crossroads developmentally, and it's our job as teachers to help them make a smooth transition.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
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