Master's Blog

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:12:00 +0000

When I visited this website, I noticed that the site itself is very inviting. It is clearly labeled and it is easy to navigate between the tabs. The mission of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is to build a partnership among education, business, community, and government leaders. The partnership wants to close the gap between what skills students are learning in school and the skills that they will need to be successful in the business world. I think this is a great thing, however, I'm not sure how exactly they will accomplish this. I was surprised to see that only 10 states are participating in this initiative. It seems that there is a lot of work that has to go in to becoming a part of this partnership. In order for your state to get involved: " a state demonstrates commitment from the governor and chief state school officer and submits an application to P21 that describes the state’s plan to revise standards, create assessments and implement 21st century skills professional development programs." (www.21stcenturyskills.org) This seems like a lot of work. I am surprised that larger states such as New York, California, and Texas are not participating in this partnership. I'm curious as to why.

I didn't really find the resources very helpful on this site. The site has a link to the Mile Guide, but there
really aren't any lesson ideas found on the site. This would be something that would be helpful to me. If
they would list the skills that they are trying to promote and give an example of ways to accomplish this in
the classroom. I think the site is set up more to inform people about the partnership, but not really how to
implement it. I would like to see how these states are teaching these skills in the classroom, and see
opinions of how the teachers and students feel about it. I think the partnership has good intentions, but I just
don't know how long it will be before more states get involved. I think I will do my best to incorporate 21st
century skills on my own for now.

Blogging in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:05:00 +0000

After watching the clip of Mrs. Martin's 6th grade class and reading the uses for blogs in the text "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools", I have to say that I am excited to use Blogs in my own classroom. I teach a self-contained 2nd grade class in LaVergne, TN. While I am a fan of using technology in the classroom and look forward to using a class blog next year, I do face some challenges. One of which is that our county currently blocks the Blogger site from the server. This means that I would not be able to log on to the class blog at school in order for my students to participate in it. The second challenge I face is that I work in a high poverty area, and many of my students do not have access to a computer at home. In spite of these challenges, I am going to make an attempt to use a class blog next year.

For a first attempt at a class blog, I think I might start out using it as a way to showcase student work. I think that the students would really enjoy seeing their work out there on the web for others to see and comment on. I would also use my class blog as a way to communicate with students and parents by including important information such as: class calendar, assignment due dates, newsletter, etc. If possible, I would love to be able to record important lessons (such as math lessons) in order to have them online for students to watch if they are absent or need a refresher over the topic. This would be a wonderful tool instead of having to reteach the same skills over and over again. The blog could be open as a center for students to visit and watch different lessons as needed. They would also be saved in the blog to refer back to later on in the school year. It would be a great year long review especially for skills such as counting coins and telling time. These are particularly tricky for 2nd graders.

I also like Mrs. Martin's idea of using the blog to work on student writing, and I would like to work on this after getting used to the blog itself. This would be such a fun and exciting way to get my students to write! This could easily be set up as a writing center in the classroom. I'm sure that they would all beg for their turn to go to the computers and add their writing to the class blog for others to read and comment on. As Mrs. Martin said, it would also be a good way to work on the correct way to write. You would be able to emphasize the fact that other people will be reading this, so it should be written in their best spelling and grammar. By including writing on the blog, not only would I be able to comment, but also other teachers, students, parents, and others in the cyber world. I think it is important for students to receive feedback from more than just one person in order to improve their writing. This would be a great tool! We shall see if it is a possibility for next year.

Let's Talk About It

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:52:00 +0000

CREDE Standard 5 emphasizes dialogue over lecture. I think it is important for teachers to let their students talk with them and to each other. This way, the students are having an active part in their learning. Students are able to process their thoughts and bounce ideas off of each other. They are able to begin to form opinions of their own rather than just being told what they should think.

Guided Reading (pg. 222) is a way to emphasize dialogue over lecture. Dr. Tharp emphasized the importance of small group discussions in the DVD. Guided Reading allows you to discuss the stories being read in a small group and provide the students with the level of support they need. They can also discuss with each other in a book group what they have learned about it the story. Reporting back (pg. 167) is also a way to get students involved in dialogue. This would work well with ESL students also because is requires the students to discuss what they have learned after the lesson has been presented. By having a students report back what has been discussed, other topics might be brought up for discussion among the students.

What's the point?

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:08:00 +0000

I feel that the CREDE Standards 3 & 4 can be grouped together. Standard 3 deals with connecting school to students' lives and Standard 4 deals with engaging students with challenging lessons. Personally, I feel that in order to provide an engaging lesson to students, it must connect to their lives. Students learn better when they have an understanding of the topic that is being covered. For ESL students, this is especially important because many things may not be the same as they are in their native land.

I was able to find several strategies to use in the classroom for these standards. Realia strategies (pg. 24), Culture Studies (pg. 112), and Making Stories Some to Life (pg. 189) deal with connecting school to students' lives. I think these are all great strategies that can really get all students involved. They can all showcase the different cultures that are found in the classroom. As far as the realia strategies and culture studies, parents could also be involved in collecting real world objects to be used to aid in the teaching in the classroom and provide information on different topics. I know that I have a select few parents that want to help out, and this would be a great way to get them involved. All of these strategies can allow the students and their families to work together to further their education. It is also good to give the other students a glimpse into the lives of their classmates.

The strategies listed above can also be used to engage students with challenging lessons. Students are more eager to learn when they understand what is being taught to them and can see how it might be helpful in the real world. Reciprocal teaching (pg. 154) can be used to create challenging lessons because the students are doing the teaching themselves in small groups. The teacher could easily walk around and monitor the groups while prompting discussions that are at the levels of the students in the group. Leveled questions (pg. 79) and multimedia presentations (pg. 148) also aid in creating challenging lessons for all students. They allow the teacher to differentiate for all of the different levels in the classroom, and it also allows the teacher to challenge each student at their level. It gives the teacher a chance to individualize his or her teaching in order to give the students the extra challenge that they each need.

You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:36:00 +0000

The second CREDE standard focuses on developing literacy and language skills across the curriculum. This is another important skill for all students. Students must know the vocabulary for all subjects in order to understand the material that is being presented. Our class text gave examples to use with this standard as well.

The first strategy I found was visual scaffolding. This strategy uses drawings or photographs to connect the vocabulary to the actual object. This would be beneficial to ESL students because they may know what an object is by looking at it, but not know the English word for it. By connecting these vocabulary words to pictures, the students will be able to create visuals to assist them in learning. They can also draw their own pictures to help them understand.

Another strategy is preview/review (pg. 40). This strategy involves providing a preview of a lesson in a student's native language. You then teach the lesson in English and review again in the student's native language. This strategy would be one of the best to ensure maximum understanding of your ESL students. The only downfall would be learning the native lanugages of your students. This would be easier to do if your students speak Spanish, but more difficult if they speak another lanugage. It would definitely be something to look into. This way the students are exposed to the vocabulary in both English and their native language. I'm not sure how realistic this is since most teachers today only speak English, but it would definitely be something to strive to accomplish.

There's no "I" in teamwork

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:46:00 +0000

The CREDE Standards are 5 elements/standards for effective teaching. These methods are especially helpful when teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Today I am going to focus on Standard 1- Teachers and Students working together. I think this is something that all good teachers must do. Teachers and students should work together in order to create a welcoming classroom community where students feel comfortable. The students should know that teachers are there to help them when they need it, however, students should also be given the opportunity to work together in cooperative groups. In the DVD, Dr. Tharp stated that students have maximum motivation when they are working in a group to complete a project. They realize that they must all work together to accomplish a common goal. However, many students today need to be taught how to correctly work together. This is important for the teacher to model in order to be able to accomplish this standard in the classroom.

I think there are some good strategies listed in our class text, 50 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, that help to accomplish this. One method in particular is the Think-Pair-Share method. (Partner work will get the students prepared for group work later.) This is a great way for teachers and students to work together. Students are given the opportunity to discuss topics and work together with other students. This gives the teacher time to walk around and monitor students while they work. Teachers can stop at individual groups to offer assistance if needed. This strategy works well with ESL students and non-ESL students alike. Cooperative groups also accomplish this standard. I have found that students, especially ESL students, love working in groups because they are able to talk with each other. They love taking control of their own learning. This is also a strategy that can be used across all subject areas. Basically, kids love talking and working with each other rather than listening to the teacher lecture.

A Last Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:30:00 +0000

As I get ready to wind down for the night, I decided to go back over and look at the topics I have reflected on this week. I realized as I was looking back that I forgot to mention one of the topics. I decided to do that now as a final, final thought. The questions were:
What are my assumptions about why some people are affluent and others are poor? Do I think it is fair? Inevitable?
Whom or what do I blame for disparities in wealth and opportunity? Poor people? Wealthy people? The system? What do I think needs to be changed? Do I want to be a part of that change? If so, in what ways?

I think that education plays an important role in why some people are affluent and others are poor. Many of the high paying jobs in society today require a certain degree that you must go to school to obtain. You won't ever see a doctor or a lawyer who makes millions of dollars having only a GED. That's just not the way it works. However, I do think that the system is a little out of whack also. You would think an important job such as teaching would pay a lot more money than it does. Teachers never go into this profession for the money, it's always for the love of children and learning, however, I think a lot more people might be willing to enter the field if the pay was comparable to the work that goes into it. I don't see how actors and athletes get paid millions of dollars per movie or game, while teachers get paid peanuts. Something isn't right.

I do think that people have to power to change their status in life if they want it bad enough. They can choose to go back to school to get the degrees they need. I think it's sad that some people are content with living off of the government's money. I have quite a few students this year on free and reduced lunch. The parents make it a point to write me notes every time we have an outside activity to remind me that they get to go for free. When did this become something to be proud of? If it were me, I think I would be embarrassed having to ask for things for free all the time. I would want to go back to school or work my hardest at my job to be able to provide for myself and not rely on others. (That may just be because that was how I was raised.) It's even sadder when these parents pass this feeling on to their children. My second graders will brag about not having to pay for lunch or field trips. However, when we have our book fairs or Santa's Secret Shop, the kids magically have all this money to spend on junk they don't need. I'm talking $50.00 magically appearing to buy snow globes and bracelets, but when it comes to paying for lunch, there just isn't any money to be found.

Education isn't the only factor as to why some people are affluent and others are poor. I think it is also work ethic. Those people who are proud of their job, no matter what it is, and work hard to do their best usually can make enough to get by. My father is an example of this. While he didn't go to college, he has worked hard and loves what he does. He was able to do quite well for himself in the restaurant business. However, then his friend and business partner totally screwed him over. But that's a story for another time. Now, after he'd worked so hard and was finally living the good life, he is having to start over again at the bottom and work his way up instead of being able to retire in a few years like he should have been able to. I admire him for that. Even though things went horribly horribly wrong, he was able to pick himself back up and get right back in there. I think if people have that drive to succeed, they will. They may not be millionaires, but they will be able to survive on their own. It's those people who think certain jobs are beneath them and are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up, who end up living off of welfare. It's almost as if they think they are too good for certain jobs and just expect others to take care of their needs for them.

I try to educate the kids in my class of the importance of continuing their education and being proud of the work they do. I want the best for them and I know they can all do great things if they put their mind to it. I don't want any of them to ever think they are "too good" to do something. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it's usually at the bottom. No one jumps right in and starts out as the boss. You have to work hard and earn it.

Final Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

For my final blog this week, I thought I would focus on the final question:
Think about how your personal attitudes and beliefs might influence you as a teacher. How might your identity impact your perceptions, actions, and beliefs in the classroom?
I think it is important for teachers to reflect on themselves in order to become better teachers. I do believe that the personal beliefs of a teacher will have an impact on how they act in the classroom.

Coming from a two parent home where I never really wanted for anything has impacted my teaching. It caused a bit of shock when I started my first year of teaching at my school. Many of these children have parents who are divorced, single parents, or have one or both parents in jail. Many of the children are on free and reduced lunch. The only meals they may get are breakfast and lunch at school. Sometimes the children may come to school wearing the same clothes they wore the day before. They also may fall asleep in class because they were kept up all night listening to parents fight. This was all new to me and I had to adjust my personal beliefs. Not all children are as fortunate as I was growing up, but that doesn't mean that they aren't smart, wonderful kids who want something better out of their life.

One of my personal beliefs that I try to pass on to my students is not to judge others. I think that children, especially my 2nd graders, should be friends with everyone. There is no reason for anyone to feel left out or be made fun of. I try to make sure that my students are kind to each other and include everyone. If I hear them making fun of others or leaving someone out of the group, I try to pull them aside and talk to them about it. Everyone should be able to get along with everyone.

I also try to instill a love of learning in my students that my parents instilled in me. I think that getting a good education is very important. Not going to college was never an option in my house. Neither of my parents went to college, and they made sure that my sister and I both would continue our education. It still amazes me the way students act today. When I was in school, we would never imagine talking back to the teacher or not turning in homework that was required of us. Today, you see kids cussing their teachers, throwing chairs, ripping up homework, or just not turning anything in ever. I realize that some of this behavior is learned at home. Many of our parents do not consider education to be a top priority. It is my hopes that I can pass some of my beliefs on to my students so that they can have a better apperciation for education.

I have to say this blogging experience hasn't been as bad as I thought. I thought it might be a little weird talking to myself on the computer, but it's been OK. It has given me a chance to think about things I do not normally think about. I think I might be more aware of these things because of this assignment. Hopefully, it will have a positive impact on me!

Bumble Bee Tuna

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:10:00 +0000

I have spent some time focusing on many of the questions listed for this first assignment. Today I though I would focus on:
How do I feel when I interact with a person who speaks a native language other than English? Do I treat the person differently than when I am speaking to a person whose first language is English? What assumptions do I have about linguistically diverse people?How would I characterize encounters that I have had with people of different cultures? Have they been positive experiences? Negative? Neutral?

When I think about how people interact with people who speak another language, I am reminded of the scene from Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls. In this movie, Ace travels to....I forget where... in order to find the white bat Shikaka. Upon arriving in the village, he hears someone greeting the villagers and he tries to imitate what he hears. He ends up telling everyone "Bumble Bee Tuna" rather than the correct words.

I find this funny because I have actually experienced moments like this in my life. You go out with a group of people, a member of the group might be a different race, another member of the group assumes that because of the color of their skin they speak a different language, and then that person proceeds to try and speak that language to the person. This has actually happened at our school. A fellow teacher met with one of her Hispanic student's parents for a conference. Before even introducing herself, she began trying to speak Spanish by adding an "o" to the end of her words. The parents looked at her, and in perfect English, explained that they speak both English and Spanish. Ha! Talk about judging a book by its cover.

I try never to assume that just because someone is from another country they speak a different language.If I find out they do speak another language, I will try my best to communicate with them in other ways. I might try to point to object or pictures or use hand gestures. I certainly am not one of those people who slows my speech down. (My poor students can back me on this) If I realize I am going a little too fast, I will go back and repeat myself though. I also am not one of those people who just speak louder. Hello?? If they don't understand what you're saying, saying it louder will not help.

I also try to learn a few words or phrases in the native language of the person I am dealing with, if I will be communicating with them for an extended period of time. If I am only going to see them for an hour, that is obviously not enough time to quickly brush up on an entirely new language. I received a new student my first year of teaching from Laos. I went out and bought a Lao to English dictionary in order to communicate with her. I posted pictures and the English word around the room to help her familiarize herself with the objects she would see on a daily basis. For the past 2 years I have had many Hispanic students. I have had to brush off the old Spanish books from high school to remember some key words and phrases to get us through the day. Also, in high school, we had a girl on our cheerleading squad who was deaf. (Ironic, yes) She would take time out to teach us sign language because we told her we wanted to be able to communicate a little easier. (She could read lips and told us it wasn't necessary, but it was fun to learn nonetheless)

As far as the subject of my encounters with people from other cultures, I have to say I have been introduced to a lot in college and in my classroom. I have had friends and students from Mexico, Puerto Rico, India, Egypt, and Ethipoia. The majority of my experiences have been positive ones. I try to have an open mind and learn a little bit about the other cultures. I do not want to offend others with my curiosity, and I try to keep my questions to a minimum if I see I am making the person uncomfortable. Usually most of the people I encounter are eager to teach others about where they come from and their way of life. I have traveled to Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands and have met different people on my travels. In middle school I had pen pals from Korea and England. I love learning about different cultures. I think it is so interesting to learn about different food, music, clothing, etc. I think that the world would be a better place if everyone shared this feeling.

Why can't we be friends????

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I thought about how my life might be different if I were a man. I have to say that I am still feeling the same way about it. In fact, as the school year is coming closer to the end, I think my kids might behave a little better if I were a big, intimidating man!

Anyway, today I thought I would think about some of the other questions we're supposed to ponder this week. I thought I would focus on

How do I feel about my racial group? Am I proud? Ambivalent? Do I sometimes wish (or have wished) that I belonged to another group?
How do I feel about people from other racial groups? Do I have close friends and neighbors in other racial groups, or is my social network racially homogeneous? Would I like to have close friends of racial groups other than my own? Why or why not?

So far I am loving my life. I enjoy being a woman, most weeks of the month, and I enjoy my race. I haven't really had to deal with many prejudices in my life being white and growing up in an area that was mainly white as well. However, I do wonder what my life might have been like if I had been another race. I'll admit, I've imagined being some exotic race before, but this is mainly due to the fact that I am freakishly white and would enjoy wearing shorts without blinding others. : )

I really don't have any problems with people of other races. I have friends who are African American, Hispanic, European, and even Indian. Some of these people I have known since elementary school, and others I met in college or while at work. I try to be friends with everyone. I was always taught that skin color doesn't matter. If a person is fun to be around, I'll want to be friends with them. If a person is snotty and rude, I won't want to be their friend no matter what the color of their skin is. I think it is great to have friends of different races because they can teach you so much. You can actually get a glimpse first hand of what goes on in other cultures . It is always fun to learn and experience new things.

I was excited to find out that my roommate my freshman year of college was an African American girl. I imagined what great friends we would be. And I have to admit, I imagined us hanging out and her braiding my hair. (stereotypical I know) However, this was NOT the case. My roommate wanted nothing to do with me! She would never come out when I invited her, she would never invite me out, she wouldn't let any of her friends talk to me, and she most definitely did not want to braid my hair! I thought this was so strange. It was almost as if she was embarrassed to be seen with me. I guess that was just how she was raised. Where I could care less what color skin my friends have, she obviously did. Her social network was definitely homogeneous, while mine was not.

If I were a boy... even just for a day.

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:26:00 +0000

In the words of Beyonce, I was thinking about how my life would be different if I were a boy. I think my life at school would be easier if I were a man. It's almost as if the men receive special treatment because there are so few of them compared to the women. They can get away with a lot more. We are required to turn in lesson plans each week as well as test data each six weeks. Many of the male teachers feel that they do not have to turn these things in on time, and they do not get reprimanded either. However, when the female teachers do not turn these items in, we hear about it. I understand that the men might feel a little outnumbered teaching at the elementary level, but I still feel it is important that they are held to the same standards as the women. If we are supposed to turn something in, that should mean everyone. Trust me, I would love to not have to turn lesson plans in each week, but it's part of the job so I do it. I also feel that it is easier for men to get jobs in the elementary teaching field. When you look around at graduation time, the majority of elementary education majors are women. When you go to the teacher fairs looking for a job, the principals pounce on the men. It's hard not to wonder if some of these men get hired based solely on the fact that they are a man. Don't get me wrong, I am all for men becoming elementary school teachers. I feel that it is great for young children to have positive male role models. I wish we had more at our school because many of our students do not have positive male role models to look up to.

I think being a woman has had an influence on my life. I think I have a more sensitive and caring nature because of it. My parents always taught my sister and I how girls should act. They wanted to make sure we were polite, kind, and helped others. However, just because we were girls, that didn't mean that we had to be weak. My mother was very influential and taught us how to stand up for ourselves and speak our minds. Some women might think this isn't "lady-like", but I think it is an important quality to have. Most people usually think of men as the ones who are outspoken and take charge in a situation, but it is becoming more and more common to see women taking charge. I think this is a great change.

Assignment # 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Ok..... this is my very first time creating and writing a blog. This assignment is for my Master's class at Walden University. For our first assignment, we were given the option of A.) Writing a 2-4 page paper in APA format or B.) Create a blog. Since I am getting my Master's in Integrating Technology in the Classroom, I thought it might be a good idea to choose the technology related assignment. We'll see how this goes. It might be harder than I think!

Our first assignment is to reflect on the question "Who am I?" We need to reflect on the following questions throughout the week:

How do I feel about my racial group? Am I proud? Ambivalent? Do I sometimes wish (or have wished) that I belonged to another group?
How do I feel about people from other racial groups? Do I have close friends and neighbors in other racial groups, or is my social network racially homogeneous? Would I like to have close friends of racial groups other than my own? Why or why not?
When do I notice culture? How often do I think about it?
How would I characterize encounters that I have had with people of different cultures? Have they been positive experiences? Negative? Neutral?
How does my value system relate to my culture? What values do I hold dear? Have I had experiences where my values were in conflict with another person’s values? How did I resolve these differences?
What are my assumptions about why some people are affluent and others are poor? Do I think it is fair? Inevitable?
Whom or what do I blame for disparities in wealth and opportunity? Poor people? Wealthy people? The system? What do I think needs to be changed? Do I want to be a part of that change? If so, in what ways?
How do I feel when I interact with a person who speaks a native language other than English? Do I treat the person differently than when I am speaking to a person whose first language is English? What assumptions do I have about linguistically diverse people?
How has being a man or a woman influenced my life? How has it limited me? Sustained me? Opened up possibilities?
If I had been a man instead of a woman or vice versa, how would my life have been different?
Finally, think about how your personal attitudes and beliefs might influence you as a teacher. How might your identity impact your perceptions, actions, and beliefs in the classroom?

I have to say that I don't normally think about these questions on a daily basis. I'm usually thinking about everything I need to accomplish before the bell rings at the end of the day! I do teach in a VERY diverse school, however. In fact, I'm the minority there! We have a large Hispanic and African American population at our school. My identity and upbringing impact my actions in the classroom, but hopefully not in a negative way. It will be interesting to actually take time and think seriously about these questions.

I'll be back to blog more later on this week. (We are supposed to reflect and post throughout the week, not all in one day.)