The article, Beyond the Bubble Tests...(http://bit.ly/aQ29QT) made some excellent points about standardized testing and common core standards. This Assessment 2.0 idea includes high quality formative assessments that will test critical thinking skills and include complex student learning. An example of a science problem was to take a student 60 minutes to complete in comparison to maybe a minute spent on answering a multiple choice question. These tests are structured in a way to document student growth, give immediate feedback, get students to analyze and solve complex problems, demonstrate clear communication, apply knowledge, and engage entrepreneurship and creativity versus getting a student to select the right choice for a multiple choice problem. The tests are structured to assess the students' thinking capability versus what the student has already learned or memorized.
I believe we need to adopt some type of common core standards across the nation if we are going to adopt standardized assessment across the nation. It is my opinion that all states will then have the same ability to implement similar curriculum and plan lessons based on the same academic standards that will prepare students not only for the common assessment but for their career path post high school graduation. However, I also believe this may be a difficult concept to implement in reality. Every state has their own uniqueness. School Districts differ from county to county. School administrators differ in opinions within the same school district. I am pessimistic that a set of common core standards will get everyone on the same page in education and keep them there.
With that being said, I am not sure then that a common assessment in all states would be a valid and reliable measure of a students' knowledge level or readiness for career and/or college.
I believe the increased focus on science, math and English language arts may make a negative impact on some of the courses a business education teacher may teach. Some of the more business type courses like Business Law, Introduction to Business, Personal Finance, etc may not have a place in the curriculum especially if there is an increased need to increase the number of math or science offerings a student must have to graduate from high school. However, President Obama's stance on STEM education does include a focus on technology so there may still be a need, from a common core perspective, to implement technology courses into the curriculum that would fall under the business education department.
It will be interesting to watch the progress of Assessment 2.0 over the next four to five years and how it affects the school curriculum.
www.corestandards.com
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The First Days of School
The first days of school are very important days. Just like the first day of any job, there are a lot of eyes watching and ears listening to you. People (Administrators, Teachers, Support Staff and Students) are forming opinions of who I am within the first few minutes of meeting me. It is important, therefore, to be prepared. The following are some areas I believe are important.
This I Believe...
First, I believe it is important to establish a good rapport with the cooperating teacher. For the next sixteen weeks, we have to work together in the same classroom. I need to be respectful of her established procedures and routines while finding a way to delicately interweave some of my own ideas or preferences for classroom management. I believe it is also important to understand the cooperating teacher's expectations of my performance from minor things like what time to arrive in the morning to more major things like what do you expect me to teach (cover) in a specific course. My co-op is also a valuable resource to help me to get a feel for the school atmosphere, the policies that are in place and the rules that are enforced.
Second, I believe it is important to meet other teachers, support staff and administrators in the building to establish a connection with other people with whom I will be working. This is where I found our School, Program and Community Study to be very helpful. I felt more confident meeting both the high school principal and assistant principal since I knew their names and background prior to walking into the school. The study was also helpful in speaking with other business education teachers as I knew their names and the courses they were teaching. I felt prepared and knowledgeable.
Third, I believe it is important to begin to establish relationships, with appropriate boundaries, with the students. While this is difficult at the moment in my placement since it is the end of a semester and all the students will be changing on Monday, I was still able to introduce myself to students, learn some of their names, interact with them during class time, learn about student IEPs and students with behavioral issues. Being in a computer lab classroom, I was also able to observe how students used their computers and what the lab procedures are both during class and during free time.
Finally, I believe it is important, on the first day I teach a course, to establish a positive atmosphere with high expectations from the very beginning. I will communicate my classroom expectations to the students and establish a classroom routine. I will incorporate seat assignments to better learn my students names and to assist me in managing the classroom. I will be prepared with the lesson plan and communicate to them why this class is important to them and how it will help them be successful in the future.
I will be energized and enthusiastic about teaching the students. I will make sure they know my name and some things about me with the hopes they will be willing to share some things about them that will help me be a better educator for them.
References: Active Learning, Mel Silberman, Classroom Management, Harry Wong, http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/dayone.htm
This I Believe...
First, I believe it is important to establish a good rapport with the cooperating teacher. For the next sixteen weeks, we have to work together in the same classroom. I need to be respectful of her established procedures and routines while finding a way to delicately interweave some of my own ideas or preferences for classroom management. I believe it is also important to understand the cooperating teacher's expectations of my performance from minor things like what time to arrive in the morning to more major things like what do you expect me to teach (cover) in a specific course. My co-op is also a valuable resource to help me to get a feel for the school atmosphere, the policies that are in place and the rules that are enforced.
Second, I believe it is important to meet other teachers, support staff and administrators in the building to establish a connection with other people with whom I will be working. This is where I found our School, Program and Community Study to be very helpful. I felt more confident meeting both the high school principal and assistant principal since I knew their names and background prior to walking into the school. The study was also helpful in speaking with other business education teachers as I knew their names and the courses they were teaching. I felt prepared and knowledgeable.
Third, I believe it is important to begin to establish relationships, with appropriate boundaries, with the students. While this is difficult at the moment in my placement since it is the end of a semester and all the students will be changing on Monday, I was still able to introduce myself to students, learn some of their names, interact with them during class time, learn about student IEPs and students with behavioral issues. Being in a computer lab classroom, I was also able to observe how students used their computers and what the lab procedures are both during class and during free time.
Finally, I believe it is important, on the first day I teach a course, to establish a positive atmosphere with high expectations from the very beginning. I will communicate my classroom expectations to the students and establish a classroom routine. I will incorporate seat assignments to better learn my students names and to assist me in managing the classroom. I will be prepared with the lesson plan and communicate to them why this class is important to them and how it will help them be successful in the future.
I will be energized and enthusiastic about teaching the students. I will make sure they know my name and some things about me with the hopes they will be willing to share some things about them that will help me be a better educator for them.
References: Active Learning, Mel Silberman, Classroom Management, Harry Wong, http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/dayone.htm
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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