Chapter 7

Assessing & Reporting Student Achievement:

IMPORTANT VOCABULARY:

• Assessment / Evaluation
• High-stakes / Value-added Assessments
• Measurement
• Validity / Reliability
• Authentic / Performance Assessment
• Diagnostic, Formative & Summative Assessment
• Criterion referenced / Norm-Referenced Assessment
• Checklist / Rubric
• Formal / Non-formal Tests
• Alternative Assessment
• Portfolios

The section of this chapter that I have taken careful note of is the formative assessments. The need for careful planning to assess throughout units to gage the depth of understanding. This allows for the teacher to stop, remediate, or provide activities that appeal to the learner on another level. It provides checks and balances for students and teachers. In the beginning it will be more work for the teacher, but in the end it will become second nature. It will also cut down on the need to redo, reteach, and fix what was not learned the first time through. 

Alternative assessments are fun. It gives everyone in the class the chance to be creative and show what they KNOW.

I think you get less negative responses, the kids do not see them as "tests" and they can truly engage the concepts and understand them.

Often, creating alternative assessments are easier than sitting down and hammering out the traditional  pen to paper test.

Another aspect of the chapter that caught my eye was parent interaction. I have seen interactive teachers that have great working relationships with parents. I have also seen disconnected teachers. Although grade reports go home (weekly in our school), many parent do not see them. Relying on paper communication only (especially when there are grade issues is not always a good idea).

I walked into a meeting a week before school was out and the principal and 3 teachers were discussing failing a 7th grade girl (I have her on behavior check in/out). The week passed and I asked how the discussion went with her mom. The educator I spoke with said, "We are waiting until the last day, last bell to give her the report card (non promotion) because we don't want to deal with the mom." I wondered how crushed the girl was going to be and how angry the mom was going to be. I thought .... I would be rude too if my daughters school acted like that....it is a vicious circle. Parents need to be part of the team, whether they are black, white, poor, rich, cranky, excited....

Chapter 6

Preparing an Instructional Plan...

 

Lesson Planning is not the simple task of scribbling down notes about the days planned events. It is a thoughtfully, prepared outline of a teacher's strategies to bring a class to individual goals as well as class goals. The plan is vital to keeping the teacher and students on track and gathering data. The components to a successful unit are:

• Selecting the topic/theme
• Deciding on a goal
• Creating an overview
• Selecting educational objectives
• Detailed instructional procedure
• introductory activities
• developmental activities
• culminating activities
• Plan PRE-assessments/POST-assessments
• Gather materials

In addition, time is a crucial factor to plan. Although the unit itself can be any duration, the daily time planning is important. Teacher needs to have anchor activities to fill in down time and make the best use of all teachable moments.


     The mode of delivery is another decision to be made. Direct and indirect instruction really aren't choices. They are both viable and necessary instruction techniques that when utilized appropriately act as compliments to one another. It is true, direct instruction should never be the bulk of teaching but it has a place....however small it has become. Indirect instruction is so different from direct instruction.

The vast amount of resources and unlimited creativity that can be used it exciting; it is the classroom experience that provides dense learning experiences for all types of learners (tactile, kinesthetic, auditory & visual).
There are many different aspects of the child learner an educator needs to decise what and where their beliefs lie:

• Learning Styles-
• imaginative
• analytic
• dynamic
• Three Phase Learning Cycle-
• exploratory/hands on
• inventive/concept development
• expansion/application
• 4MAT
• Learning Capacities-
• bodily/kinesthetic
• existentialist
• interpersonal
• intrapersonal
• logical/mathematical
• musical/rhythmic
• naturalist
• verbal/linguistic
• visual/spatial

Gone are the days of the teacher talking and the kids sitting passively and listening to facts that will be memorized.

Teacher's need to plan for each student, taking into account their unique talents and abilities. This requires knowledgeable and dedicated teacher's who don't live inside the box.

 

     The educator that plans gives themselves the gift of reflection. It is so important to look back and reflect and re-evaluate every lesson. Whether you have taught the lesson one time or 25 times, it can never be the same plan or outcome twice. The children are different, the class dynamic is different, and every year the teacher should evolve and be different.

 

  

Chapter 5

 

 

The Curriculum....

 

 

 



 

     Teacher's can be as creative or as mundane as they want. It is all up to them. The curriculum is the canvas and the type of instruction is the color. Within these colors there are many different aspects that distinguish an invested, inventive teacher from a teacher that is there to simply work a job. These details are the application by which we apply these colors. What will they want to create? Will it be one or many colors? Will we mix, create and experiment as we apply them?   

 

     Planning is an integral part of a teacher's job. The yearly, unit, and daily lessons all help to try and ensure a smooth learning and teaching  experience. Planning is a road map for the children and families, it helps to serve as a "check-up" for progression, it creates a more calm atmosphere, and it empowers the entire group. It also aids the teacher assessing progression. Along with planning comes creating goals and objectives. These are the directions to get where you are going on the map. Whether is a generalizations of goals or the specifics of objectives this is what we want for the children. The high expectations we want them to reach for (and attain). This can seem very intimidating but district, national as well as state standards serve as your guide.  

 

 

It is important that multiple resources are used when teaching a group of children. Multiple texts (not only the official textbook), environmental print, technology, art, music, experiences, etc.... This is so important because how can one source of information truly appeal and inspire so many different types of learners and personalities. Bloom's Taxonomy is something we have heard about so much.  It is such a great resource to us as an organizer to place different ideas regarding various needs. An example is the Bloom's Taxonomy for Technology, it is a great visual to have hung in a computer area.

 

 

 

It is important to also look into and know the affective and psychomotor domains. A child cannot be a successful learner if the "whole" child is not attended too.

 

     I think the if we learn anything, it is the fact that there is a lot of responsibilities that go beyond the interactions that are seen on the surface. Having the responsibility  of creating the environment that has a huge part of a child's thinking, learning, and understanding of the world is a big deal.

 

 

 

 

* Bloom's Taxonomy visual from: www.res.rcs.k12.tn.us





Chapter 4

 

(pinterest.com)

 

The Learning Environment: Planning and Managing the Classroom

 

 

A student cannot be successful alone. A classroom is the ultimate TEAM experience. The success of the students and teacher are based on the planning and management of the class. Classroom management and planning are the most vital components to teaching. Without structure and boundaries it can be difficult or impossible to instruct, learn, interact, bond, and have an overall positive experience. It is not solely for the benefit of the students, it is for the benefit of everyone who enters or interacts with the class.

    

   I think it is important to continually reiterate the need to never take the "small stuff" for granted. Visuals, simple role playing, small pats on the back as you walk by, conferencing, consistency in the details, positive not punitive....all of these set the stage for higher expectations. Strategies taught to allow the classroom to run smoothly are the same strategies that allow the teacher to deal with negative issues in a timely, proficient manner.   

 

     The different models for classroom behavior all take into consideration that the days of children being seen and not heard are long over. Understanding what drives a child's behavior, letting them experience natural consequences, allowing control over their emotions, listening to them, and realizing every child's need for an engaged teacher can all be used as tools to manage behavior. Having an understanding of all the theories is truly the best way to teach.  The reality is, each child will require a different (slight or huge) approach to understanding them academically and behaviorally.

 

     Hopefully every teacher that takes a classroom will be able to maintain a sense of pride. It should be from the classroom itself to their academic planning, from their investment in the students to the commitment receive from their students. It is a beautiful thing to see when it works and terribly sad when it falls apart for all involved.

 

 

 



 

 





 



 



Chapter 3

Thinking & Questioning: Skills for Meaningful Learning

 

 

I wonder if teachers know how powerful their words can be. If words are used correctly, they guide the students to a greater sense of empowerment, curiosity, togetherness, and accomplishment. On the other hand words can discourage, breakdown, and embarrass. Educators need to use every aspect of the classroom environment to model and scaffold inquisitive minds both individually as well as a group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Common core is forcing our kids to take learning to another level. They need to be able to explain the process not just stumble through it. Extended response on ISAT has sent many children into a sad state when they see the two pages of lined paper after the math problem. Teachers need to set the standard from day one of school. The classroom needs to be a safe environment to be questioned and to allow questioning. If the teacher models low, intermediate and high levels of questioning the children will pick up on it quickly. In the curriculum opportunities for various types of questioning including: analytic, clarifying, convergent, cueing, divergent, evaluative, focus, and probing need to be woven throughout. This is so important because is helps the students grow individually and as a class. It aids in:

• class management 
• curriculum development
• special education issues
• student attitude/morale
• cognitive abilities
• study habits
• mediation
• general, personal growth
• and so much more

     This chapter really highlights the detailed work a teacher encounters everyday. The importance of shaping a child's thinking is the larger blanket that covers more detailed responsibilities. How questions are phrased, where the child is in their question/answer process, what they do and do not understand, the consistency in the teaching/learning processes across the class, etc... It is a job to be respected and never taken for granted.



Chapter 2

 

 

Professional Responsibilities of Teachers of Young Adolescents

 

 

 



 

 

 

    The theories that govern learning are vast and varied. They are forever changing as is the classroom dynamic. Teacher philosophies are so different. I see many teachers that strictly follow the theories that highlight the nature aspect of learning. They believe in a "one size fits all" approach more than other theorists. The staff that seem to let the children have a voice and some control stay in the nature realm of learning. My belief is that adolescents face situations and environmental factors that past generations did not. They seem more stressed and grow up faster as a result. It seems that teaching needs to be flexible and meet the children where they are at. Give them a voice in a frustrating adolescent world. This active, engaging. full teaching style can open up children that were otherwise shutoff.

 

 

 

 

 

     In addition to the very daunting task of making teaching more interactive, teachers also are responsible for so many details of everyday life in the school community. The responsibilities include: ensuring a physically and emotionally safe environment, differentiation in instruction, critical thinking, multilevel activities, technology usage, community interactions (speakers, fieldtrips, community service), adhering to a huge amount of guidelines/rules (copyright, district policies, learning standards),and being a role model and facilitator. These are only a few hats educators must wear. All of these start with a base belief of how you believe you can best facilitate the classes learning.

     

 



Chapter 1

Teaching Young Adolescents: Recognizing and Understanding the Challenge

 

 

 

The classroom dynamic has changed dramatically across all grade levels. Middle school adds an even greater dynamic because of the ages and stages that inhabit these classrooms.  Chapter 1 continually reiterates how varied each child's needs may be (these factors may be: socioeconomic status, family unit, emotional history, cultural background and ethnicity). These needs require creative approaches to interacting and educating the individual child.  "No Single Shoe Fits All" (Kellough, 2008) is a simple statement with a very important message. Whether it is creative scheduling, co - teaching, exciting collaborations, unique  learning environments, or reflective thinking teachers must be responsible.  This responsibility lies in their planning, teaching / interacting , and content. Educators cannot make careless decision and mistakes that children pay for. In the schools the most powerful teaching team is the alliance of the teacher, child, and family.

   I am currently in a position at a middle school and feel like we are literally running, physically and mentally, to keep up with the diverse educational and social-emotional needs of the kids. I have seen K - 8th, 2nd -8th, and 5th - 8th  schools. Presently our middle school houses 5th - 8th. It is plain to see the common factor was not age grouping, the common factor was poverty. I think that no matter what the schedule, instruction type, or legislation....poverty is the biggest battle. The students and, sometimes, teachers expectations are lowered. Just two days ago our administration lowered the criteria for our kids to pass. We have a school that has tried various schedules, changes curriculum with the times, and can say their staff that cares. Yet we still have multiple 16 year old 8th graders, not to mention the one's that slipped away. I hear and have so many ideas, we keep fighting for the kids. Education will keep zigging and zagging, navigating the constantly changing route of education. I think it can be done.