In reflecting on the research websites, I have to admit, it has been awhile in THIS teacher's career that I have really had to dive into this deeper level of research. I will have to say that it is such a great reminder to look at the validity of the resource and the makings of the study.
I was quite surprised to say the least in this study's outcomes. There were items that I thought were critical for the success in school, and yet according to the research, it wasn't as I viewed the scale. I was fascinated that student feedback was extremely high and even in the second study that was done later, student feedback remained pretty high and testing, which is SUCH a big thing right now, was towards the bottom of the list.
In the second study, self-report grades were very high, but something that kind of bothered me was the knowledge that the teacher had for the subject matter and the training that the teacher received was quite low. That doesn't quite sit with me well, seeing that I already hear that "anyone can be a teacher" and I tend to believe that my training and education has molded me into a better educator for my students - but according to this study - it's not.
In the IES research, I was intrigued by the math achievement section. I am revamping my whole math journal this fall, making it more of an interactive journal and resource for my students. It is a ton of work, but I want it to be full functioning by the time the kids step into my room for the first day of school. So, I looked that up and was brought to a site that listed many different interventions that early education students could take part in and help increase math achievement. According to the study listed, the SRA - or Building Blocks intervention had a positive outcome on the achievement on students - however, other intervention programs did not do as well.
I think as educators, we can get very easily drawn into the "latest and greatest" and it is important to do additional research in order to show the validity in what is being presented to the staff and/or students. As far as the staff, it think it is important to bring in a sense of research to show the staff that what is being presented is backed up by current research and best practices for students. It is a good reminder for us, as educators/administrators to remember.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
New assignment on the thoughts on UDL
I'm enjoying learning more about UDL. I felt the video segments were a great way of teaching more about UDL in a condensed way.
There are a couple of items that I learned from this assignment regarding UDL.
1. Starting with the goal in mind - the end goal comes first. Look at the outcome that you want learned and work backwards from there.
2. Another interesting aspect that I don't think about as much as I should is really pondering the barriers that exist with teaching this outcome that will hinder my students from learning at their highest potential. It is something that I need to pay more attention to - something that I will from now on.
3. I enjoyed watching the video segment where it talked about UDL being a framework that moves the students to be a successful learners and hopefully eventually expert learners. It mentioned how most lessons are taught with the "average" student in mind. However, the UDL will allow for flexible learning and hopefully reach more students.
Some of the key points regarding UDL is that it teaches the instructor to offer multiple ways for the material to be taught to the students. Another item that UDL focuses on is that it offers several different ways of the students expressing or even acting out the material that has been taught to them. Finally, UDL offers a variety of engagement for the students. This model is very flexible with your students and covers the what, how, and why of learning. All of these items make for better understanding for the students of the classroom.
Finally, the teacher should always begin with the end first so that the focus can be on what needs to be learned by the student. This helps the teacher by keeping the end goal in sight while writing the activities. Otherwise, it might be easier to become sidetracked by other lessons/activities that are not part of the end goal.
There are a couple of items that I learned from this assignment regarding UDL.
1. Starting with the goal in mind - the end goal comes first. Look at the outcome that you want learned and work backwards from there.
2. Another interesting aspect that I don't think about as much as I should is really pondering the barriers that exist with teaching this outcome that will hinder my students from learning at their highest potential. It is something that I need to pay more attention to - something that I will from now on.
3. I enjoyed watching the video segment where it talked about UDL being a framework that moves the students to be a successful learners and hopefully eventually expert learners. It mentioned how most lessons are taught with the "average" student in mind. However, the UDL will allow for flexible learning and hopefully reach more students.
Some of the key points regarding UDL is that it teaches the instructor to offer multiple ways for the material to be taught to the students. Another item that UDL focuses on is that it offers several different ways of the students expressing or even acting out the material that has been taught to them. Finally, UDL offers a variety of engagement for the students. This model is very flexible with your students and covers the what, how, and why of learning. All of these items make for better understanding for the students of the classroom.
Finally, the teacher should always begin with the end first so that the focus can be on what needs to be learned by the student. This helps the teacher by keeping the end goal in sight while writing the activities. Otherwise, it might be easier to become sidetracked by other lessons/activities that are not part of the end goal.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Do we really need technology in the classroom?
Technology - it is something that has evolved and now students will never know a world without technology. I look at my own life - how technology has slowly filtered in, something very slowly, little steps by little steps...but I look at the children now and I'm completely fascinated with how they aren't taking little steps in technology, but leaps, giant steps and it encompasses their whole world now. Little two year olds are holding their parents iphones and playing a variety of color recognition games, or counting games to keep themselves occupied while their parent cruises the cereal aisle.
As one of the videos mentioned, people/students can connect in ways that were never imaginable before and you can share those thoughts/ideas/items learned with the entire world. This is something that before the internet was not even conceivable.
I do believe that incorporating technology in the classroom is a good thing. I also appreciated one of the videos that mentioned that students can now learn at their own pace using the tools that are offered through the use of technology. The Common Core Standards mention how the students need to be self-directed learners. They need to be able to have the knowledge to seek out these resources to get them to be this self-directed learner. This would include the teacher, their own peers, printed documents, books, as well as digital reference materials. All of these will equip the students to be ready for life in a society that is wrapped in technology.
Now, the question comes up about a teacher or facilitator that may be reluctant to use/incorporate technology into their teaching/classroom. My first item on the agenda would be ask them WHY they are reluctant. It could very well be that it could be a fear factor with not being as familiar with the digital tool as what the kids are or other teachers around them. I think there may be many school districts that have incorporated laptops, ipads or something else similar for the students to use, however, to due many circumstances, the staff was not properly trained on how to use it or the best ways of incorporating that tool into the classroom for that particular grade level. With the demands placed on teachers, there may be some teachers who lack the extra time that is needed to familiarize themselves with the best methods of instruction using that particular digital too. Without that needed training and a support team that will help them work through the best ways of incorporating it into the classroom, there would be some educators that would push against using it in their classrooms until they feel more comfortable using that particular tool in front of their students.
Overall, technology makes it possible for students to connect instantly with the world in a way that was never before done. There are topics on anything imaginable, which simply fosters the love of learning for students and help them absorb it to the fullest. If it is something that is fun and something that they enjoy learning about, they will want to explore that further. Exploring takes on a whole new meaning when digital media can be used within the classroom to facilitate the learning of all the types of students that are the make-up of any given classroom.
As one of the videos mentioned, people/students can connect in ways that were never imaginable before and you can share those thoughts/ideas/items learned with the entire world. This is something that before the internet was not even conceivable.
I do believe that incorporating technology in the classroom is a good thing. I also appreciated one of the videos that mentioned that students can now learn at their own pace using the tools that are offered through the use of technology. The Common Core Standards mention how the students need to be self-directed learners. They need to be able to have the knowledge to seek out these resources to get them to be this self-directed learner. This would include the teacher, their own peers, printed documents, books, as well as digital reference materials. All of these will equip the students to be ready for life in a society that is wrapped in technology.
Now, the question comes up about a teacher or facilitator that may be reluctant to use/incorporate technology into their teaching/classroom. My first item on the agenda would be ask them WHY they are reluctant. It could very well be that it could be a fear factor with not being as familiar with the digital tool as what the kids are or other teachers around them. I think there may be many school districts that have incorporated laptops, ipads or something else similar for the students to use, however, to due many circumstances, the staff was not properly trained on how to use it or the best ways of incorporating that tool into the classroom for that particular grade level. With the demands placed on teachers, there may be some teachers who lack the extra time that is needed to familiarize themselves with the best methods of instruction using that particular digital too. Without that needed training and a support team that will help them work through the best ways of incorporating it into the classroom, there would be some educators that would push against using it in their classrooms until they feel more comfortable using that particular tool in front of their students.
Overall, technology makes it possible for students to connect instantly with the world in a way that was never before done. There are topics on anything imaginable, which simply fosters the love of learning for students and help them absorb it to the fullest. If it is something that is fun and something that they enjoy learning about, they will want to explore that further. Exploring takes on a whole new meaning when digital media can be used within the classroom to facilitate the learning of all the types of students that are the make-up of any given classroom.
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