Educational Issue: Teacher Evaluation

            The presentation done of teacher evaluation and the paper were both very interesting. I really enjoyed the paper and the way in which it was written. It made it very intriguing and entertaining to read, which is what made me feel as though I obtained more information from it. For instance, federal requirements have made it so there are more teacher evaluations. I feel as though in ways this could be beneficial and not. It is beneficial because teachers are given more feedback and opportunity to be evaluated numerous times, meaning that the chance of improvement is much higher. Also, this gives more examples of ones teaching, which can be helpful when it comes to terminating jobs. However, one has to make sure they are following the guidelines, which is important in the evaluation. One must also make sure to constantly be working towards improvement though this should always be a goal.

            Another aspect I found interesting was the idea of self-awareness and self-assessment. I feel as though evaluation is important in many different ways. I feel as though as mentioned at the end of the presentation, having multiple means of evaluations helps in the best results. I want to have multiple ways of being evaluated even if this is not something the school system comes up with. I believe my students should have the ability to evaluate me, much like we do with our professors here at the end of a semester. I want to give them opportunity to critique my teaching and projects because I want to interest my students. The only way in which this can be done is through asking their opinion. I also wish to ask a colleagues opinion on occasion because I want to know that what I am doing is good especially in my first years. Also, it is nice to have a mentor or someone to turn to to evaluate your class when you see an area that needs improvement. As a human being, I have accepted the fact that I am not perfect. This unfortunately means that there will be areas in which I need to improve. This is one reason why I need to be open to teacher evaluation because it is better for my teaching, my classroom, and my students’ education, which is important. I need to take what is said into consideration and remember everyone continues to grow.  I am hoping this will make me more open to criticism.

            Speaking of criticism, though I know parents are not really trained for evaluations, I would like to also have their input in some ways. This group had mentioned this possibility in their presentation and I found it interesting. I believe that we should have multiple types of evaluators and parents happen to be one of these. I feel as though evaluation is crucial because it helps one grow as a learner and educator. I only hope that this all will have positive effects on the teacher and classroom, because according to this group it can go different ways. This is what is being used, so it needs to be implemented in positive ways. These are my views on teaching evaluations and such.

Educational Issue: MCL (Mass Customized Learning)

            I feel as though this form of education has the potential to be beneficial in the classroom; however, at the moment it is not ready to be fully implemented into most classrooms. I remain critical because it is something beneficial for many classes, but seems difficult to implement into an English classroom fully. It I were to use this system in my classroom it may not be my main focus for my classroom. I could see myself using it in certain aspects of my class, such as vocabulary lessons and such. It is a great system and the idea of not having grades, tracking, and such make the learning atmosphere less stressful for students and educators. It allows one to focus on the individual and give students the proper education needed, which is an aspect I believe is important in education. This allows there to be diversity in learning and is a flexible system for teachers to involve in their classes.

            The idea of Mass Customized Learning has been the buzz lately. Commonly, friends of mine who are out in the school system have mentioned it on numerous occasions. Before Dan, Rachel, and Kate’s presentation, I did not know anything about it except for what had been spread around about many schools switching to this system. I had done a bit of research to see what the discussions were talking about; however, this presentation and paper are the areas in which I was able to really break it down and see it for all the elements. Though it is not something I like completely, I do enjoy this method and feel as though it would be a helpful tool that will monitor and make sure students are constantly being challenged and pushed to learn more. It is a good system that has a few kinks much like any item experimentally being placed in schools. We must move forward even if that means having to discover new ways of learning and systems to help with education. This is one of those systems used and commonly mentioned. It is nice to know what it is and does for the individual student, the teacher, the classroom, and the school itself.

Philosophy of Education: Impact on the Classroom

           My philosophy on education will have a great aspect on many areas of the classroom. I am a clipboard at heart, which was discovered two years ago as a sophomore in college who had really just began to explore the thought of having my own classroom. This has shown me the person I am but also has helped in shaping my philosophy and ideas on teaching throughout the next two years of my college career. I plan on having an organized class that has the main focus being on students and their different ways of learning, much like my ways of learning are clipboard and puppy meaning I learn best around others and must have an organized list of what is to be done in a given day. As a future educator, I plan to have my class organized in such a way that I know what type of learner each student is and have them paired up in a group that will benefit them best. I care about students and having a productive and comforting classroom. I want to feel welcome and safe, which is what I would imagine my students would also want. This is one of the many aspects of the classroom I strive for this safe learning environment that is not a distraction but helps engage my students’ want for knowledge and understanding. I plan to have my classroom do just this in hopes that it will encourage and motivate students to do their best.  This is the main reason behind the organization of my classroom to make it a great learning environment that inspires and motivates.

            I will do this by setting up the desks in the best way possible for what is being done that day. I will make sure there is a clear list of instruction, so students who want organization will have an understanding on what I hope to get to in the class time. I want them to be active members in the class and know they have a voice that can be heard, so I will sit at their level and we will work together on disciplinary rules and guidelines for the class to follow during the first week. I want my students to feel as though there is no dumb moment and that everything they have to say is important so I plan on applauding them for the thoughts they bring forward and find nice ways to critique off topic responses. I want to give us time in class to work together and individually so that way depending on one’s best learning environment we are all satisfied and learning. The key importance for me as a teacher is to find the best way to get as much information across in many diverse ways so my students not only stay engaged but are growing in understanding and development on a certain subject area.

            As an English teacher, I plan to do English type work such as vocabulary, reading, writing, etc. However, due to my views on education, I feel as though it is important to have different instruction methods along with incorporating different subject areas to get the best results for students. I feel as though this will impact my class in a positive way because even if students struggle in English they will have multiple ways in which to discover the information. I also feel that English is a diverse topic that is flexible and can be easily combined with other subject areas to get better results in understanding material. When my students read the classics, I know there will be some that struggle. As a student in high school and middle school, I remember struggling with some of the material. Due to this problem I faced, I have come up with ideas of how to relate the information to students better. I want to teach the classics but bring in other mediums to help embark on a further investigative study of these texts. I hope to relate it to art, music, movies or film adaptations, young adult literature, and so much more. I want my students to reach the goals set out by the school and myself. The best way for them to do so is by giving them as many possibilities to get something out of the course as I can. This is why I wish to bring in these areas of art, as well as, with the idea that many schools are cutting out art programs so by incorporating them into the classroom our students will get more variety and opportunity to find new ways of learning. I plan to use a diverse grouping of materials to teach students because I feel as though it will have a positive impact on their learning. As a student, the class that stands out most to me is one where a teacher I had gave us choices and options. We read the important texts such as Macbeth and Hamlet; however, he found young adult literature that related in genre and concepts. He also had us watch horror films and adaptations of these Shakespearean plays. We were also given options when it came to final projects. This class I remember vividly and feel as though I learned a large capacity of education in many unique ways. Due to my experience, I want to incorporate this in my classroom because it helped students benefit in the past and gave them a voice in their education. It had a positive impact in motivating students, making the classroom open for all to discuss, and helped students grow and learn in more than just the content area of English.

As stated before, I want my students to have choice. I want to assess them in multiple ways and see the many ways in which they can excel and succeed. I believe with choice and options, we are setting our students up to succeed and gain more information from the material, because they are engaged and making their own decisions. I want to give different forms of assignments and projects that deal closely with what is being done in class, but also challenges them to think in new and exciting ways. Variety in assessment will have a positive impact on my classroom and my students. Students are more engaged and proud of the work they have done when they feel as though they have a choice in the matter. If I were to constantly assign quizzes for the vocabulary and reading my students would lose interest and not bother. It would also note show a very accurate representation of how they are doing and what they are learning because some learners are not good with tests and quizzes. These students would not benefit from one form of assessment and eventually it will lead them to not caring. If I instead do a quiz sometimes but have them write a paper or creative story using the vocabulary they learned it could be far more exciting and engaging to the students. If I were to take this a step further and have them come up with a game that uses the vocabulary this would get them collaboratively working together, engaged, and taking their knowledge to the next level where they do not just reiterate words and definitions but implement them into a game then it is far more enjoyable. I will be able to assess them in multiple ways and it will help both the students and myself branch into a new branch of learning which is this idea of applying what we know to something constructive. When it comes to assessment it is always important to have multiple means of assessment because it has the best impact on student learning and understanding.

This being said it is important to have resources as a tool to help students. I really want to incorporate technology in my classroom because I believe it is a beneficial tool in the classroom. I want my students to get creative with their learning and one way in which we can do this as a class is using technology. I feel as though technology integration is key when it comes to the classroom and learning. It allows us the opportunity to go beyond the given text and discussion into a realm of new possibilities and understanding. I feel as though having technology will have a positive impact on my classroom. I certainly do not want to make it the focus of education; however, I want it to be a tool we can all use. They could use it for a part of the variety of assessments. I could use technology to show my students the different mediums and content areas I wish to incorporate in our learning process. It will give us helpful tools to use in discussions and when presenting ideas. It allows us the opportunity to look at others opinions on English and learning. It is a wonderful tool that allows there to be more variety in the classroom, which I really enjoy. It also helps me see the different learning and levels of understanding my students have reached. This is why I believe it is such a positive impact on the classroom.

With all of these different areas of understanding and teaching the teacher must remember the way in which they want to run the classroom. As a teacher, I want to keep in mind that is in charge and what the leadership roles will be. I want to be the instructor teaching them the important knowledge they wish to know; however, I also was to be the facilitator by letting them do what they can to apply it to their lives and move past just learning it. I want my students to have a voice and be heard as well as I want to have a voice and be heard. I plan on allotting time in the class in such a way that this happens for both, my students and myself. I will lay out the goals and such and they will give me their input. I believe a collaborative leadership will give me the best results as a teacher, because the best way to know what students are thinking and where students are in their learning is by listening to what they have to say and ask. This is the way in which I believe I will have the greatest improvements and best impact on my classroom and teaching.

            These are just some of my many beliefs I wish to incorporate and work towards in my classroom. I believe they will all have positive impacts on the many areas of my classroom. These points will help me succeed in educating my students as best as I possibly can.

Teaching Philosophies: Voices Response

         When reading The History and Philosophy of Education Voices of Educational Pioneers by Madonna Murphy, there was no one philosopher who stood out as someone I clearly identified with. It was more so that in each of these philosophers’ views on education I found aspects that I could relate to my views on education. As I look at what I want for my classroom, I see many different aspects that should be implemented in the classroom. For instance many of the philosophers including, Confucious, Augustine, Sappho, Socrates, Aquaina, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Rousseau, Dewey, and Pigat, believed that students are the most important part of the classroom. They all seemed to have a focus amongst students and making sure we shape curriculum around our students, what they are capable of doing, their interests, and a teacher-learner relationship. We must make the learning environment a comfortable and safe place for all students. They believed in equality amongst all students; however, as teachers, we need to make sure we are paying attention to all students individually as well as treating them all equal. Our information and instruction should be based on the students needs not what we as the teacher think is most important, but more so about what the students need help on comprehending. As teachers, we must be role models as Augustine states, making sure we are compassionate to our students. We should challenge our students to think and go beyond basic recitation and instead encourage them to ask questions and delve deeply into the material. Confucius’s thought about how we should inspire students with great ideas and such. As teachers, this is what we should strive for to inspire and encourage students to learn by being passionate and making the classroom a safe place.

            I found myself interested in the idea presented by Socrates as the thought that students cannot simply learn from a teacher projecting information. Students must discover and question with the teacher to help learn and achieve an education. In this aspect of understanding one needs to explore further to really develop a strong education for students I related to many different philosophers once again gripping on to small portions of their beliefs that made the most sense to me. In Jesus’s philosophy the concept of having many activity methods seems crucial in the classroom. As teachers, we need to engage our students in a variety of ways so they are able to have ample opportunities to delve deeply into a subject and gain knowledge from it. As educators, we need to take into consideration the knowledge students already have and grow off of this so there is this progression in learning making students engaged and alert. Augustine touches upon this in the philosophy of education. Hilegard also touches upon this saying that education should be more active allowing students to dive into diverse topics in new ways using art and truth and culture to discover something. The idea of allowing students to move past initial knowledge into a realm of more possibilities is present in Aquina, Eramus, Comenius, Jefferson, and Dewey where they believe an education should focus on inquiry and a comfortable atmosphere in which students can ask questions and delve deeper into topics. As seen in many of the philosophers we need to encourage students to go further using hand on activities, questions, multiple ways of learning, and comfortable atmospheres. If we want the best results in the classroom, we need to find what fits our way of teaching and remember to look at the many options and piece together the best possible way to educate students.

            Throughout the reading of this text I found myself finding commonalities amongst the philosophers as well as common themes I really enjoyed. Though I did not relate personally to one philosopher, I found myself piecing together what I wanted through their examples. It gives many options for what a classroom could like showing the diversity in learning environments and philosophies for education. This allows us as future teachers see that there are endless possibilities and we just need to find the right fit.

           

Response to Film: TEACH

I am not normally a fan of documentary type films, which is the type of film I would classify TEACH as. However, I really loved this movie; it captured my attention and enthralled me throughout the whole film. TEACH was inspiring and a glimpse of what a day in the life of a teacher might consist of. As a prospective teacher, I watched this film thinking about what I would do in the situations these teachers have been put through. There were certainly moments when I thought to myself, oh man this job is much harder than I thought it would be. What would I being doing in this situation? I would probably be crying or struggling to stay positive. At first, as they were struggling, I was thinking about how being a teacher means having struggles. I was not sure if I was ready and prepared for all the struggles I might have to face. By the end, I knew that this thought process did not matter and that we will never be prepared fully for everything being thrown at us. As a teacher, all we can do is talk to colleagues, work things out, keep trying, be resourceful, and never give up on these students because they are counting on us, so we must be strong for their sake. This movie showed dedicated teachers who did all of this and more for their students. I looked at these teachers and I was impressed. After this, I was once again reminded of the reasons why I was going into this profession. It is not for the money or because it is easy. It is because everyday I must face a new challenge and try to overcome it. It is because I am doing what I love to do and helping students who need a push, friend, or someone to believe in them. I want to go into the profession of being a teacher because of those who inspired me in the past. Also because I know I can face any challenges that may come due to the fact that teachers are some of the strongest people out there.

This movie educates society on the struggles that are being faced everyday in the classroom. Much like the director, Davis Guggenheim, wanted to show, this film demonstrates the fact that “there are great teachers in these schools fighting the good fight and doing great” (Guggenheim 6). This film demonstrates how hard teachers work and fight for their students to get the best education they can. These teachers show how educators are determined to do their best and help their students succeed. This film demonstrated that much like in any other job there are problems that must be overcome, but teachers are fighters striving to move past these problems. In society today, there is a lot of pressure on teachers because people are arguing that teachers are not doing their job. This opens up societies eyes to the fact that teachers are trying as hard as they can to help these students. It is not the teachers fault that students are being pushed through the system at rapid speed without seeing that student’s strengths and areas that need improving. There were students in this movie a few grade levels behind in their learning; it is impossible to expect these teachers to get the students past grade level when they have fallen so far behind. The expectations are high and teachers are only human; they are only capable to do as much as they can. As seen in this movie, teachers are doing all they can and showing results. Though these results are not up to the impossible expectations of some, they are still helping students learn and showing tremendous improvement. This is what the real goal should be. We should not have to work toward a goal that cannot be reached, but be praised for the achievements that we can accomplish like having students’ best interests in mind, helping students move forward, helping students strive for a goal, inspiring students to learn, and doing all we can to help students grow and improve while also enjoying the education they are given. We as teachers want students to feel passionate and happy about their learning because this will bring the best results. As seen in the film, when students read things they are interested in, they are more apt to learn and grow. We as teachers should strive toward helping our students and making learning interesting for them, so we can gain the best results. Focusing on our students rather than on the high expectations of society will allow us to succeed and be much closer to achieving the expectations laid out before us. This can be seen with the AP History class. When he was trying to teach them all the information he could, he was not giving them the chance to be active learners. He was focusing on the requirements of the AP rather than the pace of his students. When he finally focused on the students, he not only saw results, but also was able to teach them much more than expected. They were able to go into the AP exam confident and satisfied with the learning they received. He changed many of these students’ lives and helped them to overcome their doubts and fears. This is what I took away from this movie. I am excited for the path laid out before me even though it may contain obstacles. I believe with my students and colleagues by my side I can overcome it all and focus on what I do best, which is teaching. 

TEACH. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Queen Latifah,. CBS, 2013. DVD.

Guggenheim, Davis. TEACH Discussion Guide. N.p.: Great Teachers Project, LLC, 2013. PDF.

Reflection on Educational Issue: Non-traditional (Alternative) Schools

            Throughout this presentation and even reading over the paper written, I feel as though I became more interested in non-traditional schools and the ways in which they work. Growing up, I had certainly heard of non-traditional schools more by the term “alternative schools” and also knew people who left my school to attend these school; nevertheless, the true definition of these schools and their methods were not a topic widely discussed and explained. I feel as though this is something we as teachers should change. I do not think non-traditional schools are for me personally because I am a strict by the book type person, but I knew people in school who struggled and would have benefited greatly had they known about these schools. As teachers, we should let students know about their options because though we may want them to be in our class in our school a different type of learning experience might be what benefits them more. As a teacher, I plan to educate my students on the options laid out for them. If they desire more AP classes and we do not offer them at my school I would give them online and alternative programs to help them achieve this. This project has helped me see that non-traditional schools are also very interesting and beneficial to students.

            This presentation and information on non-traditional schools has also shed some light on areas I wish to add to my classroom whether I work in a non-traditional or traditional setting. I want to add more hands-on and project-based learning. I wants students to be involved in what they are learning because it is a good strategy in helping them learn and be more engaged. As a future educator, I want my classroom to be a positive learning experience much like what was expressed when discussing HCA in the paper. I want my students involved in the community and feel comfortable in my classroom especially. I want my students to feel connected and comfortable with me, so I can hear what they have to say and be open to catering to what they wish to accomplish. I believe that students learn best and the teaching experience is more exciting when the teacher and students work together. I believe that these methods presented in non-traditional schools could also be incorporated in the traditional schools as well.

            Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation on non-traditional schools and found it very educational. Lauren, Mel, and Kalib did a wonderful job giving me a clear idea of what these schools were like, and showed me the different aspects that went beyond what people generally hear and know about these types of schools. I found myself wishing I could have experienced HCA for myself. Though, this school did not sound exactly like the kind of structure I like in a school it would be a wonderful job opportunity and great learning experience overall.

Promising Futures

This article seemed very interesting and had many strong key points being made. From the statistics at the beginning to the challenge and its focus, this article has helped me discover a diverse range of information on Maine schools. The challenge presented in Promising Futures is an area of education I wish could have been implemented into my school in the past. This system acts as a great equalizer in making sure students, parents, faculty, educators, and administrators get an opinion and job in the learning experience. The core principles and practices help create this idea of a learning community that caters to all. I really enjoyed this aspect of it because it mainly shows that all these people play a role in education that is equally important, even if some of these members are aware of their roles. This shows how schools can come together to promise students the best education they deserve while also staying true to their interests and goals.  

Many of the aspects discussed in this article were areas in which I wished to look at further. There were many that I had already desired for my classroom and learning atmosphere. This article emphasized the fact that most of the areas I wished to pursue in my classroom were possible. I really enjoyed the main principles that dealt with making the classroom a safe environment for all and dealt mainly with understanding students as a whole but also individually. I also really enjoyed the focus on students and the multiple ways to educate students that will help them better understand. This article encourages us to focus on students needs but to also work collaboratively with many different people within the school environment. I really liked how the 15 practices help to show this collaboration and allow all to see their importance in the learning experience. This article was really educational and I found myself desiring to see it being used in a classroom.  

Promising Futures. Augusta, ME: Maine Commission on Secondary Education, 1998. Print.