Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103107.aspx.
Summary/Analysis
In this book the author provides a view of what the differentiated classroom might look like and how to arrive there. Tomlinson provides numerous examples and “real world” ideas that apply directly to the teaching practice. In chapter three “Teacher Response to Student needs: A Starting Point for Differentiation”, she discusses five core elements that emphasize the importance of making students connections and personalizing their education, things teachers can start implementing right away. The main ideas she expresses in this chapter are:
• Invitation-acceptance not only by the teacher but the classroom environment as a whole
• Opportunity-the student had a chance to challenge oneself in meaningful ways with the support of the teacher
• Investment-student feels a part of the classroom structure and takes pride in it, respect
• Persistence-the teacher will be here to support your learning and guide you to alternate routes if necessary to complete the task
• Reflection-the student and teacher are working as a team constantly growing and learning from each other
I thought this particular chapter was so thoughtful in expressing ways to start making further connections with students. The charts she includes in the text discussing the above elements are also excellent resources I would like to have as a poster of in my classroom. I was able to really connect with the proposed ideas and why differentiation and student connections are so important the impact it has. I will continue reading more of this text as I am interested in the further “real world” scenarios that follow. The book also definitely applies to my action research question.
Resources/Quotes
Nonetheless, sometimes we shove past those reservations and make ties with our students. Some of us consistently ignore these reservations and really get to know our students, becoming the kind of teachers who shape their students' lives to reflect a greater hope, confidence, and promise than these young people brought to the classroom as the year began.
These teachers ultimately say to their students, “I want to be a leader in creating a place where each of you becomes more keenly aware of the possibilities in yourself, the people around you, and the power of knowledge. In this place, I want us to find together a good way to live.”
Consciously or unconsciously, the young person continues to measure the benefits against the risks. The teacher who intends to make ties with the student is permanently attuned to factors that enhance the invitation and minimize the risk for each learner and for the class as a whole.
To provide opportunity is to provide materials, tasks, applications, and problems that are rich with meaning for learners. To provide opportunity is to help learners have a voice in what and how they learn and to find their own voice through what they study. It is to feed the learner's curiosity and challenge the learner's natural drive toward competence (Meier, 1995).
These educators communicate investment. Students do not miss the message. These are teachers invested in what they teach, whom they teach, and where they teach, and the ideals for which they stand. Their messages come not simply from slogans on classroom walls, but from living out their beliefs.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Reinventing Project Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age
Boss, Suzie & Krauss, Jane (2007) Reinventing project-based learning: your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age. Washington D.C.:ISTE
Summary
Reinventing Project Based Learning by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss takes a step by step look at project based learning and how to create a successful project. Within each chapter, the authors give examples of each step and highlights a technology focus. For example, in the Chapter “Mapping the Journey—Seeing the Big Picture” which goes over planning and backwards design, the technology is on Social Bookmarking, which allows you to see bookmarks made by others who are interested in the same idea.
Reflection
I purchased this book from amazon because the title seemed to match what I am interested in for action research. From my readings so far, there seems to be more information presented about project based learning, than technology, but I still think it will be a good resource.
Quotes
“Digital tools are essential features of the environments in which today’s students are living and learning.”
“Technology opens opportunities to reinvent projects so that they become more authentically connected to students’ lives.”
“Technology is a fundamental building block of their (students’) experience.”
Summary
Reinventing Project Based Learning by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss takes a step by step look at project based learning and how to create a successful project. Within each chapter, the authors give examples of each step and highlights a technology focus. For example, in the Chapter “Mapping the Journey—Seeing the Big Picture” which goes over planning and backwards design, the technology is on Social Bookmarking, which allows you to see bookmarks made by others who are interested in the same idea.
Reflection
I purchased this book from amazon because the title seemed to match what I am interested in for action research. From my readings so far, there seems to be more information presented about project based learning, than technology, but I still think it will be a good resource.
Quotes
“Digital tools are essential features of the environments in which today’s students are living and learning.”
“Technology opens opportunities to reinvent projects so that they become more authentically connected to students’ lives.”
“Technology is a fundamental building block of their (students’) experience.”
Collaboration and the need for trust.
Tschannen-Moran, Megan. “Collaboration and the need for trust.” Journal of Educational Administration (39, 4) 308-331. 2001.
Summary
At the start of this essay, the author recognizes the trend toward collaborative teaching in schools. She asserts, however, that while it is fun to applaud collaboration, we do not always create environments with the necessary attitudes for authentic collaboration. She argues, "For teachers to break down norms of isolation and to sacrifice some of the autonomy they value so highly in order to reap the potential benefits of greater collaboration they must trust their colleagues." In an impressive review of the literature, she discusses the pitfalls of collaboration and then puts forward three collaboration categories: principal-teacher collaboration, teacher-teacher collaboration and school-parent collaboration.
She also elaborates on the meaning of trust itself, especially as applied to organizations. As she defines it through the literature, trust involves five facets: benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty and openness.
Methods
The project itself is on the relationship between trust and collaboration. She conducts quantitative research with 898 surveys. Her methodology focuses on school as the unit of analysis, and three constituent groups with 2 levels of decision making. The study involves approximately 45 elementary schools in one large urban district in an attempt to hold constant issues of district-level management practices and minimize the differential effects of context.
The researchers first conduct a pilot study in order to refine the questionnaires, then they do factor analysis as well as a collaboration survey. In discussing the official survey, the author also breaks down key factors like ethnicity and socioeconomic levels. The data analysis of the 898 surveys involves factor analysis, descriptive statistics, interrelationships and correlations, and canonical correlation. They found positive correlations between trust and collaboration, as anticipated.
Reflection
This study is intimidating. While I had a difficult time processing the statistical nature of the quantitative results, I found the literature review extremely helpful, and also feel that the study is an important addition to the literature the exists on collaboration in schools. Often it is a foregone conclusion that collaboration is important, and therefore should be done. This study takes this thinking deeper to assert that collaboration cannot happen with trust. So perhaps we must first place our focus on how to develop trust in organizations, and collaboration will follow as a natural consequence.
Quotations
"Although teachers may be allowed greater participation in decision-making processes within schools, they complain that they have not had a real voice in the decisions that affected them, that they have invested time and energy in participatory decision-making processes only to have the decisions made by principals or other organization participants at higher levels in the hierarchy." 317
"Collaboration was defined as the extent to which teachers perceived themselves and parents to be not only involved but to exercise influence over school and classroom-level decisions."
"People with a high degree of trust are likely to disclose more accurate, relevant, and complete data about problems, as well as their thoughts, feelings or ideas."
“Trust in colleagues has been found to have a significant impact on student achievement in elementary schools. The climate of the school can be one that cultivates trust or that makes trust difficult to foster. Openness in the climate of a school and healthy interpersonal relationships tend to foster a climate of trust. Healthy interpersonal relationships have been related to decision participation in schools.” 314
"Schools where there was a high level of trust could be predicted to be schools where there would be a high level of collaboration."
“Building trust requires attention to the five facets of trust. A person who desires to be regarded as trustworthy will need to demonstrate benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty and openness. The nature of the interdependence between principals, teachers, students, and parents is such that each of these facets has been shown to make a significant contribution to judgments of trust.”
On prescription for trustworthiness suggests a person should be "as predictable as possible, speak carefully, especially when making commitments, treat promises seriously, and never be deceptive
trust in organizations." (Govier, 1992)
Summary
At the start of this essay, the author recognizes the trend toward collaborative teaching in schools. She asserts, however, that while it is fun to applaud collaboration, we do not always create environments with the necessary attitudes for authentic collaboration. She argues, "For teachers to break down norms of isolation and to sacrifice some of the autonomy they value so highly in order to reap the potential benefits of greater collaboration they must trust their colleagues." In an impressive review of the literature, she discusses the pitfalls of collaboration and then puts forward three collaboration categories: principal-teacher collaboration, teacher-teacher collaboration and school-parent collaboration.
She also elaborates on the meaning of trust itself, especially as applied to organizations. As she defines it through the literature, trust involves five facets: benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty and openness.
Methods
The project itself is on the relationship between trust and collaboration. She conducts quantitative research with 898 surveys. Her methodology focuses on school as the unit of analysis, and three constituent groups with 2 levels of decision making. The study involves approximately 45 elementary schools in one large urban district in an attempt to hold constant issues of district-level management practices and minimize the differential effects of context.
The researchers first conduct a pilot study in order to refine the questionnaires, then they do factor analysis as well as a collaboration survey. In discussing the official survey, the author also breaks down key factors like ethnicity and socioeconomic levels. The data analysis of the 898 surveys involves factor analysis, descriptive statistics, interrelationships and correlations, and canonical correlation. They found positive correlations between trust and collaboration, as anticipated.
Reflection
This study is intimidating. While I had a difficult time processing the statistical nature of the quantitative results, I found the literature review extremely helpful, and also feel that the study is an important addition to the literature the exists on collaboration in schools. Often it is a foregone conclusion that collaboration is important, and therefore should be done. This study takes this thinking deeper to assert that collaboration cannot happen with trust. So perhaps we must first place our focus on how to develop trust in organizations, and collaboration will follow as a natural consequence.
Quotations
"Although teachers may be allowed greater participation in decision-making processes within schools, they complain that they have not had a real voice in the decisions that affected them, that they have invested time and energy in participatory decision-making processes only to have the decisions made by principals or other organization participants at higher levels in the hierarchy." 317
"Collaboration was defined as the extent to which teachers perceived themselves and parents to be not only involved but to exercise influence over school and classroom-level decisions."
"People with a high degree of trust are likely to disclose more accurate, relevant, and complete data about problems, as well as their thoughts, feelings or ideas."
“Trust in colleagues has been found to have a significant impact on student achievement in elementary schools. The climate of the school can be one that cultivates trust or that makes trust difficult to foster. Openness in the climate of a school and healthy interpersonal relationships tend to foster a climate of trust. Healthy interpersonal relationships have been related to decision participation in schools.” 314
"Schools where there was a high level of trust could be predicted to be schools where there would be a high level of collaboration."
“Building trust requires attention to the five facets of trust. A person who desires to be regarded as trustworthy will need to demonstrate benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty and openness. The nature of the interdependence between principals, teachers, students, and parents is such that each of these facets has been shown to make a significant contribution to judgments of trust.”
On prescription for trustworthiness suggests a person should be "as predictable as possible, speak carefully, especially when making commitments, treat promises seriously, and never be deceptive
trust in organizations." (Govier, 1992)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Good-Bye Round Robin: Twenty Five Effective Oral Reading Strategies
Optiz, M.F, Rasinski, T.V. (1998) Good-Bye Round Robin: Twenty Five Effective Oral Reading Strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
This is a fascinating book about how to eliminate round robin reading in the classroom. In the first chapter, the authors begin with the understanding that reading is a “complex, multidimensional process in which readers bring their own meaning and experiences to the printed page to obtain meaning from it.” (1) Optiz and Rasinski see reading as language, cognitive process, and a social activity.
Although in later years most reading is done silently, they understand the need to hear children read and to be read to aloud. They state 12 reasons oral reading should occur:
1. To whet student’s appetite for reading
2. To share or perform
3. To help beginning readers understand how speaking is related
4. To develop listening comprehension and vocabulary
5. To develop other skills associated with reading
6. To promote language learning for second language learners
7. To build confidence
8. To further develop comprehension
9. To determine strategies used when reading
10. To provide a means of sharing reading progress
11. To provide children with additional reading time to grow
12. To address standards
They also note why round robin reading is not an effective way to teach reading:
1. Students begin to see reading as accuracy and word perfect, when in actuality when reading aloud we want to share information, which is lost when following word to word.
2. Faulty habits may also develop, listening to each other and following along, when children have different reading rates, could cause loss of meaning.
3. Oral reading is slower than silent reading, causing those following along to hear unnecessary subvocalization, which can reduce reading rates.
4. Most children have a hard time following along, they’re either reading ahead, practicing their part, or not paying attention. Passage meaning is lost.
5. Emergent readers are often given words they’re having trouble with before they can use their strategies to solve it. Less practice means they won’t develop strong reading strategies.
6. Oral reading takes longer, therefore it wastes valuable class time.
7. It can cause anxiety and embarrassment for some students.
8. Listening comprehension can be hampered.
Although there are benefits of oral reading, how it is implemented in the classroom is important. Round robin reading prohibits rather than facilitates reading ability. The author’s feel that if oral reading is properly used, it can be positive.
Reflection:
After reading the introduction and first chapter it made me realize how important oral reading is, but in the right context. All that the authors stated made sense. It made me think about how I work with children in reading, and how I could change the way I run my reading time to most benefit the students. I used some of the strategies with my class, and met with mixed results. I’m not sure if it was because it involved change or whether they truly didn’t like it. I will have to try the strategies out some more to find out.
Quotes:
“Using oral reading to assess reading is important because it reveals specific strategies children use, as well as those that require further development.” (XI)
“We encourage you to celebrate your successes, persist, and keep in mind that children are always worth our best efforts.” (XII)
“Reading is not dancing on top of words. It is grasping the soul of them.” Friere – 1985 (3)
“Good comprehenders are those who demonstrate an understanding of this complexity by using a variety of strategies, when reading. These strategies include determining which information is most important, self-questioning, summarizing, inferring, prediction, interpreting, and imaging.” (Dole, Duffy, Roehler, & Pearson 1991) (12)
“The purpose of reading is to understand a message.” (14)
This is a fascinating book about how to eliminate round robin reading in the classroom. In the first chapter, the authors begin with the understanding that reading is a “complex, multidimensional process in which readers bring their own meaning and experiences to the printed page to obtain meaning from it.” (1) Optiz and Rasinski see reading as language, cognitive process, and a social activity.
Although in later years most reading is done silently, they understand the need to hear children read and to be read to aloud. They state 12 reasons oral reading should occur:
1. To whet student’s appetite for reading
2. To share or perform
3. To help beginning readers understand how speaking is related
4. To develop listening comprehension and vocabulary
5. To develop other skills associated with reading
6. To promote language learning for second language learners
7. To build confidence
8. To further develop comprehension
9. To determine strategies used when reading
10. To provide a means of sharing reading progress
11. To provide children with additional reading time to grow
12. To address standards
They also note why round robin reading is not an effective way to teach reading:
1. Students begin to see reading as accuracy and word perfect, when in actuality when reading aloud we want to share information, which is lost when following word to word.
2. Faulty habits may also develop, listening to each other and following along, when children have different reading rates, could cause loss of meaning.
3. Oral reading is slower than silent reading, causing those following along to hear unnecessary subvocalization, which can reduce reading rates.
4. Most children have a hard time following along, they’re either reading ahead, practicing their part, or not paying attention. Passage meaning is lost.
5. Emergent readers are often given words they’re having trouble with before they can use their strategies to solve it. Less practice means they won’t develop strong reading strategies.
6. Oral reading takes longer, therefore it wastes valuable class time.
7. It can cause anxiety and embarrassment for some students.
8. Listening comprehension can be hampered.
Although there are benefits of oral reading, how it is implemented in the classroom is important. Round robin reading prohibits rather than facilitates reading ability. The author’s feel that if oral reading is properly used, it can be positive.
Reflection:
After reading the introduction and first chapter it made me realize how important oral reading is, but in the right context. All that the authors stated made sense. It made me think about how I work with children in reading, and how I could change the way I run my reading time to most benefit the students. I used some of the strategies with my class, and met with mixed results. I’m not sure if it was because it involved change or whether they truly didn’t like it. I will have to try the strategies out some more to find out.
Quotes:
“Using oral reading to assess reading is important because it reveals specific strategies children use, as well as those that require further development.” (XI)
“We encourage you to celebrate your successes, persist, and keep in mind that children are always worth our best efforts.” (XII)
“Reading is not dancing on top of words. It is grasping the soul of them.” Friere – 1985 (3)
“Good comprehenders are those who demonstrate an understanding of this complexity by using a variety of strategies, when reading. These strategies include determining which information is most important, self-questioning, summarizing, inferring, prediction, interpreting, and imaging.” (Dole, Duffy, Roehler, & Pearson 1991) (12)
“The purpose of reading is to understand a message.” (14)
The democratic classroom: mistake or misnomer
Raywid, Mary. (1976). The Democratic classroom: mistake or misnomer. Theory into Practice , 15(1), 37-46.
“If classrooms really did become genuine democracies, there is no assurance that those persons Dewey wanted so carefully prepared for the role would be elected to the post of “teacher” at all” (Raywid, 41).
“It may be that democracy, like driving, involves both skills and understandings which can perhaps best be acquired separately, and apart from a setting requiring either their full exercise or their exercise in concert” (Raywid, 45).
“To hold otherwise… is analogous to arguing that it takes a chair to make a chair- that chairs, that is, provide the appropriate tool for the creation of chairs. But obviously that is not the case- and if we seek to build a chair, the tools we need for the job are not other chairs, but saws, hammers, glue, etc.” (Raywid, 46).
Student Self-Evaluation: What Research says and What practice shows.
Rolheiser, C. & Ross, J. ( 2010?) “Student Self-Evaluation: What research says and what practice shows.” Center for Development and Learning, Metairie, LA
Summary: This is the results of a seven year study focusing on authentic, alternative and formal assessments and the role of student self-evaluation in the grading of learning. The researchers focus is how the use of alternative assessments, specifically self-evaluation, plays a role in giving teachers more information into their learning. In the introduction, self-evaluation is defined as” students judging quality of their work based on evidence and explicit criteria for the purpose of doing better in the future.” The study is broken into five sections. The first two focus on background of research and theory of self evaluation, specifically discussing the shift in teachers conceptions and factors relating to that. One of the more interesting findings is that teachers who had a conflict between constructivist approaches and their own teacher beliefs were less likely to resort to alternative assessments and find traditional multiple choice assessments as more valuable in measuring learning. Another factor contributing to the use of traditional assessments was the increasing demands and the changing role of teacher. The third and fourth sections focus on practical approaches to implementing self evaluation in the classroom and the final section is basically questions and answers. the middle section provides step-by step- directions for classroom teachers as well as model questionaires to use with students
The introduction grabbed my interest research sited did bring me to other useful studies. The study mentions it is over seven years, and mentions teacher interviews and observations, but it fails to mention where the study took place, how interviews with teachers were conducted, questions asked or how many teachers and students were involved. I am currently looking for the answer to these questions because of the potential use for my own research. The third and fourth sections are not research based, but a general idea of 4 main stages ineeded to implement self evaluation within a classroom based on “interviews with exemplary users of cooperative learning models” but does not elaborate further. It is a very practical approach and I will most likely use this with my own students. I have not found a simpler, clearer model yet. I have e-mailed the researchers to see if more detailed copy of their research is available.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Project WIN Evaluation Shows Decreased Violence and Improved Conflict Resolution Skills for Middle School Students
Roberts, L. Yeomans, P. and Ferro-Almeida, S. (2007). Project WIN Evaluation Shows Decreased Violence and Improved Conflict Resolution Skills for Middle School Students. RMLE Online, 30(8), 1-14.
Summary/Analysis:
Laura Roberts, Peter Yeomans, and Susan Ferro-Almeida wrote an article entitled Project WIN Evaluation Shows Decreased Violence and Improved Conflict Resolution Skills for Middle School Students. They believed that a good way to develop a positive school culture is by implementing a conflict resolution program. They chose to pilot Project WIN (Working out Integrated Negotiations) in a low-income, urban middle school in southern Pennsylvania. I understand that I am a kindergarten teacher and will be implementing a conflict resolution program in that grade but I wanted to see if the principles of this article will be transferable to my own research. The authors felt that an individual has two main concerns when faced with a conflict: reaching one’s goal and maintaining a relationship with the opponent (Johnson, 1991; Johnson & Johnson, 1997).
The strategies taught in Project WIN are:
Listening Skills
Anger Management
Using “I” messages to assert one’s feelings during a conflict situation
Expressing one’s needs in a conflict situation
Generating solutions that meet one’s own needs and the needs of the opponent
To correspond with the strategies in Project WIN the researchers of this article used the principles of self-respect, caring for others, thinking before reacting, seeking a nonviolent solution, and expecting the best for transforming power and teaching conflict resolution.
What I really enjoyed bout this article was the authors gave examples and real-life scenarios that the students could relate to. The students were able to envision themselves in similar situations and therefore answer the interview questions realistically. I will be able to use almost identical questions with my kindergartners. My students could relate to the questions in this study. I loved the idea of transforming power and using I statements instead of you messages. It is much more reflective and keeps accusatory language neutral.
“The results showed Project WIN was effective at reducing violence at the target school. Reported violence dropped to zero during the year Project WIN was implemented. There were no violent incidents, assaults, arrests, or suspensions reported during the implementation year. In comparison, another school matched for size, ethnicity, and SES showed steady increases in reported violence over the same time period. We can infer that the students’ use of the skills taught in Project WIN caused the drop in reported violence. We expected to see a drop in reported violence for the target class. We were surprised to see a school-wide effect. These findings do make sense, however, given that our intervention was based on the social interdependence theory. It is reasonable to conclude that students in the target class taught their skills, by modeling to others at the school during the social time spent together (e.g., lunch period, playground, walking to and from school). We believe that once a critical mass starts to use Project WIN skills, transforming power takes effect, and violence drops.” (11) Their findings are incredible and very promising. If I am able to create a conflict resolution program in my class that supports a peaceful class culture, I might be able to have a positive affect on the whole school culture.
Quotes:
“Social interdependence theory posits that ideal conditions for constructive conflict resolution exist when (a) there is a cooperative environment and (b) the disputants are skilled in negotiation strategies.” (2)
“In 1960, Larry Apsey described a theoretical aptitude called transforming power, which, he asserted, could help people transform violent, competitive, destructive situations into constructive, cooperative ones. Apsey claimed transforming power was a mystical construct, with a locus of control that transcended human will... Upon close inspection of Apsey’s writing, we found that transforming power included compassion, empathy, and optimism. Therefore, these were the components we sought to teach students with the goal of helping them cultivate a more cooperative classroom environment. We taught students that each of them had access to transforming power and could develop it by adopting certain attitudes and values.” (2)
“Our research revealed that successful programs used interactive teaching methods that incorporated behavioral and social skills training (Dishion, 2004; Elliott, 2004). In contrast, the following types of programs have been found to be ineffective and, in fact, make violence problems worse: programs that utilize scare tactics, “tough love,” and adults lecturing at students (Dishion; “Get Tough,” 2004).” (2)
“Key to our success will be our effective communication with visionary people in local communities. There is a wise proverb about seeking out and finding those with vision. An ordinary person looks at a stone and sees only a simple stone. A craftsperson observes a stone and sees more. He or she sets eyes on the stone and thinks, “I could find more of these stones, put them together with mortar and build a wall.” An architect, a designer, has even greater vision. In that small stone an architect sees an entire building, a church or a school, a place of higher purpose. The visionaries among us see the higher purpose of all small things. We hope our work in conflict resolution will inspire the visionaries in many towns and cities across the country to see the higher purpose of this one small stone as we build safer schools and safer communities for our children’s future.” (13)
INTERACTION AND COMMUNICATION
Karadag, Engin and Caliskan, Nihat (2009). "Interaction and Communication in the Process of Education and Shared Common Area in the Classroom." College Study Journal, Issue 43, No. 1, 123-128.
Summary/ Analysis:
In short, this article outlines what teachers must do to be effective communicators in the classroom. There are a number of factors to consider: Body language is paramount amongst these. Teachers are constantly transmitting non- verbal messages to their students that can affect the overall climate of the classroom. They must maintain a proper distance and project confidence without seeming aggressive; this will in turn transform the "common living space" into one that is conducive for learning. Teachers must be equally aware of their student's non-verbal messages. They must be attuned to signs of disengagement and uncomfortability. When acknowledging these tendencies outright, teachers can begin to break down the barriers adversely affecting their "living space." Finally, teachers should be aware of the cultural and socio-economic background of their constituency. When recognizing these differences, teachers can paradoxically create what the author calls a "universal culture" in the classroom, centered around student diversity.
Analysis:
This article is quite poorly written. In addition to possessing clear grammatical errors and mispellings, the article makes gross generalizations without offering support. For example, the article contends that "teachers need communication more than anyone. It is an obligation. The only to communication is through interaction." Besides being banal, this statement offers little insight and support into the nuances of teacher student interaction.
This article is useful in providing a framework for factors to consider in creating "classroom culture." However, I would not use it in defense of anything else. It's simply too un- focused and broad.
Quotes:
"Teachers who want to communicate effectively should predict the behaviors of
children."
"In order to make positive connections, teachers should control their behaviors and
understand the body language of their student."
"The most important component of education is a student."
References:
Aqikg6z, K. U. (1996). Etkili Ogrenme ve dgretme [Effective learning and teaching]. Izmir: Kanyilmaz Publication.
Ani-Nader, J. (1993). Meeting the needs of multiculturalclassrooms, family valnes and the motivatien of minotity students, devesity and teacling: teacher education yearbook. Texas: Jovanovich College Publications.
Balkan, 0. (1998). Bildirisim insan dili ve &tesi [Communicaiton, human language and
beyond]. Istanbul: Altin Publication.
Celep, C. (2002). Sinify5netimi ve disiplin [Classroom
management and discipline]. Ankara: Ani Publication.
Summary/ Analysis:
In short, this article outlines what teachers must do to be effective communicators in the classroom. There are a number of factors to consider: Body language is paramount amongst these. Teachers are constantly transmitting non- verbal messages to their students that can affect the overall climate of the classroom. They must maintain a proper distance and project confidence without seeming aggressive; this will in turn transform the "common living space" into one that is conducive for learning. Teachers must be equally aware of their student's non-verbal messages. They must be attuned to signs of disengagement and uncomfortability. When acknowledging these tendencies outright, teachers can begin to break down the barriers adversely affecting their "living space." Finally, teachers should be aware of the cultural and socio-economic background of their constituency. When recognizing these differences, teachers can paradoxically create what the author calls a "universal culture" in the classroom, centered around student diversity.
Analysis:
This article is quite poorly written. In addition to possessing clear grammatical errors and mispellings, the article makes gross generalizations without offering support. For example, the article contends that "teachers need communication more than anyone. It is an obligation. The only to communication is through interaction." Besides being banal, this statement offers little insight and support into the nuances of teacher student interaction.
This article is useful in providing a framework for factors to consider in creating "classroom culture." However, I would not use it in defense of anything else. It's simply too un- focused and broad.
Quotes:
"Teachers who want to communicate effectively should predict the behaviors of
children."
"In order to make positive connections, teachers should control their behaviors and
understand the body language of their student."
"The most important component of education is a student."
References:
Aqikg6z, K. U. (1996). Etkili Ogrenme ve dgretme [Effective learning and teaching]. Izmir: Kanyilmaz Publication.
Ani-Nader, J. (1993). Meeting the needs of multiculturalclassrooms, family valnes and the motivatien of minotity students, devesity and teacling: teacher education yearbook. Texas: Jovanovich College Publications.
Balkan, 0. (1998). Bildirisim insan dili ve &tesi [Communicaiton, human language and
beyond]. Istanbul: Altin Publication.
Celep, C. (2002). Sinify5netimi ve disiplin [Classroom
management and discipline]. Ankara: Ani Publication.
Democratic Classrooms: Promises and Challenges of Student Voice and Choice
Morrison, Kristan A (2008). "Democratic Classrooms: Promises and Challenges." Educational Horizons, 87, no. 1, 50-60.
Summary/ Analysis:
In this article, Morrison outlines both the successes and challenges of creating a democratic classroom. She maintains a very liberal definition of such classrooms. Students are free to choose areas of study and how they will go about gathering information. While Morrison is an advocate of democratic education, she does a good job at hiding her bias. For example, she addresses several of the issues arising from "democratic classrooms:" students, she contends have a tough time transitioning to this new model while teachers can appear weak or unprepared when giving students these freedoms.
Her bias emerges when she discusses "un- democratic beliefs" such as the perception that students fail because of "ignorance." Kristan insists that failure occurs more because of a feeling of "powerlessness." When we empower students, Morrison believes we naturally help them become more successful as they have a vested interest in the material being taught.
Morrison makes references to PROMINENT names in the field. She references work completed by Carl Rogers in studying adolescent behavior in addition to utilizing Dewey's work on motivating students.
In short, this is a WONDERFUL starting point for research on both the successes and pitfalls of "democratic classrooms."
Quotes:
"Proponents of democratic and freedom-based education argue that
with autonomy and choice, people experience a much-different, muchbetter
form of education than that offered by the conventional, hierarchical,
more-coercive education system present in most public schools." (53)
"Students who come from conventional
education into classrooms or schools employing democratic practices
will often feel uncomfortable with or even fearful of jeopardizing the 55
only pattern of life they know (Goodman 1964)." (55)
"The idea that knowledge can be stuffed into the individual, as
opposed to being constructed and mediated through the individual
(Lamm 1972), has led to the conventional educational practices of mandated
courses and pre-established syllabi." (56)
"The term "democratic education" as used in this article is linked
with and synonymous with the term "freedom-based education," for just
as democracy as a political system is grounded in individual freedoms,
democracy as an educational system is also grounded in freedoms." (52)
References:
1. Shor, Ira. 1996. When Students Have Power: Negotiating Authority in a Critical
Pedagogy. Chicago:The University of Chicago Press.
2. Rogers, C. 1969. Freedom to Learn. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing.
3. Dewey, J. 1916. Democracy and Education. NewYork: Macmillan Company. 1938. Experience and Education. NewYork: Collier Macmillan Publishers.
4. Greene, M. 1988. The Dialectic of Freedom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Summary/ Analysis:
In this article, Morrison outlines both the successes and challenges of creating a democratic classroom. She maintains a very liberal definition of such classrooms. Students are free to choose areas of study and how they will go about gathering information. While Morrison is an advocate of democratic education, she does a good job at hiding her bias. For example, she addresses several of the issues arising from "democratic classrooms:" students, she contends have a tough time transitioning to this new model while teachers can appear weak or unprepared when giving students these freedoms.
Her bias emerges when she discusses "un- democratic beliefs" such as the perception that students fail because of "ignorance." Kristan insists that failure occurs more because of a feeling of "powerlessness." When we empower students, Morrison believes we naturally help them become more successful as they have a vested interest in the material being taught.
Morrison makes references to PROMINENT names in the field. She references work completed by Carl Rogers in studying adolescent behavior in addition to utilizing Dewey's work on motivating students.
In short, this is a WONDERFUL starting point for research on both the successes and pitfalls of "democratic classrooms."
Quotes:
"Proponents of democratic and freedom-based education argue that
with autonomy and choice, people experience a much-different, muchbetter
form of education than that offered by the conventional, hierarchical,
more-coercive education system present in most public schools." (53)
"Students who come from conventional
education into classrooms or schools employing democratic practices
will often feel uncomfortable with or even fearful of jeopardizing the 55
only pattern of life they know (Goodman 1964)." (55)
"The idea that knowledge can be stuffed into the individual, as
opposed to being constructed and mediated through the individual
(Lamm 1972), has led to the conventional educational practices of mandated
courses and pre-established syllabi." (56)
"The term "democratic education" as used in this article is linked
with and synonymous with the term "freedom-based education," for just
as democracy as a political system is grounded in individual freedoms,
democracy as an educational system is also grounded in freedoms." (52)
References:
1. Shor, Ira. 1996. When Students Have Power: Negotiating Authority in a Critical
Pedagogy. Chicago:The University of Chicago Press.
2. Rogers, C. 1969. Freedom to Learn. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing.
3. Dewey, J. 1916. Democracy and Education. NewYork: Macmillan Company. 1938. Experience and Education. NewYork: Collier Macmillan Publishers.
4. Greene, M. 1988. The Dialectic of Freedom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
"Stress Inoculation"
Whitman, Neal A and others. "Reducing Stress Among Students." Eric Digest. Washington D.C., 1987.
This was a summary digest about a book put out in 1987 that dealt with how to reduce stress among college students. I found this summary to reiterate what other books on stress stated; let the students know what will occur in your course, give meaningful feedback, and acknowledge the fact that stress exists. For a reduced stress environment to occur, teachers need to be proactive and accept the concept that they are mentors to their students. It is important that students don't feel "mismatched" in their classroom environment. Let the students know ahead of time when assignments are due and what will occur in class. In addition, feedback that specifically tells a student how his or her work was and ways to improve it.
Quotes:
-"The key seems to be to make college courses challenging but not threatening." (2)
-"Professors should keep in mind that the goal is not to eliminate all stress but to help students develop a variety of skills to cope with the negative aspects of stress." (3)
-"The guiding principle of stress reduction is 'stress inoculation,' suggesting a preventive approach so that the negative aspects of stress can be avoided."(3)
I hope to be able to access this entire study instead of just the digest version of it because it seems very useful to my action research project of student well-being. This article reinforces the importance of acknowledging the classroom environment in order to allow teachers and students to have control within it. In addition, this concept of specific feedback seems to be a reoccurring them in all aspects of student help.