Module 43

How did you feel about taking standardized tests in secondary school? In what ways did your high school prepare you for standardized tests? If you had the ways and means how would you do it differently?

 

I was personally never fond of taking standardized tests. My strength has been and most certainly never will be test taking, so I am also anxious when the time comes to take one. With this being said, I believe my high school did an excellent job in preparing me for the various standardized tests. We would spend entire class periods reviewing how to approach a certain type of problem, and then how to work on it. The most effective part of this would be to practice with similar problems of past standardized tests. This way the best form of practice as well as recognition, so come time to take the actual standardized tests I would be fully prepared. If I were to go back and do I all over the only thing I would probably do is have my teachers just give us more practice problems. The more the merrier! Other than that I strongly feel as though my high school did everything in its power to make sure I was not only ready to take a standardized test, but also insure me a sense of comfort and make sure I was mentally ready to conquer the standardized test!

Case Study (Page 644 in Text)

1. Developing a  rubric:

1. Look at models: Show students examples of good and not so good work based on composites of work not linked to individual students. Identify the characteristics that make the good ones good and the bad ones bad.
2. List criteria: Use the discussion of models to begin a list of what counts in quality work.
3. Articulate gradations of quality: Describe the best and worst levels of quality; then fill in the middle levels based on your knowledge of common problems and the discussion of not-so-good work..
4. Practice on models: Have students use the rubrics to evaluate the models given in Step 1.
5. Use self-assessment and peer-assessment: Give students their task. As they work, stop them occasionally for self and peer assessment.
6. Revise: Always give students time to revise their work based on feedback they get in Step 5.
7. Use teacher assessment: In your grading, be sure to use the same rubric students used to assess their work.

2. Miss Wren should keep in mind that good grades do promote motivation and learning. "Written or oral feedback that includes specific comments on errors or faulty strategies, but then balances this criticism with suggestions about how to improve along with comments on positive aspects of work increases learning" (630). Grades can really encourage a  student's motivation to learn if they are tied to meaningful learning. Good grades tell a student that they are succeeding, which will in turn push them to achieve bigger and better goals. I also think that good grades sparks more curiosity in children, as then are always eager and ready to learn new material and look forward to learning in the future.

Module 42

Differentiate between formative and summative assessment and give examples of how each might be used in your own teaching situation.

 

Formative assessment is ungraded testing used before or during instruction to aid in planning and diagnosis. Summative assessment is testing that follows instruction and assesses achievement. Basically formative helps instruction and summative summarizes students' accomplishments. In my teaching situation I would use formative assessment with the use of pop quizzes or homework checks, just to make sure all of my student were keeping up with the material at hand. My summative assessments would be in the form of either tests, essays, projects, or presentations to see how well my students comprehended the material. Each form of assessment works hand-in-hand in the intellectual accomplishments of each and every student.

Module 34

Do you think it is generally true that first graders have more curiosity and are more motivated than sixth graders or high school students? If so, can you explain the decline? Be careful to consider the development that occurs during this time period.

 

"A common concern among parents and teachers is that curiosity and excitement about learning is replaced by a sense of drudgery and disinterest. School become a job you have to do- a workplace where the work is not that interesting. In fact, interest in school decreases over time from elementary to high school, with boys showing greater declines than girls. The transition to middle school is particularly linked to a decline in interest. These declines are troubling because results of research on learning in school show that interest is related to students' attention, goals, grades, and depth of learning" (498). Based on the above quote as well as my personal opinion, I do believe that it is generally true that younger students have more curiosity than older ones. In the early years, students are stimulate by their curiosity for what come next. As the years progress, the work gets harder and teachers become more predictable, eliminating that curiosity factor. Students can see what is coming in the future. Another factor I believe connects to why students lose interest as the years go by has to do with the amount of extracurricular stuff that goes on. Puberty is probably the biggest thing a child has to deal with growing up, and with other things on their mind than simply just school, kids' minds focus elsewhere. Losing that curiosity factor also loses the motivation and drive to learn, leaving kids bored and unhappy.

Module 33

Can children learn if they are hungry or feel unsafe in their neighborhood? Take Maslow's hierarchy of needs when answering this question. What criticisms would you offer about this hierarchy?

 

Maslow suggested that humans have a hierarchy of needs ranging from lower-level needs for survival and safety to high-level needs for intellectual achievement and finally self-actualization. as the "pyramid" goes up, each level becomes less important than the next. If a child is concerned about heir need to survive and safety (lowest and most important level) they are going to focus on fixing that problem first. It is hard for a child to feed their need for intellectual achievement (higher and less important level) when their mind is somewhere else. This theory can be criticized for the most obvious reason in that people do not always appear to behave as the theory would predict. Most of us move back and forth among different types of needs and may be motivated by many needs at the same time. Some people deny themselves one need in order to achieve another.

Maslow's Hierarchy

1) Can children learn in school if they are hungry or feel unsafe in their neighborhood? Take Maslow's hierarchy of needs into account when answering this question.

2)What criticisms would you offer about this hierarchy?

 

Answers

 

1. No children can't learn in school if they are hungry of feel unsafe in their neighborhood. a child can't take in and process information if their mind is already preoccupied with eating and worrying about how they are going to get home tonight in their unsafe neighborhood. A child's lower level hierarchy needs will also take priority to the factors toward the top (people must fulfill their lower level needs such as for survival, safety, followed by belonging and then self-esteem first).
2. The main criticism to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would be that some things don't seem like they are in the right place. I feel as though some aspects are very overrated, while on the other hand other factors are extremely underrated. Also this hierarchy also might not apply to every single person, hence it isn't a universal hierarchy.

Case Study 2

Paulo Nzambi moved from his home in Angola to the United States in the fifth grade. While his English and schooling were adequate, his teacher Katie Wyant worried about his social adjustment. His quiet demeanor and soft voice were, in many ways, the opposite of his male peers. Paulo appeared hesitant when interacting with her as if he was unsure about how to behave. As the year progressed, Katie noticed he had not made any progress in adjusting to the classroom. She decided she needed to be proactive in finding a solution. (Cluster 6 / Unit 5).

         1)   In order to acquire a better understanding of Paulo and make school a more positive experience, what three types of relationships would assist Paulo as well as Miss Wyant?

       2)  What aspects of culturally relevant teaching might Katie Wyant employ to assist Paulo Nzambi in his transition to an American classroom?

 

Answers

 

1. The three types of relationships Miss Wyant should develop with Paulo to help them both out are:

• Effective home-school relationships
• Caring teacher-student relationships
• Effective peer relations

     2. Miss Wyant could play games with her students in which they get to know other classmates. this would involve each child introducing themselves to one another and interacting by telling each other personal information. Another aspect could be giving history lessons to educate all the children of their pastime. This would give Paulo an idea of how things came to be here in America while also providing the whole class new information of what took lace before their time.