Charter Schools out doing traditional schools in poor students' success

In the state of California charter schools have shown great success teaching inner-city poor population. Ben Chavis gives surprizing statements saying that poor children are easier to teach because they have a good reason to work hard. This is a surprising viewpoint to many because most research shows and opposite feeling.
Since I am interested in working with underprivileged students in the future, I enjoyed this article. I believe that it takes a certain kind of teacher to successfully teach poor or underprivileged students; even though I do believe that all teachers should be prepared to, I don't think they always are. I believe Ben Chavis demonstrates a good attitude towards teaching as a whole. Your find students' energy and encourage them to work at something good for their lives.

Children's book remains on shelves

And Tango Makes Three, a book by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell has been getting a lot of negative attention lately. The book, written with child-oriented illustrations, tells the story of two male penguins who raise an egg together. Some parents in the Chico Unified School District found this idea offensive, and tried to get the book banned. The book ended up staying on the shelves in the library, citing that "First Amendment rights apply to children as well as adults."

The fact that this book was even brought up for discussion to a banning board is ridiculous. It just goes to show how homophobic the world truly is. There are homosexual undertones to the story, but that's not the point of the story. It's actually based on two male penguins at a zoo who were actually making a nest together and sitting on an egg-shaped rock. The zookeeper ended up putting a real egg, which the two raised together in real life. The story was written to show that a family isn't about a mom and a dad, or a dad and a dad or anything like that. It's meant to show that loving and caring and nurturing is what's important in a family. Trying to ban a children's book that teaches that lesson is a horrible idea. Leave it up to parents to monitor what their children read, but don't try to ban something that teaches children a valuable lesson

A School Cheif Take on Tenure, Stirring A Fight

The article I chose was written by Sam Dillon of the New York Times.
Head Chancellor of the public school systems in Washington is raising eyebrows and causing much debate with her views of teacher tenure. "Ms. Rhee has proposed spectacular raises of as much as $40,000, financed by private foundations, for teachers willing to give [it] up". Rhee states that tenure only benefits adults by making it difficult for them to lose their jobs and has negative effects on students because it may put them in settings of learning that are taught by those who are less qualified. Rhee feels that those teachers who are in the field for the summer vacations and the health benefits are those who are protected due to tenure, making it difficult for them to be fired, even if they are not adequately teaching. But she does not want to completely abolish tenure, but her proposal involves "each teacher would choose between two compensation plans, one called green and the other red. Pay for teachers in the green plan would rise spectacularly, nearly doubling by 2010. But they would need to give up tenure for a year, after which they would need a principal’s recommendation or face dismissal." These ideas have been outvoted by many three to one.
I feel the idea of tenure is wrong, though it is comforting for those who are teachers or planning to work in the field. In most any other job, if an employee is not working to their full potential and fulfilling the expectations of the company, the employer has the right to dismiss that person. Why should it be any different with teachers, especially when dealing the issue with education and the future of students? Tenure also leaves less jobs for those who are well qualified and I feel the stability of tenure allows teachers to become more relaxed with the lessons and the quality of their teaching may decline.

Technology and Writing

This article implies that students are finding more ways to express themselves through technology. "Writing" itself has evolved into using a computerized setup in order to accommodate this rapid-paced culture of technological advancements. Though I have been one to embrace these advancements, I can't completely abandon "older" practices of writing. As a computer technician (and a former student teacher) I have seen and experienced first hand, the devastating effects of what happens when computers go out of commission. Taking it to a more drastic measure, if anyone here has seen the TV series "Jericho" when an electromagnetic pulse occurs, there are no more electronics. I don't believe anything that drastic will occur anytime soon, but it is a possibility we cannot forget.

Students don't physically write enough, not like they used to. I'm not saying that students should write three pages in a class period, but practicing hand writing skills isn't a bad idea. I know my handwriting is appalling, and often compared to a doctor's handwriting. It is simply because I type more than I write for many reasons, but in the same respect, I just think computers have made things too easy sometimes. Yes, they are convenient, have spell checkers and thesauruses with one click of a mouse, and it saves time.

Though the article states that kids are writing more than ever, which is wonderful, "Six in 10 teens, however, don't view that as 'writing.'" I can understand this in regards to the text messaging phenomenon. But students are also writing blogs, e-mails, wikis, etc and we need to keep that in mind as English teachers. So where do we draw the line when students are writing more with the use of technology?

(Sorry this is posted late at night. Coincidentally, my Internet has been out of commission for two days!)
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/Elementary/?article=TeensBetterWriters2

Can Technology Make Teens Better Writers?

In a recent article Melissa Slager adresses the issue of technology and its blaten effects on the youth. Slager found the writing scores on test like the SAT's and other standarize tests are actually increasing. But, Slager also found that few students are "pushing their pens beyond that to exhibit such skills as personal style, a varied vocabulary and an awareness of audience that goes beyond authoritarian grade checker." What this means is that students are just writing essays for tests and not challenging themselves. Many teachers are looking towards the technology of the youth for answers. In fact, most educators find that "Today's young writers are being encouraged to use everyday technology to find their unique voices."

"Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking"

I feel Probst makes very good points about the need to have students gain independent thought and the teachers role to educate them so they can learn to express themselves on their own.
Not many teachers in my high school held class discussions. The main dialogue between teacher and students in the classroom consisted of question/answer type conversation. Not until college did I experience sitting in a circle and voicing my opinion in a space where I was comfortable enough to say how I felt and didn't worry about my opinion being "correct". Even activities in this class such as the Socratic seminar and blog talk are important examples of the need to speak in the classroom because it is not about winning a debate or having the "right" opinion, its about HAVING an opinion. Not only does this help me feel more comfortable expressing my ideas, but it also helps me be more confidant when speaking in front of others.
Another idea that Probst comments on is Forced Freewriting. The name itself is almost an oxymoron; ideas that are your own, but you are forced to think about and come up with in order to get something down on paper. (sorry, I can't explain this exactly how I wanted to) I personally enjoy freewriting in the classroom setting because it gives me a chance to get my thoughts down and clear my head, but not all students respond well to this activity.
I feel the main point Probst tries to make clear is that students need to think and speak for themselves. There will not always be a teacher around to push them in the right direction or provoke their thoughts with stimulating activities. But this cannnot be forced entirely on the teacher, it is also the role of the student to want to learn and become involved in their own learning.

Robert Probst

I think that students do a lot of the work because they are the one's that have to follow what the teachers want them to do in their assignments. Robert Probst is right about the idea that teachers have us do readings and group discussions, as well as having us construct questions that make us think in depth about the readings that are assigned to us by our instructors. I am fully aware that these questions are suppose to show our knowledge on the subject discussed in the readings. These experiences I have been faced with throughout high school and even middle school. When I got into college I have also experienced what Probst describes as "free writes". During these "free writes" our teachers give us a limited amount of time to reflect on the topic that is presented to us by the teacher. This teaching technique is also a difficult technique that I am sure some students have trouble with. As a student, I have experienced difficult times with "free writes" in college because it is hard for me to keep my thoughts flowing and to even construct a perfectly written paper during these kinds of writes. An average student does do a lot of the work because they have to be present during most all of the instruction, they have to obey what the teacher wants them to do specifically in their assignments, and they have to listen one-hundred percent of the time when the teacher or another student is talking.

Tom Sawyer is the man!

First off, I want to say I love Tom Sawyer and his tactics. He is a genius. He tricks his friends into doing work for him. His friends did not leave regretting it; they enjoyed the work and most likely grew from it. It brought an enjoyment to something that almost all people think is miserable work. Toms acts are much like teaching. Teachers must find away to bring enjoyment to the class room which is almost always found to be a place difficult to have fun. I do believe the main point of this chapter is to convey the importance for a teacher to encourage an active classroom. In result, the students will be encouraging learning to themselves and eachother. But this does not mean that teachers can sit back and observe. This is a very difficult task for a teacher. I think it is more difficult to teach creatively with tactics like Tom Sawyer that encourages genuine enjoyment than it is to teach through a power trip of influencing fear and respect. As we all know the more difficult way almost always pays off.

Probst

I agree with Probst talking about how talking can be hard work and how talking is a big part of the teaching process. Talking should deffinatly be encouraged during class to open students minds.

Probst's Chapter

Probst brings up some valid points about how to engage students in learning English. Comparing Tom Sawyer's tactics of pedagogy wasn't a bad idea - however we are dealing with two completely opposing forces - painting and teaching English (and for the purpose of this chapter, teaching students discourse). Probst says that "There aren't many models of civil discourse for our students to learn from," (45) which I find to be true. There isn't a standardized test (to my knowledge) on discourse itself (and there shouldn't have to be at any rate). It's true that some teachers aren't expanding on the practice of talking, and parents aren't spending time teaching it (because they expect the teachers to be doing this job!) I do not recall a time when I was sitting in an English class and was taught the dynamics of discourse or speech. Sure we learned parts of speech and the occassional vocal repitition of those words we didn't understand, but never did a teacher teach the instruction of conversation. It never occurred to me either how this segment of English Language Arts is often neglected, until I read about it in this chapter. It's hard enough to initiate a succinct conversation in a classroom, especially when students are faced with a myriad of issues. They may not understand the material, and may not know how to ask questions in a clear manner. They may have a fear of speaking in front of their peers, or they simply cannot be bothered. There also becomes the inevitable time in students' lives where they think they know everything and don't need to listen what has to be said by teachers. I think it is important to find some way to engage each student individually - make them feel needed and make them know that their voice is important not just to the teacher, but to themselves and their peers.

The "Find the Poem" activity doesn't sit well with me. I had this exact scenario played out in a new school, first day eleventh grade English class. The discussion was something like:

"Hey. Let me see what you got."

"Okay."

"I think it works."

"Yup, me too."

"Okay, I'll just say that my part goes after your part because it sounds right."

"Sure, sounds good."

End conversation. This cannot be considered a useful activity. Sure, some students will engage, but others, like me, will remain passive and questioning the point of the activity instead of trying it out. The sticky note activity, I found to be constructive and invites students to talk and ask questions with one another. I don't even mind the "artificial" appeal that Probst states. As far as I'm concerned, there are far more artificial and non-productive activities and pedagogies that float around in classrooms these days.

Playing an Instrument Influences More than Musical Abilities

It has been said that playing a musical instrument can have positive effects on a child's learning Harvard put this idea to the test by arranging a study of 41 eight- to eleven- year olds who had studied either piano or a string instrument for a minimum of three years in comparison to a group of 18 children who had no instrumental training. The results were not only higher test scores for children who played instruments in areas related to music, in tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity, but these students also had higher scores than those who did not play an instrument in tests of verbal ability and visual pattern completion. This study raisies question as to whether there is a balance between music and unrelated studies. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104132916.htm

I feel that Music can have a large impact on a persons development, especially a child. This study shows that those children who had been playing an instrument for three years not only had strong music abilities, but also higher test scores. Children who spent more time focusing on improving their abilities through practicing outside the classroom also had higher test scores than those who had been studying an instrument for a shorter period of time. This connection between music and learning has been proven not only through verbal and visual scores, but math as well. Children are also learning skills at young age by playing an instrument such as dedication, commitment, focus and time management by devoting time to practice. I did not surprise me that children who play a musical instrument have higher test scores in areas non-music related areas, oppossed to children who do not play an instrument.

"Learning How the Brain Works May Be Boon in the Classroom"

Scientists are beginning to do neurological research on how people learn. Studies are being done to figure out how people learn best; new programs are being developed at Harvard University and John Hopkins to determine how these studies can be used in the educational process. The studies are able to show what kind of things to teach people in and how to teach them in order to best suit their needs. For example, certain aspects of social and emotional information can be focused on in order to help autistic or special needs children learn how to interact. It was also discovered that most people learn things backwards. These people did an activity (i.e. the battery and lightbulb with a wire experiment) and then they learned the principles of electricity.


I think this could be really beneficial to the future of education. By learning how to effectively teach students in a way that will benefit them, we could be figuring out how to improve education in every way. I do think it would be hard to implement this kind of study on every student in every school. I think it would be best focused on special needs or students with learning disabilities. By learning how they learn, we could learn how to best help them and improve their learning. This could help more students become interested in school and learning.

"Stumbling Blocks: Playing it Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry"

This article addresses the issue of blocked websites and teaching tools by school internet networks. Teachers often have trouble accessing these tools to implement into their lesson plans. The article describes the situation of one teacher who wanted to use the messages in advertisements in their lesson plan, but could not access the YouTube clips because YouTube was blocked by the district server. In order to get around this problem, the teacher had to load the clips on his home laptop and bring his laptop to campus. The article goes on to describe helpful ways to circumnavigate online barriers placed by your school district for academic reasons. Firstly, it is important to establish good rapport with the school's technological staff because more often than not, they can help you access websites that you would like to use for a lesson. The article also stresses the importance of teaching "digital citizenship." This means that instead of blocking websites in schools, it is better to teach students how to find information and to utilize the internet to its full potential in an academic way. This method means creating an atmosphere of academic information literacy, using new technology to its fullest potential while still meeting standards and giving students new and innovative ways to complete a common lesson. 

Writing Leads to Deeper Learning

This article on college students being assigned writing assignments and being studies upon their information given is rather interesting. It talks about students being assigned papers that allow them to use other outside information and it helps them become more "personal, social, and practical" with their assignments. Certain topics aren't always going to help students out in those perspectives but I believe that teachers who demand many drafts of certain papers, allow students to take things step by step. This technique does not always work for every student, some students may write better the first try instead of making several drafts of the same paper. Also writing multiple papers throughout the year I feel allows students to use all sorts of other outside information to give their papers more personality. I also think that the actual topic of the assignment effects how each student writes. Not all students are good at writing research papers, but maybe they are better at writing papers that allow them to have free thought put into the paper. Putting your own opinion into a paper is sometimes easier for students to do because they may feel that their opinion matters in the subject. All in all I do believe that students should be assigned different types of writings throughout their educational careers to give them the opportunity to be creative in their writings and voice their opinions in different ways.

As state scores drop, schools work to engage students in reading

The article I read was about regaining the interest of reading within the classroom. Because it seems as though the scores of high school assessments are decreasing in the area of reading, I think that it is evident that as teachers we establish new methods of reading that will enhance the students' eagerness to read. As one teacher suggested, she starts every new book off with a question, in order to provoke controversy and make the students eager to read the book. I feel that that is one method that could work, but I also feel however that the material that we are having our students read is slowly becoming outdated. Maybe students are not performing as well as they should be on their assessment tests because they material that they are reading does not interest them, is perceived as boring or is simply old fashioned. Though the books that are being read in the high school classroom are well known classics such as "The Adventures of huckleberry Fin", "Mice and Men", "Romeo and Juliet", we need to find a way to relate those books to the students life and with what is currently occurring throughout the world.

It is important that throughout the English classroom, students are not only learning the basic comprehension skills and mechanics, but learning to love reading. Reading should not be perceived as a chore, however within the classroom I feel that oftentimes students do not read the material with a willing and happy go lucky attitude. We need to come up with something new and fresh that will capture students into reading, make them interact in a way that makes them never want to forget a specific book, scene, or character. We need to spice up the English department and curriculum so that students will love English as much as we do.

Harry Potter for HW--A Look at Engaging Students in Reading

The article I read discussed the increasingly disappointing reading scores of students across the nations, particularly at the middle-school and early high school levels. To me, the most important part of the article was its suggestions for improving reading levels with students. It began with a teacher explaining her personal technique of posing controversial questions to her students about the assigned texts in the hopes they will read it and thus be able to contribute to a debate. She says that students like to argue and so it is good motivation--and I agree. The most popular books among students that I know of are books like "1984," which is referenced in the article, and "Animal Farm," both of which seem to stir students. When a book has been banned, like "Catcher in the Rye," it is automatically more appealing to students. I feel like they would want to know why it was so hated. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of finding these controversies in literature.

And sometimes, it's redefining the word "literature."

In the English classroom, we understand "literature" to mean the classical and contemporary texts that are a standardized part of the curriculum and thus probably dubbed "boring." Yet this article suggests that teachers have their students study the popular texts of their own time and analyze them for literary meaning. This would include texts like Stephanie Myer's "Twilight" and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter." Having read both of these texts, I can say confidently that the idea of teaching them as literature to students is a very smart idea.

At the risk of sounding overly eager (because who wouldn't want to read Harry Potter for homework), I think studying the popular texts of today would be a huge lure for students to increase their reading level. They would most definitely be more interested in the texts, seeing as the majority of them are already reading the worldwide bestsellers, and as to the legitimacy of such books as English books, I have no doubts. As Jennifer Schoaf says in the article, these students would start looking at the books as something that came from the author. ""In other words, they think about the choices the writer makes, the words he or she uses. It enhances their comprehension and appreciation for what they're reading." If a student is asked to identify the writing techniques used in Harry Potter, they may realize its organization and structure is similar to that of the essays they write. They may recognize how action is tagged onto a piece of dialogue in order to move the story along. They will be forced to slow down and appreciate that the dramatic, isolated, single sentence between paragraphs is a stylistic tool. There are so many possibilities to studying modern works like this. Besides the fact that the students will be interested in them, they will also perhaps learn a bit more about their own world, based on what they read between the lines of the book.