Blog 6: Final Blog

1. Five things I would do if I were Secretary of Education (assuming that I had carte blanch and no opposition):

• Abolish the No ChIld Left Behind Act: besides being impossible to achieve, the act works counter to its goal of improving education. 

• Implement National Standards: you can not accurately measure students’ learning if they are not held to the same standards.

• Take the focus off of standardized testing: standardized tests would be issued at the beginning, middle, and end of year to track individual student learning (not teacher effectiveness).

• Provide funding for vice principals: every school would be required to have a vice principal so that either the principal or vice principal would have time to conduct evaluations on teacher effectiveness. 

• And finally, even though this is rather vague, I would like to make sure funding reached the classrooms and teachers. Somewhere in the bureaucracy and administration there is a mismanagement of funds that I would like to see corrected.

2. What I find most meaningful from Ravitch is her in-depth knowledge of educational movements which allows us, as the reader, to easily see the cause and effect or action and reaction fads and trends in education. Seeing this pattern really helped me realize the need for stable solutions based on research. 

3. Given the current state of American education I feel it is important for me as a teacher to always strive to improve myself. Professional development in both content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge would help ensure that I am as effective as possible as an instructor. As a citizen, I feel it is my duty to keep informed of the current educational policies so that I can be an educated voter.

4. Two associations from my subject area: 

• Girls Inc. (http://www.girlsinc.org). “Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through life-changing programs and experiences that help girls navigate gender, economic, and social barriers. Research-based curricula, delivered by trained, mentoring professionals in a positive all-girl environment equip girls to achieve academically; lead healthy and physically active lives; manage money; navigate media messages; and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. The network of local Girls Inc. nonprofit organizations serves 125,000 girls ages 6 - 18 annually across the United States and Canada.” (Girls Inc. website). 

• The Trevor Project (http://www.thetrevorproject.org). “The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.” (The Trevor Project website).

5a. Five Bay Area experiential resources I would like to see:

•  San Francisco: Mission District murals 
•  San Francisco: International Museum of Women
•  Richmond: Rosie the Riveter Memorial
•  Bay Area: Special Delivery- a large scale mural exhibit featuring prolific street artists
•  I would like to sit in on a meeting and speak with members of the Bay Area Veterans of the     Civil Rights Movement 

b. Five books I would like to read: 

• Improving Academic Achievement: Impact of Psychological Factors on Education edited by Joshua Aronson
• Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination edited by Stuart Oskamp
• The Nature of Prejudice by Gordon W. Allport
• Education Today by John Dewey 
• Educational Psychology by Lev Vygotsky

c. Two journals I would like to investigate: 

• American Educational Research Journal 
• Journal of Social Issues

d. Two conferences I would like to attend: 

• Living Walls: “Living Walls has succeeded in making key parts of Atlanta’s creative culture visible to the wider community while bringing in internationally known street artists to enrich our urban spaces,” said Louis Corrigan, founder of Possible Futures. “Its annual conference situates this work within an intellectual and social context that fosters vital conversations about art, urbanism, and community and connects Atlanta to other urban centers. I’m excited to see how Living Walls evolves.” 

• Boston-area Educators for Social Justice Conference 

Conference Aims:

• Facilitate dialogue, share resources and build strategy among those interested in education for liberation
• Develop youth leadership and support youth voice in education
• Build a movement for quality education that combines the visions of youth, communities, families and teachers

e. Five world wide areas I would like to visit:

• Paris, France: a walking tour of Paris to see Invader’s artwork
• Israel: viewing of the West Bank Barrier wall-home to many works of street art
• Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian American History Museum
• Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Memphis, Tennessee: National Civil Rights Museum

Blog 5

For me, one of the most relevant parts of Dr. Robert’s presentation was his statistics on increased use of technology multi-tasking in conjunction with his hypothesis that this leads to increased attention deficits and difficulty in long term concentration in students. This has significance for the ability of students to focus and persist through assignments in and outside of the classroom.

Question: Has the time spent on media consumption replaced time spent on homework completion in students?

I am dismayed by the push for online education in grades K-12 and hope that this trend that will not be followed to its full conclusion. Although offering online elective courses (such as Chinese) when on-site classes would not be possible due to low enrollment is enriching, care needs to be taken that this does not open the door to mandatory online curriculum. Online education, while appropriate for motivated college students, does not offer the checks and assessments needed to ensure learning in average students. In addition, if schools are advocating online classes due to budget concerns, it stands to reason that these schools are in low socioeconomic areas where student motivation is already an issue in the regular, teacher-assisted classroom. Moving these students to a platform that requires a higher degree of self-monitoring, motivation, and metacognition will lead to a further widening of the educational gap as well as continuing the decline of education in our nation. Without in-person contact with class members school community and students’ social competence would also come in to question. How would students’ ability to work in groups, compromise, accept people’s differences, and communicate in interpersonal situations be affected? 

Technology Resources for the Teacher:

http://quizlet.com/ allows teachers or students to build flashcards and has various quiz features: you can even add pictures to the cards, so great for ELD and other vocabulary development.

 I would definitely like to use this for any ELD students in my future class. I think it would be helpful for a range of subjects including, science, history, and language arts. Giving the students flashcards that incorporate pictures will help with developing vocabulary as well as concepts.

http://www.glogster.com/ allows students to create virtual “posters” containing text, images, and even video and music. Worth looking at, especially for grades 4-8.

This would be great to use in a variety of subjects as well. It could be used to create concrete representations from science and math or abstract concepts from literature.

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com: generates crosswords, acrostics, word searches.

I like the idea of using crosswords as a form of pretest. It would let the teacher know what areas the students understand and what areas might need more explanation.

http://www.techsmith.com/download/jing/ is a free client which lets you record anything that happens on your computer screen, include your own narration or captioning, and publish a video of it. Nice if you want to narrate a slideshow presentation or make a demonstration of how to use an application or website.

Having students create a video would be a great project for many subjects. Students could narrate science processes and turn in the video as a form of test or they could create and illustrate stories. Being able to verbally narrate a video as a form of test would be especially useful for students who are not able to fluently read or write. 

Interdisciplinary Teaching

Since I am a multiple subject teacher I commonly teach all subjects; for this assignment I chose math as the subject area for which I would find two outside resources.

The first resource is “Boogie Woogie Colors”- a geometric painting by Mondrain. The painting consists of various sized rectangles in a variety of colors. The assignment would be to recreate the piece. The students would be given a length of tape and would first need to figure out the perimeter for all shapes to see if they had been given enough tape (they would not have been). They would then need to request the exact amount still needed.  Next they would measure, cut, and tape out the rectangles in preparation for painting. The students would then paint the picture.

Link for the picture: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/Mondrian.htm

The second resource is “Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1” by Mondrain. This painting is also a collection of various colored rectangles. For this assignment students would graph the number of pink, white, yellow, and grey rectangles. They would then find the ratio and percentage for each color of rectangle.

Link for the picture:

http://emptyeasel.com/2007/04/17/piet-mondrian-the-evolution-of-pure-abstract-paintings/

Some challenges for interdisciplinary teaching are finding the additional grade appropriate materials that are needed and thinking outside the box to design a lesson. Unlike lessons focusing strictly on one subject, interdisciplinary resources and lessons are usually not located in state curriculum books.

The value of interdisciplinary teaching would be the opportunity to cover subject matter beyond reading and math. There is never enough time in the classroom; there is even less after rigorous and time-consuming language arts and math requirements have been met. By integrating subjects such as science, art, and social studies, the students get extra time and experience with often-neglected content.

Blog I Responded to:

Juliana Wegher:  masterbloggersmc.blogspot.com

Session Two: Mind the Gap

1. “I feared that choice would let thousands of flowers bloom but would not strengthen American education.” page 12

The movement for choice- whether it be vouchers, charters, or other-seems to equate different with better. The question should not be “What does that school offer which mine does not?” but instead should be “Does that school offer a better education than mine?”

“The new corporate reformers betray their week comprehension of education by drawing false analogies between education and business. They think they can fix education by applying principles of business, organization, management, law, and marketing and by developing a good data-collection system that provides  the information necessary to incentivize the workforce-principals, teachers, and students-with appropriate rewards and sanctions.”      

 page 11    

Yes, the business model works with businesses- businesses which are staffed with adults. Students are not adults nor can they be expected to behave as such. The discrepancy between the mental and emotional maturity of each organization’s “workers” is so great there is a question as to why success was universally expected. Furthermore, even though school staff were given an incentive under this model (albeit a negative incentive) what were the incentives for the students? Were they really able to comprehend that teachers would be fired or schools closed? This is just too abstract to grasp as well as irrelevant to most students. 

2. A well educated person is knowledgeable in a variety of subjects. They are able to understand, synthesize, and apply their knowledge. A well educated person thinks about ideas and information; they are able to express themselves and share their knowledge, ideas, and thoughts with others. A well educated person in today’s world should know about technology, current and world events, history, science, literature, social issues, etc... 

3. What stood out to me from the class discussion of Ravitch was the universal narrowing of curriculum everyone has witnessed due to standardized testing. Focusing on math and reading as well as teaching to the test seems like a rule rather that an exception to the rule. 

There was nothing that I wanted to say and did not have the opportunity to voice.

4. I chose grammar as the area I wanted to address. This is a list of possible resources to help with grammar:

• Book: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus
• Website: http://englishgrammar101.com    
• Article: The PurDue Owl website has many different articles/handouts on various grammar topics

Like a lot of people (specifically those who have been out of elementary school for quiet a while) I no longer have a firm grasp of grammar vocabulary. After reviewing The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation I learned if a verb follows to, it is called an infinitive phrase and is not the main verb. I also learned that contrary to my prior belief, you may end a sentence with a preposition just as long as you do not use extra prepositions when the meaning is clear without them. 

5. My research question: How can street art be used to teach social justice? 

First Resource: Reclaiming San Francisco: History, Politics, Culture. I focussed on the chapter titled “Street Subversion: The Political Geography of Murals and Graffiti” by Timothy W. Drescher. This chapter discussed murals and briefly touched on spray-can art and billboard corrections. Murals are found throughout history from prehistoric caves to tomb painting. In the 1920’s murals started to transition from being an elite expression to one of the community. The New Deal mural program commissioned artists to paint murals that communicated messages. The style used to paint the murals was social realism. 1960-1974 saw a major growth in grassroots political activism which spurred the community mural movement. As opposed to the murals commissioned by The New Deal, community muralists addressed issues and perspectives that were rarely presented in the mass media. As time passed, the murals style moved from realism to postmodernism. Graffiti or spray-can art and billboard corrections also became popular. 

This book briefly mentions The Billboard Liberation Front. I would like to further research this group. 

Second Resource: Banksy: Wall and Piece by Banksy. This book is an autobiography by Banksy; a popular graffiti artist from Great Britain. This book contains direct statements as to why someone chose to be a graffiti artist. 

"I am going to speak my mind so this won’t take long.

Despite what they say graffiti is not the lowest form of art. Although you might  have to creep about all night and lie to your mum it’s actually one of the more honest forms available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on the best wall a town has to offer and nobody is put off by the price of admission...

The people who truly deface our neighborhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across buildings and busses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. They expect to be able to shout their message in your face from every available surface but you’re never allowed to answer back. Well, they started the fight and the wall is the weapon of choice to hit them back."

 - Banksy

Before I started researching my guiding question I thought of social justice in terms of race, gender, and sexual preference. After reading this quote I added socioeconomic status to that list as well.

6. Question for Meg: Have any studies been done on re-test results for information on past standardized tests? Since students are being taught to the test and memorizing how to take a test rather than connecting the information to their lives and prior knowledge and learning the information, do they have a lower rate of recall? If we tested a fourth grader on what they had learned in third grade would they score higher, the same, or lower?

Blogs I Replied To:

Alana Scott: mademoisellescott.blogspot.com

Debamitra Guha: rdguha.blogspot.com
Mary Jane D'Arcy: mjdarcy.blogspot.com

    

Framework Gaps

Framework v. CSET Overview

Even though my project will be arts based, I chose to look at fifth grade Language Arts because my biggest gaps lie in this area. 

There are numerous differences between the state framework for fifth grade Language Arts and the CSET overview of Language Arts. Although I am sure there are many more, the discrepancies I found are as follows:

1. The CEST overview contains theoretical portions which the framework does not.

•  Structural Linguistics (phonemes, morphemes, phonology, and phonemic awareness)
•  Language Development and Acquisition (the stages)
•  Theorists (Vygotsky and Krashen)

2. The CSET overview mentions formal and informal assessment but the framework is much more  detailed in its coverage of assessments.

•  Entry-Level Assessment
•  Monitoring Student Progress
•  Post-test Assessment

3. The framework discusses universal access which the CSET overview does not.

•  Students with Reading Difficulties or Disabilities
•  Advanced Learners
•  English Learners

4. The CSET covers more of what the students should know and the framework covers more of what the students should be able to do. The framework uses words such as: analyze, explain, contrast, describe, identify, and understand.

Unfortunately, I do not have my own classroom yet and have not been in any other classrooms where I have seen the standards for fifth grade Language Arts followed at an appropriate level.  

Gaps for Three Grade Levels

Fifth Grade Framework Gaps:

•  punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure
• word origins

The standards which correspond to my gaps:

Written and Oral English Language Conventions:

 Vocabulary and Concept Development: 

•  1.2  Use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words.
•  1.4  Know abstract, derived roots and affixes from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words.

 Sentence Structure:

•  1.1  Identify and correctly use prepositional phrases, appositives, and independent clauses; use transitions and connections to connect ideas.

 Grammar:

•  1.2  Identify and correctly use verbs that are often misused, modifiers, and pronouns.

Spelling:

•  1.5  Spell roots, suffixes, contractions, and syllable constructions correctly.

Fourth Grade Framework Gaps:

• sentence structure, grammar, and spelling

The standards which correspond to my gaps:

Written and Oral English Language Conventions:

 Sentence Structure:

•  1.2 Combine short, related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.

 Grammar:

•  1.3 Identify and use regular and irregular verbs, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions in writing and speaking.

 Spelling:

•  1.7 Spell correctly roots, inflections, suffixes and prefixes, and syllable constructions.

Third Grade Framework Gaps:

•  although I do not have major gaps for this grade level I feel I could have more in depth knowledge of prefixes and suffixes

The standards which correspond to my gaps:

Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development:

 Vocabulary and Concept Development:

•  1.8 Use knowledge of prefixes (e.g., un-, re-, bi-, mis-, dis-) and suffixes (e.g., -er, -est, -ful) to determine the meaning of words.

CSET Gaps:

•  sentence structure which includes grammar 

Gap to Be Leapt

I chose grammar as the area I would seek to improve. One feasible method of improvement would be an online course. Online courses offer less financial and time restraint strain than do courses at a community college or university and therefore, would be easier to accomodate. I would have to further research the site but one possibility would be http://englishgrammar101.com/

Session One

Describe how out-side school experiences have expanded or deepened your subject area content knowledge, and tell how it enhanced or changed your understanding. Include at least one specific experience.

Out side of school, reading historic books and watching historic documentaries have been a valuable way to increase my content knowledge. For me, one of the most significant out-side school experiences that lead to expanded content knowledge was studying for the history section of the CSET. I didn’t have the best home schooling experience so even after graduating high school and college I had very poor knowledge of world and US history and almost no knowledge of California history. I used the CSET as a motivating factor in my quest to play catch up. Instead of glancing over a study guide, I read books and watched documentaries on as many major historic events as I could within about a three month period. One specific result from my studies, which I am extremely grateful for, is an enhanced understanding of the connection between events in European history. Before, each historic event seemed like a separate fact to be memorized instead of one long story with many cause-and-effect scenarios. Now history is a fascinating drama about which I want to keep learning!

Respond to the class discussion of Ball’s “The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers.” Have your initial judgments or opinions changed based on the discussion?

One of my original questions when reading this article was “Have recent requirements such as the CBEST and CSET helped ensure necessary content knowledge in prospective teachers?” I realize now that I felt, because of my experience studying, that the CSET was successful in it’s goal of ensuring content knowledge. After Tuesday’s discussion I am aware this is not the case for at least two reasons. The first is the simple fact that you don’t have to study for the CSET as intensely as I did; learning enough of the brief overview in the study guide to earn a minimum of 60% on the exam is sufficient. Secondly, I was aware that you would not know everything about a historic period or event once you passed the CSET but it was not foremost in my mind since I have not started teaching in my own class. Listening to seasoned teachers during the discussion remark on the fact that they are constantly learning as they go really focused my attention on the inadequacies of the content knowledge tests. Even though it would be one more hoop to jump through in the process of becoming a teacher, perhaps one possibility would be a mandatory four week review class (included in the $210 test fee!) taken before the exams? It still would not ensure a high level of content knowledge but perhaps it would help. My final thought on this is - you are never going to get the level of skill desired for the job until the job pays enough to erase the debt incurred for that education. I feel this is true for any profession.

Where are you in developing and pursuing a line of inquiry? What is your question? Are you satisfied with your question? At this point what do you know about the research available in this area? What ideas do you have for possible experiential learning sources?

While trying to come up with possible guiding questions I starting focusing on the Arts as my area interest. One question that particularly caught my attention was “What is the history of street art and how has it been used for social change?” At this point I am satisfied with my question, I think it would translate nicely into a final project which focuses on using art to build community with the goal of negating bullying tendencies. At this point I have been to my local library as well as made a cursory glance online and have found a plethora of information (books and online sites) on graffiti and how it has been used for political and social change. 

However, for the most part, I have not had the time to determine if these resources will prove useful for my project. I am still in the process of finding experiential learning sources but some possibilities include visiting the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, contacting the Gay & Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society of Northern California to see if they have used street art in their movement, and contacting actual street art groups or individuals for an interview. 

Blogs I responded to:

Wilson Pang
Jessica O'Connell
Marcy Place
Christina Baronian

Five Guiding Questions

I have decided that I would like to explore in more depth the subject area The Arts. Some of the possible guiding questions for my project include:

• How can drama be used as a way to boost self-esteem and appreciation of personal differences in order to decrease bullying behavior in students?
• How does art instruction affect creative writing in students?
• How does emphasizing student art affect classroom community?
• What is the history and evolution of street art (including graffiti, tagging, and street dancing) and how has it been used as a vehicle for social expression and change?
• What are the themes present in Post Modern American art?

This Arts question is off the Moodle website but I find it intriguing as well.

• How has art teaching been used for promoting social justice? Are there outstanding programs or schools in which art is used to improve the community? How were these developed?