Final Blog entry: pretend you had to create a school from scratch, what kind of teachers would you hire, what kind of curriculum would you use, how would you incorporate technology?
If I were in charge of hiring new teachers, and hopefully I can be someday, I would hire a teacher that shares similar values, passion, and strategies that will be the most beneficial for the students. It is of utmost importance that these new teachers be pioneers in their field of expertise, knowledgeable, creative, and of course motivating. These are some of the more important attributes that I would consider when hiring a new teacher.
As for curriculum, it is tough to say how flexible a school could be with how the build the curriculum. State standards and high stakes testing make most curriculum conform to a pre-created curriculum. Since I am a science teacher, I am big on hands-on learning. My curriculum needs to promote higher learning through experimentation, practicing science, building projects, and discussing science with peers.
Technology is important when it can be implemented. At my current job, the budget for the school was limited, so naturally, there was not a lot of technology. Of course, if the teacher is willing to fork out the money for the technology then things may be different. Especially since technology is evolving at a fast rate, it is important for students to have these basic skills so that they may be better prepared for work.
Last blog - Yeah!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Changing Education Paradigms
Video - Changing Education Paradigms
I thought the video was very visually engaging and had great information on the current state of education and potential ways to improve this. What I found to be most interesting in the video, was how they explained that our current education is not improving because we are still holding true to past educational values. The narrator explained that education nowadays has manifested this notion that students are stripped of their individuality and are assessed based on how well they conform and understand state mandated standards.
This was definitely an interesting take on how education is viewed not only in America, but globally too. I really liked that he said that humans are naturally social beings, but students in most traditional schools, do not have many opportunities to practice these critical social skills of collaboration and sharing. The narrator suggested that this would be the best way for students to learn. On that note, I truly thought this was a great video on education and possible reform issues for the future.
Click Here to View Video!
I thought the video was very visually engaging and had great information on the current state of education and potential ways to improve this. What I found to be most interesting in the video, was how they explained that our current education is not improving because we are still holding true to past educational values. The narrator explained that education nowadays has manifested this notion that students are stripped of their individuality and are assessed based on how well they conform and understand state mandated standards.
This was definitely an interesting take on how education is viewed not only in America, but globally too. I really liked that he said that humans are naturally social beings, but students in most traditional schools, do not have many opportunities to practice these critical social skills of collaboration and sharing. The narrator suggested that this would be the best way for students to learn. On that note, I truly thought this was a great video on education and possible reform issues for the future.
Click Here to View Video!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Does Obesity Affect School Performance?
For this week's homework, I found an article on the CNN website that talked about the concerns of growing obesity in America's children and how this health issue affects their performance in school. What the article sheds light on is that obesity has the potential to affect young children, especially girls, and can often lead to poor academic performance. Often, students who perform well in their early years of schooling will most likely be held back a grade.
The article discusses current research that has focused on studying primary school students. The article mentions that some of these studies have some major inconsistencies in their data and would need to continue studies to show how obesity affects older students. In addition to these findings, there are many indicators that suggest lower self-esteem and other emotional issues in students who are obese. Researchers in London mentioned that there was strong connection with high performing students and their greater athletic abilities.
Overall, the article was definitely and eye-opener to some of the other fields of study that are currently going on in education. Although there is not in concrete evidence that suggest all obese students have poor academic achievement, there are other indicators that suggest that this is true. This was a great article to read and I hope that you will enjoy reading it too!
Full Article Here
For this week's homework, I found an article on the CNN website that talked about the concerns of growing obesity in America's children and how this health issue affects their performance in school. What the article sheds light on is that obesity has the potential to affect young children, especially girls, and can often lead to poor academic performance. Often, students who perform well in their early years of schooling will most likely be held back a grade.
The article discusses current research that has focused on studying primary school students. The article mentions that some of these studies have some major inconsistencies in their data and would need to continue studies to show how obesity affects older students. In addition to these findings, there are many indicators that suggest lower self-esteem and other emotional issues in students who are obese. Researchers in London mentioned that there was strong connection with high performing students and their greater athletic abilities.
Overall, the article was definitely and eye-opener to some of the other fields of study that are currently going on in education. Although there is not in concrete evidence that suggest all obese students have poor academic achievement, there are other indicators that suggest that this is true. This was a great article to read and I hope that you will enjoy reading it too!
Full Article Here
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Today was my first day in the MAT summer session 2. What a day!
Today, we did introductions, created presentations, and created a blog.
As for education, I just started in the career and so far, I really like it. My first year was quite challenging but I think I learned a lot of great stuff that will help me in my second year. These MAT classes are great for young teachers because I can collaborate, share ideas, and exchange lessons with my classmates.
Education is important for everyone. All kids have the capacity to learn and be great in school. As young teachers, we need to tap into these hidden skills that the students have and build on them. Like I said before, education is important to my life and I think this is why I enjoy being a teacher.
Today, we did introductions, created presentations, and created a blog.
As for education, I just started in the career and so far, I really like it. My first year was quite challenging but I think I learned a lot of great stuff that will help me in my second year. These MAT classes are great for young teachers because I can collaborate, share ideas, and exchange lessons with my classmates.
Education is important for everyone. All kids have the capacity to learn and be great in school. As young teachers, we need to tap into these hidden skills that the students have and build on them. Like I said before, education is important to my life and I think this is why I enjoy being a teacher.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)