kaleidoscope#5

While interviewing a distant relative of mine whom; is a principal and has asked to remain anonymous, at one of our local schools here in Brownsville. I asked a series of questions in reference to our local school reform. I was impressed by her opinions and statements, which were quite interesting to hear. I asked about the school curriculum and I was told that the school curriculum is set by the state. Texas like many other states, is experiencing changes toward a predominantly minority school population. Therefore the curricula must meet the requirements to suit everyone’s needs. The apparent failure of the Texas public schools to ensure a high level of academic performance and a minimum incidence of dropouts among schoolchildren have spurred a variety of responses about how to improve poor-performing schools where a disproportionate number of the student population is comprised of minorities living at the poverty level. I asked if the school system helped find a student’s identity and her response to me was that the counselor’s job is to assists students in choosing courses. This gives the student to take charge of their lives and teach them how to make decisions for themselves and their futures. I also had to bring up the topic of control in the classroom. I was informed that the teacher must impose discipline on the students. Lastly I asked about mindfulness and the lack of it in the school system and its students. I was told that when you are mindful that things you were once exposed to seemed mysterious, might now make sense. I felt that this interview was very experiencing for me and was a very good opportunity for me to listen to someone else’s views and thoughts on certain topics having to do with school reform. Again, I was highly impressed by what this principal had to say. 

Kaleidoscope#4

In the first decade of the twentieth century most American children attended schools for no more than a few years, and from their limited education they and their parents were often content if they acquired only the most rudimentary literacy and numeracy skills. During this time American public education suffered from the fact that most of the nation's schools were rural. These one-room schoolhouses were the educational equivalent of the horse and buggy.  The schoolhouse teachers usually had little formal education themselves and faced the daunting task of instructing students who ranged in age from five to twenty years old. The typical classroom, memorization, drill, and recitation were the standard teaching methods. Urban schools, by contrast, were usually age-graded and had a longer school year. The schoolchildren sat in classrooms with desks bolted to the floor but the children were mesmerized by what they were learning and strived to achieve their goals in learning and get that passing grade. As a students in that era I feel that my education would be the equivalent to a first grade students now days. I feel extremely blessed to have the education that I have right now and to be given the opportunity to continue learning and achieving my goals in education.

Simply thinking about not having all of the technology and tools we are offered today is hard to do without. I can imagine having to write a paper or having to learn by writing down instructions from a chalkboard, having to share paper and books. Again I’m glad that we have come a long way in education and resources to maintain educating others at a high level.

Kaleidoscope#3

It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. Providing students to access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to occur. My hopes as an educator are to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion for learning with them. I will develop a curriculum around student interest, foster intrinsic motivation and stimulate the passion to learn. I would set fair and consistent rules stating the importance of every activity, students are shown and instructed. I would also be considerate of the presentation and time spent on activities and assignments turned in from each student to help develop importance and respect for themselves.  I will make sure they are motivated to work hard and master the skills necessary to reach their goals. I will also encourage the students to voice their reasons to and feel free to express themselves. I believe children have greater respect for their teachers, their peers, and the lessons presented when they feel safe and sure of what is expected of them.

Kaleidoscope#2

Immense change in technology has heralded our present knowledge, economy and has give rise to students who have never known life without a computer. Technological innovation may now be changing the very way that schools and universities teach and how students learn. For academic institutions that are eager to equip students and graduates to compete in today’s knowledge economy, the possibilities are great. Sophisticated learning-management systems and the opportunity to collaborate with research partners from around the world are just some of the transformational benefits that schools and universities are embracing. Benefits in using technology remain a disruptive and expensive innovation.

Imagine a school of the future, where students use laptops in a wireless building and teachers customize lessons according to each one's ability. The building itself is entirely environmentally friendly, and all administrative processes are efficiently handled with the latest technology. (ABC NEWS) Tomorrow's schools may become flexible, modular spaces. Rooms could be added to divided and reconfigured to accommodate changes in the curriculum. Portable carts would allow computers to move freely throughout the building. Movable partitions would permit teachers to shift from small to large group activities. Standardized furniture design would allow workstations to move anywhere in the building. Forget computer labs with rows of monitors and miles of tangled cables. In tomorrow's schools, electrical outlets and communications ports would be strategically located throughout the building. Wide conduits inside walls and beneath floors would accommodate wires and cables.

These changes will have a significant ripple effect on higher education. Over the next decade, advanced technologies will put education within the reach of many more individuals around the world, and will allow greater specialization in curriculum and teaching methodologies than ever before. With these benefits comes the challenge of ensuring that university infrastructure and operations are in place to support the adoption of technology on campus.

As a student pursuing to become an educator I interview my aunt, an elementary teacher in reference to this topic and her response was breath taking. She mentioned to me that she uses technology in her everyday classroom and sometimes requires her students to use the computer to try to come up with different methods of using technology. She has shown them many different innovations on how not to be afraid of this new technology being used in schools and our everyday lives.

As a result, what it will mean to be an educated person in the 21st century? Indicated by different studies, sweeping technological changes will effectively change the skill-sets of the future workforce, as well as its approach to work in general. Societies around the world will need to consider how to make the most of these new opportunities.

Works Cited:

Lwein, Adrienne Mand, August31, 2005 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/story?id=1049526&page=1

Stresing, Diane, Tech News World 10/22/02; http://www.technewsworld.com/story/31911.html

Ch. 15

Chapter 15 Notes

What does it mean to be a professional?

• The essence of a teaching career is close, hands-on work with the young. When people think about becoming teachers, their thoughts and musings usually revolve around working with students.
• A profession is more than a group of individuals all engaged in the same line of work. Professions have a more or less recognizable set of characteristics that distinguish them from nonprofessionals. 

Ch. 14

Chapter 14 Notes

What can the new teacher expect?

• The first year is intense because of the unexpected demands and the startling events that lurk in what was thought to be a familiar world: the classroom.
• Struggle-practice makes perfect and if you push yourself too hard at the beginning of your career you might burn out before your time.
• New teachers are vulnerable to many outside forces as well as to their own insecurities.
• Students: Friends or Fiends? – Although students are the primary source of a teacher’s success, they can also be a source of failure.
• Classroom Management- Control and discipline is very important, being in charge of the class is what is expected by administration. 

Ch. 13

Chapter 13 Notes

What are your options in education?

• Factors influencing teacher supply and demand
1. Student enrollment in schools
2. class size
3. enrollment in teacher education programs
4. geographical location
5. subject matter and grade levels taught
6. retiring teachers, teacher turnover and returning teachers
7. economic conditions
• The situation is promising because the number of classroom teachers in elementary and secondary schools is projected to increase at least until 2015, because of teacher retirements, teachers leaving the field, and increases in student enrollments.
• A teaching portfolio can include an organized collection of such items as research papers, letters of recommendation, pupil evaluations, teaching units, and digital recordings of lessons you have taught.