"Mind The Gap"

Mind the Gap” Session 2

1.”I came to believe that accountability as written into federal law, was not raising standards but dumping down the schools as states and districts strived to meet unrealistic targets.”

~Ravich pg 13

It is no surprise that high stakes testing is a heated and controversial debate within the teaching profession.  Although I do not agree with the concept of high stakes testing, since I began teaching I have struggled to come up with a way to verbalize my objectives to the practice.  I completely agree with the Ravich quote from above because she concisely states my objections and states why testing is detrimental to public education.

“ I do claim however, that we must preserve American public education because it is so intimately connected to our concept of citizenship and democracy and to the promise of the American life.”

~Ravich PG 14

As a history teacher I believe that the main reason Americans youth should be educated in both American and world history is so they are able to make informed decisions and participate in American democracy.  I identify with the above quote by Ravich, because she uses the same argument about why students should be enrolled in American public schools.

2.) I believe that a well-educated person is someone who is able to think freely and make critical and informed decisions.  I also believe that a well-educated person is able to actively participate in democracy and listen/ respond to opinions and ideas that differ from their own.  I believe that a well-educated person should have an understanding of history and all core subjects, and have a basic understanding of current events.  

3.) The main thing that I got from the class discussion was how much of a disservice high stakes testing are doing to both the public schools and the charter schools in our education system.  It was very interesting to hear the different stories from my fellow educators about how high stakes testing effects them personally in their school sites.

4.) Standard: Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Ancient Hebrews.

The Old Testament-

One of the best resources available to me about the geopgraphic, political, economic, religious, and social structures is the Old Testament.  By becoming more familiar with these srciptures, I will be able to access all of the information I need to fill in the gaps of my content knowledge on this standard.  

http://greek-language.com/bible/palmer/04geohist.html

Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition

5.) In one article I read, the authors assert that students who are engaged in their work are energized by four goals- success, curiosity, originality, and satisfying relationships.  The authors of this article try to figure out teachers can cultivate and create these drives inside the classroom.  The authors of this article also state that in order to convince students that they are able to succeed within the classroom the teacher must:  1.) We must clearly articulate the criteria for success and provide clear, immediate, and constructive feedback. 2.) we must show students that the skills they need to be successful are within their grasp by clearly and systematically modeling these skills. 3.) We must help them see success as a valuable aspect of their personalities.  I believe that this information will help me during my capstone project because it informs me what types of resources I need to find in order to engage students during my project.

            In the other article I read, the authors assert that previous research states that no one teaching strategy will consistently engage all learners.  They believe that the key to student engagement is to help students relate the lesson content to their own backgrounds.  The authors think that motivation is inseparable from culture, and the reason so many students are not engaged within the classroom is because the educational system continues to relate motivation to learn with external rewards and punishments. I would further research articles by both of these authors beucase they write on subjects that directly correlate with my project.


Blogs I responded too:
Courtney Lyon: courtneylyonsmc.blogspot.com
Mike Rose: Mikejas.blogspot.com
Sheridan Arredondo: sheridanarredondo.blogspot.com