Effective Assessment (Ch.8)

Abstract:
The basis of this chapter is how to create an assessment that the students can use as a tool for promoting their learning, rather than just seeing what they know. The assessment should further the work they have already done, yet show how far they have come and demonstrate their learning. The suggestions that the chapter makes for the things to include to make the assessment effective are defining clear goals for the student, an activity that is rigorous and motivating, something that focuses on essential knowledge from the unit, it should use multiple disciplines, it should indicate the students' knowledge, should be a source of reliable information, use various formats, and best of all it should be easy to grade. The chapter explains the importance of each of these elements and gives a lot of encouragement on how to make this assignment worthwhile for the teacher and the student.

Reflection:
I really enjoyed this chapter because something I have sort of feared as a teacher is having assignments for the students that I simply wouldn't want to review and grade. This chapter encourages the use of many different kinds of assessments and the many ways that it can be made worth while. It is so important to assign something that the students are willing to engage themselves and their time in, or else the best work will not be put forth. The suggestions in the chapter were really helpful as far as the different things to include within the assignment and how to set things up grading wise for such a multidimensional assignment. It is so important to me to look at the success of the students in these ways rather than in the forms of tests and quizzes. I want to always know that students can truly apply and access the information that we are looking at.

Differentiated Instruction - Fitting the Lesson to the Learner (Ch. 7)

Abstract:
This chapter focuses on the importance of differentiated instruction in the classroom. Differentiated instruction is basically teaching all students at all levels in ways accommodated to that particular student so that they can successfully process and learn the information provided. The chapter gives a few characteristics of a teacher that are helpful in implementing differentiated instruction. Some of those are, being organized, staying flexible, being resourceful, having empathy, and being able to collaborate. These qualities are really important in teaching, especially for differentiated instruction. Incorporating every students' learning needs into lessons to bring everyone to the same level of understanding is a very difficult task. The chapter explains that it can be done and learning the skill early on will prevent any instances of looking back and knowing if you had used differentiated instruction for a certain student it would have made a huge difference.

Reflection:
This chapter really brought me back to the practicum days of examining all different ways I could access learners. It is so much work to do this in any lesson, but in the end it is worth while because the chances of having to go back and revisit information are far less. If the subject can be taught in a way that students will understand and really take in then it is worth the extra mile for creating another angle on the lesson. This is one of the most important, but most difficult parts of teaching in my opinion and it is something I think I will have to work very hard with to get the hang of. It is something that I also feel is to be learned on the basis of experience, the more practice I have, the easier it will be implement.

Accountability for High Standards (Ch. 6)

Abstract:
This chapter is about the accountability of teachers and students in the classroom. The main focus is encouraging teachers to help students be held accountable for their work and effort in positive ways, but the chapter also talks about teachers being held accountable for updated/new information and also being sure that the students are developing into lifelong learners and not just "learning" for a test or assignment. The chapter suggests some ways to help hold students accountable are showing examples of good work to help students understand the expectations, avoiding any type of reward, allowing them to display their work publicly so they will work a little harder, allowing for corrections on their work rather than giving definitive grades, and even setting up the rubric so that it is perfectly clear what they are expected to do. Because the chapter is suggesting that teachers should be held accountable also, some suggestions for that are to be sure that all of the material is relevant and useful, be sure you're not teaching to any test, giving formative assessments to track progress, constantly thinking outside the box, and even just the basic idea of making sure students understand before moving on. The chapter helps demonstrate the importance of these practices and shows how both the teacher and student play a role in support one another.

Reflection:
This chapter was really a wonderful reminder of one of the many ways that teachers and students depend on each other for success. The teachers need to be held accountable because it is their job to get the students to where they need to be academically, which is why the students need to be held equally accountable. I had always loved the idea of students taking control of their education, but this chapter is a solid reminder that no matter what, I will never be out of a job, because the students need us, just as we need them to move us forward in our own learning and teaching. It was a cool chapter to read, with all of the idea intertwining and showing a very deep and important connection between the teaching and learning that occurs in a classroom.

Parents As Partners in Twenty-First-Century Learning (Ch.15)

Abstract:
This chapter focuses on using technology to open the communication lines between teachers and parents in really effective and innovative ways. It suggests using programs that can log assignments and grades as access points for teachers, students, and parents. The chapter explains that this sort of site not only helps the parents stay informed and connected to the child's education, but it also keeps the students even more accountable for their own work and aware of the assignments due, coming up, and how they have done on them. The chapter touches on the idea of also using email and other digital communications to make connections and touch base with parents. Although all of these things can be incredibly useful and step up the levels of communication all around, the chapter encourages us to consider the fact that not all families will have computer access. This concept needs to be understood and worked around. Even with digital communication, the importance of face to face communication in meetings and conferences will always be significant and should be used continuously regardless of other types of communications.

Reflection:
I think this chapter was really helpful in remembering the importance of keeping the parents on the same page as the student and the teacher. The three sides make the whole triangle. Each person is a huge piece of the education that the child is working to receive and so each should be a part of big decisions, goal setting, hitting benchmarks, and working hard. The communication digitally is such a cool resource that we have now and I think it should be utilized. For me, one on one conversations and communications will still be very important, but communicating via email and school website will help me stay as connected the with parents (and students) as I would really like to be. In an ideal situation, each family would have computer/internet access and I would make honest efforts to stay connected in that way when conferences and meetings were not possible. In reality, the luxury of those things is not in every home, which I was happy the chapter reminded me of. There are many ways to stay connected and this chapter helped me remember the relevance of that.

Boys and Girls Learn Differently

I thought this presentation was really fun and interesting. First of all, the site where all of the information was posted was unreal, such a good job putting together a website that everyone could easily access and refer back to. The quiz that we took in the beginning served a really cool purpose and got me thinking about the brain and the way I thought and what not! It was a little bit tedious, but things like that just are, so overall I thought it was a good way to get things started and there was plenty of positive encouragement in the room which I thought was helpful of the presenters. The Rite of Passage activity was my favorite (especially because I got to color). It was an interesting way to learn about what was going on with each station, have social interaction, and like you guys said it was a cool little feeling of accomplishment in the end. Each of the presenters did a great job sharing their parts of the book in their own ways and I thought all together the presentation came together really nicely and in a perfect order!
I felt like I learned a lot about the complication, differences, and similarities that come with teaching girls and boys from the presentation. The entire concept was interesting and it got me curious about the book for sure. The group did a great job! Thanks Guys!

Involving Parents and Communities (Ch.9)

Abstract
This chapter, like many others, alludes to the importance of involving the community in the classroom and in the educational efforts of students. The beginning of the chapter explains that this type of involvement has immense efforts for students including higher grades, better attendance, fewer special education placements, better attitudes, higher graduation rates, and greater post-secondary education enrollments. As for the school, the benefits mentioned are improved teacher morale, more support from families, better school reputations with the community, and even high ratings of teachers by parents. All of these benefits encourage student success within the educational system. The chapter includes multiple suggestions for including community in the effort of the school and classrooms and ways to get around the difficulties that tend to arise in the beginning efforts of involving parents and families. Getting students involved in the community is also a large portion of this chapter, encouraging teachers to help the students really connect with the people involved in their community. These types of connections and involvements can further the students education immensely and help them make similar kinds of connections in the future on their own.

Reflection
A lot of the suggestions in this chapter were incredibly useful. I felt like a lot of it would be really helpful for a principal making these types of plans, or for teachers to plan together to put plans in place for large community involvement efforts. A lot of it felt like it would be too much for one teacher to handle, but could be easily implemented by the efforts of more than one or two teachers. I think the community involvement is such an important part of education. Students can learn so much by speaking to someone outside the classroom, or taking a course that helps them learn a lifelong skill or trade. Sometimes this type of thing is overlooked, and I think it never should be. Because students learn so differently, it is so important to have this type of program within the community incorporated into the curriculum to ensure the success of all students. The benefits of community involvement and successful implementation of parent involvement and support are truly endless.

A Safe and Healthy School Environment (Ch.8)

Abstract
This chapter focused on the influence that a healthy school environment can have on students throughout their education. There was a lot of stress on the idea that students who feel more connected to their school, teachers, and community have much lower risks of submitting themselves to self harm, drug use, alcohol use, or early sexual activity. All of these behaviors can be caused by (or made worse by) a disconnected feeling in relation to the school environment. The chapter gave many suggestions for classroom management and discipline policies, supportive group efforts, dealing with multiple cultures, conflict resolution and management, as well as basic efforts for healthy school environments. Health education for students is a huge part of all of these suggestions and efforts. The chapters explains that at this middle school age, many students will choose their future health standards and efforts by beginning those lifestyle changes now. The emphasis in the chapter lies on the importance of supporting health efforts within the school systems to make students and their families well aware of the risks and dangers of an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as the benefits welcomed by a healthy lifestyle.

Reflection
I actually really enjoyed this chapter! I was very interested to see how health education was worked into the curriculum in a way that involved the community and inspired healthy lifestyles for these young adolescents. I particularly liked the idea of a "health club" in the middle school that allowed the students that were uncomfortable participating in after school sports or physical education classes to come into the school a couple nights a week for aerobics classes and gym nights! The fact that those students were able to get involved in a way they were comfortable with was very cool and the fact that their parents were coming also was an even better improvement. I think health education at this age is incredibly important. I feel like if we can reach the students at this age and assist them in developing healthier mindsets, that will only improve throughout their lives, and hopefully cause enough of a health-kick wave that the nation's unhealthy numbers and statistics can decrease dramatically. At this point, anything we can do to encourage healthy eating and exercise is an incredible feat!