Teacher Advisories - A Proposal for Change (Synthesis) (Ch.12)

This chapter focused on a new way of thinking of and using teacher advisories. Rather than meeting during school, or a single lunch a few times a year, this chapter proposes the idea of having full day advisory activities in which the students are stepping outside of the academic realm and working solely on building relationships with adults and peers, as well as personal development. These days could include some type of physical activity or exciting adventure in which the students would have a chance to shine in other aspects of life outside of academics. Opportunities like this can be really rich for those students that are not particularly outstanding within the basic subject areas and have more abilities in areas of physical activity or simply in social interactions. These programs set up the chance for teachers to get to know students and gain a level of comfort in the relationship that could benefit the student in any case of struggle in the future. Advisories also extend a helping hand in getting students to interact with other classmates outside of their normal circle of friends, quite possibly forging some unexpected friendships. This new form of advisories could be extremely beneficial to students while they work on becoming more well-rounded and accepting individuals.


As a class, the general consensus in our blogs was that the advisories (when properly implemented) would be a positive addition to classrooms and schools where the students could truly connect with other students and the teachers. It was mentioned that having the groups rather than a one on one meeting could be effective because of the obvious extra benefits group activities pose. In the middle school, activities outside of school will keeps students engaged and excited when they are used properly. The increase of comfort levels between students and teachers would be such a nice attribute in the classroom, especially at these grade levels, where things can be awkward and uncomfortable for certain students. A general suggestion throughout the blogs was that homeroom periods, or just basic meetings were never very successful in our previous experiences. They serve the purpose of attendance, declaration of grades, and possibly even social time. A better structured program could help these short meetings be more useful. If the students and teachers took time to take trips or outside of the classroom activities, the bonds that are forged could be a useful tool in the shorter meetings that would occur. A couple of students worried about taking away from academics with these programs, so maybe the best suggestion could be an after school program, or a Saturday morning program to get the ball rolling if the concerns about losing out on academic time was a concern. Overall, these teacher advisories could be a new way of reaching out to students and assisting them in all aspects of their development.

Planning for Block Scheduling (Ch.9)

Abstract
This chapter consists mostly of information about the benefits of block scheduling. By using block scheduling teachers can plan with longer periods of time and have more room for proper assessments. With more time, there is space for varying activities, which are proven to cause higher scores on sorts of vocabulary and translation tests. The author alludes to the idea that some students that are usually average can benefit largely from the extra time that is provided with block scheduling. For teachers, the author explains that the reasoning becomes "I can maintain the learning momentum and integrate more than one objective into my lessons." This can be incredibly beneficial, possibly even moving the students forward quicker with learning that is considered more in depth in all dimensions. This chapter also calls attention to the importance of the variety of assessment types. Formative assessment and summative assessment are both demonstrated with a few ideas and examples throughout the chapter. In block scheduling, it is easier to incorporate both. The author also provides some thorough lesson planning examples that use the time of block scheduling effectively.

Reflection
This chapter was helpful in providing examples and ideas as well as basic information of the benefits of block scheduling and what it can bring to the classroom and the students. I especially thought the section on Planning Sequence for Extended-Period Classes was useful for future reference and for the basic scheduling. The ideas on it were basic but intricate at the same time and I found it to be a nice outline that was informative. Overall, the ideas of block scheduling are generally familiar to me, we always had this type of scheduling in my schools through middle and high school. Even though I am familiar with the practice of it and the techniques, it was still nice to read some solid information on why students benefit from it and how it can be used in the most successful and effective ways.

Organizing Relationships for Learning (Ch.6)

Abstract
In this chapter of Turning Points 2000 the authors go into much detail on how important it is to build and maintain meaningful relationships throughout the school. In middle school, it is incredibly important for students to have a solid and positive relationship with the teachers and as the chapter points out, students with these types of relationships are far more likely to succeed in the school environment. Because of the importance of such connections, the chapter suggests that middle schools maintain low numbers of enrolled students. This is not possible in all areas, especially in overpopulated urban areas, so there comes a backup plan. The suggestion made in the chapter is when the enrollment numbers are slightly higher than preference, that the schools form smaller alternatives within the large school. These alternatives can be called "houses" in some instances. These types of arrangements can allow the students to still maintain those close relationships with teachers without getting lost in an overpopulated school system. This type of focus and connection can be incredibly beneficial to students throughout the middle school years. Teamwork is an essential part of making these types of situations useful and effective.

Reflection
I think it makes perfect sense for students and teachers to maintain healthy relationships throughout the years. It is even more of a success if the students and teachers can continue that connections while moving through other teachers' classrooms. I find it vital for these young students to have an adult to look up to, seek help from, and depend on. Where some of the students might be missing these connections in other parts of their lives, a learning environment is a perfect place to make and keep those important relationships. Successful students will come from a comfortable and positive work and learning environment, I truly believe that! Also, the concept of keeping student group numbers down by separating overpopulated student body, can definitely be beneficial to students. The attention and detail required for middle school team teaching and the learning that should be building each year are only going to be attended to if their are a feasible amount of students in the classroom. An overpopulation can cause some students to get lost among the crowd and slip behind without notice. It is more effective to keep the student to teacher ratios to a reasonable rate where all of the students can receive equal attention and their needs can be met.

Teacher Advisories - A Proposal for Change (Ch.12)

Abstract
This chapter begins with a beautifully written story of a teacher advisory adventure had by a middle school classroom. The experience was shared to reflect the different lessons learned by students in that single day of outside adventure that involved community and physical activity. The students gave some examples of what they received from the experience and the general consensus was a vast benefit for the students, especially with learning something about themselves. The chapter then moves into an explanation of advisory programs and how they have evolved in recent years. Full-day advisory has taken the place of separated advisory meetings only scarcely throughout the weeks with the students and only amounting to about an hour or so of time. The newest idea of full-day advisory gives the students, volunteers, and teachers a chance to have a real experience that most likely involves service, physical activity, reflection, and a social aspect. This is very beneficial to the relationships of those involved as well as the personal triumphs that can be achieved in that single day. A chance to learn something about oneself and those surrounding you should be taken advantage of, and this experience allows that opportunity.

Reflection
I have always loved the idea of learning outside of the classroom. I think it is such a cool thing when students and teachers get to share an experience like the one described in the text. Some kids simply need a little bit of a lifeline, a group of people that they can work on relationships with and get to know. The students benefits out of these advisory days extend beyond some of the things they can learn in a classroom. In the case in the book the students learned a little bit of survival, a lot about themselves, and even more about their classmates. Those connections and realizations sometimes need outside forces to make an impact, which makes perfect sense with these types of days. The chapter provided a lot of helpful hints for these kind of activities that I will be checking back on to come up with my own similar adventures. My classroom will always be a place for comfort and positive experience, but these types of trips will help me show the students they can find that everywhere if they work at it.

Teaming (Ch.11)

Abstract
In this chapter the author goes into many encouraging details of the positive outcome of team teaching. Beginning with subject integration, the basics of the reasons for incorporating team teaching are explained throughout the chapter, as well as the most efficient ways to use these strategies. In subject integration, teachers can work together to create a more even workload among the different subjects so that the students avoid an overwhelming workload. To do this type of planning, the teachers need to create some topics within each subject that can be overlapped in a productive manner. The Core Values section explores ways to develop a solid union where all of the teachers involved are making a true commitment to the team and are all in understanding of the core beliefs and goals of the union. This establishes balance and connections across the team and care help when problems arise. The chapter also suggests celebrating achievements, using a teacher assistant team, and proper planning for the meetings to make the most of the teachers' time. All of these aspects are helpful in creating a successful and effective team teaching experience.

Reflection
I want to team teach. This chapter was unreal! Paragraph after paragraph I was excited to learn all different things about team teaching and hear my beliefs on learning reflected in the text. The process of becoming a solid team may be a difficult one, but the amount of success that this type of team would have made me super excited to try out all of the strategies! I especially liked the ideas on planning for the meetings and having appointed days of the week for certain topics. That type of organization can be key for all of the people involved to get the most out of the small amount of time allotted to the meetings. Collaborating seems like such an interesting and challenging task I could not help but be excited to look further into the best methods and more advice on the best ways to integrate among the subjects and work with other teachers as developing a curriculum that the students would enjoy and thrive with.