Pathways Seen For Acquiring Languages

Article published in Ed Week October 27th, 2010

I have fond memories of learning Spanish from my classroom teacher in first grade. When a new student joined our class who knows very little English, I was excited to be his buddy and show off my Spanish skills. My mother taught many years  in a summer program for students in migrant families. The students were 95% Hispanic, English language learners. I volunteered several years as an assistant, and benefited from multiple opportunities to practice my Spanish. I believe these early experiences with foreign language enabled me to have greater success in learning language skills, especially as I entered a Japanese immersion program as an eighth grader.

The article discusses a national psyche that Americans are typically not good at acquiring new languages. While that is contrary to my personal experience, I tend to believe that statement is fairly accurate by examining foreign language requirements. The Oregon Diploma currently  does not require students to take a foreign language. Many colleges prefer students who have taken a foreign language, but because it is not required for the diploma, the courses offered at many high schools are very limited. In Sheridan, there is only a Spanish I and II class offered. With only one teacher offering these two classes, it's not possible for every student to even have an opportunity to take a class. I find this reality to be very disheartening, and hope foreign language will soon be a requirement when there is more research available to exhibit all the additional benefits of knowing multiple languages.

This article also examines research conducted at the University of Washington and a few other colleges that shows that "students who learn additional languages become more adaptable in other types of language learning too." In a series of experiments done with infants between 6 and 12 months, researchers found that "the auditory and motor regions of the brain start to react more in response to speech as opposed to other sounds." Children at a young age are mapping critical language faster as their brains grow and develop. Elementary school is the ideal place to start teaching foreign language. It could be incorporated into other subjects, and not necessarily need to be a whole new set of curriculum teachers need to learn. As a game challenge in New York City, (discussed in the article), research findings showed that "bilingual children have greater cognitive flexibility than monolingual children." If educators are committed to teaching with the brain in mind, then they should incorporate some foreign language into their classroom..

Tests' Rigor Varies Plenty State to State

Article published in Ed Week November 3rd, 2010

The controversial discussion over who should be in charge of planning curriculum and how to implement some uniformity across states is brought mind after reading this article. I was shocked at the results of a study showing that "exams in some states may be as much as four grade levels below the standards set in other states." It seems rather obvious to me that when the requirement of a subject is simply proficiency, then the idea of what proficiency will look like  is wide open to various interpretations. I would be in favor of concrete descriptions of required skills at each grade level to be set at the federal level. It would create a road map for where a student should be by the end of a year. To take into account the fact that each individual learns at a different pace, schools should have a window of time (possibly a year) to get a student to that level before any negative repercussions would apply.

I agree with statements in the article insisting that states should bet on student success and not assume failure, by lowering standards. Some states may have lowered standards to stay in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This is why I feel there should be a window of opportunity for students to meet the goals, rather than a specific date. 

It was exciting to read that Oregon is one of three states leading the way toward improving state standards with the goal of getting closer to common international standards. I think states are moving in the right direction through raising performance standards, but I hope they take into account student individuality and give everyone opportunity to meet the standards in their own way.

Funds Fuel Graduation Initiatives

Article published in Ed Week November 3rd, 2010

This article sparked my interest since I currently work with high school students, many in danger of potentially being drop outs. The After School Program, which exists due to grant money, targets these students and extends personal invitations to students to receive one on one academic assistance as needed. It's great to know that more large grants are being given to high schools to create more individualized education for at risk students. I plan to investigate these opportunities further to see if Sheridan is eligible for any assistance. 

I was particularly impressed with the "acceleration institutes" being offered in Chicago. The idea of having a staff member available to help students with online learning programs until 8pm, I'd imagine would be very popular with parents and students. It's also a great leap in creating equity for alternative students who are unable to engage in traditional classroom education.

My excitement about these programs is hedged by the notion of this mission being a political agenda that could quickly be swept away with the change in political current. The article notes that these grants came into existence to serve Barak Obama's goal of being the world leader in college completion. These programs are very "staff heavy", which means they are expensive and will be hard for districts to sustain after funding disappears. The article admits that the 2011 funding for these grants is uncertain, however the proposed budget calls for doubling the funding. I'm in favor of these programs being very beneficial to high school students today, but saddened to know that my own children might not have these supports when they reach high school. Perhaps there needs to be a larger restructuring of educational programs to meet the changing needs of 21st century students.

Turnaround Team Picks Up The Pace In Kentucky

This article was published in the October 27th, 2010 publication of Ed Week.

After reading this article, I was impressed with the fact that the Shawnee school administrators recognized the importance of emphasizing not only the academic skills for students, but the personal aspect of school as well. I agree that having a teacher who is passionate and dedicated to your success is key to motivating teenagers. In Sheridan School District, the staff went through inservice training at the beginning of the year called Capturing Kids Hearts. Staff members now apply different strategies, such as meeting and greeting students at the classroom door, to show students that they do care for and value every single student. The list of students failing a class decreased from 8 pages last year to 2 pages this fall at progress report time. In Shawnee schools they used a "name and claim" system, where teachers choose two or three failing students to focus their attention on and offer extra support. There is evidence that building a relationship with students can positively effect the amount they learn from you as a teacher.

The article about Shawnee schools also reflects upon the importance of building a sense of community within the school as a component of student success. I loved the quote in the article from a teacher stating, "when the students saw in every classroom the expectations are the same, they started to respond to that." To create an effective culture change, every member of the school needs to be on board and moving in the same direction. It can take a long time to make big changes, but it sounds like Shawnee schools are moving in the right direction. I look forward to seeing the outcome of the changes in Sheridan in a few years.

Taskstream Final

The following are links to specific blog posts to illustrate my knowledge of ITASC principles as well as my overall technological literacy.

Podcast and Multimedia Project

I chose to focus my multimedia presentation on two different web 2.0 tools: Google Presentations and Screenr. Power point presentations were a great way to present information to parents or large groups of students so that everyone would have visual as to what I was speaking about. I was eager to learn more about Google presentations because it gave me the flexibility to work on the project at both home and school without the hassle of thumb drives or e-mail attachments.

I currently work in a school district with many low income families and students are required to do power point presentations in English class. Several students do not have computers at home and can't even afford a flash drive. In the after school program I run, I have shared with my students the power of Google presentations. They are able to travel to any computer lab to work on their project and do not feel stigmatized by not being able to afford some of the tools other students have. I also point out that they are able to access their projects from library computers after school hours.

Screenr is another great tool I have come to love. Personally, I dread standing in front of classroom of peers to do a presentation, and this tool allows me to speak about a topic and present my ideas without the anxiety. I could see this being especially powerful for my own students who share my anxiety of public speaking. It's a great option for students to display their knowledge in an alternate format.

The presentation below on fine motor skills was an assignment for my Ed Psych class. We were required to create a podcast on this topic and after learning about Screenr, I knew this would be a wonderful way for me to satisfy the requirements, present my knowledge, and avoid being in front of a camera!