Individualized Professional Development

A school district in Madison County, Virginia recently published information about an initiative to create meaningful professional development themselves and make it available to teachers at anytime. This allows administrators and teachers more flexibility in creating individualized professional development plans as well as reduces the amount of teacher absences for training. The school district assessed needed professional development, prioritized the needs, and then worked collaboratively to develop training that included videos, readings, and practice followed by assessments. This may be a path that many school districts should take to reduce cost, missed class time, and most importantly better meet the development needs of individual teachers.

Read the article:
https://www.districtadministration.com/article/individualized-professional-development-provides-flexibility-and-freedom

References:
Individualized K12 professional development provides flexibility and freedom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2017, from https://www.districtadministration.com/article/individualized-professional-development-provides-flexibility-and-freedom

Is School Choice a Good Thing?

As I was reading AACS's legislative update today, it mentioned something that has concerned me for a while but seems to be something that many in favor of school choice ignore. This concern is that anytime financial support from the government comes into your school, there are always unwanted regulations and policies that come along with it. South Carolina approved a scholarship option for exceptional children several years ago, and in spite of the fact that the program is very unobtrusive, it still requires more than many private schools would like. While Christian schools should certainly have accountability (to God, sponsoring ministries, parents, and even the students), it could be quite problematic to be held accountable for programs and policies that do not reflect biblical standards. I believe that school choice programs could impact admissions policies, hiring policies, curriculum decisions, and many other important areas that make our programs distinct and successful. While it would be great to have the financial support that would come from such a program and to be able to more easily serve a larger number of students, we must be careful of what is allowed and keep in mind that these programs often start off with minimum threat but change over time to be quite detrimental. We also should reflect on the idea it will be difficult to return to the state at which we operate now after accepting such a program. While we would all like more educational options and support parents having more options, we need to be very careful of what we are willing to accept in order for this to happen.

Read the article:
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b1d060273aff701bff8eab400&id=74ccf36750&e=eb8e0e008e

References:
NEW! The Washington flyer. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2017, from http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b1d060273aff701bff8eab400&id=74ccf36750&e=eb8e0e008e

Computer Science in All Grades

Douglas County Schools in Georgia will be adding computer science classes for all grade levels and adding additional computer science topics to existing math and science curriculum in the next couple of years. The goal of the addition is to make sure that students are prepared for technology based careers in the future and to turn them into technology producers as well as consumers. Most of today's youth have a significant amount of technology knowledge (as consumers) when they begin school today. It seems to be a natural progression to add objectives related to educating them concerning the basis for the technology they use and that they can be developers of meaningful technology. My only concern is that in focusing on computer science, especially by adding more to math and science in addition to adding the course, other core subjects will suffer due to lack of resources. As educators, we need to ask how ourselves to what extent does technology need to be taught in order to prepare students for the future and how can we effectively teach it.

Read the article:
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/douglas-county-become-georgia-first-computer-science-school-system/3NGJT63K0WvVbj2eDCp3aI/

References:
Robinson, W. (2017, March 29). Douglas County to become Georgia’s first computer science school system. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from https://www.districtadministration.com/news/setting-precedent-georgia-district-offer-computer-science-all-grades

Are Libraries and Librarians Important?

Sam Weller recently had a commentary in the Chicago Tribune concerning the necessity of librarians and libraries in schools. He pointed to school districts in Kansas and Chicago that had experienced large decreases in the number of librarians in their schools. The districts' administrators apparently saw this as a means to cut budgets. In doing so, the schools were left without faculty trained to help students with effective research and to lead them to literature that may inspire them for the future. I think that there are definitely benefits to having a school library and librarian, but as an administrator, I also understand that cutting librarian positions and library budgets may seem like an effective way to save. It is much more difficult to justify cutting full-time classroom teachers. Hopefully, the creative administrator can find a way to cut budgets without cutting such positions. Also, are there ways to use technology to make a difference in this area?

Read the article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-school-librarians-cuts-dystopia-perspec-0330-jm-20170329-story.html

References:
Weller, S. (2017, March 29). Without school librarians, we're on a dystopian path. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-school-librarians-cuts-dystopia-perspec-0330-jm-20170329-story.html

Teachers Visiting Student Homes?

There is no doubt that the engagement of parents and the relationship between parents and the school (teachers, principals, etc.) has an impact on student achievement. June Kronholz addresses teachers visiting the homes of their students as a means of improving relationships and learning more about the student to use in making classroom connections in "Teacher Home Visits." The article discusses several examples of home visits and the circumstances of each situation including the family and the teachers. In the examples, the teachers were paid extra for the home visits and some districts were cited as budgeting for such programs. I think that this could be beneficial for some students and teachers as a means to improve relationships and the teacher's connection to the student. However, I am not sure how comfortable teachers would be going into the homes of students or how comfortable parents would feel about having a teacher in their home. While I understand the writer's point about most parent-teacher interactions being very formal, I think that meeting at a public but informal location may be a safer approach.While this may not provide the teacher with as much knowledge about the student as possible, it would provide a safer and perhaps more comfortable opportunity to work together. 

View the full article:
http://educationnext.org/teacher-homevisits-school-family-partnerships/

References:
Teacher home visits: School-family partnerships foster student success. (2017, January 18). Retrieved March 30, 2017, from http://educationnext.org/teacher-homevisits-school-family-partnerships/

 

Using Technology to Share Teacher Lessons

We often have students who need material explained multiple times or parents who would like to know what our lesson consisted of in order to better help their child. Also, we may have students who need a more individualized plan. One way to make this possible in the classroom is by using technology to record and share your lesson. Educreations appears to be an easy to use program for teachers to record their voice and iPad interaction in teaching a lesson. This allows teachers the opportunity to share their lessons or even record lessons prior to class for use in grouping or individualizing the lesson.

Website for Educreations: https://www.educreations.com/

References:
Educreations. (n.d.). Teach anything to anyone from anywhere. Retrieved March 29, 2017, from https://www.educreations.com/

Legends of Learning Game-based Learning Platform

Legends of Learning has launched a new website that allows teachers to create playlists of standards-aligned games for students. Currently, the playlists can be created for life science, earth science, and physical science. However, the website indicates that there are plans to add other subject areas. The company worked with teachers to develop an interesting and effective tool for classroom use. It offers the creation of playlists in a style similar to online movie streaming services and allows teacher monitoring. The games vary in length from very short time frames of just several minutes to up to 30 minutes. I look forward to using this website and watching as it progresses and adds new content.

The website is legendsoflearning.com.

See article about Legends of Learning:
https://www.districtadministration.com/news/content-platform-engages-students-playlists-classroom

References:
Content platform engages students with playlists in the classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://www.districtadministration.com/news/content-platform-engages-students-playlists-classroom

Does Learning Style Really Matter?

We have all studied learning styles and how important creating lessons for the various learning styles in our classroom is to academic success. However, Charlotte Allen points to several researchers who are declaring that there is no research evidence that teaching to different learning styles in the classroom has an impact of academic success. In "The End of 'Learning Style' Lore?," she discusses many researchers involved in institutions like Oxford, Harvard, the University of London, and the Max-Planck-Institute in Frankfurt telling educators to stop wasting time and money on these initiatives. The writer addresses the fact that there are many combinations of learning styles and lack of standardization in categorizing which makes it difficult to manage in terms of classroom planning. I found this article very interesting as I have always believed that learning style did play an important role in how well a student learned various content. This an area that I hope to find more research on as I explore curriculum design.  

Link to article: 

http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-end-of-learning-style-lore/article/2007387

References:

Allen, C. (2017, March 27). The end of 'learning style' lore? Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-end-of-learning-style-lore/article/2007387

Digital Notebooks

As a teacher and administrator, I have often been overwhelmed with paper in the past. However, discovering Microsoft OneNote, and before it Microsoft Binder, helped alleviate some of the stacks of paper. I have to admit that I keep almost everything OneNote, and I use ClassNote with my students as a means of sharing handouts, lessons, and other materials but also as a way of keeping track of all of their work. They take notes in it, turn in homework, manage projects, and work collaboratively during class and at home. It is a wonderful tool for managing all of the documentation associated with daily instruction, and the students enjoy it. OneNote for Teachers has many valuable tutorials for using OneNote in the classroom at http://www.onenoteforteachers.com/. If your school uses Google Classroom instead of Office 365 for Education, there is a digital notebook portion of their software as well.  

References

OneNote in education - Interactive guides. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2017, from http://www.onenoteforteachers.com/

Crosswords in PowerPoint

https://youtu.be/H7fzH3BW4dk

TOGlic has a crossword add-in for Office 365 that will allow you to insert crossword puzzles directly into a PowerPoint presentation. This can be an interesting way for students to interact with a lesson using an interactive whiteboard (free version) or individually (paid version). The website for TOGlic also offers several other methods of student interaction that could be useful in class. The free version works on up to two devices, but a paid version would allow the teacher to track activity for individual students.

References
TOGlic | CROSSWORD for Office 365. (2016, November 08). Retrieved March 27, 2017, from https://youtu.be/H7fzH3BW4dk

Active Learning for Future Success

The fact that the traditional way students are taught in school rarely prepares them for a work environment is addressed in "The Active Learning Continuum: Connecting Education Environments to Careers." This article discusses the need for students to work more collaboratively to solve problems and learn important skills in high school and college if they are to be truly successful in a professional environment. It also addresses strategies and work environment arrangements to assist with active learning and discusses the experiences of several school districts and institutions of higher education in regards to implementing successful active learning communities.

As someone who has worked in an environment outside the education community as well as been an administrator and teacher for almost fifteen years, I can honestly say that my time in my prior occupation had a major impact on my instructional style. Years of collaborative meetings for planning and problem solving taught me the importance of students being able to confidentially participate in a professional community. This is not something that is easily learned from a traditional lecture style in the classroom, and it is the reason that my students work together with a variety of resources at hand on most assignments. This is closer to what they will encounter in a work environment than lectures with a test to follow.  

Link to the article:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/pdfs/active-learning-continuum-connecting-education-environments-careers/

References
The active learning continuum: Connecting education environments to careers. (2017, February 25). Retrieved March 27, 2017, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/pdfs/active-learning-continuum-connecting-education-environments-careers/

What is Curriculum?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHM9AGmF7T8

A key question in many education classes appears to be "What is curriculum?" It is addressed in the YouTube video linked above in terms of hidden, null, place, and formal. The formal curriculum is what people typically associate with the word curriculum. It includes the text, lesson, assessments, and any other materials, activities, and instructional methods that will be used. However, two areas addressed in the video of high importance but not typically considered are hidden and null. The null curriculum can have an impact by giving students the sense that something is not important or necessary. For instance, when art or physical education are minimized, students may not realize their importance in our lives. The hidden curriculum is probably the type with the most impact. It is what the school community teaches the student, and it typically is linked to values and morals. The model set by the teacher can have the most impact in this area. As Christian teachers, we need to make sure that we model a life conforming to the image of Christ before our students.

Also, this video was created using PowToon. I have used PowToon in my classroom before, and the students really enjoyed it. Try it out if you get a chance.

References:
What is curriculum. (2014, April 09). Retrieved March 26, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHM9AGmF7T8

Motivating Students

Match Minis - The Motivated Classroom

Student motivation can be a struggle at times. This short video makes some really interesting points for teachers. First, it points out that if the students know the teacher cares, then they will try harder to please him serving as a motivation. Secondly, it points to the fact that students need to be working towards a goal in order to experience motivation. The goal may be college admissions, honor roll, or simply understanding a concept, but there must be something they are working towards. In the Christian school, it is important to point out that we should be constantly using the gifts that God has given us to work toward His will for our lives. While other things may serve as temporary motivation for Christian school students, this really should be the ultimate motivation.

There were several things in the video that I really liked and hoped you will take note of as you watch. The first was that of posting goals like increasing the class average on a quiz or even overall. The second was acknowledging when someone in the class demonstrates one of the class values. While the teacher in the video acknowledges this through words, I could also see using Padlet or some other type application (sticky notes on a bulletin board might work just as well if there are no technology tools available) to allow the teacher and students to acknowledge these types of behaviors. The third item I really enjoyed was the idea of using things like "Graph y = x² with your mouth" for telling a child to smile. This is a really creative way to make the child think about what is being asked  of him as well as reinforce a math concept.

As the video says "Love the Journey!"

References:
The motivated classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.matchminis.org/videos/for-teachers/92/the-motivated-classroom/

Virtual Field Trips

Some teachers may find it difficult to arrange meaningful field trips for their students for financial reasons or because of the distance needed to travel for certain experiences. With the technology available today, there are often options to do virtual field trips. Monica Burns addresses how virtual field trips can be helpful in the classroom in "Travel the World From Your Classroom: Free iPad Apps for Virtual Field Trips." She gives a list and description of nine apps to use ranging from National Parks to museums. While it is wonderful to have the opportunity to travel with students, it is still important to expose them to the beauty of God's Creation in the National Parks or the expressed creativity granted us in the form of art museums or operas when we cannot physically travel for such experiences. Last year, my class used the virtual tour of Ford's Theater (https://www.fords.org/visit/virtual-tour/) for a virtual field trip. It proved to be worthwhile, and it was definitely not somewhere that we could have easily traveled.

Link to article:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ipad-apps-virtual-field-trips-monica-burns

References:
Burns, M. (2013, July 31). Travel the world from your classroom: Free iPad apps for virtual field trips. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ipad-apps-virtual-field-trips-monica-burns

Virtual tour. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.fords.org/visit/virtual-tour/

Get Kids Moving

It is important for the academic achievement of students that they have opportunities for activity throughout the school day. According to De La Cruz, research has shown that students who have physical education class each day perform at higher academic levels throughout the day and on standardized tests. We often fall into the trap of expecting a classroom to look like a teacher at the front while all of the students sit and listen attentively to him. I would say that this is especially true in some private schools where administrators are concerned about what parents may think of classroom management skills if they walk by a room and the students are active. However, I agree that we should not ask students of any age to sit through a school day without activity. As an adult, I can hardly sit for an hour without having to move, so I can understand that children need even greater movement. De La Cruz discusses several programs that are being successfully implemented in schools including BrainErgizers and GoNoodle. These as well as other resources found at http://www.letsmoveschools.org/ may be worth investigating for use in the classroom. While these programs may prove to increase academic success at some point, they have also resulted in providing students in the schools mentioned with an extra hour of physical activity per week.

Read the full article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/well/family/why-kids-shouldnt-sit-still-in-class.html?_r=0

References:
Cruz, D. D. (2017, March 21). Why kids shouldn’t sit still in class. Retrieved March 24, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/well/family/why-kids-shouldnt-sit-still-in-class.html?_r=0

Education: A Parent's Responsibility

Istook, E. retrieved from http://www.quotemaster.org/responsibility+to+parents#&gid=1&pid=6

The Bible clearly points to the parents as the ones who have responsibility for educating their children. The Christian school exists to come along side and help parents in that pursuit. However, as I tell many parents during parent interviews, the ultimate responsibility for the child's education lies with the parents. We (the Christian school and its teachers) will work hard and do whatever possible to assist in providing that education, but in the end the parents must take responsibility. The education that parents are responsible for assuring is not purely subject knowledge, but it includes teaching the child about God and living a holy and separate life seeking to conform to the image of Christ.

Cursive's Comeback

In "Cursive writing gains renewed momentum in schools," De La Rosa addresses the topic of the renewed interest in teaching cursive in schools. The article discusses research showing that cursive not only provides students with the tools for written communication, but it also has been shown to improve achievement in spelling and math. In addition, the writer points to cursive as a means to improve fine motor skills for younger students and a method for improving memory and knowledge connections for older students. Both Arizona and New York City have plans to reinstate cursive instruction.

I believe that teaching cursive is still important. In spite of the fact that technology has decreased the overall amount of handwriting one does, there is still a significant need for these skills. Many students still need to write notes in class, and writing in cursive allows them to keep up as well as make connections and commit to memory. I also agree with the study cited in the article regarding fine motor skill improvement as a result of cursive handwriting. I think it is beneficial for the mentioned states and cities to restore cursive handwriting to their educational program.

Link to article:
https://www.districtadministration.com/article/cursive-writing-gains-renewed-momentum-schools

References:
De La Rosa, S. (2017, March 15). Cursive writing gains renewed momentum in schools. District Administration. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.districtadministration.com/article/cursive-writing-gains-renewed-momentum-schools

Students Need Experiences

“Students are limited not only by intellects but by the experiences that expand their intellects” (Rubin, 1994, p. 789).


While reading Comparing the Theories and Practices of Tyler and Dewey with Expert and Effective Teaching of Today, I came upon the above quote from Rubin. As I have been reading this week, I have thought about something I have discussed with several teachers over the years concerning how student experience plays a role in academic achievement. As a teacher, I try to relate material to life experiences. I have found that the longer I teach, this becomes more difficult. While former students enjoyed hearing about travel experiences, basketball, fishing, and other activities, it seems that more recent students seem to only relate to video games, movies, and music. While I certainly try to use their experiences with media to make topics relevant, I have often wondered if they would not be more successful if their parents provided them with more experiences to draw from as they are learning. I have students who have never been to a beach, heard classical music, been in an art museum, went fishing, played or watch sports, and rarely go outside. While I understand that travel may not be in the budget for some parents, there are many experiences they could give their children for little to no financial investment. I strongly encourage parents to not simply rely on school fields to provide their children with fun and educational learning experiences but to work to plan some as a family. In spite of what they may believe, these types of experiences do play a role in how well their child learns certain material.



References:

Rubin, L.J. (1994). Ralph W. Tyler: A remembrance. Phi Delta Kappan, 75(12), 784-789.

Smith, K.H. (2003). Comparing the theories and practices of Tyler and Dewey with expert and effective teaching of today (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/smith_karen_h_200305_edd.pdf

Teaching for the Future

We must teach today with the future in mind. While this is certainly not easy, we should consider what students will need to be successful in the future. In doing so, we should thoughtfully consider and plan curriculum to prepare them in every way for what lies ahead. This is one of the reasons teaching in a Christian school is such a joy. Biblical worldview can be thoughtfully incorporated into our plans and students can witness leaders fully committed to a life devoted to Christ. This can have a true impact on the lives of our students for a future that reflect's God's will for their lives. 

[John Dewey Quote]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://informania.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/if-we-teach.jpg

Assessment for Student Success

 “When assessment becomes a regular part of the learning process, students become increasingly skilled at focusing on key learning targets, reflecting on their own work in regard to those targets, setting goals and timelines for their learning, and providing meaningful feedback to one another” (Tomlinson, Moon, & Imbeau, 2015, p. 8).

When students and some parents hear the word assessment many of them immediately think of grades. While most grades are derived from summative assessment of some type, many assessments are formative in type and useful tools to provide teachers an opportunity to shape instruction based on the needs of the students. They can also be a method for furthering student engagement as well as responsibility for learning. I believe that truly effective instruction consists of much assessment in such varying forms that often students do not realize what they are doing is an assessment at all because they are simply engaged in the learning process. 

I encourage you to read the entire article cited in this post as it discusses far more than I have mentioned here and provides insights on how curriculum as well as assessment can impact student achievement.

Link to article: 

www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/assessment-and-di-whitepaper.pdf

References:
Tomlinson, C. A., Moon, T. & Imbeau, M. B. (2015). Assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom [White paper]. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/assessment-and-di-whitepaper.pdf

The Future of Curriculum

In the online article "Three Trends That Will Shape the Future of Curriculum," Tina Barseghian (2011) discusses three key changes in education that will likely have an important impact on curriculum in the future. All three are likely the result of the rapid changes in technology that are occurring. The first change discussed has to do with material and resources going far beyond the textbook. The author mentions several online tools of interest that I hope to have an opportunity to explore more as well as some with which many teachers are already familiar. The second topic discussed is that of curriculum that is tailored to student interest and increases their motivation for learning. This is actually not that recent an idea in education, but may be more easily accomplished with the technology available today. Thirdly, the writer discusses "21st Century Skills" and what that means for the future. Again, the ideas mentioned here like collaboration, critical thinking, and a focus on communication as skills that students need in all areas of life are not new ideas of focus, but are being emphasized more as a result of the ease in retrieving most data in a matter of moments using today’s technology. This has given rise to the idea of “emphasizing skills over fact.” Barseghian (2011) also points to the fact that students in the future will learn from a variety of sources and need to be able to make sense of the information and test its authority as a skill. The writer states “instead of learning from others who have the credentials to ‘teach’ in this new networked world, we learn with others whom we seek (and who seek us) on our own and with whom we often share nothing more than a passion for knowing.” I believe that Barseghian (2011) makes some very interesting observations and valid points in the article, and I look forward to researching many of the topics mentioned in more detail. Please feel free to share your ideas concerning this topic in the comments.

Link to the article: 

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/02/04/three-trends-that-will-shape-the-future-of-curriculum/



References:
Barseghian, T. (2011). Three Trends That Will Shape the Future of Curriculum. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/02/04/three-trends-that-will-shape-the-future-of-curriculum/

Why a Curriculum Development and Design Blog?

Honestly, the main reason for the blog is because it is required coursework for my graduate class, but I do believe that it is a valuable learning opportunity and an important chance to share with and learn from other educators. Therefore, I will be posting information that I find interesting from articles, websites, and other resources as well as my thoughts concerning them for the next 6 weeks. Who knows, I may enjoy it so much that I continue after the required 6 weeks. I hope that you will join the conversation by commenting on the posts.