TPACK: What is it?

Gettin Specific

As a self-contained elementary school teacher I have the pleasure to teach all subjects, however, I do have a favorite: social studies. Randy asked us to isolate three strategies we couldn't live without when teaching a specific subject area.

As a social studies teacher I could not teach without primary sources, nonfiction texts, and field trips.

Youth Culture: Undocumented Immigrants Who Are "Americans" at Heart

This youth culture is comprised of undocumented immigrant students who came to this country as young babies or toddlers. Their parents chose to bring their children to the U.S. without the child's consent but now these children are being deported to their country of origin that they have not live in for years.

UbD: Prefixes un- & re-

Ethnographic Study: Lincolnwood Town Center

The social situation that I chose to observe was the food court at my local mall, Lincolnwood Town Center. It is a shopping mall located on the far Northside in Lincolnwood. It is a public space filled with various retail stores. The food court is a rectangular shape in one for the mall’s wings. The food court perimeter is filled with food stores like Subway, Quiznos, Sabarro’s, a smoothie shop, an ice cream stand, a Chinese restaurant, a hot dog stand, and a burger stand. The tables are gray and the chairs are blue and metal. The tables are group together so four or fewer people can sit together. There are TV’s throughout the food court and music blasting over the speakers.

The food court is filled with a wide-range of people. There are groups of people around similar ages, families with children, individuals, mall employees, and security guards. The people are of all races: Asian, black, white, Middle-eastern, and Hispanic. Some of the people speak in different languages. The people are mostly dressed in casual clothing like athletic wear or jeans or sweatshirts.

The reasoning for the different groups of people to be there was varied. Some of the people ate meals while others share small snacks and others sat people watching, talking on their phones, or doing crossword puzzles. The mall visitors casually stroll into the food court, looking around to choose a seat or a stand to buy food. The visitors sit in a relaxed pose suggesting the casualness of the food court. Some talk to the people they are with while others do not speak while they eat or they sit silently together. A group of teenagers had a basketball with them and sat resting their heads on the hands suggesting eating after a basketball game. Only a couple people have shopping bags with them suggesting they are specifically coming to the food court to eat rather than eating during their shopping. In contrast, the security guard and mall employees are quicker when they walk through the food court and they do not look around rather they are more directed in their actions.

Teacher-Student-Curriculum Roles

This clip is from the show "Boy Meets World" and illustrates the intersection of the teacher, student, and curriculum roles in a classroom.

Mr. Feeny, the teacher, is upset with his students. They are giving silly, unthoughtful answers in class. His students are spending their time outside of class watching t.v. and playing video games rather than completing homework or thinking critically. Mr. Feeny holds his students to high standards and his students are not meeting that standard. Mr. Feeny is assuming the teacher role of holding high expectations and keeping students accountable.

The students in the clip are playing the role of cultural consumer. Their tween culture pushes video games and having fun; the students are readily digesting and assuming this role. Mr. Feeny wants his students to transcend this role.

This clip is centered around the curriculum role in class. Mr. Feeny believes the curriculum should require the students to be thinking and to be developing higher-order thinking, however, the students see the curriculum as a needing to reflect their current reality, tweenhood.

Gagne's 9 Steps: Extracurricular Activity Brochures

Lover of Sound Numero Dos

I've been streaming my lady Lykke all week, well, just today but plan on it for the rest of the week.

ADDIE Instructional Design

My Educational Philosophy

The United States of America promises every child a free appropriate public education (FAPE) which meets each student’s individual needs, allows the student to access curriculum, and provides educational benefit to the student. Typically, FAPE is referenced when discussing students with disabilities; however, I believe every child’s education should be evaluated in FAPE terms. Education is a basic right in the United States; however, some students are appropriated a quality education while other students are provided with a subpar education. Much of the time, minority students are subjected to an insufficient education which only widens the achievement gap the United States sees within its’ schools and communities.

James Coleman’s 1966 report, the Coleman Report, found that “the quality of teachers shows a stronger relationship to pupil achievement” than any other factor when socio-economic status is controlled. Since reading this report, I have dedicated myself to becoming a ‘teacher of quality’ that plans and delivers effective instruction, creates and manages a culturally responsive classroom community, and promotes the achievement of all students. As an aspiring ‘teacher of quality’, I hope to help close the achievement gap by providing every child with a free appropriate public education.

But, what should a FAPE teach every student? Schools can not possibly teach students everything they would ever need to know. What should teachers teach their students? As a teacher, one must prepare their students with ‘habits of mind’ to be life long learners and civically involved. Our democratic society can not exist without an educated electorate. Schools and teachers must teach children how to educate themselves and to make educated decisions. To achieve both of these tasks, students first must possess basic skills and then develop higher-level thinking skills.

As a teacher, I ask myself, will my students be able to read and to comprehend real-life texts? Can my students use writing clearly and effectively to communicate? Will my students correctly solve mathematical problems related to their finances? Will my students possess a comprehensive and a balanced view of history to make informed political decisions? Do my students understand how various scientific systems interact in our world? Are my students awed by our world?

In addition to teaching basic skills, an education should involve higher-level thinking. An education is more than simply strings of facts, algorithms, and tests. A quality education requires students to use higher-level thinking to connect similarities, discover discrepancy, solve problems, and evaluate resolutions all within the context of real life. My instruction and curriculum planning uses an integrated approach. Subjects are not segregated, but, rather, interconnected. I strive to develop my students’ higher-level thinking skills because I am preparing them for a life of learning. I expect my students to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’. Why are things the way they are? How are things influenced by each other? How are things interconnected? These questions should continue past a person’s formal schooling.

My instruction is centered on ensuring my students possess the two above-mentioned set of skills: basic skills and higher-level thinking skills. I use a student-centered, gradual release model in which I model and scaffold thinking, analyzing, and learning. Then, I expect my students to complete the tasks themselves. Along with John Dewey and Jean Piaget, I believe students construct knowledge from their hands-on experiences.

Lover of Sound

Tech and Teaching

This week I've started classes for my Masters in Urban Education through the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). As a teacher training program in the 21st century, the program has required me to fight my technology fears and manage my own blog... and possibly twitter.

I guess I might even need to ditch my Nokia for an iPhone.