FIELD EXPERIENCE #3
Domain I, Competency 003
Subcompetencies 1, 4, 5, 8
Field Experience and Report #3
Kathy Hainey LT3
Mr. H is a Secondary Social Studies teacher who now teaches for the Adult Education Program and for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at a nearby prison. His classrooms consist of students functioning at all grade equivalents. He is to prepare his students to take the GED exam and pass it. When asked about the ways in which the national, state, and local objectives influence his curriculum, he indicated that the objectives are set on the federal level by the GED/Council for American Education group who write and norm the GED exams. Some states, such as Florida, have written their own set of standards to be followed. Other states are either writing their own or developing a set of standards very similar to those of Florida. Texas is completing standards based on Florida’s, but they have not been finally adopted. Mr. H states that the only local input is in administering the program and the classes needing to comply with the school district’s policies. So, the federal objectives impacts his lesson plans the most, and local the least. In order to pass the standardized GED exam, the student needs certain basic knowledge, as well as the analytical skills to interpret the reading material on the test. For example, basic algebra and geometry knowledge is measured on this exam. He knows that calculus and trigonometry knowledge are not necessary to pass this test. Therefore, he does not teach those types of math, but does teach algebra and geometry. He says the state Department of Criminal Justice sets almost all of the regulations surrounding the classroom, building, behavioral expectations, outside resources (none allowed) and extra subjects discussed, but even at the prison, the academic goals are set by the Council for American Education.
Miss O. is a certified Secondary English teacher, splitting her duties between a local high school and the Alternative Education Program (AEP). For her, the TEKS are the most influential in setting goals and objectives for her lesson plans. She states that she follows those objectives while doing her lessons in a way that keeps her students interested and waiting for more. For example, she has her students watch the national news and then write an essay for an English grade that discusses current national events. She feels this is an example of NOT teaching to the standardized test high schoolers in Texas must pass to graduate, but giving her students the skills and knowledge to pass the test. She pointed out that there are new federal laws all the time that effect state laws in education. She specifically mentioned a recent law passed in Texas regarding the safety of Special Education students. The Texas Behavior School Initiative was based on a federal requirement. She says that this seems to be how states get many of their new expectations, whether academically or policy-wise. Local influence is mostly focused on the school’s code of conduct and operating policies. She feels the state standards influence her lessons the most, but that state objectives are as a direct result of federal expectations.
I like Miss O’s philosophy of setting her teaching goals and objectives. She knows what TEKS expects her students to learn and finds inventive and interesting ways in which to teach the skills. Her written lesson plans to do strictly follow any one recognized method of organization. She assured me that, at her school anyway, flexibility and innovative ways to teach are encouraged. I found that reassuring as I feel that lesson plans, written as described in our book, can be too narrow to address the needs of a classroom having a variety of learning styles and levels.