Texts:
How To Assess Authentic Learning.  Kay Burke.
Methods that Matter.  Harvey Daniels, Marilyn Bizar.
One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards.  Susan Ohanian.
Qualities of Effective Teachers.  James H. Stronge.
Understanding By Design.  Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe.
What Schools Are For.  John I. Goodlad.

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Two Student Interviews:
What Makes an Effective Teacher?
09.25.02

Student One: Tidus

 Tidus is a high school senior who comes from a big family, is a twin, and enjoys art as well as soccer.  He has always vied through school, but not just because he as a mild learning disability.  He has several good visions of an effective teacher.  "The teacher has to get to know the students, that way you feel comfortable asking him questions," he commented.  He told me that the reason students must attend school is because "...we are here to study and we want to be successful."  He mentioned that teachers should treat everyone fairly, and not just single out the students that they "like better."  Tidus specifically mentioned one teacher who paid more attention to members of the football team than to the rest of the class.  "He was not good at motivating everyone in the class to do what they had to do.  The teacher should of treated everyone equally," Tidus said.  One of his greatest points was that teachers should make the "work of learning" fun.  He elaborated on this by giving me an example of how his coach operates soccer practice.  The coach made the "work of practicing" fun by creating enticing drills that helped develop skills and at the same time be an element of recreation.  Finally, Tidus mentioned that teachers should take appropriate personal experiences and stories from their lives to integrate in the material (providing it deals with the subject matter at hand.)

Student Two: Terra

 A freshman, Terra comes from a medium sized family and is active in the Chess Club as well as the Debate Team.  She considered most of her school experience a success, receiving above average grades most of the time.  She is currently in an advanced reading program as well.  When it came to the question of what makes an effective teacher, she emphasized many points that do not make an effective teacher.  "If they don't know the answer to a question, they should at least know how to find the answer within a day or so," she stated.  I was shocked when she mentioned a teacher whom she disapproved of because he did not have confidence in his students, saying their level was too low to complete the work.  Terra dislikes "when teachers tell students what to do, then just sit down and not really pay much attention."  Also, she said "Some teachers shouldn't get so suspicious if a student turns in work or a test early."  She did mention some positives.  Terra's favorite teachers always knew just what they were doing, and had a love for the subjects that they taught.  "Good teachers care about the kids.  They are willing to set up times where you can come in if you are having trouble with homework," Terra commented.  Her example was a science teacher who made learning fun.  "She was old, but she had been teaching 18 years and really knew what she was talking about!  She traveled and shared experiences with the students!"

Comparisons

 The only comment made that I might find hard to practice is not being suspicious if a student turns in class work or a test relatively early.  Depending on the student, there is a chance that cheating was involved, or the student just didn't care and wrote down anything.  I believe an effective teacher would look over the test to see whether it was too perfect for that students ability and vise versa.  Of course, an effective teacher would also be monitoring the class for signs of cheating.  There are a few things I think about when it comes to effective teachers that were not mentioned by either student.  I believe there is a fine line between being a teacher and being a students "friend."  An effective teacher would have the skill to walk that line, being able to connect with students in a meaningful way, yet still hold down the authority needed to teach a successful lesson.  Both students commented on the fact that learning should be fun.  I should of thought to ask "What are some examples of a fun class?"  I feel this includes everything from group work to related stories, music, art, student and teacher experiences, field trips, and a variety of other learning activities.  I am honest when I state that there is not much else to compare between what these two students and I believe make an effective teacher.  Both of them had very wonderful points, and I agree whole heartily.

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Map - Constructing Knowledge for Teachers

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Three Questions - John I. Goodlad

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Venn Diagram - The New Paradigm

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Goodlad Discussion - Chapter 3
Goals for Schooling in the United States
10.02.02

What Needs to be Developed

 I. Mastery of basic skills of fundamental processes - Develop the ability to...
      1. Grasp ideas through reading and listening.
      2. Tell others ideas through writing and speaking.
      3. Understand and use mathematical concepts.
      4. Research and use it well.
      5. Read, write, and do basic math.

 II. Career education - vocational education - Develop...
      1. Select a likeable job suited to ones skills and interests.
      2. Skills that will allow one to live on their own someday.
      3. Positive habits that will make one a proficient worker.
      4. Positive attitudes toward work in general.

 III. Intellectual development - Develop...
      1. The ability to think rationally (problem solving skills, reasoning, logic.)
      2. The ability to use knowledge to make good judgements and decisions.
      3. A general fund of knowledge in various areas such as math and English.
      4. Make use of technologically based knowledge sources such as the Internet.
      5. Positive attitudes toward school activities, making students want to learn more.

 IV. Enculturation - Develop...
      1. Insights to the civilization in which one lives.
      2. Awareness of ones culture, history and traditions.
      3. Understanding of how past traditions are sometimes still alive today.
      4. Acceptance of norms, values, standards and traditions of other cultures.
      5. Examine and understand the norms, values, standards and traditions of other cultures.

 V. Interpersonal relations - Develop...
      1. Knowledge of different value systems and their influence on society.
      2. An understanding of how individual family members function differently under different family patterns.
      3. Collaboration skills.
      4. The ability to identify goals and worries of others, as well as advance with them.
      5. The ability to have generally good relationships with all others.
      6.An understanding of the factors that affect social behavior.

 VI. Autonomy - Develop...
      1. A positive attitude toward learning in general.
      2. Skills in how to make personal learning goals.
      3. Skills in dealing and coping with change.
      4. Skills in making good, purposeful decisions.
      5. Skills needed to plan and organize one's personal area to achieve one's goals.
      6. The willingness to accept responsibility.

 VII. Citizenship - Develop...
      1. A sense of historical perspective.
      2. Basic knowledge of how the government works.
      3. Values of liberty, government and respect for it, and welfare of all.
      4. An inquiristic attitude to examine societal values.
      5. The skills to come up with good ideas to improve society.
      6. Small and large group democratic action.
      7. Want to participate in politics of the nation and community.
      8. A commitment to fulfilling humanitarian ideas.
      9. A commitment to be involved in working out social problems in thecommunity.

 VIII. Creative and aesthetic perception - Develop the ability to...
      1. Motivate oneself and create original ways to deal with problems.
      2. Be sensitive to all problems from all areas.
      3. Be flexible and see different points of view.
      4. Enjoy and want to create.
      5. Understand and evaluate creativity in others.
      6. Communicate through creative work in several ways.
      7. Commit to enriching cultural and social life.

 IX. Self-concept - Develop...
      1. The ability to create activities with meaning.
      2. Self-confidence.
      3. The ability to live with ones strengths and weaknesses.
      4. Know others by knowing yourself.
      5. An internal framework so oneself is organizable.
      6. A positive attitude to how one looks on the outside.

 X. Emotional and physical well-being - Develop...
      1. Accept both good and bad criticism, being sensitive to the fact.
      2. The skills to adjust emotionally to given situations and continue to do so throughout life.
      3. The skill to release emotions according to personal values.
      4. The ability to use free time effectively.
      5. Positives attitudes towards physical fitness and health.
      6. Physical fitness and psychomotor skills.

 XI. Moral and ethical character - Develop...
      1. The ability to judge good versus evil.
      2. A commitment to values and truth.
      3. The skill to use values when determining choices.
      4. Moral integrity.
      5. An understanding of why moral conduct is needed.
      6. A desire to make the moral fabric of society stronger.

 XII. Self-realization - Develop...
      1. The idea that there are more ways of being human that just one.
      2. The idea that a better society in part comes from efforts of one developing a better self.

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One Size Fits Few - Part One
Outline for Group Lesson Plan
10.31.02

       Introduction
1. Some things kids need to know before graduating high school (list as recent as 1999): Leyden jars, mach numbers, amicus curiae.  Terms such as "hardwired," "Biochemical pathways," and  "liver detoxification."
2.  In Chicago, no children may pass fourth grade w/out passing the       reading test.
3. "According to one of eleven [yes, you read right: ONE of eleven!] history standards in the seventh grade, students must analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam and China in the Middle Ages."

    I. Whose Standards These Are, I Think I Know
1. Schools should be about teachers and curriculum being flexible enough to meet the needs of each student.
2. We need our students to grow up and become chefs, poets, child-care workers, musicians and plumbers as well as engineers and accountants.
3. Do good today!
4. Officials do not want to say anything good about our schools.
5. If a teacher can't win, he/she should at least stand up for themselves!
6. Standardistos camouflage a political agenda for academic excellence (curriculum is all!)
7. Many schools are eliminating recess from the school day.  The American Association for the Child's Right to Play has been formed because of this.
8. Being a teacher means giving kids time and space to work out some kinks.
9. "Average" has become the same as failure.
10. Some people will be presidents, some will be custodians.  We need both.
11. The shame is not in being a manual laborer, a health service aide, or a waitress.  The shame is that we refuse to pay these people a living wage.
12. Teachers jobs is to save Earth's children.

    II. Standard Timetables for Non-Standard Kids
1 .Since 1990 the number of children and adults diagnosed with ADD has risen from 900,000 to almost 5,000,000!  Ritalin prescriptions increased 700%.
2. The above mentioned drug deluge parallels the standards explosion of the same time period.
3. We are making greater demands on our children than we use to.
4. The Standardistos refuse to acknowledge the tremendous pressures put on both teachers and students.
5. In some curriculums, seven-year-olds are required to cite references.
6. To make decisions about classroom events around us, we have to rely on our own educated intuition.
7. Teachers must resist the Standardisto imperative that has our students operating on an ideal schedule devised by politicians and bureaucrats.
8. "No one is going to convince me that in the good old days my classmates and I worked harder than today's kids do" (because today's kids don't even get recess.)
9. Teachers need to teach social responsibility.  Where is that included in the curriculum?
10. Where are the tests for compassion, honesty, curiosity, and moral contentment?  Until the Standardistos can answer this question, they need to shut up.
11. Teaching is about everything human.

    III. Standards Fare: The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Ignored.
1. Standardistos proclaim that standards are in and of themselves a guarantee of education equity.  Therefore, everyone will get Fortune 500 jobs.
2. Parents want grades for their children, and believe that a "B" will hinder their chances of getting into college.
3. Inheritance, not curriculums or teacher quality, is the greatest predictor of school success.
4. The best (and the worst) teachers work in poverty-stricken schools.
5. Teachers are both rewarded and punished over something they have no control over - their students.
6. A survey taken in 1997 said that children watch over 1600 minutes of television each week, which their parents spoke to them only 40 minutes a week.
7. Standardistos don't care whether their plans will actaully work in a classroom setting or not.
8. Most teachers do not worry so about standards, it is very low on their list of daily concerns.
9. Any standards document must be understandable and public to be worth something.
10. Teachers should be proactive.
11. It is probably too much for the Standardistos to grasp how rare it is for students to actaully learn what teachers teach.

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