Unread posts in my groups

A NYC PS Teaching Experience (10/1)

mpinkava — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:01:35 -0500

Ahoy! So…it's been a few days since I last left a blog up on this site. I'm not sure where I'd like to start since things continue to be fairly overwhelming, but at the same time there are developments that give me hope that at some point things are going to kick in. Then again, I have concerns that extend beyond my control that distract my ability to take things day by day and maintain a belief that I can just take this experience as it comes and live off of hope and hard work. This past Tuesday, my principal informed a small group of faculty, staff, and parents who compose the school leadership team that the physical space of our school is being under-utilized. There already is a high school on the third floor of this school.

Your Organic Group Here

A NYC PS Teaching Experience (9/14)

mpinkava — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:57:49 -0500

The sine curve experience. Up and down, up and down. While I wouldn't say that there were as many upward curves this week, the ones that were certainly were worth celebrating. The downward curves were still very challenging, and they continue to foster significant concern, since I don't want fights and hateful language to be theme of the entire school year; however, I'm hoping my consistency helps. Focusing on the upward curves, the hills, on Thursday I successfully got through a full morning in the classroom with no preparation periods with very complete lessons, active learning, and a decent amount of retention, as many of the students remembered why squares are always rectangles but rectangles are sometimes squares. It was very exciting. I did, as Mr.

Your Organic Group Here

Letter to a new teacher:

Peter Henry — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 11:13:10 -0500

I'm hearing it a lot these days. It goes like this:

How can I stay or even go into teaching when I am being asked to do things--like prepare children for and administer standardized tests--when I know these activities are not helping them learn, are furthering an agenda that is exploitative and perpetuates a view of education and teaching which is inimical to everything I value and learned about in school?

Good question.

Nay. This is the ultimate question, the answer to which will decide the fate of America's schools for the next decade, maybe even, given the huge conglomeration of economic and military might in this country, eventually, the fate of the earth.

New Teacher Collaborative

What is "inclusive education"?

mpinkava — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:54:01 -0500

In the current moment, I can't give a complete definition of "inclusive education" and I may never be able to. Funny thing is, I am currently finishing a masters in "inclusive elementary education." In addition to studying "inclusive education," I taught for a year in an "inclusive school" in a Washington DC public charter school as well as a semester student teaching in an "inclusive school" in Brooklyn, NY.

Educating for Diversity

End of Course Testing, Good or Bad? You Decide. . .

meangrnmh — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:04:40 -0600

As a prospective teacher, currently in the internship phase of developing my professional licenser, I am questioning the effectiveness of the End of Course (EOC) tests in the secondary level. My observations and experiences teaching in the secondary level have revealed that teachers tend to rely to heavily on pre-determined EOC testing material, and therefore begin to teach according to that material. There seems to be little room for creative adaptability and flexibility on selected topics throughout the semester. Teachers seem to be so fearful of low test results on the EOC, that they are limited on what topics they can expand upon.

New Teacher Exchange

High Stakes Testing: A High Stakes Failure

Peter Henry — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:15:39 -0600

I am not a great fan of standardized testing, especially the high-stakes kind, in which the consequences of not doing well can result in extreme negative consequences for the test-taker.

I have laid out in a fairly extensive and well-documented article just what it is that makes standardized testing the wrong approach in terms of developing young minds and helping them find a productive path to work, citizenship and personal fulfillment.

C-TEST--Coalition To Examine Standardized Tests

Grading and Grades

Peter Henry — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:24:08 -0500

More appropriate as its own group, but we'll get the discussion rolling and start the group later.

Let's establish some parameters:

Grades are hugely important within the current context of K-12 and college systems.
Grades are criticized for being subjective, imprecise and limited in terms of comparing students across a cohort.
Grades are continuing a decades long trend of persistent inflation.
Studies show that grades are a poor motivational tool in terms of inspiring excellence and passion for an academic subject.

In short, grades are problematic on multiple levels and every educator needs to understand their limitations, why grades are demanded by the system, and what role grades play in the lives of students.

Classroom Management

The 2008 Election, Education, and what it means for Teachers

meangrnmh — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:18:14 -0600

It seems that every Presidential election draws a tremendous amount of energy and attention from the American public. This is certainly the case in the upcoming 2008 election. Therefore, it must be the job of every teacher, professional educator, and concerned adult to force the candidates to address this very important issue.

We can do this by writing to the campaign offices, sending questions into the YouTube debates, and the most powerful tool, actually voting in the 2008 election. I'm sorry, but if you are a teacher and you do not vote in this election, I would recommend that you have your license revoked and banned from any school in this country.

Good day all,

Keith Parker, East Carolina University, History Education

New Teacher Exchange

The Defining Issue of Our Time

Peter Henry — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:36:37 -0500

I was at Minnesota's Education Conference last week. Wow! Amazingly good stuff--differentiated instruction, positive behavior strategies, cognitive coaching, boys and reading, team-teaching, the latest technology--nothing but thought provoking, stimulating, creative, research-based ideas for improving teaching.

It was instructional nirvana. One problem though: as is clearer with each passing year, in many cases, there's not time, nor resources, nor energy to bring innovative ideas and practice to the classroom. There is only one thing that really matters in education right now: scores on standardized tests.

C-TEST--Coalition To Examine Standardized Tests

If only the good news about Wisconsin education was true

Peter Henry — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:29:10 -0600

If only the good news about Wisconsin education was true - Roger Frank Bass:

Finally, there was some really good news about education. According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the percentage of proficient readers in the third grade had increased from 64.8% in 1998 to 87.4% in 2005. And this improvement was broad-based - every minority group advanced substantially.

If only it were true

C-TEST--Coalition To Examine Standardized Tests

Classic Example

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:49:25 -0500

How many states do things like this happen in every year?

I know that it happened in Minnesota just a couple of years ago, after students and parents and others complained about the writing prompt on the 10th grade state writing exam. Ironically enough, if I remember right, the prompt asked students to reflect on the thing or things they like most about their parents.

It was deemed inappropriate because too many children do not have parents, or parents good enough to make the prompt workable.

That should say something about what teachers are up against, not to mention students, when it comes to teaching and standardized testing.

C-TEST--Coalition To Examine Standardized Tests

The First Weeks of School

Peter Henry — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:47:58 -0500

Here is a quote from Harry and Rosemary Wong's The First Days of School:

What you do on the first days of school will determine your success or failure for the rest of the school year. You will either win or lose your class on the first days of school.

While I would agree that the first days are important, this piece of pseudo-Freudian psychology is overdone. It is no more true than saying that your emotional compass as an adult is pretty much established by your first experience on the crapper as a toddler. But hey, when your book's title is The First Days of School, you have to do something to sell copies, right?

I would broaden it out, and then soften it to say:

Classroom Management

From Colorado: Tangential But Related

JJ Thompson — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:34:49 -0500

Children’s Action Agenda
Education
Draft 09-25-07

Vision for k-12 education: To ensure educational opportunity and advancement for all of Colorado’s children.

? 15,500 Colorado students who started as freshman in 2001 had not graduated four years later. Only half of Denver Public School students are graduating on time.

? Colorado ranks at the bottom 5th in terms of wealth spent in public education. Colorado spends $551.00 per child less than the national average.

C-TEST--Coalition To Examine Standardized Tests

Sign me up for Wisconsin

smiller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:53:41 -0500

I'm all over this. We need to make sure that whatever is going on in terms of accountability, that it actually is legitimate, and that the tests are open and transparent. There are too many shenanigans that can be played to allow this to be a "black hole" of information.

So, I'm calling this C-TEST-WI.

Bring me your poor, bring me your tired, bring me your huddled masses. Or just bring me your ideas and facts. Let's do this!!

New Teacher Collaborative