Boys and Girls Learn Differently

I thought this was an excellent presentation. You provided a great array of information and then helped us to reapply all of it. I thought the two spectrums were a great tool, as this really showed how important it is to understand the way our students think. We can not merely assume that a student will learn in a certain way, thus it is important to inventory for such learning needs. I also thought your group did a great job of presenting information and allowing sufficient time for student response. I never felt that the information you taught was pushed upon me, but instead that you were merely exhibiting a number of scenarios and asking for individual responses to each of these.

The various stations really helped me to understand the concepts of the lesson, while thinking about each topic on a deeper level. Each station gave me a far deeper knowledge of the topic considered, and it was nice to reapply everything you taught us. The video presented at the bullying station really made me think about the challenges our students will face on a daily basis, and the ways to meet this head on to ensure a minimum amount of bullying. Overall, this was an excellent lesson.

Accountability for High Standards

Abstract: This chapter made me incredibly nervous initially, as I deeply felt for this student. When I began reading, I could not understand why the teacher would push the student to such a level of discomfort, yet this proved to be an effective method. Once the student was able to relax and work his way through the presentation, this became effective not only to this lesson, but as a long term skill. I think this was my favorite chapter that we have read so far. I was very interested in the various ways of holding students accountable without being harsh or overbearing. I think my favorite part of this chapter was the discussion of moral accountability, with the primary guidelines used to help students determine whether they are acting an a moral manner. Whether a student or a teacher, I think this is an excellent guide to acting in a manner that one would be proud of.

Synthesis: One thing that provided me with a strong sense of conviction was the idea that we must stop thinking that standards ruin creativity. Although I understand the significance and value of standards, I always feel bogged down by incorporating them into my lessons. The checklist gave me a much better sense of how to implement standards without allowing them to over power learning. Another striking moment in this text was the student’s account of how a particular teacher always permitted him to hand in work late. I loved that he was able to rationalize that while this seemed great at the time, it hurt his learning in the long run. I feel that nearly every student longs for the ability to hand in work whenever they please without consequence, yet it teaches students absolutely nothing. I know that I will hold my students accountable for their work at the time it is due in order to instill a good work ethic that will help them in later years of school as well as in future jobs.

Becoming a Whiz at Brain Based Teaching

I found your presentation to be very useful, and I feel that I learned a great deal that I did not previously know. Your packets and connection to "Pinky and the Brain" were very useful in perpetrating the information needed, especially because I had no previous knowledge of the brain or how memory was retained. The connections that were made were excellent and helped me to actually understand many elements of science. As a person who is not strong in logic, it is nice to be given easier methods of understanding science.

This lesson was highly interactive and I enjoyed the ability to reflect upon my own strengths and weaknesses in relation to teaching practices. I was happy to consider how I can work on my own role model practices and the areas that I need to work on to be a successful role model.

After your presentation, I would be interested in reading this book.

Brain Research Applied to Middle School

Abstract: The beginning of this chapter was great as it showed the importance of multiple intelligences. While we have been working to activate as many intelligences in each lesson throughout our lesson planning, it is interesting to think of this process in terms of lemon meringue pie example. When we are exposed to the pie, or any other object, our memories work to track down the taste, feel, smell and experience associated with this object. We compartmentalize each object, thus delving into each intelligence offers us the opportunity to reach students on multiple levels. Chunking sounds like a great method of association. This way, students are not forced to recall one specific detail, but instead can learn a great deal about the topic and, in theory, relate back to this information when it is time to think about the designated topic. The author then teaches a mini lesson on plagiarism, showing the severity of plagiarizing another individual's work.
Synthesis: I would really like to try the triad response method within my classroom, as I feel that this would be an excellent method of encouraging a number of students to speak in a manner that will help them to keep track of the conversation. I think it would be helpful to provide students with a test run of this process before doing this as a whole class. To do this, I would present students with a question, ask each student to write his opinion and then to pass the paper to the left. I would then ask that the next student comment upon the first response, and decide whether they agree or disagree. I would have the students pass it to one more peer, who will again decide whether they agree or disagree, and then ask students to pass the paper back to the original commenter. I would happily reenact a lesson such as the plagiarism mini lesson, as this had an excellent impact on the students and they reacted very well.

Book Talk: A Whole New Mind

In response to the opening activities, my summer job really can not be outsourced. I work for in home as a care provider, and am an employee of a Maine based company. While I am sure that it is possible for such companies to be moved over seas, I do not see this as a possibility. I'm sure that teaching could technically be "outsourced," but I feel that the teacher would need to make the choice to move to a developing country, with the intention of helping those in need. I am absolutely right brained, as I am led far more by emotion and impulse than by rational decisions.

While reading through the six steps presented within the book, I was interested but not overly engaged in the design step, yet the linguistic step would have been a favorite for me in the classroom. I love the idea of taking the first line of a novel and writing a story based on this one line. The next idea was symphony, creating a connection using something that others would not recognize. Empathy was the next category, where I toke the Multiple Intelligence and Fake Smile quizzes. Upon taking this Multiple Intelligence quiz, my top three categories were interpersonal, linguistic and intrapersonal, in that order. This is very true to previous Multiple Intelligence quizzes I have taken, and I thought the descriptions were very accurate. As for the "Fake Smile" quiz, which I thought was really cool, I identified 15 of the 20 of the smiles correctly. Very interesting!

The next step was play, which I think is great in the classroom. Students should always be permitted to play and enjoy themselves in the classroom, and teachers should be able to build this play into a great deal of lessons. The final step was spiritual, so I took the spiritual quiz. The quiz revealed that I am relatively stressed out, so I need to work on my spiritual well being.

This seems like a great book, and I would be very interested in looking into these ideas.

Chapter 13: Outdoor Adventures

Abstract: Wormeli highly praises outdoor adventures as valuable learning experiences for all students. Students are able to create lasting bonds with peers that they might not have otherwise been able to socialize with. Additionally, it is interesting that students tend to gain a greater sense of autonomy through these experiences, as they are forced to clean up after themselves and to prepare themselves for each day of the various adventures. One interesting aspect is that Wormeli discusses a moment where he propels through the air during an adventure and somehow manages to inspire a leadership moment through his own dangerous action.

Synthesis: I want the opportunity to take my students on outdoor adventures, but I feel that it would be necessary to do this during advisory periods as opposed to just during the school year. I hope that I work at a lenient school where outdoor activities are possible, but even if they are not I would be interested in at least bringing students outside during classes. My middle school science teacher led a science camp a few years after I had him as a teacher, thus he enabled students to learn with him outside of the classroom if they were interested.

Chapter 4: Active Learning

Abstract: This chapter focuses upon getting students moving within the classroom. Adolescent students are uncomfortable when forced to sit still throughout an entire class period, thus it is important to get them up and moving during each class. The concept of converting abstract ideas into concrete ideas through movement is an excellent idea. The chapter offers example after example of how students may be actively engaged, whether learning in the classroom or in moving a lesson outside. I feel that I will work to teach as many lessons outside as possible, as this is an excellent way to keep students moving while still conveying the necessary information.

Synthesis: I love the idea of building movement into the classroom. This will not only help students to focus on individual lessons, but to become more actively engaged in the class itself. The chapter suggests having students stand up in class every ten to fifteen minutes, even if it is just to hand in papers or move desks. While I support moving that frequently, I would rather have my students get up and do something more active than merely moving to the front of the classroom for a minute. I liked the idea of having students stand up and converse with a classmate, and I think that this could even be taken a step further by having each student discuss the topic with two students, rotating through the classroom as they discuss.

Curriculum and Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning

Abstract: The chapter is prefaced by the idea of ridding the idea of a "core of common knowledge" (31), which ignores the natural reactions of students to materials presented within the class. The chapter discusses developing curriculum by determining academic and performance standards. Standards are the structure upon which learning is based, and once these are established the rest of the lesson planning will effectively follow. In order to ensure that all students meet these standards, scaffolding must occur. Teachers must make time to find out where students need help, and offer assistance in all aspects of the lesson. Again we are back to backwards design, with basing lessons around what students should know and be able to do, and then base assessments around these crucial factors.
Synthesis: The idea of moving away from the "core of common knowledge" is interesting as the phrase implies to me the idea of students as a blank canvas, capable of being filled with our information. This is clearly blatantly inaccurate as students come with previous experiences and background information. I love the idea of engaging students within curriculum based upon interest as opposed to coverage. I feel that the only effective method of teaching students is to connect subjects and topics to real life experiences within the lives of students, thus putting students in control of their own learning. I think that students should be given the opportunity to reflect upon learning after all lessons to ensure that they are able to explain what was effective and what was ineffective within the lesson. Thus, if students feel that a lesson did not help them, I would like the student to explain why and how they what lesson would have better helped them to understand.

Chapter 11: Teaming

Abstract: The class agreed that this chapter was about creating an effective team teaching system within the middle school. A great aspect of teaming is that teams tend to make large schools feel far more like small communities, where students may work closely with a small group of teachers and other students. To begin effectively using this model, we must work collaboratively with team members and hold regular planning sessions that enable us to discuss integrated teaching units as well as to plan for our specific students. To gain the greatest rewards, the team must state explicit goals and objectives to ensure that all members have the same end results in mind. In order to effectively teach, we must make the information relevant to all students while at the same time providing each student with a personalized learning experience. A great instance of a team environment occurs in Raymond K. Smith Middle School in Hahnville, Louisiana.

Reflection: The general feeling within the class seemed to be an enthusiasm for the idea of team teaching. Team teaching offers middle level teachers the opportunity to integrate learning across curriculum while maintaining a comfortable community. A major point that was readdressed was the idea of teachers working together in order to ensure that students are not assigned multiple major projects at the same time. While it is impossible to entirely avoid overlap of assignments, it is necessary to recognize that our students will become overwhelmed with too many projects. Overall, there is a general consensus that team teaching builds communities that help our students to succeed.

Chapter 9: Planning for Block Scheduling

Abstract: This chapter discusses the benefits of block scheduling as opposed to several fifty minute classes per day. An interesting aspect of this chapter is that it discusses true learning as opposed to coverage. Rather than attempting to cram infinite information into the minds of the students, teachers instead can offer a comprehensive, valuable lesson which deeply explores specific topics. I enjoyed the planning of a lesson based upon the eighty minute class block, as this shows the challenges as well as the triumphs of such a schedule. I was interested in the use of a math lesson as I have no experience in math, thus it was great to see the many real life applications of this subject. I thought the teacher did an excellent job of incorporating real life experiences within his classroom, and I would love to use as many real life experiences as possible in my lessons.

Synthesis: While I did not have block scheduling during middle school, I experienced block scheduling during high school and absolutely believe that this is a wonderful scheduling system. Rather than attempting to focus on six or seven classes per day, students are able to focus upon four focused classes. I think that this will be valuable to me as a teacher as well because I will be able to offer students far more personalized attention, while learning the personalities of my students throughout the semester. I feel that I will be able to invest far more into my lessons if I am able to plan for eighty minutes as opposed to a fifty minute lesson. In doing this, I will be able to plan the majority of an activity in one class, with room for accommodations and review in the next lesson. Furthermore, I truly hope that I will become employed in a school that uses block scheduling.

Teacher Advisories- A Proposal for Change

Abstract: The author brought his students on an advisory trip which turned into much more of an adventure than anticipated. Upon reaching the peak of the mountain the group climbed, a thunderstorm began and the group was forced to make their way down the mountain despite harrowing conditions. He discusses learning entirely new things about his students, and recognizing habits that would otherwise never appear. While many students may not be strong learners within the classroom, they excelled in a tremendous circumstance and showed their teacher that they were capable of infinite pushes in their previously set boundaries. Although frightening at the time, the students' reflections show that they valued the situation and the new ways they were able to see their teacher and peers.

Synthesis: Although I hope such circumstances do not arise for me, I would love to be able to take my students into the community and interact with them in a way that is far different from that of school. I was initially confused as Wormeli wrote of his experience as I was unsure why he was able to take students on a hiking field trip, yet the further I read the more intrigued I became. In an exceedingly trying situation, these students showed their teacher that they were able to rise above all boundaries in order to help one another. I hope that I am able to have advisory groups and able to bring them into the community!

Teaming

Abstract: I love the way the team meeting worked within this chapter. Rather than meeting separately with each teacher to discuss student progress, it is far more logical to have a large group meeting where each teacher offers insight on the student, and the parents are asked to offer their own perspective on the student's learning. Ideally, the student will be involved in this conference and an open conversation will occur naturally. Also, I love the idea of teachers collaborating based on assignments. While each teacher has valuable content to teach, it is likely that students will become overwhelmed and disinterested if they are thrown a magnitude of information without regard for the rest of the student's workload. Through team teaching, it is possible to at least partially avoid this problem by coordinating schedules and finding the ideal time to assign specific work. Additionally, this method permits teachers to work toward a functional, collaborative unit which integrates multiple subjects.

Synthesis: I hope that I am able to have a positive team experience such as these listed within the chapter. I intend to hold conferences with all teachers in my team in order to promote a strong group atmosphere and assist the process of involving all members of the team. Although I experienced teams while in middle school, conferences were all held separately as opposed to as a team, and I would really like to change this in my future experiences. In addition, I really want to work to collaborate with my team teachers to ensure that student work is spread out between classes. Rather than over assigning for one night in each class, we should instead work to ensure that specific work is given or specific nights, and thus spread out throughout the week. This way, we will be able to avoid overwhelming students and hopefully encourage better work. While students are capable of completing multiple projects in a short span of time, they are likely to become over whelmed by the work load and much of the work will suffer. Thus, I hope to ensure that all work is spread between teachers and students are given adequate time to complete projects based upon the extent of content.

Organizing Relationships for Learning

Abstract: This chapter begins by discussing the reasons why adult role models are so essential for the success and well being of our students. Just as young children rely upon the comfort of parents to ensure that they are safe and acting in a healthy manner, as do adolescents look for such figures at school. By building a strong relationship with at least one teacher, students are likely to feel more comfortable and push themselves further in an effort to succeed. The chapter reflects upon an older edition of "Turning Points," which called for communities within the school to ensure that each student had a person to turn to for any need they may have. These communities have developed into teams and houses within middle schools, and the idea is that these teams will offer students a network of individuals to assist them through various successes and difficulties. In creating teams of teachers and students, students are enabled to develop strong connections with both peers and teachers, and ideally to create a sense of identity within the school.

Synthesis: This connects so much information that I was previously unaware of. Although I experienced houses and teams while in middle school, I did not understand the direct logic or all of the benefits behind this before reading this chapter. I would like to be able to build this in to my own teaching career, both in middle and high school as I believe that there are countless benefits to creating communities within a school. I especially would like to have specific students who I may make connections with and assist throughout the school year and beyond, as I feel that this is essential to the development of each student. I also really enjoyed the idea of an internal team leader and team roles. While the principal will serve as excellent guidance, I feel that it would be frustrating for an outside perspective to make decisions for a specific group's needs.

The Importance of Middle Level Education

This chapter stresses the importance of helping our students to learn and practice good habits. While they are theoretically getting this advice from parents as well, students are likely to be influenced by friends rather than adults during the middle level years of schooling. While there are ever present peer distractions in schools, teachers can help students by modeling positive behaviors and helping to set the standards for a healthy lifestyle. By showing students the value of a healthy life, they are more likely to recognize the daily necessities of living a healthy lifestyle. This goes beyond teaching students to eat healthy food and to exercise, and includes teaching healthy habits in terms of teaching about the realities of alcohol, tobacco, and other potentially harmful situations.

Another interesting aspect of this chapter was the notion that while there are many positive aspects of middle level education, they must be combined in order to be effective. While teams, exploratory opportunity, and advisory programs are always necessary, they hold no effect without a pairing of the three. I found the list of criteria for effective teachers to be very helpful, especially in terms of students and teachers who work together in active learning and the idea of each student having a teacher as an advocate. I feel that teachers must demonstrate a motivation and dedication to the content they teach, but also to the students asked to consider and engage in this content. While this may seem like an obvious statement, it seems that many teachers become far too goal oriented at times, thus placing standards above individuals. This chapter provides a nice reminder of the true value that we as teachers should constantly work to achieve and maintain.

The Truth About Middle School Students

Abstract: This chapter discusses moving beyond only knowing students in an academic light, and instead recognizing the tasks they accomplish in their daily lives. While it is certainly valuable to understand the academic interests of our students, this information means little without understanding what this student has achieved at home. Wormeli makes an excellent point by beginning the chapter with a list of the enormous tasks his students have achieved. While it is easy to get swept away in the negative connotations associated with middle school students, we can not forget that these are occasional circumstances, and that not all students will exhibit these negative behaviors. By ignoring these generalizations and valuing our students as individuals, we will show our students that they matter more than statistics, and we believe in their abilities to grow and succeed.

Synthesis: I would really love to post blank sheets throughout the classroom for students to write thoughts and reactions upon. I want students to recognize that their thoughts are valuable, and that there are always appropriate situations where they may voice these opinions and words of wisdom. In addition to this, I would like to find a way to share the successes of my students while in class. Whether this is an academic, athletic or personal success, I believe that these should be celebrated. However, in order to do this, it will be necessary to verify with students that they are comfortable with having such things shared with the class. If not, I would like to encourage students to note important events in writing journals or with me personally.

Motivating Young Adolescents

Abstract: Wormeli takes a very interesting approach to building interest in academic subjects. While it may feel that consistent entertainment would hook our students, the reality is that it is possible to maintain a captive student audience through simply engaging students in relevant, interesting topics. I really enjoyed Wormeli’s suggestion that we as teachers take the place of an absent student within the classroom, and complete the assignment as we ask our students to do. By placing ourselves in the position of our students, we will recognize the strengths and weaknesses of our lessons, and become far more capable of altering the downfalls of the lesson. This chapter also discusses the ways in which we might increase comfort within the classroom, through personal recognition and positive reinforcements. If our students believe that they are capable of success, and know that we recognize that they are capable of success, they are likely to challenge themselves in ways they might have never envisioned.

Synthesis: I feel that this is the aspect of teaching that I failed to meet while in Practicum. While I hoped to make my students feel comfortable, I had a difficult time feeling comfortable enough to put myself forward and allow my personal interaction. This is something that I certainly hope to improve upon, thus Wormeli’s suggestions were very helpful in this manner. Since this may be something that is difficult for me, I will simply start with smaller steps, such as greeting students at the door and calling students by their first names in order to help them feel comfortable. I love the idea of using stories to increase student interest and motivation, as I feel that most students do tend to become more comfortable as they hear both personal stories and stories relevant to the subject topic. Also, Wormeli explains the significance of ensuring that students are the most actively engaged in the beginning of a lesson. Rather than using this time to discuss bland information, this should be used as the hook, as discussed in Practicum. By building momentum, I will be able to create an engaging atmosphere where students will be interested in learning more about the subject.

Stoking the Fire Within

Abstract: This chapter begins with an interesting argument. By presenting the ever present negativity associated with the teaching profession, teachers mock themselves in a manner that demeans the work of educators. I found it interesting that one of the first statements mentioned was, “Those that can’t do, teach” (Wormeli 1) as I have always found this to be incredibly insulting. While this might be considered a simple joke, Wormeli makes an excellent point in his argument that this statement deliberately mocks education. I really liked the positive focal point of this chapter, and the articulation that it truly is the little things that count in teaching. This means taking responsibility for our actions, and being proud to do so due to the positive nature of these actions.

Synthesis: In order to actively play a positive role in the lives of my students, it is necessary for me to always keep these ideas in mind. Rather than looking at teaching as merely a paycheck, we must instead see the building blocks set forth when we teach our students valuable lessons. Similarly, I enjoyed Wormeli’s point that all activities that do not build toward student development are a waste of time for both the student and the teacher. I want my students to see me as someone who truly cares respects their previous knowledge as well as their interests, with an ever present goal of helping them to succeed. By acting as a low ego teacher, I hope to take the focal point away from myself as teacher, and instead show students that they have control over their own educations. Finally, the example of the student who believed he had been unfairly called out months before in the hall reminds me of just how careful I need to be in confronting my students. While the teacher had simply meant his comment as a joke, the student had seen this as a personal attack. This reminds me how sensitive I must be of unintentionally hurting my students.

A Design for Improving Middle Grades Education

Chapter two is built around the idea of the student as a well balanced, “whole” person. The ideas behind this concept indicate that the student is intellectually reflective, working toward a successful future, and a good, caring, ethical and healthy person. In order to successfully build a curriculum for our future students, we must first view them in this light and recognize that they are ever capable of being pushed and achieving more. With this in mind, we must also nurture this person in order to ensure that they maintain positive health and ethics.

Synthesis: I found the recommendations to be especially useful in how best to plan for middle level students. By recognizing that students require information relevant to personal experiences, I as a teacher will be capable of building lessons intended for middle school students rather than removed information. In using standards that will push students to achieve more, students will be capable of building upon prior knowledge while at the same time recognizing that they are capable of achieving more than they might have initially thought possible. I really enjoy the idea of continuing education for teachers as this pushes teachers to recognize new teaching strategies and to be constantly learning with students. By constantly remembering these factors, I will be able to reach my students on a deeper level and build upon the knowledge they have learned in past years.

Turning Points: A Decade Later

Abstract: This chapter discusses the crucial turning points present within middle level education. While many of the changes seem minor, these changes have an impact on student learning and comfort. For example, the decision to alter the middle level grades from seventh to ninth to fifth or sixth to eighth grade significantly altered standardized test scores. Where once students had averaged test scores of 250, the alteration in grading produced scores from 275 to 315. At the same time, the goals of the middle level classroom have been far more clearly defined, stating that students will work in communities, team teaching will broaden student understanding, teachers and parents will work together toward a common goal, and the significance of general health and wellbeing will be stressed throughout the school year. While the curriculum remains the same, the emotional and social well being of students is brought forth in an effort to ensure that all students feel comfortable within their learning environments. However, an interesting aspect of this change is that research has proved that many of these students are not achieving the standards required for their particular grade level. While students are comfortable, there is still the necessary move to ensure that students are still learning as they should be.

Synthesis: By implementing strong, consistent objectives, teachers are likely to follow these guidelines and thus follow through on the practices developed to help all students. In order to successfully teach in a middle school, I will need to be prepared to work in a group setting and communicate with all who work with my students. This will be significant while working with various teachers within my team, past and future teachers of my students, the parents, and in some circumstances, educational technicians for students with various learning difficulties. In order to strike a balance between the curriculum we must cover and the individual needs of all students, I will need to recognize the history of each student as well as individual learning styles. To help all students transition successfully and happily from elementary to middle school, I hope to ensure that all students are comfortable enough to learn. I hope to instill in my students an interest in creative thinking, as well as several strategies to ensure that they are able to build upon the natural adolescent ability to think in these ways.