Homework always seems to be a topic that students tend to cringe when it is brought up in conversation. After being in the classroom for 7 hours out of the day, when that dismissal bell rings, homework is the last thing on students' minds. This week I read an article that drew out all of the pros and cons that homework creates. Although most students have a negative connotation about homework, there are many academic and life lessons that are associated with it as well. A big challenge that many educators face is how much homework is really appropriate for each grade level. I have always heard that the rule of thumb for the amount of homework assigned is 10 minutes times the grade level. For example, if you are teaching a fourth grade class, it is acceptable to assign 40 minutes of homework. However, research is now showing that homework doesn't really have an impact at the elementary level, it has a low beneficial impact for middle grades, and a subtle impact for high school students.
A goal of mine as a future teacher is to make sure my students understand the value of homework and not let them get bogged down with busy assignments, which could result in frustration and poor performance. I could really relate to some of the issues that were emphasized in this article caused by homework. Throughout my educational experience, I always seemed to get the teachers who loved to assign loads of homework each night. In high school, I was an AP student, a fall sport athlete, and being involved in the community, with family, and my church, I can attest that having loads of homework only adds frustration and stress. I personally experienced the sleep deprivation from having to stay up late and finish homework, loss of quality family time, and not performing to the best of my abilities on assignments in order to check everything off of my to do list. Today, I tell people that high school was more challenging for me than college, and people look at me weird. I challenged myself academically in order to prepare myself for college, and looking back in return, I just feel like I signed up to occupy all of my time to completing school assignments. I do, however, think it is important that students are able to learn not only the academic skills from completing their homework assignments, but also the life lessons as well. Students should learn time management, the importance of parental involvement, and have a deeper understanding of the concept that they are working on.
I also found it interesting that this study took a global perspective, as to how much time students around the world spend doing homework. The students in the U.S. spend almost double the amount of time each week doing homework than students in Finland and Singapore. However, it is important to keep in mind, and refer back to my personal experience that the main focus of homework should be about quality instead of quantity. I like how the article concluded stating; " The question isn't about homework vs. no homework; instead, we should be asking ourselves, "How can we transform homework so that it's engaging, relevant, and supports learning?" My mission is to find the right balance and allow my students to have the right attitude towards having homework.
This challenge of assigning the appropriate amount of homework to a class ties in with standard 4, which is teachers facilitate learning for their students. Teachers should be familiar with the capabilities of their students and attempt to strengthen the skills necessary for them to be successful.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/research-trends-is-homework-effective-youki-terada
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Ready, Set, Conquer!!!!
...And just like that, it's week 3 of the semester! I have always heard people say that Junior year in college is one of the most difficult years and now I can attest to that! Social Studies Methods and the flipped classroom teaching technique has made me feel like a productive college student. I feel like this class is the appropriate stepping stone to successfully get me from relying on my professors to provide all of the information, to letting myself explore different resources and research the information myself. I am already starting to appreciate how this class (and all of the crazy assignments) is teaching me to be an independent, resourceful, and successful future teacher.
Creating my Professional Development Plan (PDP) and analyzing two professional goals that I want to achieve this semester, really made me stop and think about real this is getting. I often times think that student teaching is still a couple of semesters away, and that I will have time to get it all together before then. However, this class has been a wake up call for me, in the fact that this class is specifically preparing me to student teach, which will be here before you know it! Part of me is intimidated by that realization and part of me is ready to takeover a classroom tomorrow!
As I reviewed the Teacher Standards, I chose two that I think are relevant to where I am on my educational journey. The first one I chose, dealt with knowing the content that I will be teaching (3), and making the NCSCOS standards align with my lesson plan and assessments (3a). When I first started glancing over the standards, I thought this was an easier one to master; however, as I looked for standards for my concept based unit, I realized, I don't recall much about what is being stated in those particular standards. Going through school, especially in Social Studies, I would just memorize the facts and spit them back out for the test. Now, I am personally experiencing the danger of that learning method because I am not familiar with the subject area. As I prepare my lessons, I want to become confident with the content I will be teaching and create a level of understanding for myself as well. The second standard I chose was teacher facilitate learning for their students (4), integrating and utilizing technology within instruction (4d). I am going to challenge myself to learn one technology tool per week and learn how to incorporate it in my lessons.
If you were wondering, I have already gotten started on my PDP goals! (:
I learned about this really cool website called https://getkahoot.com/ and it is a free multiple choice, interactive, quiz game. The questions along with the answer choices are projected on the screen, while the students select their answers from their own internet connected devices. The website goes into detail about how it works and it's purpose, but I seriously love it!! I have already created my free account and have taken some quizzes just to play around. It is so much fun and your students would love the competitive aspect it has, as well as the cool music in the background as the questions and answers are revealed. I hope you take the time to check it out and have some fun with learning and assessment!
Creating my Professional Development Plan (PDP) and analyzing two professional goals that I want to achieve this semester, really made me stop and think about real this is getting. I often times think that student teaching is still a couple of semesters away, and that I will have time to get it all together before then. However, this class has been a wake up call for me, in the fact that this class is specifically preparing me to student teach, which will be here before you know it! Part of me is intimidated by that realization and part of me is ready to takeover a classroom tomorrow!
As I reviewed the Teacher Standards, I chose two that I think are relevant to where I am on my educational journey. The first one I chose, dealt with knowing the content that I will be teaching (3), and making the NCSCOS standards align with my lesson plan and assessments (3a). When I first started glancing over the standards, I thought this was an easier one to master; however, as I looked for standards for my concept based unit, I realized, I don't recall much about what is being stated in those particular standards. Going through school, especially in Social Studies, I would just memorize the facts and spit them back out for the test. Now, I am personally experiencing the danger of that learning method because I am not familiar with the subject area. As I prepare my lessons, I want to become confident with the content I will be teaching and create a level of understanding for myself as well. The second standard I chose was teacher facilitate learning for their students (4), integrating and utilizing technology within instruction (4d). I am going to challenge myself to learn one technology tool per week and learn how to incorporate it in my lessons.
If you were wondering, I have already gotten started on my PDP goals! (:
I learned about this really cool website called https://getkahoot.com/ and it is a free multiple choice, interactive, quiz game. The questions along with the answer choices are projected on the screen, while the students select their answers from their own internet connected devices. The website goes into detail about how it works and it's purpose, but I seriously love it!! I have already created my free account and have taken some quizzes just to play around. It is so much fun and your students would love the competitive aspect it has, as well as the cool music in the background as the questions and answers are revealed. I hope you take the time to check it out and have some fun with learning and assessment!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Accept the CHAlleNGE and Embrace the Change
The Common Core standards tend to be a controversial topic of conversation. I thought it would be interesting to read an article titled "The Common Core Explained". This piece provided me with great insight about the background, purpose, and reasons for the backlash against the Common Core. As I am getting deeper into my studies and my major classes, I keep hearing my professors say that it is essential for teachers to be able to cope with change. Since education is usually a political issue, changes for education could be passed into law at any given time and it is teachers' responsibility to adapt and incorporate the new methods.
In 2009, North Carolina was one of several states to adopt this curriculum. The purpose of it was to get all of the states on the same page, as far as what they were teaching the students in the classroom. Common Core was designed to have an appropriate list of expectations for the students at every grade level and to keep the states accountable for what they were teaching in their schools. However, Common Core challenges not only the students to think on a deeper level, but the educators to integrate other subjects into their core lessons as well. As a couple years passed, states started to back out of their agreement of adoption for this curriculum because the primary grade level teachers were complaining that the students were not developmentally ready to learn these standards at the depth that the Common Core expected. Also, from a political point of view, since the federal government had gotten involved when developing the Common Core, many states thought that was a violation of their rights. Fast forwarding to today, politicians and education activists are discussing whether or not to be a Common Core state in the coming future. As a future teacher, I have to acknowledge the fact that education will always be a major political issue and because of that I have to be innovative with my perceptions and teaching techniques for education.
During the introduction to all of my education classes, we discussed the traits that a good teacher must possess. A couple that I found most important were, teachers have to be caring, knowledgeable about the content, approachable, enthusiastic, and flexible with their schedule. A powerful quote that I found by Nelson Mandela says "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Although this takes on a different context to change as I was discussing before, this quote is very motivational for me as I pursue my future career. Change is inevitable, it is how you handle it that will make a difference.
In 2009, North Carolina was one of several states to adopt this curriculum. The purpose of it was to get all of the states on the same page, as far as what they were teaching the students in the classroom. Common Core was designed to have an appropriate list of expectations for the students at every grade level and to keep the states accountable for what they were teaching in their schools. However, Common Core challenges not only the students to think on a deeper level, but the educators to integrate other subjects into their core lessons as well. As a couple years passed, states started to back out of their agreement of adoption for this curriculum because the primary grade level teachers were complaining that the students were not developmentally ready to learn these standards at the depth that the Common Core expected. Also, from a political point of view, since the federal government had gotten involved when developing the Common Core, many states thought that was a violation of their rights. Fast forwarding to today, politicians and education activists are discussing whether or not to be a Common Core state in the coming future. As a future teacher, I have to acknowledge the fact that education will always be a major political issue and because of that I have to be innovative with my perceptions and teaching techniques for education.
During the introduction to all of my education classes, we discussed the traits that a good teacher must possess. A couple that I found most important were, teachers have to be caring, knowledgeable about the content, approachable, enthusiastic, and flexible with their schedule. A powerful quote that I found by Nelson Mandela says "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Although this takes on a different context to change as I was discussing before, this quote is very motivational for me as I pursue my future career. Change is inevitable, it is how you handle it that will make a difference.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Do what you love, Love what you do
Hi folks!
Since this is my first blog post, and the semester is just beginning, I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and allow you all to get to know me a little better.
I am a Junior studying Elementary Education at Gardner-Webb University. I am from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and am the oldest of three children. My family is very important to me and because of them, I am able to pursue my dreams.
I chose to attend Gardner-Webb University knowing that they had a strong School of Education and knowing I would be able to form those personal relationships with my professors. I am confident that I will be equipped with the proper knowledge and skills to be a great teacher because Gardner-Webb University School of Education instills what they believe. My goal is to be an inspiring teacher and this TEACHERS acronym outlines what it takes to master the art of being an educator: T.E.A.C.H.E.R.S. (Transformative educators who are Engaging, Adaptable, Content-Driven experts that are Holistic, Experience based, and Reflective practitioners prepared for a successful career).
An article that I found on educationnews.org simply proved the point that teachers are more than just teachers. This article was discussing how a principle, who was also a committed Restorative Practitioner, from a middle school challenged her staff to really reach out to their troubled students. Then, the article specifically focused on a student that was causing disruption in the classroom, Leon, and was one of the school's most troubled students. After contacting his mother several times and trying to piece together the reasons for his misbehavior, they finally realized he needed glasses. Leon had not been doing any of his school work because he couldn't see the board, or the fine print in his textbooks. The RP team figured out a way to make purchasing glasses possible for Leon and his family. From reading this article, I gained that it is important to know your students and understand what they are going through outside of the classroom because it will affect how they perform in the classroom. Yesterday, one of my professors was introducing herself to the class and told us when she was teaching, she was once asked to give a job description and she started naming off "I'm a doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc.", and her point was that teaching is a profession that encompasses everything. A great teacher goes out of their way to help their students succeed not only in the classroom, but in whatever they are involved in.
Teaching is so special to me because I once heard this quote and it has stuck with me ever since: "Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions." This is such a powerful quote because it reminds me how influential a teacher can be in one's life. I know without a doubt that I am meant to be a teacher, and I accept the challenge to help as many students as possible succeed in following their dreams. For me, there is no backup plan, teaching is where my heart is and that is what drives my performance and success!!
Since this is my first blog post, and the semester is just beginning, I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and allow you all to get to know me a little better.
I am a Junior studying Elementary Education at Gardner-Webb University. I am from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and am the oldest of three children. My family is very important to me and because of them, I am able to pursue my dreams.
I chose to attend Gardner-Webb University knowing that they had a strong School of Education and knowing I would be able to form those personal relationships with my professors. I am confident that I will be equipped with the proper knowledge and skills to be a great teacher because Gardner-Webb University School of Education instills what they believe. My goal is to be an inspiring teacher and this TEACHERS acronym outlines what it takes to master the art of being an educator: T.E.A.C.H.E.R.S. (Transformative educators who are Engaging, Adaptable, Content-Driven experts that are Holistic, Experience based, and Reflective practitioners prepared for a successful career).
An article that I found on educationnews.org simply proved the point that teachers are more than just teachers. This article was discussing how a principle, who was also a committed Restorative Practitioner, from a middle school challenged her staff to really reach out to their troubled students. Then, the article specifically focused on a student that was causing disruption in the classroom, Leon, and was one of the school's most troubled students. After contacting his mother several times and trying to piece together the reasons for his misbehavior, they finally realized he needed glasses. Leon had not been doing any of his school work because he couldn't see the board, or the fine print in his textbooks. The RP team figured out a way to make purchasing glasses possible for Leon and his family. From reading this article, I gained that it is important to know your students and understand what they are going through outside of the classroom because it will affect how they perform in the classroom. Yesterday, one of my professors was introducing herself to the class and told us when she was teaching, she was once asked to give a job description and she started naming off "I'm a doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc.", and her point was that teaching is a profession that encompasses everything. A great teacher goes out of their way to help their students succeed not only in the classroom, but in whatever they are involved in.
Teaching is so special to me because I once heard this quote and it has stuck with me ever since: "Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions." This is such a powerful quote because it reminds me how influential a teacher can be in one's life. I know without a doubt that I am meant to be a teacher, and I accept the challenge to help as many students as possible succeed in following their dreams. For me, there is no backup plan, teaching is where my heart is and that is what drives my performance and success!!
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