1. Chapter 1
“There is something
comforting about the belief that the invisible hand of the markets, as Adam
Smith called it, will bring improvements through some unknown force. In
education, this belief in market forces lets us ordinary mortals off the hook,
especially those who have not figured out how to improve low-performing schools
or to break through the lassitude of unmotivated teens. Instead of dealing with
rancorous problems like how to teach reading or how to improve testing, one can
redesign the management and structure of the school system and concentrate on
incentives and sanctions. “ (p. 11)
This statement dovetails with the
corporate worlds involvement in education. Corporate world problems, even
complex ones, are resolved by appointing a committee of individuals qualified
to solve the problem with the result being a step by step guide to enact
change. At the end of the steps, the
company is magically moving in a revitalized, new direction (be it right or be
it wrong) with employees on board because they must be for progress sake.
Applying this model to education simplifies the complex issues and problems in
our educational system. There is no magic pill. Different areas in different
aspects of education require very different approaches. But human nature leads
to the desire of wanting a quick fix, an “ahh, that’s the answer” approach.
This corporate model of improvement or righting the ship will not work in
education until all learners learn the same way, all citizens are on equal
economic footing, the weather is the same in all parts of the country, all
parents have the same set of values about education, on and on…. and all
teachers teach exactly the same way given the equality of all these factors.
Clearly, this won’t happen so the approach won’t work. It is and will continue
to be a painstakingly diverse approach to solving problems with, one would
hope, the brightest and best in education working on the issues. Don’t get me
wrong, certainly there are many things educators can learn from the corporate
world, for example,
·
Strong leadership
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Constituency centric policymaking
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Timely decision making avoiding a “fast and
furious” or bog down approach
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Avoid decisions in a vacuum
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Can’t be all things to all people
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Ability to prioritize
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Making tough choices
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No fear of reform and changes in the existing
structure and comfort in that structure
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Inclusion of your constituency in policymaking
Changing one or two parts of the
structure and believing the rest will follow is underestimating the importance
of the other parts. It would be like treating a broken arm by simply visiting
the emergency room and not taking the next 10 steps to repair the arm.
“I do claim, however,
that we must preserve American public education, because it is so intimately
connected to our concepts of citizenship and democracy and to the promise of
American life.” (p. 14)
This quote wraps into a nice, neat
nutshell why I returned to school to get my degree and why my heart lies in
working in the public school arena. Our
country was founded on the concept of equality and all citizens having
inalienable rights including a free education. Through our short history,
citizens have fought for these rights and it is engrained in our very
beings. All Americans should be afforded
skills, habits and knowledge to participate productively in the intellectual
and civic life in society and provided a foundation for continued education, if
so elected (MA Dept. of Ed). I love
Ravitch’s quote above and the State of Massachusetts Department of Educations
goal for their educational system.
2. Chapter 2 – Definition of a well-educated person
A well -educated person is someone
who draws on their knowledge acquired throughout their life with the ability to
apply that knowledge to life’s situations, conversations, problems, relations
and communication. The portion of
Ravitch’s definition that resonates with me is “and listen respectfully to
others”. This skill seems to allude current day Americans largely driven by the
political and social divides between our citizens. Listening is a much harder
skill than being listened to. What
should any well-educated person know? Ability to listen, grace, ability to
apply knowledge, kindness and caring, willingness to reach back to help others.
A well-educated person understands he or she will not be judged by what they do
but what they have done for others (T. Morrison).
3. Class discussion
People change their minds and are
entitled to do so. Ravitch has the right to reflect on her own history,
evaluate it and update it. It doesn’t
mean she has rewritten it, which often happens with people reflecting on their
past. But you can own up to your
reconsiderations and explain why. This
is so simple. Time and information can change understanding and belief. We have
gotten into this polarized, politically driven belief that you can’t reflect
and change your opinion. This is a really interesting phenomenon that we didn’t
discuss in class. After watching the video interview of Ravitch, I must say her
demeanor is perfect for getting others to accept her change of heart. She is
calm, direct and not offensive yet unrelenting with her opinion and ideas.
4. Gap in Subject
Area
Krebs Cycle /Citric
Acid Cycle
Sources:
1. UCB – Biology 1A course
2. Biology, Prentice Hall
3. Kahn Academy, Overview of the Krebs or Citric Acid Cycle
This source was very helpful in providing a visual, simple
model for teaching the Krebs cycle. The
step-by-step approach appealed to the mathematical side of my brain by
presenting the cycle in an equation-like form.
I always think of respiration as Glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle as if
they are two separate processes. While in actuality, as demonstrated by the
Kahn Academy, Glycolysis is a step in the Krebs cycle. There is still work to
be done on this topic for comfort in bridging the gap in content knowledge on
this topic. I am convinced it is the chemical nature of the process and that
darn chemistry block in my brain.
5. Two articles
- Moebium-Clune, Bianca N.; Elsevier, Irka H.; Crawford,
Barbara A; Trautmann, Nancy M.; Schindelbeck, Robert R.; Van Es, Harold M.
(2011) Moving Authentic Soil Research into High School Classrooms: Student
Engagement and Learning. Journal of
Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. 40, 102-113. Secondary.
- Feldman, Alan; Cooke, Michele L.; Ellsworth, Mary S. (Feb.
2012). The Classroom Sandbox: A Physical Model for Scientific Inquiry. The
Science Teacher. 9, 58-62).
Secondary.
I selected these 2 articles because
they led me to my draft guiding questions.
- Lessons using
inquiry to correct student misconceptions in Earth Science -
The Feldman/Ellsworth article describes a practical, hand on
approach to teaching the earth’s processes, more particularly plate tectonics,
faulting and ever changing formation of the earth’s crust. Using a device called The Sand Box, Students
predict, create hypothesis and test through reenactment of the processes. It is
something that can be accomplished in the classroom, and if used correctly,
teach and encourage students to use inquiry when exploring different dynamics
of the earth movements given certain conditions. Instruction on the
construction of The Sand Box makes the tool accessible for teachers. This article encouraged me to continue to research
locate like kind manipulates for teaching the other major strands in Earth
Science.
The Moebium-Clune article examined
the use of manipulates in teaching curriculum in Earth Science. Using a
pre-test and post-test approach, they studied the use of manipulates and
inquiry as a means of better understanding and correcting misconceptions in
Earth Science. Their research overwhelmingly supported the hands-on approach to
teaching and understanding subject content. This, along with The Sand Box idea
encouraged my continued search of ideas for other strands within Earth Science.
In the resources and references
portion of the Feldman/Ellsworth article, there are multiple ideas for
discovering additional ideas and information on the above topic that I will
pursue in the coming week. For example,
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Multiple
Modes of Inquiry in Earath Science by K.A. Kastens & A. Rivet
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Inquiring
into Inquiry learning and Teaching in Science by J Minstrell & E. H. Van
Zee
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The Nature
and Structure of Scientific Models by J, Cartier, J. Rudolph & J. Stewart.
The Feldman/Ellsworth article also
mentions the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) which I will look
up and read, not only in the area of Earth Science but also in Biology (my
likely area of teaching for the coming year).
The reason
these two articles were convincing was the simple concept of doing to
understand. Especially when it comes to
Earth Processes, it is difficult to learn through simply reading and discussing
the processes due to the time element attached to the change. This simple Sand
Box is an opportunity to condense time so that learners can experience, first
hand, the processes. It is so simple and
obvious as a teaching tool, and begs for application in many lines of inquiry
and learning situations.
6. Meg Question
Given my line of questioning, I am unsure how to find primary
sources or what form a primary resource might take.
____________________________________________________________________________
I reflect upon my gaps in content
knowledge in terms of large, medium and small.
Small because I am a believer that no one person has 100% efficiency in
any area of human knowledge. If this were the case, exploration and discovery
would no longer be a part of our world, our lives and the excitement of
learning. So, with that my small gaps include areas that I understand in-depth,
am able to teach and am able to bring deeper knowledge to. With that, I
continue to try to expand these areas of knowledge through a plethora of
activities, reading and listening. My
medium gaps would be areas that I have “heck-a-good” lesson plans and
activities but use those plans and activities to keep the curriculum moving in
a direction as not to expose my content shortages. My big gaps are areas I need to dedicate time
to exploring and learning based on the fact that I haven’t had any, or very
little, involvement in the content area. An example of this would be my desire
to have Earth Sciences as my line of inquiry in the MAT program. Below is my
current list of gaps and what I am doing to Mind the Gap:
Gaps Within
Biology (what I will likely be teaching in the coming year)
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Krebs Cycle, Glycolysis, Photosynthesis (UCB –
Biology 1A)
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Chemistry basics (UCB – Biology 1A)
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Human Body Systems details (UCB – Integrative Systems)
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Use of Technology in the classroom – my own
exploration, colleague’s ideas and instruction, St. Mary’s (I am now a Blogger)
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And my next big push following Earth Science, to
acquire a better understanding of physics (processes TBD). This is a large gap.
Discrepancies – State Framework and CSET
The Biology/Life Science CSET,
interestingly, circles back to content knowledge expectations in the
requirements to teach sciences in junior high school (118 & 119). For
example, the CSET tests on the History and Origin of Life when the Framework is
silent on the topic for Biology.
The CSET touches on a minimal
amount of human organ systems in their Subject Matter Requirements while CSET
extensively tests on all human body systems.
The focus on viruses on the CSET
was another area that threw me for a loop.
Now, having taught viruses and bacteria, I understand the importance of
students knowing this information for building future content knowledge. But at
the time of preparing and taking the test, there was no indication of the
importance of these subjects for taking the test.
Frankly, the published Subject
Matter Requirements were of little assistance in preparing for the exam. The best preparation, before conducting a
review regiment prior to testing, is to take the test once to understand the
content the State deems important, then preparing based on the pre-test (if not
passed the first time) and re-testing.
On a further note, the current
California Framework for Science is ridiculously simplistic. It touches on subject content but does little
to assist or prepare teachers. There are no suggestions on teaching methods or
areas of emphasis. The brevity of the Framework is astonishing. Having begun to
review the State of Massachusetts Framework, I realize the inadequacy of the
California Framework as a tool for guidance.
California has published a draft of
the new Framework for review prior to publication. It will be interesting to
see if there is an improvement over the current Framework.
Teaching to the Standards/Deviations
Having
spent a full year in my student teaching position at Mount Diablo High School,
I was able to experience a year of curriculum in 9th grade Biology.
While the order deviated from the Framework, the content covered reached far
beyond that outlined in the Framework document. There were standards that I
spent considerable time with while the Framework provided a cursory overview,
for example the virus/bacteria learning segment discussed above. While the
Framework does focus on photosynthesis, Mount Diablo’s teaching of the topic is
in relationship to cellular respiration and the comparison between the two. We
spent little time on cycles: carbon, water and nitrogen whereas the Framework
focuses on them. We spent a lot of time on the human organ systems in a three
week learning segment while the Framework touches briefly on the topic.
One big
deviation was the teaching AIDS/STD two week learning segment conducted at the
end of the year. The program, provide by the Contra Costa County Health
Services, was excellent, fun to teach and very student centric.
3-Year Examination of the State Framework & CSET
It will be
difficult, if not impossible, to reflect on 3 years of working with the State
Framework in the classroom given an entire year was dedicated to 9th
grade biology and 10 weeks was spent in a 7th grade biology class,
but I will do my best.
The time
spent in the 7th grade Biology classroom was during learning
segments on genetics, evolution and human body systems. This particular Master Teacher stuck very
closely to the Framework deviating rarely. The students were afforded an
introductory look at biology in preparation for continuing study in high
school. The one great deviation during
the human body system segment was the dissection of a sheep heart. It was a fantastic
lab with excellent front-loading for the students. The two-day examination of
the heart was captivating for all students, even the squish ones. It was a great experience in hands on
learning to further content understanding as the students explored the chambers
of the heart, the valves and vessels leading in and out of the heart.
As far as
the CSET, and its adherence to the California State Framework, I can’t help but
reflect that taking 118 and 119 was a glimpse into the testing of multi-subject
candidates. The breath of information needed for the test was overwhelming, the
detail nominal.
My gaps in
content knowledge for CSET 118 and 119 had to be the physics portion of the
examination. Having never taken an ounce
of physics, I had to start virtually from scratch, learn the content, learning
the formulas and how to apply them. I
did enjoy the process, albeit overwhelming. I suppose my intent, once I bridge
my gap in Biology and Earth Science topics, I will move on to Physics.
Bridge the Gap
My project
(line of questioning) for MAIT is a venture into addressing a gap in my content
knowledge. At least my initial thoughts
with my project is to improve my content knowledge of Earth and Planetary
Science, prepare curriculum using manipulates as a means of changing
misconceptions and to prepare for the CSET in Earth and Planetary Science. The
resources I intend to use to accomplish the above are plentiful: traditional library found resources
like articles, journals and books, on-line teaching resources like Kahn
Academy, classes the University of California, Berkeley., iTunes U, museums,
earth science teachers and experts in the field.
