Enduring Understanding....So What?

So what? That made the most sense to me when reading the chapter on “Crafting Understanding”. If you really think about it, what difference does it make what we teach students unless there’s an answer for the, “So what?” question. Reading Understanding by Design handbook really makes me reflect upon what I am teaching, why I am teaching what I currently teach and what I should be teaching.
I teach three different classes, English to special education students, Algebra with some special education students in the class and an academic support class for all special education students. As bad as it sounds, I am one of those teachers who instruct what I was given to teach. I follow the curriculum. Do I think my students understand what they should? Like Bob James, there are those students who can ace my quizzes and tests, but when given something to perform that challenges their understanding, they are not the students who would be the best performers.
Enduring understanding requires making inferences drawn from facts. Many of my students have a very difficult time making connections. Many students do not have the knowledge or skill (yet) to analyze information and create new knowledge from it themselves. They are so used to being given facts to use, memorize and spit back. One supervisor even told the staff that we make “better special education students”. Although I was angered at the time, I have come to realize that there is a time for these students must be able to learn how to learn, to learn how to think independently and how to hopefully create understandings that are designed by the teacher.
Who knew that there was so much in creating lessons. When I was initially trained to be a teacher here at Montclair State we weren’t taught much in regard to methodology (early 90s). Now that I’m here again, being trained on how to be an administrator, I think I’m becoming a better teacher. Many of these classes have helped me change what I currently do in the classroom. Hopefully, this new “understanding” of what it takes to be an effective teacher (designer) will help me lead teachers to their own understanding of how lessons and units can be designed to assist students in their own learning process.
I’m looking forward to redesigning a unit on writing a research paper. I’m going to try to design it using the UbD method. While reading this information, I always have that topic in my mind. So what? So why do special education students need to research and write a paper? Students should understand that other experts’ research can assist them in proving a point. (That’s my first attempt at framing understandings for a research paper.)
“Because existing misconceptions get in the way of understanding, and they have to be recognized and rooted out” (Wiggins, 142). This statement, although hidden within a paragraph in Chapter 6, resonated with me. My own misconceptions are in the middle of being weeded, the roots are slowly getting pulled out.

Successful Novice Teachers.....

A successful novice teacher is a motivated, ambitious, eager to learn student of teaching. To be a successful novice teacher the new professional needs to be willing to accept a few bumps and bruises. These bumps and bruises do heal and hopefully will be avoided as experiences are built upon.
To help a new teacher be successful there is assistance that other experienced teachers and administration can aid with. For example, one of the biggest things I feel will help make a new teacher learn quickly is getting the opportunity to observe other teachers. Based on experience, I have had the opportunity to learn from many experienced teachers. I am a special education teacher that works with many different teachers directly in the classroom. I have added many strategies that assisted me in becoming a better teacher. I also have observed and worked with teachers that I don’t necessarily want to repeat some of their techniques. It is all a learning process. A new teacher can learn a tremendous amount from observing others. Some experienced teachers can have a tendency to feel threatened by others observing them; they have a lot to offer and many things can be learned from their teaching styles and organization of running a classroom.
The best part of a new teacher’s first year experience is the second year. This profession is a career that teachers improve as years pass. To provide a new teacher with the best environment where they can be the most successful their first year, the administration can do many things to help with their success. Some controllable things that can assist in a new teachers success are: assign smaller classes for the first year, allow the new teacher to have planning time with other experienced teachers, assign a mentor as a person who can be paired up and be a safe spot to fall on.
A successful new teacher would benefit from practical knowledge that an experienced teacher can share. For example:
- how to set up a classroom for the first day
- how to establish a classroom routine
- how to run a homeroom - depending on the age (middle school/high school)
- where to make copies or overheads
- who are the important players in the buildings
- where to go to get materials/supplies
- where to go for curriculum questions
- what to do with all the required paperwork
- how to handle the special education/basic skills students
- how to talk to parents
- how to run a parent-teacher conference
- what to do at back-to-school night
- how to keep a grade book and how to grade
- the technology needed to meet district requirements, lesson plans, grade books,
- the list goes on and on…
What a new teacher doesn’t need is extra time required after school in meetings and training sessions that are impractical and take up valuable time.
I’m sure some of these skills/knowledge mentioned above will be in our group project. However, the initial question asks, “What are the characteristics of a successful novice teacher?” I still maintain a successful novice teacher is a motivated, ambitious, eager to learn student of teaching.

Policy and Politics

I just finished reading the chapter on “Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should be Learned in School.” This chapter gave me more food for thought than I wanted. I guess I was just ignorant to how much politics and policy affects what we teach students. I’m one of those teachers they refer to in the reading that follows the curriculum, but I take the liberty on how much emphasis I place on each part of the curriculum.

A few of the areas really hit home with me. “Education policy is particularly susceptible to this situation (lack of knowledge) as pretty well everyone has some experience of schooling and therefore opinions about how it out to work.” Many people feel they may be experts in education and have varying opinions. Because of our government policies, all school aged students must go to school until a certain age; these students become adults. These adults are the ones who may have strong opinions regardless of educational experiences. These are the parents who may try to influence curriculum on what their child is taught, or how their child may learn best. These now adult students may feel knowledgeable about curriculum and education. However, in reality, they may be as experienced and have the same amount of expertise as I do as a mechanic because I know how to drive. It’s too bad that many people with who “feel strongly about issues about which they know very little” have an influence over curriculum and policies.

Although probably very unpopular with educators, “Educators may believe that education policy should be based on their knowledge and experience. From a political perspective, however, evidence and experience are not enough to drive decisions, and they may be among the less important factors.” It was stated within this chapter basically, that politicians’ jobs when they get elected to office is to find ways to get re-elected. Educators are not the mast population that could help politicians to get elected, the public is. Political actions are driven by beliefs and public support. I wonder if decisions made in the medical field are treated the same way. I think probably not. I’m sure there are politics and policies that affect all areas, but because education may be the field that many people feel experienced in, is it the field that politics and policies affect it the most and do necessarily rely on the true experts.

This reading really had me thinking more than I wanted about how curriculum is affected by politics and policies. It appeared from the point of view of the author, that he had experience with politicians. I don’t necessarily hold that same experience and didn’t realize how much politics effects education and curriculum. Is ignorance bliss? My ignorance with politics and education is narrowing….

Follow the Yellow Brick.....Curriculum

Follow the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum?

Curriculum is the “yellow brick road” teachers, student and administrators should follow to lead to their educational Oz. As in the readings, it is the architects blue print for all the contractors to follow that lead to a cohesive structure; it is the map that outlines the path for drivers, pilots, captains to follow to get to their final destination. Curriculum is a group of guidelines that outline what should be studied and achieved in schools. It should outline suggested materials needed, textbooks, and content that should be covered. From our readings, it should be all encompassing, not a list of items on a “To Do” list. The curriculum should be a cohesive set educational goals that are interrelated with the entire school’s mission.

Who Should Design the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum?

All stakeholders should have a say in the curriculum. Who are the stakeholders? The educational professionals, teachers, administrators, supervisors are vital stakeholders. Members of the community and students are also considered stakeholders. All too often, I had to rewrite curriculum and it was left to three teachers’ discretion on what the revision should include. Many feel that the community at large should not have a say in designing curriculum…but what is our goal in education, are we not supposed to prepare students for their next step…college, workplace, members of society? I feel there should be more than just educators designing curriculum. Members of the community can add value to the design of curriclum (at times). Students should be included as well, if age appropriate.

Controlling the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum

The Wizard is at the end of the yellow brick road that Dorothy takes, but in reality Dorothy controlled her own way home. If curriculum is designed with the stakeholders, the controlling of curriculum should be controlled by the people learning and assisting in the learning. Students, teachers and administrators should in reality control the curriculum. If current curriculum is not found to be relevant there should be a way to make the need known that something needs to be done with the curriculum. Students and teachers are probably the ones closest to the curriculum. If there are problems found in the current curriculum, administrators can assist in making the time and resources available for the curriculum to be revisited and more relevant.

The reality of the Yellow Brick.....Curriculum

The designing and controlling of the curriculum should be the same stakeholders. Granted, the players may change, but the members should be similar, teachers, administrators, students, community members should have some say in designing and controlling curriculum. With that said, I wonder how this could be implemented. Do members of society know how a school operates, do they understand the structures of schools and how they operate. If they don't, could it be taught? Is it feasible and most productive to have all these people involved....maybe not, but just maybe. I know curriculum in our school district is not designed this way, but should it be? I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. Now I see curriculum as a list of subjects that need to be covered in a school year. I wonder what it would look like if we designed it with the end in mind and created a multiple yellow bricks that led to the end....maybe that's what change is all about.