Thursday, 21 August 2014
August 19, 2014
I attended a session on assessment today at the NBTA building in Fredericton. Some of the information reinforced my understanding of assessment and supported information discussed in EDUC 6153 "Assessment of Learning". The speaker addressed PLCs and some of her concerns.
August 18, 2014
TechEast 2014
I attended ASD-W TechEAST 2014 today in Fredericton today. This was the first TeachEast conference and I found it enjoyable.
I attended ASD-W TechEAST 2014 today in Fredericton today. This was the first TeachEast conference and I found it enjoyable.
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Last Day - EDC 533
Post #1 - August 21, 2014
EDC 533 has ended. This has been a wonder and surprisingly interesting course. I am a bit sad that it is over. Our text Century 21 is sort of like reading the Bible. Everything I read it, I learn something new or see a subject from a different standpoint. I have summarized the first four chapters below and developed a few new ideas that will be implemented this fall. Hard to believe that I return to school in just under two weeks:
EDC 533 has ended. This has been a wonder and surprisingly interesting course. I am a bit sad that it is over. Our text Century 21 is sort of like reading the Bible. Everything I read it, I learn something new or see a subject from a different standpoint. I have summarized the first four chapters below and developed a few new ideas that will be implemented this fall. Hard to believe that I return to school in just under two weeks:
Chapter 1 to 4 Summary
Information and concepts discussed in
our text ‘Curriculum 21” by Heidi
Hayes Jacobs will have a both short and long term impact on my approach to
delivering curriculum in my classroom. I found the first few pages of chapter
one very powerful and thought provoking. Her first paragraph regarding the educational
generation gap hit the nail on the head. The education system needs to meet
students at their level in order to make productive connections. We need to
connect with learners in order for optimum learning to occur. From a
technological standpoint, we have tried to fix the educational generation gap
by incorporate technology and not to rebuild our curriculum based on
technology. This has not been the most effective approach.
In the second paragraph of chapter one she
asks “what it is we want students to know and be able to do?” One of the key
ideas I have discovered this summer as I progressed through this course and
EDUC 6153 “Assessment as an Instructional
Practice” is that I would like to reinvent how I teach my courses. Teaching
high school in New Brunswick is a bit mechanical. At the beginning of the
semester we provide students with a course syllabus. We go to our curriculum
outcomes and copy and paste the outcomes into our syllabus. We then provide
students with two progress reports which include outcomes copied and pasted
from the course syllabus. Has this process really answered the aforementioned
questions or have teachers simply completed a required process? I also like her
statement “…using curriculum on a constant replay button…”. Teachers need to recognize
that hitting the replay button in curriculum delivery may not be the best
approach for student learning.
Jacobs has a number a thought provoking
ideas in the first four chapters. However, I feel that if I can return to
school this fall and implement the following ideas that student learning will
improve:
1.
Review the essential outcomes
to my course and find opportunities to provide students with technology based
tools to learn these outcomes. I plan on using both the MIT and Coursera website to provide students with
supplemental materials.
2.
Provide students a more clear
understanding of what I want them to know and why it is important. Providing
them with a hard copy of a course syllabus and progress report documents is not
sufficient. This information needs to explain to them.
3.
I need to consider using a problem
based approach and not a content based approach to teaching curriculum.
4.
I am going to expand my use of assessment
tools an increase my use of 21st century assessment items (podcasts,
blogs ect…)
Hayes has made some great arguments as
to why we need to make significant changes to our education system in the first
four chapters of her book.
She provides some short-term steps regarding
the revision of assessment and skills to help prepare students for the 21st
century. Our education system needs to include 21st century proficiencies
and just not subject based standards and indicators. I respect the fact that she
states that these changes can occur slowly. Every school year in New Brunswick,
a new program will be rolled out which needs to be completely implemented. We
don’t have any recognition of the change process.
We need to re-evaluate our content. We
need to decide what should be kept and what can we eliminate. Can some topics
be eliminated altogether? Some educators need to change their mental model that
“the good old days are still good enough”. We tend to teach subject content in
silos and don’t make an effort to connect or integrate subject content. We need
to focus on replacing content and not simply integrating content. She provides
us with “A 21st Century Pledge” which provides us with steps to
helps us prepare education for 21st century learners.
She provides us with a vision of a new
school systems and steps required to implement this new system. She identifies
four structures that require major alteration: Schedules, how learners are
grouped, the configuration of personal and space (physical and virtual). In order
to make these changes, the entire school community must move forward
proactively. She provides the reader with seven tenets to upgrade or change curriculum.
She provides some ideas on how different subjects such as science, literacy/English,
social studies and physics education could be changed to meet the needs of a
changing society. I especially found her idea of students learning multiple
languages to be interesting.
Her suggestions of changing school structures
are significant and would have to involve teacher unions and associations. In
New Brunswick, collective agreements would need to be changed. Everyone’s
mental model of education from parents, educators, students and post secondary
institutions would need to change for this to occur.
In her book “Century 21”, Hayes has laid the groundwork to support education
reform. These suggestions can at the course level, teacher level, school level
and system level. Classroom teachers need to realize they can support this
change process.
Post #2 - August 13, 2014
I enjoyed creating my first professional
blog. I think this is a create way to keep an electronic record of what I have
learned in this course and future courses. A blog is also a running record of
my growth and knowledge. Sometimes we need to take a step back to see where we
are going. A blog provides me with an opportunity to do this.
I did add some entries into my blog for
EDUC 6153 this summer. I plan on using the blog in my next course as well.
I plan on working with my grade 11 students
and have them create their own learning blog. They will benefit from expressing
their own growth in writing. Our students can benefit from learning about other
Google+ applications such as hangout.
Sunday, 10 August 2014
August 10, 2014
August 10, 2014
Watching a great show an PBS about ADD. I wonder how many times teachers told students that if they had just paid attention in class you would have done better on a test. The video can be purchased from Amazon.
I am also reading up on Australian Government's Department of Education. Interesting how their website focuses on how much money is invested in each area of education. This approach is a bit of a turn-off for me. I don't feel we should be openly talking about money when dealing with education. yes, funding is part of the process and needs to be discussed. However, it should not be a primary discussion.
Watching a great show an PBS about ADD. I wonder how many times teachers told students that if they had just paid attention in class you would have done better on a test. The video can be purchased from Amazon.
I am also reading up on Australian Government's Department of Education. Interesting how their website focuses on how much money is invested in each area of education. This approach is a bit of a turn-off for me. I don't feel we should be openly talking about money when dealing with education. yes, funding is part of the process and needs to be discussed. However, it should not be a primary discussion.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Week 7 EDC 533
Post 1 July 29, 2014
The day started out on a positive note. Our team held our final video conference at 6:45am Eastern. Everyone is doing well but have a number of assignments to complete before August 6.
Post 2 July 3, 2014
It is the first Sunday of August. Three weeks for now I will be preparing to return to school. This will be my 8th year teaching at SVHS. I have learned a lot about assessment for learning and just how dynamic curriculum is. I have been working on my final project in EDC 533. I hope to summit it later today.
I am working away on my Week 5 Forum (a bit late) response and thinking about what Heidi Hayes Jacobs had to say in Ch 3. As I look around my basement office, there are several examples a technological change. I am watching my Sony TV which I purchased in 1991. I had to add a digital to analogue box to watch MPBN and a Shaw/Star Choice satellite box to watch TV. It still works, but does not have the picture quality our wide screen does in the living room. My Sony stereo with cassette sits on the shelf. I listen to the radio a bit. But is much more convenient to listen to a show on the computer. I have an old Pentium III and Pentium IV laptop in my office. They still work but are very slow. Windows XP still works but has discontinued support. If we are not paying close attention life can go on and improve and we will miss all the benefits. The same thing can happen with curriculum. I don't think it is practical to upgrade curriculum every five to ten years. Like my old Pentium III, it will still work - but way would one want to use it all day.
The day started out on a positive note. Our team held our final video conference at 6:45am Eastern. Everyone is doing well but have a number of assignments to complete before August 6.
Post 2 July 3, 2014
It is the first Sunday of August. Three weeks for now I will be preparing to return to school. This will be my 8th year teaching at SVHS. I have learned a lot about assessment for learning and just how dynamic curriculum is. I have been working on my final project in EDC 533. I hope to summit it later today.
I am working away on my Week 5 Forum (a bit late) response and thinking about what Heidi Hayes Jacobs had to say in Ch 3. As I look around my basement office, there are several examples a technological change. I am watching my Sony TV which I purchased in 1991. I had to add a digital to analogue box to watch MPBN and a Shaw/Star Choice satellite box to watch TV. It still works, but does not have the picture quality our wide screen does in the living room. My Sony stereo with cassette sits on the shelf. I listen to the radio a bit. But is much more convenient to listen to a show on the computer. I have an old Pentium III and Pentium IV laptop in my office. They still work but are very slow. Windows XP still works but has discontinued support. If we are not paying close attention life can go on and improve and we will miss all the benefits. The same thing can happen with curriculum. I don't think it is practical to upgrade curriculum every five to ten years. Like my old Pentium III, it will still work - but way would one want to use it all day.
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Week 6 - EDC 533
Post 1 July 23, 2014
I finished my second round of bailing hay yesterday. Hopefully we have lots of hay in for the sheep and horse. A bit of an incident with our horse Cisco today. I heard a noise and looked outside to see him running down the field dragging a gate. Somehow he managed to get his bridal stuck in a new gate that was standing against the barn. Thankfully I was home and was able to cut his bridal cut off and free him. A scary and stressful few minutes. Other than a few scrapes, he will be fine.
Thankfully an intense storm cell slid just North of our house and missed us. hopefully I won't have any more distractions and can focus on EDC 553. :-)
Just finished reading the article by Howard Gardner. I am a huge fan of Howard Gardner. I agree with his conclusion that a uniform education system would not be successful in the US. We don't have a uniform education system in Canada. New Brunswick students attend school up to two weeks less than other students in Canada. New Brunswick students tend not to be successful when attending out-of-province universities. Howard refers to three types of schools. This is an interesting observation. My question is, how does this observation improve student learning?
The Bracey paper reminds me of a saying that "Students who received an A in school often work under other form students who received a B in school owned by companies owned by former students who earned an C in school. It certainly is a bonus to have students who have high test scores. However, i don't believe there is a direct correlation between test scores and scores on summative assessments. I love this quote from Bracey "Only the foolish would think that 13-year-olds’ skills at bubbling in answer sheets would mean much for a nation’s well being."
The Learning Funnel paper was a bit confusing. One interesting quote was "Schools treat students' minds as one big etch-a-sketch for memorizing huge chunks of algorithms and code for a test, then wiping the slate clean for more." Students "learning" in a standardized test environment are being treated like this. I sometimes wonder if I am not doing the same thing sometimes. I do understand the theory behind Big Picture Schools. However, from what little I read, I did not see a clear connection regarding science and math. I connected with another quote "Accomplished learners are able to think, learn, make, and perform in and across complex problem areas. Working the learning funnel, particularly in creating and understanding algorithms -- rather than memorizing them..." I try to avoid asking students to memorize anything. I ask students to learn. yes, we all have to memorize things, but lets keep it to a minimum.
I did take a few minutes to watch a video on Roger Martin. Interesting short video on designing. As teachers we need to find a way so students love what they are learning.
I found the article MIT Curriculum for your High School to be personally interesting. I hope to explore this website in detail when time permits. This appears to be a good site for students who are interested in attending university and which to study science or engineering.
Post 2 July 28, 2014
I just signed on to my Twitter account for the first time since 2012. Heidi Hayes Jacobs made a comment during the SIIS 2012 meeting that all educators should be on twitter. I enjoy Facebook. However, I have not made a connection to Twitter.
Post 3 July 29, 2014
#2—Do a short summary of your persistent issue assignment for everyone to read. Two or three paragraphs should do it.
I identified two persistent issues in curriculum related to New Brunswick. The first is New Brunswick is not ready to deliver 21 century curriculum. The department had started a program call NB3-21C. This program was cancelled. We also had a funding program call Innovated Learning Fund (ILF), which was also cancelled. Both of these decisions occurred after a provincial election. Most new or revised curriculum that has been developed patched on technology and did not base curriculum around technology.
The other issues is the mental model of curriculum. We seldom question curriculum in New Brunswick and we tend to be slow updating curriculum. If students are not engaging with the curriculum, then the teacher needs to change their approach. The Department of Education is focusing on Universal Design for Learners (UDL), Universal Accommodations (UA) and Differential Instruction (DI). If teachers employ these strategies, all students will learn, even if the curriculum is twenty years old and does not embed technology.
I finished my second round of bailing hay yesterday. Hopefully we have lots of hay in for the sheep and horse. A bit of an incident with our horse Cisco today. I heard a noise and looked outside to see him running down the field dragging a gate. Somehow he managed to get his bridal stuck in a new gate that was standing against the barn. Thankfully I was home and was able to cut his bridal cut off and free him. A scary and stressful few minutes. Other than a few scrapes, he will be fine.
Thankfully an intense storm cell slid just North of our house and missed us. hopefully I won't have any more distractions and can focus on EDC 553. :-)
Just finished reading the article by Howard Gardner. I am a huge fan of Howard Gardner. I agree with his conclusion that a uniform education system would not be successful in the US. We don't have a uniform education system in Canada. New Brunswick students attend school up to two weeks less than other students in Canada. New Brunswick students tend not to be successful when attending out-of-province universities. Howard refers to three types of schools. This is an interesting observation. My question is, how does this observation improve student learning?
The Bracey paper reminds me of a saying that "Students who received an A in school often work under other form students who received a B in school owned by companies owned by former students who earned an C in school. It certainly is a bonus to have students who have high test scores. However, i don't believe there is a direct correlation between test scores and scores on summative assessments. I love this quote from Bracey "Only the foolish would think that 13-year-olds’ skills at bubbling in answer sheets would mean much for a nation’s well being."
The Learning Funnel paper was a bit confusing. One interesting quote was "Schools treat students' minds as one big etch-a-sketch for memorizing huge chunks of algorithms and code for a test, then wiping the slate clean for more." Students "learning" in a standardized test environment are being treated like this. I sometimes wonder if I am not doing the same thing sometimes. I do understand the theory behind Big Picture Schools. However, from what little I read, I did not see a clear connection regarding science and math. I connected with another quote "Accomplished learners are able to think, learn, make, and perform in and across complex problem areas. Working the learning funnel, particularly in creating and understanding algorithms -- rather than memorizing them..." I try to avoid asking students to memorize anything. I ask students to learn. yes, we all have to memorize things, but lets keep it to a minimum.
I did take a few minutes to watch a video on Roger Martin. Interesting short video on designing. As teachers we need to find a way so students love what they are learning.
I found the article MIT Curriculum for your High School to be personally interesting. I hope to explore this website in detail when time permits. This appears to be a good site for students who are interested in attending university and which to study science or engineering.
Post 2 July 28, 2014
I just signed on to my Twitter account for the first time since 2012. Heidi Hayes Jacobs made a comment during the SIIS 2012 meeting that all educators should be on twitter. I enjoy Facebook. However, I have not made a connection to Twitter.
Post 3 July 29, 2014
#2—Do a short summary of your persistent issue assignment for everyone to read. Two or three paragraphs should do it.
I identified two persistent issues in curriculum related to New Brunswick. The first is New Brunswick is not ready to deliver 21 century curriculum. The department had started a program call NB3-21C. This program was cancelled. We also had a funding program call Innovated Learning Fund (ILF), which was also cancelled. Both of these decisions occurred after a provincial election. Most new or revised curriculum that has been developed patched on technology and did not base curriculum around technology.
The other issues is the mental model of curriculum. We seldom question curriculum in New Brunswick and we tend to be slow updating curriculum. If students are not engaging with the curriculum, then the teacher needs to change their approach. The Department of Education is focusing on Universal Design for Learners (UDL), Universal Accommodations (UA) and Differential Instruction (DI). If teachers employ these strategies, all students will learn, even if the curriculum is twenty years old and does not embed technology.
Monday, 14 July 2014
Week 5 - EDC 533
Post 1 07-14-2014
I can't believe we are on week - Wow5!
I am adding a new blog to my watch list http://zhaolearning.com/category/blog/
Post 2 07-15-2014
I watched the TED talk video presented by Kian Bir Sethi from India. We spend so much time in the west looking at the mechanics of education we sometimes forget how fortunate we are to have an education system. I am pleased to see there is a force in India working on Empowerment and not entitlement, which tends to a challenge in North America. I just read this quote regarding the definition of curriculum "Curriculum may be looked at as a negotiated set of beliefs about what students should know or be able to do." from: http://www.answers.com/topic/elementary-education-current-trends#ixzz37XRRgNgi I never thought about curriculum from this prospective - Interesting.
Post 3 07-16-2014
A bit excited today. I had wireless internet service restored to my farm house. This service operates a bit slow than the Satellite service at home. However, it should not have the latency issues that the satellite service is pone to. Our service provider plans on upgrading the wireless tower from 3G to LTE in August. I am looking forward to faster speeds.I managed collect enough surplus peripheral to set up a full multimedia system together. I just need to purchase a new camera and I should be ready for our EDC 533 team video conference on Thursday.
I watched an amazing and thought provoking video yesterday http://video.pbs.org/video/1797357384/. This video was well put together. I was not sold on required curriculum changes to meet 21C, I am now. I love this quote from the video - “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”, John Dewey
A link was shared with teachers in our district regarding a young lady with Austism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX-xToQI34I&feature=youtu.be
Post 4 07-28-2014
I put in a late night finishing up assignment #5. I defined two persistent issues which are : (1) Curriculum in the 21th century and (2) Mental model of curriculum. I did come across another interesting video from Heidi hayes Jacobs on C21 learning. One topic she did discuss is flipping a classroom. I am giving some consideration to starting such a project. A few years ago our province rolled out a new PD session called "Stepping Out". This program was developed in Australia. This is basically a literacy across curriculum program. We were provided with two Canadian editions of the textbook/workbook published by Pearson. The ISBN numbers are: 0-13-201889-6 and 0-13-201857-8. Perhaps US versions of the book are available as well.
I can't believe we are on week - Wow5!
I am adding a new blog to my watch list http://zhaolearning.com/category/blog/
Post 2 07-15-2014
I watched the TED talk video presented by Kian Bir Sethi from India. We spend so much time in the west looking at the mechanics of education we sometimes forget how fortunate we are to have an education system. I am pleased to see there is a force in India working on Empowerment and not entitlement, which tends to a challenge in North America. I just read this quote regarding the definition of curriculum "Curriculum may be looked at as a negotiated set of beliefs about what students should know or be able to do." from: http://www.answers.com/topic/elementary-education-current-trends#ixzz37XRRgNgi I never thought about curriculum from this prospective - Interesting.
Post 3 07-16-2014
A bit excited today. I had wireless internet service restored to my farm house. This service operates a bit slow than the Satellite service at home. However, it should not have the latency issues that the satellite service is pone to. Our service provider plans on upgrading the wireless tower from 3G to LTE in August. I am looking forward to faster speeds.I managed collect enough surplus peripheral to set up a full multimedia system together. I just need to purchase a new camera and I should be ready for our EDC 533 team video conference on Thursday.
I watched an amazing and thought provoking video yesterday http://video.pbs.org/video/1797357384/. This video was well put together. I was not sold on required curriculum changes to meet 21C, I am now. I love this quote from the video - “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”, John Dewey
A link was shared with teachers in our district regarding a young lady with Austism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX-xToQI34I&feature=youtu.be
Post 4 07-28-2014
I put in a late night finishing up assignment #5. I defined two persistent issues which are : (1) Curriculum in the 21th century and (2) Mental model of curriculum. I did come across another interesting video from Heidi hayes Jacobs on C21 learning. One topic she did discuss is flipping a classroom. I am giving some consideration to starting such a project. A few years ago our province rolled out a new PD session called "Stepping Out". This program was developed in Australia. This is basically a literacy across curriculum program. We were provided with two Canadian editions of the textbook/workbook published by Pearson. The ISBN numbers are: 0-13-201889-6 and 0-13-201857-8. Perhaps US versions of the book are available as well.
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Week 4 - EDC 533
Part 1 - July 3, 2014
The week of July 7-11 was very hectic. I commuted daily (2h one way) to Fredericton to attend St. Thomas University (STU). I took a week long course called EDUC 6153 "Assessment for Learning". The classroom component of the course is done and I can now focus my time on EDC533. :-)
I listen to Podcast 1 week 4 this Sunday morning. Before taking this course, I did not realize the effort schools and teacher make developing and implementing curriculum in Maine. I also did not realize that you were dealing with common core issues as well. I graduated from UMPI in 2006 and NCLB was just coming online at the time. Lots of changes...
I teach in a school were sports is king. My goal as a science teacher has been to pull the educational pendulum back towards the academic side. We have also emphasized the idea of covering the curriculum. We have redefined this a bit to cover the essential outcomes in our PLC world. A comment in the podcast today was that curriculum is everything the school does. I have really viewed curriculum through this lens. In New Brunswick, we are looking at creating a new grade 9 science course that includes literacy as well. This will be our first co-curricular course created in New Brunswick. I teach Chemistry, Physics and some Math courses. I emphasize mathematics in my Physics and Chemistry course. I also try to make connections between these three courses. I think all schools need to reflect on the four types of curriculum: Taught, learned, official and hidden. Great podcast! Lots to think about. Looking forward to listening to Podcast 2 week 4 later today (Sunday).
Part 2 - July 3, 2014
Poadcast 2 week 4 talked about the Google Shared document of the three levels of schools (elementary, middle and high school). We have the same system in New Brunswick. We certainly having provincial assessments, however the frequency of these assessments are being reduced. I have included assessment results below from our elementary and middle feeder schools. Our middle school math results are not great. Teachers in NB don't appear to feel as pressured to teach to the tests as our Maine counterparts.
We sometimes feel at the middle school that our students coming to us from the middle school did not have a productive experience. I sometimes feel a k-12 school is a better system. At least students become aware of policies and procedures as they are consistent. Some good points in the Google document and podcast 2 week 4 about all three levels. However, it is hard to make changes with such entrenched believes, especially when you consider that the HS curriculum has not changed for several decades.
Part 3 - July 3, 2014
I just finished reading: Joan Richardson, Playing ‘Catch-Up’ with Developing Nations Makes No
The week of July 7-11 was very hectic. I commuted daily (2h one way) to Fredericton to attend St. Thomas University (STU). I took a week long course called EDUC 6153 "Assessment for Learning". The classroom component of the course is done and I can now focus my time on EDC533. :-)
I listen to Podcast 1 week 4 this Sunday morning. Before taking this course, I did not realize the effort schools and teacher make developing and implementing curriculum in Maine. I also did not realize that you were dealing with common core issues as well. I graduated from UMPI in 2006 and NCLB was just coming online at the time. Lots of changes...
I teach in a school were sports is king. My goal as a science teacher has been to pull the educational pendulum back towards the academic side. We have also emphasized the idea of covering the curriculum. We have redefined this a bit to cover the essential outcomes in our PLC world. A comment in the podcast today was that curriculum is everything the school does. I have really viewed curriculum through this lens. In New Brunswick, we are looking at creating a new grade 9 science course that includes literacy as well. This will be our first co-curricular course created in New Brunswick. I teach Chemistry, Physics and some Math courses. I emphasize mathematics in my Physics and Chemistry course. I also try to make connections between these three courses. I think all schools need to reflect on the four types of curriculum: Taught, learned, official and hidden. Great podcast! Lots to think about. Looking forward to listening to Podcast 2 week 4 later today (Sunday).
Part 2 - July 3, 2014
Poadcast 2 week 4 talked about the Google Shared document of the three levels of schools (elementary, middle and high school). We have the same system in New Brunswick. We certainly having provincial assessments, however the frequency of these assessments are being reduced. I have included assessment results below from our elementary and middle feeder schools. Our middle school math results are not great. Teachers in NB don't appear to feel as pressured to teach to the tests as our Maine counterparts.
We sometimes feel at the middle school that our students coming to us from the middle school did not have a productive experience. I sometimes feel a k-12 school is a better system. At least students become aware of policies and procedures as they are consistent. Some good points in the Google document and podcast 2 week 4 about all three levels. However, it is hard to make changes with such entrenched believes, especially when you consider that the HS curriculum has not changed for several decades.
Part 3 - July 3, 2014
I just finished reading: Joan Richardson, Playing ‘Catch-Up’ with Developing Nations Makes No
Sense for U.S.: An Interview with Yong Zhao, Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 91,
No. 4, December 2009/January 2010, pp. 15-20. T
My mental model of world wide assessments like PISA changed significantly after reading this paper. Yong Zhao is a very interesting person. He has his own website, different from the one quoted in the article. http://zhaolearning.com/
Part 4 - July 16, 2014
Watched a interview of Darlene Darling-Hammond by Dan Rather regarding education in Korea and Finland. She also complemented Canada. Clearly pointed out that the US is running behind overall. Did point out that the needs of some students. She made the comment that most people in prison are dropouts and most are illiterate. So, she fees crime rates are tied to education. Some keys to successful schools are: Equality, Successful, prepared educators and curriculum are 21C. US is the most tested and least examined in the world. Students in Finland learn at least three languages. She did point out that the US has some of the best schools in the world and that the challenge is to bring up the rest of the system and to support students in need.
Part 4 - July 17, 2014
I watched the Darlene Darling-Hammond Webinar last night. I could not find the link on Moodle. I was able to find it by doing a Google search. Please http://www.edutopia.org/linda-darling-hammond-international-assessment-webinar-archive. The video is a bit slow loading.
Part 4 - July 16, 2014
Watched a interview of Darlene Darling-Hammond by Dan Rather regarding education in Korea and Finland. She also complemented Canada. Clearly pointed out that the US is running behind overall. Did point out that the needs of some students. She made the comment that most people in prison are dropouts and most are illiterate. So, she fees crime rates are tied to education. Some keys to successful schools are: Equality, Successful, prepared educators and curriculum are 21C. US is the most tested and least examined in the world. Students in Finland learn at least three languages. She did point out that the US has some of the best schools in the world and that the challenge is to bring up the rest of the system and to support students in need.
Part 4 - July 17, 2014
I watched the Darlene Darling-Hammond Webinar last night. I could not find the link on Moodle. I was able to find it by doing a Google search. Please http://www.edutopia.org/linda-darling-hammond-international-assessment-webinar-archive. The video is a bit slow loading.
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
EDUC 6153 - Assessment as an Instructional Practice
July 7, 2014 - Day 1/5 of EDUC 6153 - Assessment as an Instructional Practice
July 7, 2014
I started a new course yesterday at St. Thomas University called Assessment as an Instructional Practice with Dr. Ray Williams. The classes are seven hours long with a brief break for lunch. Class started with a pre-assessment and discussion around formative assessment. We then established teams with associated norms and protocols. Our first individual/team task was to review a philosophy assignment and score the assignment using a rubric. This was following by a class comparison of our scores and a discussion about reliability and interpretation of assessment. We had a class discussion about the purpose of assessment and the kinds of assessments.
The afternoon involved team discussion about Ch 1 in our textbook (see below) by Thomas R. Guskey. We filled out a team feedback sheet and submitted the assignment to another team for peer assessment. The team feedback sheet was submitted to Dr. Williams for assessment.
Our team reviewed Ch 3 by Rick Stiggens. We filled out a team feedback sheet and submitted this sheet to Dr. Williams for assessment. The day ended with a discussion around metal models for assessment.
Reeves, Doug, (2007). Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington, IN.
I started a new course yesterday at St. Thomas University called Assessment as an Instructional Practice with Dr. Ray Williams. The classes are seven hours long with a brief break for lunch. Class started with a pre-assessment and discussion around formative assessment. We then established teams with associated norms and protocols. Our first individual/team task was to review a philosophy assignment and score the assignment using a rubric. This was following by a class comparison of our scores and a discussion about reliability and interpretation of assessment. We had a class discussion about the purpose of assessment and the kinds of assessments.
The afternoon involved team discussion about Ch 1 in our textbook (see below) by Thomas R. Guskey. We filled out a team feedback sheet and submitted the assignment to another team for peer assessment. The team feedback sheet was submitted to Dr. Williams for assessment.
Our team reviewed Ch 3 by Rick Stiggens. We filled out a team feedback sheet and submitted this sheet to Dr. Williams for assessment. The day ended with a discussion around metal models for assessment.
Reeves, Doug, (2007). Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington, IN.
Team Feedback Sheet. Ch 1
1. What was the main topic of the reading?
How teachers can effectively use assessment to improve instruction and enhance student learning.
2. How did this topic/reading contribute to Assessment?
This introduces the concept of assessment for learning.
3. What were the three most important points that your team identified concerning this topic?
a. Assessment is a useful process that informs both student and teacher about their learning and provides opportunity for correction and improvement.
b. Teachers use assessment to provide assistance to help all students demonstrate their learning through repeated performance as required.
c. Mastery Learning enhances students self-confidence.
4. What unanswered questions does your team have on this topic?
How do we motivate students to self-correct and make improvement? Ans - Teach them how and reinforce their subsequent improvement.
July 7, 2014 - Day 1/5 of EDUC 6153 - Assessment as an Instructional Practice Cont..
Team Feedback Sheet. Ch 3
1. What was the main topic of the reading?
Design appropriate assessment that continue to motivate students to achieve their best.
2. How did this topic/reading contribute to Assessment?
It provided the components of how to build a quality assessment,
3. What were the three most important points that your team identified concerning this topic?
a. How to design a clear assessment that meets intended purposes and promote classroom/student resources.
b. Teach feedback needs to be descriptive and non-judgmental.
c. Productive assessment for student learning motivates students to meet goals.
4. What unanswered questions does your team have on this topic?
How do we motivate the enriched students to achieve greater level of achievement? By providing choice and meaning to the work they encouraged to do.
Reeves, Doug, (2007). Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington, IN.
Reeves, Doug, (2007). Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington, IN.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Week 3 EDC 533
Week 3 Blog July 6, 2014
Weather wise, yesterday was a bit wild. Fortunately, we still have power, phone and Internet service at home. However, our farm is on a different power line. There has been no power or phone service there for 24+ hours.
I submitted my curriculum interview on Saturday.
I finished reading Ch 10 and 13.
A number of interesting points were raised in Ch 10. One of our goals in New Brunswick are to support the formation of life long learners. I have tried to model this belief as I continue with my own education. This chapter looks at the Education for Sustainability (Efs) . The author went on to discuss the Cloud Institute. The Cloud Institute has has a blog. This was an interesting section in the book. However, I felt the line was a bit blurred between education and environmental/socialist issues.many of the school discussed where in urban and not rural areas. We do offer a course called "Environmental Science 120". Teachers may get some interesting ideas from the Cloud Institute to use in Environmental Science 120.
I enjoyed the first section of Ch 13 regarding change. As I all-to-quickly approach fifty, I am starting to observe a lot of changes. As we all discovered this weekend, out climate is changing as well. I loved the author's reference to technology. This book's biggest impact on my teaching practices will be modify my curriculum delivery and include more technology. The authors said "Our students are in the 21st century, and they are waiting for the teachers and the curriculum to catch up. I have added this quote to my e-mail signature. Too many teachers focus on bring learners to them. It should be the other way around.
The authors goes on to talk about mental models. I took a course last fall at STU called "Shared Leadership". We spend a lot of time talking about mental models of leadership. I am in strong agreement with the three Learning Innovation Skills and the Sixteen Habits of Mind. I am going to review these before I start teaching in the fall. The last section on the chapter was based on Habits of Mind. I felt a little lost with this section. I realize that we can all benefit from reviewing and analyzing our habits. However, I would need to reread this section and reflect on it a bit more before feeling confident with my understanding.
Weather wise, yesterday was a bit wild. Fortunately, we still have power, phone and Internet service at home. However, our farm is on a different power line. There has been no power or phone service there for 24+ hours.
I submitted my curriculum interview on Saturday.
I finished reading Ch 10 and 13.
A number of interesting points were raised in Ch 10. One of our goals in New Brunswick are to support the formation of life long learners. I have tried to model this belief as I continue with my own education. This chapter looks at the Education for Sustainability (Efs) . The author went on to discuss the Cloud Institute. The Cloud Institute has has a blog. This was an interesting section in the book. However, I felt the line was a bit blurred between education and environmental/socialist issues.many of the school discussed where in urban and not rural areas. We do offer a course called "Environmental Science 120". Teachers may get some interesting ideas from the Cloud Institute to use in Environmental Science 120.
I enjoyed the first section of Ch 13 regarding change. As I all-to-quickly approach fifty, I am starting to observe a lot of changes. As we all discovered this weekend, out climate is changing as well. I loved the author's reference to technology. This book's biggest impact on my teaching practices will be modify my curriculum delivery and include more technology. The authors said "Our students are in the 21st century, and they are waiting for the teachers and the curriculum to catch up. I have added this quote to my e-mail signature. Too many teachers focus on bring learners to them. It should be the other way around.
The authors goes on to talk about mental models. I took a course last fall at STU called "Shared Leadership". We spend a lot of time talking about mental models of leadership. I am in strong agreement with the three Learning Innovation Skills and the Sixteen Habits of Mind. I am going to review these before I start teaching in the fall. The last section on the chapter was based on Habits of Mind. I felt a little lost with this section. I realize that we can all benefit from reviewing and analyzing our habits. However, I would need to reread this section and reflect on it a bit more before feeling confident with my understanding.
Friday, 4 July 2014
Blog July 4, 2014
Blog July 4, 2014
I had a great conversation today using Microsoft Lync with Martha McClure who is the grade 9-12 Mathematics/Science Learning Specialist for the province of New Brunswick.
I had a great conversation today using Microsoft Lync with Martha McClure who is the grade 9-12 Mathematics/Science Learning Specialist for the province of New Brunswick.
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Blog July 3, 2014
July 3, 2014
I would like to wish all of my American classmates a great Independence Day tomorrow. Hopefully hurricane Arthur won't effect celebrations tomorrow.
I tried to update my blog last not but could not due to loss of satellite Internet connection. The joys of living in rural New Brunswick.
We had a productive video conference yesterday. Unfortunately one member could not join us due to a firewall issue at her school. I am very impressed with Google Hangout. I felt it works a lot better than Skype. Our team had an opportunity to compare and contrast curriculum development issues between New Brunswick and Maine. In Canada, provinces are responsible for education. Provinces for the most part develop their curriculum independently. Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) did develop a common Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum for grade 11 and 12 science courses fourteen years ago. Since then, new curriculum have been developed in Biology and Chemistry specific to New Brunswick.
In New Brunswick, we have one person who deals with k-8 Science/Math curriculum and one person who deals with 9-12 curriculum. I have been a member of the writing team who developed the Chemistry and Math 12 curriculum. So, I have worked quite closely with her in the past. I have a conference call set up tomorrow to complete assignment #3.
New Brunswick curriculum documents are online. We have curriculum documents in English and French.
Again, have a great Independence Day tomorrow and stay cool. My sheep certainly are trying.
I would like to wish all of my American classmates a great Independence Day tomorrow. Hopefully hurricane Arthur won't effect celebrations tomorrow.
I tried to update my blog last not but could not due to loss of satellite Internet connection. The joys of living in rural New Brunswick.
We had a productive video conference yesterday. Unfortunately one member could not join us due to a firewall issue at her school. I am very impressed with Google Hangout. I felt it works a lot better than Skype. Our team had an opportunity to compare and contrast curriculum development issues between New Brunswick and Maine. In Canada, provinces are responsible for education. Provinces for the most part develop their curriculum independently. Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) did develop a common Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum for grade 11 and 12 science courses fourteen years ago. Since then, new curriculum have been developed in Biology and Chemistry specific to New Brunswick.
In New Brunswick, we have one person who deals with k-8 Science/Math curriculum and one person who deals with 9-12 curriculum. I have been a member of the writing team who developed the Chemistry and Math 12 curriculum. So, I have worked quite closely with her in the past. I have a conference call set up tomorrow to complete assignment #3.
New Brunswick curriculum documents are online. We have curriculum documents in English and French.
Again, have a great Independence Day tomorrow and stay cool. My sheep certainly are trying.
Wednesday, 2 July 2014
July 2, 2014 Update
I just finished read Ch 10 from Jacobs. She has certainly given a lot of thought to 21C education. I am running a bit behind in the course due to haying over the weekend. It is certainly nice to have half my haying done in June. Now to focus on EDC 533. Looking forward to our teams second video conference today. We initially tried Skype. However this was a bit choppy. there was also an issue connecting me. I believe there may have been a firewall issue. We tried Google Hangout which worked much better.
I just finished read Ch 10 from Jacobs. She has certainly given a lot of thought to 21C education. I am running a bit behind in the course due to haying over the weekend. It is certainly nice to have half my haying done in June. Now to focus on EDC 533. Looking forward to our teams second video conference today. We initially tried Skype. However this was a bit choppy. there was also an issue connecting me. I believe there may have been a firewall issue. We tried Google Hangout which worked much better.
Thursday, 26 June 2014
Blog 2.5
June 26, 2014
I am really enjoying this course and our text Curriculum 21. I am impressed with the amount of thought and reflection she must have given before and while writing this book. The technology piece has been an uphill battle. I learn how to use a Kindle and install Kindle software on my laptop and Samsung Tablet. I have not used Moodle in several years. This new version has a lot of new features. However, it is taking some time to get use to. I am also using Google apps such as this blog for the first time.
June 26, 2014
I am really enjoying this course and our text Curriculum 21. I am impressed with the amount of thought and reflection she must have given before and while writing this book. The technology piece has been an uphill battle. I learn how to use a Kindle and install Kindle software on my laptop and Samsung Tablet. I have not used Moodle in several years. This new version has a lot of new features. However, it is taking some time to get use to. I am also using Google apps such as this blog for the first time.
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Blog#2
June 22, 2014
Blog#2
I operate a part-time farm business. My oldest tractor was built in 1966. Most of my equipment was from the sixties and seventies. I purchased my last "new" tractor in 2001, which was thirteen years ago. Time can pass by so quickly that one may not realize that things have changed. Reading the first three chapters of this book has left me realizing that I need to review how I deliver curriculum in my class. I also need to review my part time farm business. Nostalgia is not a good thing if it stops us from making positive changes.
I noticed that some of the links in this book no longer work as well. This is still a great book. However, it does demonstrate that we live in a changing world. Our curriculum needs to adjust to adapt to this changing world
Chris.
Blog#2
I operate a part-time farm business. My oldest tractor was built in 1966. Most of my equipment was from the sixties and seventies. I purchased my last "new" tractor in 2001, which was thirteen years ago. Time can pass by so quickly that one may not realize that things have changed. Reading the first three chapters of this book has left me realizing that I need to review how I deliver curriculum in my class. I also need to review my part time farm business. Nostalgia is not a good thing if it stops us from making positive changes.
I noticed that some of the links in this book no longer work as well. This is still a great book. However, it does demonstrate that we live in a changing world. Our curriculum needs to adjust to adapt to this changing world
Chris.
Friday, 20 June 2014
Blog#1
June 20, 2014
Blog post #1—A simple prompt this week to write
about your experiences with curriculum planning and development...in your
classroom, school, district, or beyond.
I teach Biology, Chemistry, Math and
Physics. During my internship (student teaching) in 2006, my cooperating
teachers stressed that I had to watch how much time I spent on any given topic
as we were under such short time constraints. Time is always a concern while
teaching grade 11 and 12 science courses. I am concerned that if I don’t cover
the material/curriculum/outcomes properly that students won’t be prepared for
university.
In the past few years, our province has developed
new K-12 math curriculums along with new grade 11 and 12 Biology 112/122 and Math
curriculums. All of these curriculums are 90 hour at the high school level. Unfortunately,
we only have 81 days/term. So careful planning is required in order properly
cover the outcomes in these courses. There is also a fair but of debate in New
Brunswick about covering the curriculum versus covering the essential outcomes.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have been established to deal with
this debate.
I have been involved on the writing team
that created a new provincial Chemistry
111/112 and Chemistry
121/122 curriculum and choosing a textbook in 2009. I am currently on the
writing team creating four new grade 12 Mathematic curriculums which are
currently at the draft stage. I enjoy working on curriculum documents.
June 20, 2014
Good Morning - My first post using Blogger. I will be using this blog for EDC 533.
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