This reading was a good insight on what it takes to educate
disadvantaged students to be successful. The reading emphasized the importance
of a curriculum based around applied real world challenges for the students to
try and solve. Also trying to incorporate different subjects into projects. In
order for students to gain knowledge and skills they need to be challenged to
solve complex issues. Data says this will make students more engaged in their
learning because they will feel more satisfaction after solving these
challenges. In order for this curriculum to be put into place there needs
enough time for teachers to coach their students and get to know them as well
as enough time for teachers to collaborate with each other. The reading
strongly suggested having smaller schools, so teachers spend more quality with
their students. Studies show smaller schools help students be more successfull
academically and socially. In an ideal world schools like these would become
the norm, but there has been pushback to schools because of a lacking quality
teachers and funding. For these schools to become more frequent, there needs to
be more quality teachers and more funding for school facilities, technology,
and resources needed to make schools successful. There also needs to be more
open-mindedness for innovative ideas among people in charge of organizing the
schools. As a future teacher, I learned from this reading to get to know my
students so I can best relate, challenge, and educate them. I also learned to
take teacher's own advice of challenging yourself by not giving up on the
harder to reach students.
Josh, I liked that you drew attention to all the steps that need to happen to enable us, as teachers, to better individualize our instruction. Coming from a high school the size of Trinity, I've always been picturing getting to know my students and what's meaningful to them on a very large scale. Before this reading, I'd never really considered teaching in a small school. It seems silly that it never occurred to me before, but you (and the article) are right: smaller schools would better facilitate individualized and meaningful instruction. I agree, smaller schools should become more common.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you that having smaller schools is a good step to providing a better education for students. I also found it really interesting that the reading mentioned teachers have the same students for two years. I think this would help teachers to care more about their students and put more effort into helping them succeed. It would also be great to be able to watch the growth of your students over a longer period of time.
DeleteYeah, I liked the idea of students staying on with teachers for potentially two years. This, in addition to the longer class periods and smaller pupil load would ensure that teachers get to know their students well, enabling them to plan individualized activities that play to their strengths and would motivate students to work hard because they know their teachers are invested in them. Another strategy I agree with is the portfolio as the final project. It sounds meaningful, relevant, the right amount of structured/free, and has the opportunity for revision. Our education faculty employs this method as well (learning is a process, so we can always revise work) and I think that is a great life lesson.
DeleteI agree that the way these charter schools are designed is impressive. In particular, as the article emphasizes, I think the success of these institutions rely on factors which are often very much tied into school size; that is the emphasis on fostering trusting student teacher relationships and the development of cooperative group learning techniques. The big question for me though is whether or not this can be applied in more traditional academic contexts. The article seems to suggest that this kind of an education is best suited for small schools, but with some tweaking (maybe hiring more teachers and shrinking class sizes in large institutions, for example) might it be possible to have these kinds of environments and results in larger public schools as well?
DeleteDavid puts forth a really good point, one that came up during our own small group discussion last week: how can we implement the most effective strategies into an already pre-structured large class style school? We talk a lot in Trinity education classrooms about collaborative work as teachers, (specifically that we can learn from each other, and also that we are able to produce a cohesive education for the students) but if placed in a school that lacks that environment, how can we apply best practices? Is attempting a single class overhaul the best opportunity for the students, or would it detract from their overall experience in school?
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