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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Saturday, February 13, 2010

My Values

I find that my evaluations usually conflict with my personal values. When I decided to become a teacher and bring with me the knowledge of subject matter, I thought that was all that it would require. Teach what you know right? That's how I learned. I find myself fighting the never ending battle of standards based learning. Standards, standards, standards...essential question! I find that when I am covering the standards I focus so much on the standard itself to "cover my butt" when I truly feel that the standard shouldn't be the goal. So my evaluations sometimes become skewed, usually from frustration of trying to achieve "this" standard. Don't get me wrong, I believe we should have guidelines, but in Career Tech it should be all about the individual teaching their content. I dream of a classroom that will take the leash of me and let me teach Broadcast the way it was meant to be taught.

5 comments:

Redding said...

I feel your pain. I have felt like this standards based classroom stuff was a monkey on my back I couldn't shake. Finally I have tried to embrace it for what it should be, a framework for the structure of my class. I have stopped doing an essential question for everyday, but use a generalized one for the week or the unit. I have students' write it in the beginning, not answer it but contemplate it and leave the rest of the page blank, then only briefly refer to it during the unit. At the end of the unit, I have them revisit the essential question and write the answer in their own words. This serves as a review of the lesson, an informal evaluation of their knowledge, it gives them time to gather their thoughts and frankly gives me a breather to walk around and look their thoughts. The students then verbally share their thoughts. You will have to give directions on the writing because some will write one or two sentences. Directions, for example, might be: Must be 8 - 12 sentences in length, must cover each topic we learned about this week (I list the topics on the powerpoint for my students), etc. I am trying to incorporate, as smoothly and efficiently as possible, all standards based classroom requirements. It often feels like quicksand but I do understand and respect the standards based classroom. What absolutely gets me is all the work that goes into establishing and creating these required methods, then the nomenclature changes, we get new "buzz" words for the same old thing and everything has to be redone. Now that's frustrating and demoralizing. Talk about drowning a slow death in quicksand.

ZELDA said...

I feel the same way let me teach Cosmetology the way it should be taught. I also do a essential question one a week it's better for me I have other activities for a bell ringer in the morning waiting on their desk when they walk into the classroom. Teaching is fun but it could be stressful if you let it.

GETZ said...

The standards threw me off too. Our industry has built in standards that we've been so used to. Be on time, do it cheap, do it right, do it fast, be on time, work hard, get paid little. So when I started reading the standards I was confused mainly because they are all so simple. The one comforting fact is that our standards are easily covered - wait till you get a BVP III class...there are two standards: ACCT-BVP 3-1 Individual Production and ACCT-BVP 3-2 Collaborative Production. Right now, you are mired in the two classes that are the most difficult standards wise...once you get kids in higher level classes, you'll get a break from the "cover your butt" mentality. The rubric does have to cover the standards, and your expectations for the project and your personal values...it's a lot to fit onto one sheet of paper. I try my best to design projects that hit multiple standards at once with rubrics that make it clear what my expectations are and what the student needs to do in order to succeed.

Anitra said...

Well said Hal. There are times when I get so caught up in the standards that I almost loose focus of what I am to teach. Since the Pathway change, I've had to re-route how I taught last year and the one before. In all honesty I believe that the administration knows nothing about what we teach and should not try to pigeon-toe us in with everybody else....they do however. For this reason, my lesson plans reflect standards however my teaching practices reflect industry and I try to through in a couple of standards based practices for good measure.

Dr. M said...

Hal - Melissa has a very interesting response and possible solution to your EQ dilemma. Give it a try and also keep trying to keep your program real. Good post.

Dr. M