“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy” by John Dewey. My interpretation of this quote is that, as educators it is our mission and our responsibility to provide the very best education to every student who enters our classroom. Overall, parents want their child to be treated fairly and with respect, regardless of how challenging their child may be. In my particular school setting, students arrive with serious emotional and behavioral challenges, the best way I have connected with them is to listen, respect, praise and be a positive role model.
In the closing chapter of Flat World Education, Darling-Hammond laid out her five key elements she argues we need to be able to teach our children for the 21st century.
1 Comment
Who are the seminal people researching in the area of your driving question? I have read multiple articles to further expand my research knowledge within a concentrated area of mathematics and integration of technology. Out of all the articles I have read, the one titled, “Teaching Mathematics to Secondary Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Challenges and Practical Suggestions for Teachers,” provides critical information that I can apply in my classroom, such as the use of explicit instruction to teach foundational skills and age-appropriate mathematics curriculum.The use of technology to teach Mathematics concepts is a technique supported by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), and may also be used to promote hands-on application. Candace A. Mulcahy is an assistant professor of special education at Binghamton University (SUNY). Her research interests include teacher instructional practices and academic interventions for students with high incidence disabilities and education policy and practice for striving adolescent learners across settings. Michael Krezmien is the director of the Center for Youth Engagement and an assistant professor, special education, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research interests include academic and behavioral policies and practices for adolescent learners in segregated settings, including juvenile corrections. Paula Maccini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include examining policies, instructional practices, and teacher and administrator perceptions of curriculum, assessment, and accountability for teaching mathematics to secondary students with Learning Disabilities and Emotional Behavioral Disorders across settings. I enjoyed viewing the SITE Conference by Mishra & Koehler, the presentation was playful and innovative at the same time. Digital technologies is messy, information technology changes everything, according to Mishra. As teachers, there’s no way we can keep up with every new technology, but we can develop a playful attitude towards understanding the technological landscape. Because Mishra playfully introduced the TPACK Mashup game, I am now more excited about exploring or creating lessons that include all major components of the TPACK framework.
After reading the expectations for students in regards to the 4Cs of 21st century learning, I feel as though I have more planning, implementation and revising work ahead of me. This is not to say, it’s not possible because I have seen it on the inspiring videos in the teaching channel. My vision is to have my students engaged, using a learning platform, such as Google Classroom to problem solve math problems within their own independent math level. My role as a teacher will shift from the primary conductor of the class, to a curriculum facilitator. Enabling students to take on a more proactive approach to their learning. I have used technology in my classroom to implement a math program free for all to use. Mobymax was user-friendly and easy to keep track of my student’s progress. However, only a handful of students were engaged and were able to make significant progress. Students have also used technology to create Powerpoint presentations in both science and history classes. I recently attended a Google Classroom workshop sponsored by the Digital Innovator Program located at Napa County Office of Education. Jen and Nicole lead the Google Classroom session, both were knowledgeable and presented the content in a playful format. As the school year unfolds, I will implement the use of Google Classroom for math lessons and learn to blog to improve their reading and writing skills, while they create presentations using Prezi. Educational Context of my Driving Question
After considerable discussions between my colleagues and my professor, and much contemplation I have narrowed down my driving question. In the narrowing process I have also taken into consideration the learning limitations of my special needs students. My driving question is the following: What effect will a digital math classroom have on student engagement? According to the Nation’s Report Card, the 2015 average scores were 1 and 2 points lower in grades 4 and 8, than the average scores in 2013. The alternate assessment is part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CASSPP) system. The results for the Napa Valley Unified District for 2016-2017 were very similar to the state level, 67% of 11th grade students passed Level 1 Mathematics, 27% Level 2, and 7% of the students passed Level 3. The results are concerning at lower grades 4 and 8, but it is more alarming when the students are tested at the 11th grade, and the results are less proficient than at lower grades. What can teachers change to make math more relevant and interesting for students of all ages. In the 2015, Satsangi and Bouck discussed using virtual manipulatives, as an effective tool to acquire, maintain, and generalize the concepts of area and perimeter to students with learning disabilities. Students in my class have a learning disability in mathematics, even attempting to teach them multi-step problems has been quite a task. My rationale for doing this action research study is to afford more learning opportunities to my students who have struggled with mathematics for a long time. I dedicated time to explore a handful of videos, primarily focused on the edutopia web site. I particularly liked the video on How Building a Car Can Drive Deeper Learning. This video presented a 14-year-old, Kathryn who struggled with math, until she found a relevant use for it. She fell in love with cars and started a hands on project to build her own car. She incorporated the internet to ask questions about car parts and how they fit together. She communicated with a “bigger family” at a site called Pennock’s Fiero Forum, the forum is a comparison to Facebook.
What is the nature of the case? This unique case applies to extended learning because the student did most of the project work outside of the school environment. Kathryn couldn’t wait to go home after school and spend time building her car along with her father How do you know the student is learning? The student appeared enthralled by the experience of Project-Based Learning. She understood the need to convert from the metric system to the standard. How to measure and place parts. Kathryn made time out of her busy schedule to interact with others online and follow instructions from her father to make her project a reality. What is the teacher doing? The teacher plays a non-traditional role by taking a back seat approach and relying on the student to present the questions to him. This approach puts the responsibility back on the student, allowing for the student to take complete ownership of her project. The teacher becomes a coach or mentor, and in the process promotes Kathryn’s critical thinking skills, collaboration, and in turn improves her real-life knowledge. Could you potentially use this lesson? I would definitely consider using this type of lesson in my classroom. In my case, I would probably play a more active role since I work with students with challenging disabilities. My goal is to implement a similar lesson within the confines of our limited space and resources. After viewing all the assigned videos, and reading the next three chapters in The Flat World and Education I am more inspired to change my “ traditional” model of teaching. I have been taught not to think outside the box since I can remember. Even though I had amazing teachers during high school, I was not expected to questioned or challenge a teacher’s lesson. However, after reflecting on the videos and reading I have come to the conclusion that I do not want to prepare students within a “factory” model. I want to expand my horizons, and promote more interactive projects, interest-based learning and life skills using digital media and technology in my classroom. After all, education is for the new generation those who will find a solution to real-life problems, use technology to communicate more effectively and create the changes that the older generation cannot even dream about. My goal is to implement technology in ways that will keep my students engaged and motivated to learn, even if is only one subject area at a time. Where do we begin in making the changes to elevate our education reform to reflect Finland’s educational model.
My initial research question pertained to students' motivation to learn in my special day class. After much consideration and research I have narrowed down my DQ to three specific questions.
My next step is to unified the concepts of technology, motivation, and students with ADHD. Possible Driving Questions:
Possible Problems: I anticipate having several problems with my DQ. How to measure students's motivation by semester or per year, do I focus on only the students with ADHD or as a whole class. What data will best show progression of student motivation? Steps to Success I will search for user-friendly tech tools which I can implement in my class as a way to promote student motivation. I will present these tools in class and then offer students a chance to select a tool of their preference . My ultimate goal is to have the students with ADHD on task at least 60 to 70 percent of the time while using technology. I have many more questions on how to develop a successful research paper. I will keep making notes of them, as they come up. |
AuthorI am a special ed teacher at Vintage High School. Archives
July 2018
Categories |