Standardized Testing

I actually thought it was a little funny when we started discussing standardized testing in class because I was working on a project for another for a book that I read called Measuring Up! This book is written by Daniel Koretz and it discusses the issue of standardized testing in America and ways that we can change it! If you want to check out the summary click here and you can read more about it! It is actually a blog post that gives a couple of Koretz' main points throughout the book!

When I was junior I had an ACT prep course that was a part of my everyday schedule during the second trimester of the school year in order to get prepared for the ACT in March! The class was arranged so that every couple of weeks you would switch "stations" in order to prepare properly for each section on the test. So for a couple weeks, you would be in the Science station, then the English and writing station, then the math station! I thought that this would be helpful but 2 weeks before the ACT I completely blew out my new. I tore my ACL, both sides of my meniscus, LCL and MCL and I had an extremely difficult time focusing long enough to get through the test! I thought that this was an interesting topic to talk about while I was working on my other project because the book I mentioned above talks a lot about bias of testing, whether it's a language barrier or in my case a physical barrier. Being in a straight leg brace was really difficult on it's own and then piling the ACT on top made it really stressful for me!

I think that it's important, as future teachers, to have an opinion on standardized testing and I definitely have one! I think that standardized should NOT be thrown out completely but should be changed in ways to make it more fair for each individual student!

Visual Aids

After reading chapter 5 of You Gotta BE the Book, I got to think a lot about how Wilhelm discusses the use of visual aids in order to keep his student engaged while reading. Wilhelm stresses the importance of using visualization to help experience the book as a whole and to see the book coming alive inside of their heads.

When I read this chapter I had noticed that students understand and visualize the material that is being taught. Wilhelm also suggests using art to help with the comprehension and visualization of reading and I thought that is a great idea! Most students are visual learners so when they're reading it's easier for them to have a small amount of pictures rather than just words to better visualize the material. Some of the examples that Wilhelm gave were collages and illustrating their own books in order to better visualize. 

I like how Wilhelm gives you lots of ideas as a future teacher to use in your own classroom one day, and I also like that I can go back to his book when I forget to be able to use those ideas. Visual 

aids in the classroom has a great impact on students and I think that it gives students the opportunity to enjoy reading for fun rather than just reading required material in the classroom. I think that some other good examples of visual aids are comic books and mind mapping so that the students are able to visualize characters and plot lines in order to better comprehend the story. 

Overall, I think that this chapter was one that I related to the most out of Wilhelm's book! I really enjoy learning about activities and ideas that I can one day use in my classroom!

Reader's Response

After reading chapter 3, The Dimensions of the Reader's Response, from You Gotta BE the Book, I read through each method that Jeffrey Wilhelm had discussed. I related most to the cued response protocols and the visual protocols because I am mainly a visual learner and I know that most students are also so I think that it would be helpful for them as well to use these methods the most. 

I also found it interesting how Wilhelm discussed how you relate to characters in a story. I have had many experiences where I read a story and have visualized characters and the scenery in the story. I related this back to the chapter where Jeffrey Wilhelm talks about the importance of visualization in the classroom and how it can keep students engaged in reading. 

Some of the "classroom research methods" that Wilhelm discussed using with his students are as follows:

1. that it offered a window into my students' reading processes

2. that is fit naturally into the life and flow of the classroom, being accepted by students as something interesting and even fun to pursue

3. that it was pedagogically useful, providing students and myself as the teacher with empowering ways of seeing, knowing and studying, and sharing ourselves as readers and learners. 

I thought that these methods were really helpful as a student studying to become a teacher! I also found an article from Purdue Owl on Reader Response Criticism!

Reading in the Classroom

I have really been enjoying Jeffrey Wilhelm's book "You Gotta BE the Book" and the way that he makes reading the material so interesting. I like that Wilhelm discusses his personal stories as a teacher and the things that he's learned from after being a teacher for 13 years. 

The main focus in the introduction and the first couple chapters of the book is how to make reading the center of the classroom. Wilhelm discusses in Chapter 1 an approach and many personal stories/experiences that helped him with students who did not like to read whatsoever. 

I really like how Wilhelm writes. Each chapter gives a little story in the beginning about the experience that he has being a teacher. His stories are fun and interesting and I have really enjoyed reading his book! One thing that I've really liked is how he has confessed to having different opinions than he did when he first started teaching 13 years ago. I feel like when you first start your teaching career, you have these preconceived notions that your professors from college have told you and you don't know any better so you believe what they say and take their advice. But, after getting into the classroom and gaining experience your opinions and thoughts on things you had when you first started teaching may be completely different. Wilhelm made me realize this and I'm really liking the book so far. 

Curriculum

After reading the chapter on curriculum, in the book Early Career English Teachers in Action it really made me think about the material that I will be required to teach when I'm a teacher one day. I was really intrigued by the first story by David Jagusch, the teacher in Kenya; because he discussing his experiencing between teaching in the states and teaching in Kenya. I like how he explained that he had learned that curriculum is something that you learn over some time and that you have to be open to change. 

Lesson Plan Building

Our class was asked to think of one book over spring break that we think should be included in high school English curriculum and how we would go about teaching the book. 

I had chosen the book The Uglies by Scott Westerfield, which is a series of books about a community of 'uglies' and 'pretties'. I explained to the class that I would like to ask my students what they think is the appropriate definition of "pretty" and what society defines as "pretty". I would then have my students write free writes and journals throughout the semester of reading the book. Then at the end of the lesson plan, I discussed that I would have my students do a final project on how society portrays those who are considered 'pretty'. There are so many companies that portray models in their ads as skinny and "perfect" but that's not how they look or any regular person. 

I really liked this assignment because it gave me the chance to really think about how I would teach my students and to put a mini lesson plan together in order to get experience as a future teacher. 

Teacher Observation

A couple weeks ago I shadowed Mrs. Alburtus at Portage Central High School! She teaches both honors and regular 9th grade English!

I was a little nervous at first but after I walked into her classroom she was so sweet and very welcoming. I got there a little early before any of the other students had arrived and I got to talk to Mrs. Alburtus for a short time about my major and what classes I was taking this semester.

Once I had observed about 3 classes it was clear that each class between the honors and regular English classes were very different. The material was all the same but each class of students was extremely different. The way that the material was taught between the honors and regular classes was the most different. Obviously since it was honors and regular classes I had figured that each class would be different but I thought it was interesting how much guidance that the regular classes were given compared to the honors classes. The regular class was given a graphic organizer for an assignment where they had to pick one character from Romeo and Juliet and give them 2 pieces of advice on what they could have done differently throughout the play. 

I really liked being able to get the chance to observe an English teacher specifically because Mrs. Alburtus gave me a lot of really good advice. She had told me some things that were a little discouraging for example she said, "I think you should consider a different profession because teaching is becoming very demanding and I'm worried for future teachers." I know that teaching is very demanding and it definitely doesn't get the credit it deserves but I tried to not let her comment discourage me too much because I have wanted to be a teacher for so long. Overall though I had such a great experience at PCHS and I would more than likely go back again if I could for something like student teaching or even another teacher observation/interview. 

Student/Teacher Conferencing

In Chapter 7 of the book "Clearing the Way", the author discusses the important role of conferencing. Most people think of conferencing between teachers and parents but in this chapter, it is discussed between students and teachers. 

Romano says "talk is essential in a writing class. Writers need to share their writing and hear others...talk about it with interest, asking genuine questions it has raised." As a future teacher, I think that this book has been such a help with ideas on how to teach students. Romano also discusses how important it is for teachers and students to talk one-on-one in order for students to properly learn and be engaged with their work. 

This article I found talks about some ideas and crucial topics on conferencing with your students. I liked this article because it gives you many tips of advice before you meet with your students. For example, establishing a good relationship, reassuring anxious students and elaborating on written comments you have written on papers and assignments.

All through high school I was never really required to conference with my teachers. We were always encouraged to meet during lunch or after school but of course like every other high school teen I never thought I needed the help. When I got to college, every single one of my English classes required a conference to discuss our upcoming paper or project. No matter what, conferencing with my professors was always beneficial, there was never a time that I wasn't given some kind of advice or tip to help better my work.