Final for Schools in American Culture

with-it-ness

 a teacher's awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times and communicating this awareness to students

Assessment

the process we use to gather information and make decisions about students' learning

A learning objective

describes what learners should know or be able to do at the end of the course that they couldn’t do before. (goal of the course or lesson)

Self-fulfilling prophecy

having expectations about behavior and then acting in some way, usually unknowingly, to carry out that behavior. (I think I am going to fail then I probably will not study well and fail)

Questioning strategies:

1. Frequency

2. Equitable distribution

3. Wait-time

4. Prompting

Pedagogy

art of teaching

Standards Movement

Movement of reform at the national level to establish and articulate minimum standards for education that will foster greater learning

No Child Left Behind

Far reaching federal legislative attempt to identify and serve students in all segments of our society. Attempted to address problems in low SES schools left behind by setting minimum standards and sanctioning those who did not meet adequate yearly progress standards

IDEA

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Increased participation of learners with exceptionalities in a regular curriculum

FERPA

(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Federal act that makes school records accessible to students and their parents. Informed parents of their rights regarding their child's records

ADA

(Americans with Disabilities Act) Federal act that provides those with disabilities from being discriminated against

rules

guidelines that provide standards for acceptable classroom behavior

procedures

are the routines students follow in their daily learning activities, such as how they turn in papers, sharpen pencils, and make transitions from one activity to another

What are the four definitions of curriculum

1. The subject matter taught to students

2. A systematic arrangements of courses

3. The planned educational experiences students have in school

4. The process teachers go through in selecting and organizing learning experiences for their students

Explicit

the curriculum found in standards, curriculum guides, textbooks, and other formal education experiences. (direct)

Implicit

(hidden curriculum) reflected in unstated values and priorities of the school and classroom, along with the general climate of our classrooms. It isn't specifically prescribed and, in some cases, is out of the teachers’ conscious awareness.

Null curriculum

reflects what is not taught

Extracurriculum

learning experiences that extend beyond the core of students’ formal studies. Correlates with a number of positive outcomes, including increased achievement and more positive attitudes toward school.

Identify four forces that influence curriculum

A teacher’s general philosophical views

Standards and accountability

The federal government

Politics

Textbooks

A teacher’s general philosophical views

grounded in beliefs, professionals teach what they believe is important, and they use approaches they believe are most effective. 

Standards and accountability

standards specify what children should be learning, and what is tested often becomes what is taught. 

The federal government

influences curriculum through its legislative mandates and through the programs it supports financially.

Politics

influences curriculum through legislation and laws. 

Textbooks

many teachers use textbooks as a primary source for their curricular decisions about what to teach.

main social issues facing curriculum:

1. Sex education

2. Intelligent design versus evolution

3. Internet censorship

4. Underrepresentation of women and minorities in the curriculum

5. Effective use of internet and soft skills

productive learning environment:

1. A classroom that is orderly and focused on both academic and social-emotional  learning.

2. Students are well behaved but the emotional climate is relaxed.

3. They feel physically and emotionally safe.

4. Daily routines, learning activities, and expectations for appropriate behavior are all designed to promote learning and development. 

goals of classroom management:

• Creating an environment that increases academic learning

• Promoting social and emotional development 

• Developing learner responsibility

• Creating a positive classroom climate 

• Maximizing opportunities for learning 

• Creating Communities of Learners

Personal characteristics of teachers that help create productive learning environments:

1. Caring 

2. Organization

3. Preventing problems

4. Teaching effectively

Describe the planning elements that help create a productive learning environment.

1. Creating procedures 

2. Creating rules

Creating Procedures

• Entering and leaving the classroom

• Handing in and returning papers

• Accessing materials

• Sharpening pencils

• Making trips to the bathroom

• Making up work after an absence

Creating rules

• State rules positively

• Emphasize rationales for rules

• Minimize the number of rules

• Monitor rules consistently throughout the school year

Describe the characteristics of effective teacher interventions when misbehavior occurs:

1. Demonstrate witness and overlapping

2. Be consistent and follow through

3. Keep verbal and nonverbal behaviors congruent

4. Apply logical consequences

Motivation

the energizing force behind all forms of learning

extrinsic motivation

motivation to engage in an activity to receive some incentive (when you get high test scores for something you studied a lot for)

intrinsic motivation

motivation to be involved in an activity for its own sake (reading about history just because you are interested)

five essential steps in planning for instruction:

1. Selecting relevant topic for learning

2. Specify learning objectives

3. Prepare and organize learning activities

4. Create assessments

5. Ensure instructional alignment

essential teaching skills:

• Organization

• focus

• introductory review

• questioning, feedback

• application

• closure

different instructional strategies:

1. Lecture discussion

2. Guided discovery

3. Problem-based instruction

4. Cooperative learning

5. Developing understanding

Instructional strategies

designed to help students reach specific learning objectives.

Teachers who want their students to acquire basic skills, such as adding fractions, would likely use

Direct Instruction

Lecture discussion

is an effective strategy for helping students understand the interrelationships among ideas in large bodies of knowledge, such as the relationship between geography and lifestyle in different parts of our country.

Guided discovery

an effective strategy for helping students understand concepts and how to form ideas on their own.

Problem-based instruction

attempts to teach problem-solving and critical thinking by immersing students in realistic problems.

Cooperative learning

can support the other strategies and can be effective for helping students learn social interaction skills.

Developing understanding

students come to understand the topic through explanation, modeling, and questioning so that the students can adequately understand the concept or skill.

As the backgrounds of our students have become more varied…

being able to differentiate instruction to meet all students' needs is increasingly important.

Which phase of direct instruction is most important for ensuring successful practice:

Developing understanding

What are two common themes in the current reform movement:

1. Ensuring all students have the ability to succeed

2. Promoting standards that allow the U.S. to keep up with other countries

What are the most common forms of teacher evaluation that you will encounter as a beginning teacher:

1. Supervisor observation

2. Annual supervisory observation

3. Student test scores

4. EdTPA- educational teacher performance assessment

Why is merit pay so controversial?

1. Merit pay is divisive, damages morale, and makes teachers less likely to cooperate with each other

2. The assumption that teachers will work harder for more pay doesn’t make sense. 

3. Ineffective, fails to produce gains in student achievement

   Arguments supporting merit pay:

4. Rewarding exemplary teaching performance makes sense, and money provides incentives for teacher excellence.

5. Effective merit pay systems encourage brighter and more competent people to consider teaching as a career and encourage the best and brightest teachers to remain in the profession.

6. Evidence from student achievement data exists to support the process. 

Merit Pay

a supplement to a teacher’s base salary to reward exemplary performance and is a type of pay-for-performance. 

What are two major forms of school choice:

1. Public or private schools 

2. Attend an alternate traditional public school other than the school to which students would be assigned by their geographical location.

3. charter school

4. Receive vouchers to provide financial support for education outside assigned schools

5. Receive tax credits and deductions for expenses related to schooling outside the public-school system

Remember all teachers need:

pedagogy, curriculum, classroom management

Frequency

actively involves all students

Equitable distribution

invites all students to participate in the lesson

Wait-time

gives students time to think about and answer the question

Prompting

assists students when they are unable to answer

Allocated time

the amount of time a teacher or school designates for a content area or topic

Instructional time

the time left for teaching after routine management and administrative tasks are completed

Engaged time

the amount of time students are paying attention and involved in learning activities

Academic learning time

the time students are successful while engaged in learning activities

Ideal

maximize instructional, engaged, and academic learning time so that all our allocated time is devoted to learning.

“D-A-T-A”

direct teach

ask questions

talk to the students

activate learning