Education

Standard 1- Learner Development

The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences

Standard 2- Learning Differences

The teacher uses an understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards

Standard 3- Learning Environments

The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation

Standard 4- Content Knowledge

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of disciplines he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content

Standard 5- Application of Content

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving

Standard 6- Assessment

The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessments to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor leaner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making

Standard 7- Planning for Instruction

The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content area, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context

Standard 8- Instructional Strategies

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourae learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways

Standard 9- Professional Learning and Ethical Practice

The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner

Standard 10- Leadership and Collaboration

The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession

Ways families can be involved in schools

Attend school events

Volunteer

Communicate

Help with homework

Why is family involvement in schools important

Improves student academic achievement, attendance, and social skills

What are some of the purposes of assessments

Evaluating student learning, provide feedback, monitor progress, and set standards

Difference between formative and summative assessment

Formative- Monitor student learning during instruction

Summative- Evaluate student learning at the end of a unit

Behavior Modification

Reward good behavior

Positive and Negative reinforcement

Assertive Discipline

Set high expectations

Establish rules

Social-emotional/Group Dynamics/Communication Management

Sense of community

Collaborative discussion

Build relationships

Instructional Strategies you can use in the classroom

Demonstration- Show a math problem on the board and then have the student do one independently

Role Play/Simulation- Have students role-play the Boston Tea Party

Lecture- Any subject

Direct Instruction

Teacher-centered and involves lectures

Indirect Instruction

Student-centered where students problem solve and take ownership of their learning

Reasons why we need academic standards

Set clear goals, measure student progress, and prepare students for the future

Benchmarks

Specific, measurable steps that students must reach along the way to achieve standards

Standards

Final destination in student learning

Should public funds be able to go to private schools?

No, because that would harm public schools and negatively impact students who remain in the public school system

Some ways schools can serve students with exceptionalities

Develop IEP’s

Provide accommodations and modifications

2 way communication with families

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

1990’s

Every child has worth

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

2000’s

Use culture to engage students

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

2012

Teachers support culture to make learning relevant

Disability Etiquette

Ask before you help

Speak directly to the person

Use Identity-First (Autistic Person) or Person-First (Person with Autism)

Why is it important for every student to learn about the experiences of different groups of people? How can you ensure that students in your classroom have that opportunity regardless of the subject area or age level you teach? 

It is important for every student to learn about the experiences of different groups of people because their peers are a part of different groups. Their friends are going to look different, talk different languages, and act differently than they do. Students have to learn that it's okay to be different and to embrace being different. You can ensure that students in your classroom have the opportunity to learn about different groups of people by talking about them in the classroom. Even just mentioning a group's holiday can make a student feel seen.

How do you think schools should be funded? No judgment here and no expectations for background knowledge. This is a complex issue and, clearly, no one has been able to answer it in a way that everyone agrees on. Just offer up your ideas and listen to those of others in a nonjudgmental space. 

I think that schools should be funded by the federal government. If the government requires children to go to school, then they should fund it. Parents already pay for so many things for their children. Their hard-earned money goes towards providing shelter and food to their children. Their money shouldn't have to go towards funding schools.

Asset-Based Pedagogy

Approach that views student strengths such as culture, background, and language as valuable resources for learning

Section 3.3- How schools should be serving students with Disabilties

A student’s IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year, but it can be reviewed more frequently if the family or school asks for a review. At least every 3 years, the child must be reevaluated.

Ensure that students who have been traditionally excluded and marginalized from schooling can access the curriculum, receive appropriate support, and engage in the enrichment activities that enhance learning along with their peers in the same classroom. Within an inclusive classroom, all students should be accepted for who they are and not excluded from class activities because of their disability. It means that they should be able to join their classmates on field trips, in class plays, and on the playground. It means that students learn to respect each other, learn to work together, and support each other.

Section 4.1- How Social Context influences learning

Schools are greatly influenced by the sociopolitical context in which they operate. Elected state and local officials may determine the content that students are taught and the levels of proficiency they must attain in order to meet educational benchmarks. Local or state regulations may also impact decisions about the number of charter schools, bilingual education, school reading lists, and the information that can and cannot be taught about sexual health and behavior.

Section 5.6- How teachers can work effectively with families and communities

Teachers can build trust by reaching out to family members, showing them respect, believing that they can and desire to contribute to their children’s academic success, and listening to them. Partnerships require teachers and families to work together in equitable relationships

Section 6.4- What has influenced school curriculum

Curricula have gone through major changes since the first schools were established in the Plymouth colony. Public schools no longer have the religious and moral overtones of the past. However, curricula have been influenced by the changing needs of businesses and evolving new technologies. The intensity of debates among educators, politicians, and the public about what should be taught and how it should be taught, and recent state legislation that restricts teaching about race, sex, gender, and LGBTQ+ identities.

Section 10.2- Connections among Standards, Benchmarks, and Curriculum

Standards- Acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value, a criterion, a norm, or a degree or level of excellence that is achieved. Standards are necessary to measure the learning that takes place in one school or place against other schools and other places.

Benchmarks- Specific waypoints, turning points, or landmarks along the way to achieving the goal. At benchmarks, administrators and teachers can ascertain whether redirection or reteaching is indicated and determine what steps are necessary to rectify problems.

Curriculum- The lessons and academic content taught by teachers to help students meet standards and objectives. The curriculum generally includes books, videos, readings, presentations by teachers, and related assessments.

Section 11.2- How to build a personal classroom management approach

Behavior modifications- behavior is learned and can be modified through positive reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and negative reinforcement.

Assertive Discipline- In their assertive discipline model, teachers must insist upon responsible behavior from students. The most easily recognized example of assertive discipline in elementary classrooms is the use of a set of colored cards for each student, usually kept in individually named pockets on a wall chart.

Social-Emotional, Group Dynamics, and Communication Management Approaches- focus on the importance of membership in a group, the need for individuals to control their own behavior, and the need for teachers to provide guidance and create environments conducive to a candid exchange of ideas.

Section 12.2- What is a Teaching Strategy

A teaching strategy is a method, technique, or approach an educator uses to deliver lessons and help students learn

Teaching strategies effectively used make it possible for teachers to help students acquire useful and necessary information, sometimes contrary to the students’ desires.

Section 12.3- When are Teaching Strategies Direct or Indirect

Direct instruction represents a teacher-centered approach with the teacher providing the instructional input. Used during history lectures and demonstrate how to solve a math problem

Indirect teaching strategies encourage students to think beyond the facts given, to draw conclusions, or to generalize. Used when conducting a science experiement and when students work in a group to solve a complex problem

Section 12.5- How Different Strategies are used for Different Purposes

Teaching strategies that accommodate the ways student learning is influenced by cultural background have a greater chance of meeting students’ needs for learning.

Planning lessons that provide opportunities for students to learn within differently structured contexts is part of what makes teaching such an interesting and engaging profession

Homework is an extension of classroom learning and, when planned carefully, can assist student achievement, but like every other strategy a teacher uses, homework should fit the content, the context, and the learner.

Section 13.2- What the Process of Assessing requires

There are two very different ways of thinking about assessing. When the purpose is purely to provide feedback on student progress and to guide preparation of tomorrow’s lessons, it is called formative evaluation. When test results are used to make conclusions about how much a student has learned or to decide whether a student is ready to move to the next grade level, it is called a summative evaluation.

Effective teachers are doing formative evaluations about student learning continually. They build in spot checks within lessons, review assignments, and monitor students at work throughout the day.

Section 13.3- How Teachers and Students use Formative Assessments to adjust Instruction and Improve Learning

Formative assessment is the process that teachers and students use to make adjustments in instruction in order to further student learning. The teacher’s task naturally begins with a review of the desired learning outcomes. Then, appropriate instructional activities are planned.

Students should be engaging their own formative assessment processes to aid in improving their learning. They need to be self-assessing, too.