Module 5

             When I read the resources of this week  I became more familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy. I have studied Blooms' Taxonomy in the past and I have used it as a guide in my instruction.  In the article I read though I realized that Blooms' taxonomy is a revised cognitive hierarchical plan of Anderson and Krathwhol  from the 1950s.  I realized then how important their research was in today's' education and how much they have offered to students all these years.  The revised Bloom's Taxonomy is pretty much the same only changes nouns to verbs so students act on their learning.
             Another important subject in this week's studying is teaching every student.  Chapter 14 emphasizes a lot in planning a lesson ahead of time in the most effective way so we can become effective teachers.  Time should be used wisely in the classroom and this something we should plan before the class.  Rosenshine's six teaching functions on pg. 541 are the most useful in order to plan effectively.  First review and check previous material, then present new material, provide guided practice, give feedback, provide independent practice, and finally review material.  I tend to use and I have used Roseshine's steps numerous times in my instructions and it is proven the most effective.  the most important of all is to review.  I have noticed that even with best instruction and enthusiasm of teaching material, students remember with review.  Planning should be carefully written taking under consideration state standards and objectives.
            Assessment is another subject of this week's objectives.  We need to be successful in assessing knowledge and effective tests can bring results.  The tips in the resources were very helpful in creating a test and avoiding misleading questions.  Before I read the test writing tips, I did not put much thought of it but every time I want to create a test for my students I know I can do better.  Creating a test is much more than having the stem, the correct answer and the distractors.  It is rather the art of assessing students' knowledge from the specific objectives that have been taught.  Questions should be written in meaningful way with as much as more information and double negatives should be avoided.  The questions should reflect comprehension and critical thinking thus they have to challenge students.  

Module 4

        By reading this week's resources I felt that the need for a change in the traditional classroom is mandatory.  First of all, in the videos I admired the way children were working by playing in Social Studies class and they were free to organize their information into their projects.Then in the video Collaborative Learning I realized how big the need is for a new model of schools.  I totally agree with the speaker on that aspect that we follow a model of early 19th century.  Relationships between students and teachers have to be more personal and students need to be engaged in more collaborative work.
   In my classes I organize my students in teams and I see results.  Students do not have any stress and they seem to be more engaged in the material because they can exchange opinions and they learn form each other.  Some times when we have spelling they change notebooks and they correct each other.  Students love team work and I think they learn better.  Sometimes I need to do my instruction but by just listening to me talking is not enough.  Students need to be engaged and to have visual representations to remember.
  In it is shown in the Scaffolding video,  students learn better when information are broken down.  I really liked the way the teacher led her students to produce results so she can make sure that they have mastered the material.  In my experience I have seen students paying more attention when information are introduces in smaller parts, they seem that they know what they are about to do or learn.  In the Constructivism video students reported that they read the paragraphs and they took notes from their readings.  I believe that all these tactics are great for organizing information
   Even if we use all the above methods in our classrooms, rewarding plays a major role.  Without motivation we cannot move on in our lives, imagine then the students.  This week I became more familiar with rewarding tactics and I came to the conclusion that rewarding has to do with creativity and cannot be tangible in order to bring results.  Although we need to see results from our students we have to realize that they are human beings and they function better when they are free to create and produce results that they can bring on their own and not because someone else told them

Module 3 On Line Discussions



Angry Teacher Discussion


Punished Rewards discussion

Module 3 - Interview with a Teacher


Teacher Interview

Module 3

Classroom Management

      Reading this week's resources I started having second thoughts about rewarding in class.  As a teacher I have used numerous times rewarding in the class and I continue to so.  By reading chapter 7 of Behavioral Views of Learning about operant conditioning, I learned that Skinner through experiments shows what behaviors will lead to positive consequences and what behaviors to negative ones  (pg. 260).  I think Skinner's theory is proven in my classroom with my students because I see results every time I reward my students.  My second thoughts on rewarding started after I read the article Punished Rewards.  In some points I agree with Alpie Kohn, especially when she claims that by using rewards we control or we manipulate students' behavior.  I think that mainly this statement describes the reality in the classroom.  Many teachers use a lot of rewards to make students study more or and get good grades so teachers get the whole credit.  After I considered the rewarding issues through I have decided that teachers want to get results, that is their job!  And students need to learn, that is their job.  By verbally rewarding a student who has hardships in life and achieved a good grade by her/his own efforts, i do not think we manipulate behavior but we encourage so the student will be motivated.  

      With the same way we use rewards we can use punishment.  According to the Article Punished by Rewards, students are expected to learn and we should create a welcoming and comfortable environment fro students to do so.  Punishment then is another form of manipulation.  But all teachers know very well how many problems may arise in a classroom with many students.  All of our students come from different backgrounds and with different behavioral principles from their home.  Some students may behave in a more democratic way, some others listen to the teacher, and some others do not want to follow rules at all.  Some times then discipline is necessary.  I think that students are expected to follow the rules of the class and behave in order to learn the material.  

      The teacher I interviewed this week has the same opinion with me.  When I asked her if she likes to set up the rules on her own or to make the rules with her classmates she answered the first.  I am the same way and I believe that students need to be in a classroom environment where they understand that rules apply for the better.  What I learned from the teacher during this interview is that she combined her classroom rules with rewards.  She does not call them rules but she is using another term that relates to success.  She does that because she wants her students to feel that achieve by following the rules.  Again I do not perceive this as manipulation but as caring about your students.   

Learning Differences 

        Reading the resources of this week I recalled real life situations in my classroom and how as teachers we are able to apply what we learn in the classroom.  Knowing about multiple intelligence and that every student has a different way of learning according to Garner, (pg. 123), I thought that I should find a different way for every student in order to make them understand concepts better.  I feel much better now that after I read the chapter is more clear to me that although multiple intelligence is a theory and some of it has a strong base, learning is hard to be achieved and is uncomfortable for the student because it has to be challenging.  I remember students who even I explained many times in many different ways, they had hard time to understand concepts but different way of learning was not the reason.  After some more effort I used to see the difference in learning.  As teachers then we have to encourage our students to take studying seriously.  School is fun but it is also school.  

      What really surprised me is that some students with difficulties just because they followed the objectives of an IEP or 504 plan learned more than other students who did not put any effort.  As a teacher I had worked with social workers about the progress of students with disabilities and the difference in learning for these students can be significant.  Students with ADHD (pg. 145), were very hard to deal with.  In one of my classes the symptoms of a student were so obvious that I could not go on with my teaching.  Drug use was necessary with the consent of the parent and the student adjusted fine in the classroom environment.  On the other hand, I totally agree with the readings of chapter 4 that drug use will bring negative side effects in the future.  As a teacher then I agree on ADHD medications but as a parent, although I do not have any kids, I do not know if I would like my child to be engaged in drug addiction.  It is a very hard decision and only research can show later the results. 

       I really enjoyed by reading the Immigrant Learning chapter this week because I can associate with it.  As an immigrant going to college with limited English knowledge I had as well all the symptoms of an ELL student.  Many times I did not want to participate in a discussion or I was afraid to ask questions because I did not know if my language was proper.  I want to use my own experience and help my students not to feel the same way.  Using the methods of teaching ELL students and emphasizing on student participation more that teacher's constant speaking (pg. 191), I want to make ELL students become useful members on the community they live, and language is an important skill to have.  

       ELL students are also considered bilingual students.  It is very sad as the book refers that many students after living many years in a country they loose their native language.  I think that after a point being bilingual requires an effort too. I currently teach afternoon school once a week to Greek American students but because learning a language is a preference they do not give the attention they give in the regular school.  Personally I have seen the benefits of bilingual because I can also speak German.  For me though it was not a preference but I had to learn it in school.  I think the way we approach language in general makes a difference.

Module 1 - Learning and Teaching

Many times in my teaching experience I wondered what is a good teaching?  Does a good teaching exist or is it all about methods that if we follow the lesson might be boring?  In chapter 1 of the Woolfolk textbook there are some pretty good answers towards this approach.  The debating terms of if a teacher is "a sage on the stage" or the "the guide by side" pg. 9 shows that teacher must be ready for all challenges and use successful strategies that will bring results into their classrooms.  Personally, in the classrooms I taught I was the guide by the side.  I do not recall my self sitting on my desk and teach from my chair.  On the contrary, I was always moving in the classroom, helping my students who needed attention and explain to students who were lost.  There are teachers though with a different style who do not have to move and be by the side of the students and they bring results.  My sister told me so many times about her Spanish teacher that taught her students so well and they all learned how to speak Spanish while she never moved from her desk.  Although it is hard for me to ponder upon her style, the teacher's strategies proved successful since her students learned.
 
The above debating teaching styles made me give a special attention to the role of Psychology in the classroom today.  Someone needs to examine very closely certain behaviors in the education process.  Many questions of the environment that engages teachers, students, parents, and the time and place used fro instruction are answered by research.  When we think that the answer is obvious, research might shows us differently.  According the Wollfolk textbook, someone might think that educational psychologists make research for something that is already known to us but this not the case. (pg. 15).  Like any other professionals, educational psychologists spend time to gather important information and to examine the results of their research that sometimes might take a lot of time. By using research we better understand learning.  A good example is the NCLB Act that is using tests to measure the progress of students.  If students in the schools did not progress according to the tests, a reevaluation would take place in order for students to learn.  In my personal experience when I taught Math at a Charter school in Florida, students were under a lot of stress and teachers imposed a lot of pressure to their students in order to succeed.  The results were astonishing but the cost was big too.

What I really liked by reading the chapter is the key factors that support learning.  About 150 studies have come down to student personal factors  and school and social-contextual factors.  The board on pg. 23 helped me clarify a lot of information that I had in my mind.  Most of these examples that are written on the board, I follow them.  What is the most important when reading this example is the positive qualities of these practices in order to bring results.  Personally what I struggle with is the Social- Familial Influences.  During my teaching experience I had parents who wanted to be involved but they had a misconception of how to be involved.  They were not really cooperative and that did not help the student.  I tried to be supportive in order for students to learn.  Sometimes I had good results but some other times not.  In any case we learn thorough our experience and we can combine theory and practice in order to get results.