Double Entry Journal 6

1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?

            “But our schools remain caught in a web of educational thinking and systems that originated a century ago. The instructional model of the teacher and the textbook as the primary sources of knowledge, conveyed through lecturing, discussion, and reading, has proven astonishingly persistent.” The “old fashion” way of teaching is starting to wear off, but this method is not gone. This could very well be due to older teachers retiring, new younger teachers coming in to the schools, and middle aged teachers having enough background with technology to learn and embrace new methods in the classroom. There has also been a shift in teacher role in the classroom. Teachers are not the sole being in charge of learning the students are now finding that they too play a vital role in his or her education.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

            Project based learning has students working on things that could realistically happen. This is a project to be presented in some way. “Five key components of effective project-based learning. It is: central to the curriculum, organized around driving questions that lead students to encounter central concepts or principles, focused on a constructive investigation that involves inquiry and knowledge building, student-driven (students are responsible for designing and managing their work), and authentic, focusing on problems that occur in the real world and that people care about.” The students are helped along in the project and typically gain a deeper understanding of the content. The real situation learning students take away from project based learning can be used to solve other problems later in life. Three benefits of Project based learning are: Critical thinking skills can improve (Shepard, 1998.); Improvement of test scores over traditional school children (Boaler 1997, 1998); and the ability to clearly support reasoning ((Stepien, Gallagher, & Workman, 1993.)

3.  According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

            Problem based learning uses reasoning and resources to solve real world problems. For problem based learning students work in small groups to solve. There seems to be a little trial and error to problem based learning because the article says that the group keeps coming up with ways until they find the best way to solve the problem. In the problem based learning system students take an active role in their learning. The teacher is to act a model and pose questions and reasoning skill to the students as they work; but the method does have some traditional teaching components to it as well like small lectures. Three benefits of Problem based learning are: higher test scores (Vernon & Blake, 1993; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993); deeper thinking and decision making skills (Lundeberg, Levin, & Harrington, 1999; Savery & Duffy, 1996; Williams, 1992.); and reflection (Darling-Hammond & Hammerness, 2002).

4.  According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

            Learning by design is based on the premise that students learn more deeply if they design or create things to show their understanding and apply their knowledge. There are several opportunities in the learning by design process to go back and revise things as knowledge changes. There is collaboration of the students for the project but each student also has his or her own role to play as part of the group. Students are utilizing 21^st century skills in the learning by design process and this could be the most important part of the entire process. Three benefits of Learning by design: 21^st century skills, Understanding of complex systems (Perkins, 1986)., and providing feedback (Hmelo and colleagues 2000.)

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

            The tree approaches differ in grouping styles, focus of outcome, and the way in which the students are performing the action that go with the project.

6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?

            I think it is very important that students are using real life situations to think and solve problems. I cannot count the number of times I sat in the classroom thinking, “why do I need to know this; I do not know a boy named Juan and a girl named Sally who were cleaning out a well and I don’t care who did it fastest and by how much time.” Those problems killed me as a student. If I were given an issue that I cared about and time to try and figure it out myself or with a group I think I would remember how I came to a solution much easier and more quickly and with a reason for wanting the problem to be solved.

Double Entry Journal 5

The highlighted quote from the article "Reverance" was very powerful to me. People now are forced to listen and some children feel this at school on a daily basis. Students who feel forced to listen to lessons they do not understand or listen to opinions they do not believe in.

Reverent listening is the gathering listeners who want to listen and want to support others. Reverent listening as shown above in the quote should not be used to humiliate and dominate. Reverent listening is a good type of listening.

In high school I had a math teacher who taught in a my way or the highway style. She did not listen to anyone in the class and if you had a question about what was going on in the class you were automatically deemed an idiot and she told you that. She used people from other classes to scare people into doing everything her way. The way she learned it was the way she taught it and it was the "only way to get the right answer." She was a terrible listener and did not offer support. There was no sense of community in the classroom. The environment was cold as ice.

A "laundry list of value ethics" sounds to me like a derogatory phrase used to brush off ethnic values. I am not sure from the reading that I understand this enough to write about it. But if it is meant to ignore and not listen to people who are from a different ethnic background then I believe that it is wrong. All people deserve to be listened to and these people are just trying to learn.

At my elementary, middle and jr. high schools there were quite a few teachers who would listen to everything; all of our concerns, thoughts, and feelings. In particular Miss. Follett, she was always for anyone who needed her. She taught in the same manner. Miss. Follett always made her students feel great and everyone listened and got along, we were a community.

A toxic school culture can ruin education for students. Teachers who are responsive to student needs build a good environment for students to succeed. Toxic schools do not seem to have a sense of community. Students may feel like they are not a part of anything in the school. They feel unlistened to. I don't want to say that these school do not care but it is difficult to imagine they care enough to fix the issues.

"Teachers are leaders,and one of the most important things leaders do is provide fine examples of the practice." I would do anything to help out my students even if i have to reteach something over and over a hundred different ways. I am happy to put myself out there so that my students know I am there for them.

http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2007/09/freedom-in-classroom-2007-intolerance.html I liked this blog because the author of the post used the article we read and put things into perspective for me. I liked how he analyzed things from the article.

Double Entry Journal #4

From the reading Honoring Dialect and Increasing Student performance in Standard English I learned that students should not have their cultural identity taken from them in the classroom. All children are different even if he or she is from the same place. Another good point I took from the reading was that the "wrong way" is not always wrong. Some children need his or her home culture to boost their learning of something new. The students assimilate and accommodate new ideas into the things they already know or rearrange their thoughts to learn. Third, I learned that a dialect can go from being a hindrance to fostering success. I thought the idea of code switching was very interesting. When I thought about it I realized I code switch when I write all the time. I would not write a paper of this blog in the language and manner that I would write a comment or text message to a friend.
Home voices are important- it is who we are the way we communicate. Teachers can build off of student's language to creatively write and build new skills.
"When we encounter linguistic prejudice, some of us dismiss it while others adopt the stereotypes attached to our dialect." Students need to realize that their dialect and culture is never "stupid" or "incorrect" it is a way of communication and should be embraced. Teachers should not try and stop a student from communicating because they may stop communicating altogether for fear of being "wrong."
Why do we have dialect? This is an important question to discuss with students. It would be very interesting to hear student thoughts on the way an area speaks and writes. This is important to the discovering who we personally are socially. People should know his or her heritage because it is a beautiful thing to know who you are.
Students need to know and understand that stereotypes are not all bad; misconceptions make stereotypes bad. Appalachian dialect is a stereotype but Appalachia is not the only region with a prominent dialect.
With a dialect or with out a dialect students still have distinct learning styles that have to be addressed. Teachers will have to be aware of dialect and how his ir her students react to learning "standard English." For example I am visual and auditory; I have to hear it being spoken and see how it is written.
If teachers do not use a wide variety of methods to teach "standard English" students may turn from the desire to learn the concept. Students may also be under the impression that they already speak/write in "Standard English." 
Students should be encouraged to embrace his or her culture. Some teachers may try and void students of his or her culture in a school setting and this seems hindering to me. we are all different no matter how similar we are. Those with cultures very different from the norm of the area should be even more encouraged to share his or her culture with others.
Students could research his or her culture and use their new skills to create a more formal presentation about it. This could teach children to embrace their culture while embracing new skills. Students could present their finding to the class to show how different we all really are from one another. 
Teachers should know his or her own background and show true interest in all cultures.
The more knowledge students have about our world the more children will learn to be open minded citizens in our ever changing society.
Students can learn from each other. Some students are actually more receptive to learning from his or her peers.
When teachers group students in learning groups he or she can work closer to students and hear opinions in a smaller setting. Students may open up more to others in a smaller setting.
Student perspective should be heard and discussed. Students all have thoughts about subjects and this should be embraced. Classmates can talk and discuss issues but there needs to be rules and boundaries to discussion.
Students can also write about their perspectives and share perspectives if they wish.
Students need to learn to be listeners. Teachers could do listening activities and listening sessions.
Teachers could do lessons on listening skills.
Literacy instruction in the elementary/middle school consisted of basil readers, weekly readers, worksheets, story writing (stories were corrected completely when handed back and a final copy rewritten using the teacher's corrections.) This is all we really did that I remember until we began the Accelerated Reader program. This consisted of reading a book on our "level" and testing for points and if we did not reach our point goal we were given a bad grade that in no way reflected our abilities.

I found the website: http://knowledgeloom.org/practices3.jsp?location=1&bpinterid=1110&spotlightid=1110 . This site explain Culturally Responsive Teaching and thing that teachers should be aware of when teaching in this manner.

Works Cited:
Epstein, P., Herring- Harris, L. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655

Culturally responsive teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://knowledgeloom.org/practices3.jsp?location=1&bpinterid=1110&spotlightid=1110

Photo Story Assignment

Photo Story Amber King

Poem for Photostory

I am from Coca-Cola decorations, from Valley High school Friday nights, and singing lessons.
I am from the big white house with columns on the porch that always smells like autumn.
I am from the tiger lilly flowers at Nan and Pap's, and the best friend I've known all my life.
I am from Christmas Eve and dark brown eyes, from Nita and Rob. The Trader's and the King's.
I am from two silly brothers and an adorable niece.
From small town values and many laughs.
I am from a small church of 15 people, Brother Gary and Sister Darlene.
I'm from Wetzel County with an English, German, Irish and American Indian heritage; Alabama biscuits and homemade noodles.
From the time Brady chased a flamingo at Six Flags, to Uncle Allen's Christmas shirt collection, all of Grandma Barbara's elections, and the day Marc proposed.
I am from trips to the mountains, rock candy suckers, swimming pools, family get togethers, and my nieces smiles.
I am from ghost hunting with friends, trips to the mall, and sitting on the front porch with Pap.