In response to:
http://www.edutopia.org/learning-foreign-languages-importance
In this blog post by Owen Edwards, he discusses the need for English speaking Americans to learn another language. Edwards made a statement that when you "Learn a language, you learn a people. Learn a people, and you learn about yourself." I really like this statement because making personal connections is really important for students. Students need to learn about themselves and to know themselves so that they can make good decisions and care about themselves and others. Edwards also talks about how learning foreign languages in school has become more of a focus in some states, but still does not hold the high importance of classes like math and reading. Learning another language can open many doors for careers opportunities when students finish up their college degree. Studies say that learning a foreign language is easiest for students at a young age, so it would be neat to see more schools incorporate foreign language into their curriculum.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Importance of After School Programs
This post in response to:
http://www.edutopia.org/after-school-programs-matter
After school programs such as "Liahona Youth Empowerment" are very important for our youth today because kids need a place to go after school. Not only do kids need a place to go, but they also need a place to release energy in a positive way. More and more I have been finding that students at the elementary level are not getting recess and are expected to focus their attention on lessons all day at school without any energy release. I feel that after school programs are a good way to release their energy. Also, after school programs such as health, computer, performing arts, dance, and music are all very important fields that students need more practice in. Often times, school programs focus only on math, reading, science, and social studies. Fun and interactive activities will make it so that students want to attend these helpful after school activities.
http://www.edutopia.org/after-school-programs-matter
After school programs such as "Liahona Youth Empowerment" are very important for our youth today because kids need a place to go after school. Not only do kids need a place to go, but they also need a place to release energy in a positive way. More and more I have been finding that students at the elementary level are not getting recess and are expected to focus their attention on lessons all day at school without any energy release. I feel that after school programs are a good way to release their energy. Also, after school programs such as health, computer, performing arts, dance, and music are all very important fields that students need more practice in. Often times, school programs focus only on math, reading, science, and social studies. Fun and interactive activities will make it so that students want to attend these helpful after school activities.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
NASA's New Flight System
This post in response to:
http://scienceblog.com/47029/nasa-selects-seven-firms-to-provide-near-space-flight-services/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogrssfeed+%28Science+Blog%29
Because I live in the Clear Lake area of Houston, TX, any positive news about NASA's flight program is a good thing. Much of the area in which I live is employed by NASA in one way or another and I hate hearing about all of the good people that are being let go because the flight program is no longer being funded by the U.S. government. I can't say that I support U.S. funding of the flight program, but I am happy that NASA is being able to outsource their future flights through companies located in the U.S. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the coming years when it comes to U.S. led flights into space!
http://scienceblog.com/47029/nasa-selects-seven-firms-to-provide-near-space-flight-services/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogrssfeed+%28Science+Blog%29
Because I live in the Clear Lake area of Houston, TX, any positive news about NASA's flight program is a good thing. Much of the area in which I live is employed by NASA in one way or another and I hate hearing about all of the good people that are being let go because the flight program is no longer being funded by the U.S. government. I can't say that I support U.S. funding of the flight program, but I am happy that NASA is being able to outsource their future flights through companies located in the U.S. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the coming years when it comes to U.S. led flights into space!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Beginning of School Year Lessons
In response to: "Starting the School Year Lessons."
http://www.edutopia.org/groups/social-studies/64210
In this short blog post, Brian Thomas offers four lessons to begin the school year with. Thomas has linked each one of the lesson plans which will take you to the lesson itself with directions/instructions. First lesson is a getting to know each other activity. Second is an introduction to interactive notebooks. Third is a discussion on learning styles and working with others. Lastly, Thomas gives an automated classroom procedures list to save on instructional time. All four of his short lessons are going to need to be tailored to the needs of your individual classroom. Thomas also includes a link at the bottom of this linked site to his own blog page which he adds monthly free lesson plans to. Great ideas for the first week of school.
http://www.edutopia.org/groups/social-studies/64210
In this short blog post, Brian Thomas offers four lessons to begin the school year with. Thomas has linked each one of the lesson plans which will take you to the lesson itself with directions/instructions. First lesson is a getting to know each other activity. Second is an introduction to interactive notebooks. Third is a discussion on learning styles and working with others. Lastly, Thomas gives an automated classroom procedures list to save on instructional time. All four of his short lessons are going to need to be tailored to the needs of your individual classroom. Thomas also includes a link at the bottom of this linked site to his own blog page which he adds monthly free lesson plans to. Great ideas for the first week of school.
Science of Learning
In response to: "Big Thinkers: Judy Willis on the Science of Learning."
http://www.edutopia.org/big-thinkers-judy-willis-neuroscience-learning-short-video
This short video by Judy Willis talks about her life as a neurologist and how she was increasingly being sent kids who were suspected of having learning disabilities. As part of what she did to test the students, she visited their classrooms to observe their learning. When in the classroom, Judy noticed that the students did not have learning disabilities, but their brains were either stressed or bored because of the way the teachers were teaching the lessons. Judy decided to take her knowledge of the brain and return to college to get a degree in education. From there, Judy taught second grade and was sure to teach students in a more hands on, collaborative style instead of the lecture style that she observed going on in lower elementary classrooms. Her students were successful and learned a great deal from her style of teaching.
http://www.edutopia.org/big-thinkers-judy-willis-neuroscience-learning-short-video
This short video by Judy Willis talks about her life as a neurologist and how she was increasingly being sent kids who were suspected of having learning disabilities. As part of what she did to test the students, she visited their classrooms to observe their learning. When in the classroom, Judy noticed that the students did not have learning disabilities, but their brains were either stressed or bored because of the way the teachers were teaching the lessons. Judy decided to take her knowledge of the brain and return to college to get a degree in education. From there, Judy taught second grade and was sure to teach students in a more hands on, collaborative style instead of the lecture style that she observed going on in lower elementary classrooms. Her students were successful and learned a great deal from her style of teaching.
What Makes an Effective Teacher?
In response to: "Measuring a Teacher's Effectiveness Goes Beyond Test Scores."
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-effectiveness-measuring-test-scores-elena-aguilar
In this blog post by Elena Aguilar I was happy to read that parents do care more than just test scores when it comes to evaluating what makes an effective classroom teacher. To a classroom teacher today, it seems that all that matters to administrators are the test scores of students. If the test scores in a classroom were not to the standards set by the school, then the teacher must not be doing their job. I agree with Aguilar that part of a teacher's yearly evaluation should be based on student feedback. The life lessons that teachers share with students on a daily basis are so important for kids, but are overlooked by administration and much of society because the focus is solely on test scores. Good to see that some parents care more about their child's education that just test scores.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-effectiveness-measuring-test-scores-elena-aguilar
In this blog post by Elena Aguilar I was happy to read that parents do care more than just test scores when it comes to evaluating what makes an effective classroom teacher. To a classroom teacher today, it seems that all that matters to administrators are the test scores of students. If the test scores in a classroom were not to the standards set by the school, then the teacher must not be doing their job. I agree with Aguilar that part of a teacher's yearly evaluation should be based on student feedback. The life lessons that teachers share with students on a daily basis are so important for kids, but are overlooked by administration and much of society because the focus is solely on test scores. Good to see that some parents care more about their child's education that just test scores.
What Motivates Us?
In response to: "RSA Animate - Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
In this YouTube video that was uploaded by theRSAorg., a different, new kind of motivation is described in detail. The video talks about a test that has been done on elementary students that is designed to motivate them using money as an incentive. Students were given a set of jobs to complete and depending on how well they did those jobs, they would receive a given amount of money. The better they did, the more money they would get. The video states that this type of incentive for students only works with jobs pertaining to mechanical skills such as physical labor jobs. When it came to jobs requiring cognitive thinking or creative thinking, the amount of incentive offered led to poorer performance. When the test was repeated for workers in a poor rural area in India where $50 was worth a months worth of work, the test results came out the same. The video states clearly that without PURPOSE, kids are not often willing to give their best effort even with an incentive being offered. Teachers need to do their best to ensure that there is a purpose to all of the assignments and activities that we expect students to do each day. This video was very interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
In this YouTube video that was uploaded by theRSAorg., a different, new kind of motivation is described in detail. The video talks about a test that has been done on elementary students that is designed to motivate them using money as an incentive. Students were given a set of jobs to complete and depending on how well they did those jobs, they would receive a given amount of money. The better they did, the more money they would get. The video states that this type of incentive for students only works with jobs pertaining to mechanical skills such as physical labor jobs. When it came to jobs requiring cognitive thinking or creative thinking, the amount of incentive offered led to poorer performance. When the test was repeated for workers in a poor rural area in India where $50 was worth a months worth of work, the test results came out the same. The video states clearly that without PURPOSE, kids are not often willing to give their best effort even with an incentive being offered. Teachers need to do their best to ensure that there is a purpose to all of the assignments and activities that we expect students to do each day. This video was very interesting!
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