Hello, everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed the thoughtful, reflective discussions today. You are an insightful group of aspiring teachers who will do well in your new careers. As a reminder, please also remember to respond thoughtfully to the metaphors of three or more of your peers (also before Wednesday).
COMMUNITY CONNECTION BIBLIOGRAPHY POSTS
First, remember to give a bit of background about what you were thinking about, wondering, questioning that has brought you to the topic you want to research. Then list each bibliography separately in APA format followed by no more than two sentences that summarize the content of the article and help us to see the thread of connection to your original question/idea/puzzle of practice. Below is a sample entry from last year to help you get started. Not the exact same format I requested of you, but gets at the same idea.
#1
Cleaver, S. (2009, September). Simple steps to a peaceful classroom: Why social and emotional learning has to come first. Scholastic | Instructor magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754088
This article is about creating peaceful classrooms, schools, and districts by implementing social-emotional learning (SEL). Compared to previous decades, more kids are growing up in single-parent or dual-working-parent homes. SEL programs deal with teaching respect and help kids to deal with the world around them. As a teacher my "puzzle of practice" is reflecting on the causes and roots of an issue instead of just looking at why a kid is acting out. SEL programs could help in a variety of classrooms.
#2
Flannery, M. E. (2010, May). Building a better school: How do you close the achievement gaps? National Education Association | NEA. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.nea.org/home/38962.htm
This article is about increasing academic achievement and graduation rates by a combination of academic programs, parental involvement, and professional development. This school is getting the students and community involved by having events such as "Hispanic Family Night" and having a group where the kids go to the elementary school down the road and tutor or down to the food pantry to help the hungry. This fits into my "puzzle of practice" by helping me to understand that it is not always about the content we teach, but how we teach it. Teaching kids the skills that will help them to make better moral and ethical choices as adults - making them productive members of society.
I chose these two articles because the first one gives a current description as to what is happening with enrollment in schools throughout Colorado. I wonder how this is going to effect school districts in Colorado and the financial crisis schools are facing? I look forward to reading more about this.
ReplyDeleteI chose the second article because it discussed the importance of communication between educators, administration, parents and the community. This article also provides tips about ways to communicate for both general education teachers and special education teachers.
#1
Moore, R. (2011, January 20). Douglas County schools breaks enrollment record. Highlands Ranch Herald, p. 2.
This newspaper article discusses the enrollment growth for the Douglas County School District during the 2010-2011 school year. According to the Colorado Department of Education, across the state, schools have seen student enrollment rise by almost 11,000 students. The Douglas County Schools District still remains the third largest school district in Colorado.
#2
Lavoie, R (2008). The teacher’s role in home/school communication: Everybody wins. LDOnline. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/28021
This article by Rick Lavoie talks about what successful schools are doing to improve communication between parents; which in the long run helps students academically. The author also explains when a school and it’s staff makes parents and volunteers feel welcome there are less conflicts, and thus the community is more supportive of their home school.
As methods for communication become increasingly effective and efficient, the benefits of such show tremendous promise for elementary and secondary education. The two articles I chose concern communications within educational environments. Specifically, my interest involves discovering what techniques are being used to improve student achievement. The first article addresses teacher/parent communications, while the second article focuses on administrative communications with alumni to enhance existing student classroom experiences.
ReplyDeleteArticle #1
Unal, Z. (2008). Going the extra step for parental involvement: Connecting family
and school with the power of teacher websites. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 5(6), 43-50.
This article discussed the improvements in communication between parents and teachers using Internet-based websites. Importantly, the article emphasizes three primary improvements regarding a teacher website: (1) provides an additional form of communication; (2) increases opportunities for parental in-class involvement; and (3) enhances and enlarges collaboration, sharing, and participating outside of the classroom between parents and their children.
Article #2
McCrea, B. (2010). It goes both ways [Electronic Version]. T.H.E Journal, 37(4), 1-5.
This article identified the methods used by a particular school district to integrate the latest technologies for improving communications between their school(s) and alumni. By maintaining and monitoring an alumni website, the district was able to communicate and later invite former successful students back into the classroom to share their stories, experiences, and wisdom with current students.
Student teaching in a diverse, urban secondary school led me to question, “why does there seem to be a lack of parental involvement and how can I communicate better with my students’ parents?”
ReplyDelete1.
Young, M. D. (1996). Understanding family involvement in secondary schools: Lessons learned from Texas borderland schools. Retrieved January 23, 2011 from EBSCOhost database.
The author reviews the reasons why parental involvement decreases after elementary school. She discusses the many benefits to having parents involved at their child’s middle or high school. Young (1996) also provides seven best practices for building relationships between parents and schools, emphasizing how schools and Mexican-American parents of limited or non- English speaking background can develop strong relationships.
2.
Pate, P. E., & Andrews, P. G. (2006). Research summary: Parent involvement. Retrieved January 25, 2011 from http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ResearchSummaries/ParentInvolvement/tabid/274/Default.aspx.
The article from the National Middle School Association (NMSA) summarizes the research on parent involvement. The article defines parent involvement, introduces Joyce Epstein’s research findings and the framework she developed that defines six types of parent involvement. The article also notes Fan and Chen’s (2001) research studies. Pate and Andrews (2006) also list the outcomes of parent involvement and recommendations for improving parent involvement.
As an Early Childhood Special Educator, my "puzzle of practice" is to reflect on what skills are most beneficial to teach to young children to promote thier academic achievement in hopes of narrowing the acheivement gap. With that, research has indicated that positive social skills are key indicators of academic success.
ReplyDeleteArticle 1:
Steedley, K., Schwartz, A., Levin, M., and Luke, S. (2008). Social Skills and Academic Achievement. Retrieved on January 23, 2011, from http://www.nichcy.org/Research/EvidenceforEducation/Documents/NICHCY_EE_Social_Skills.pdf.
This article provides insight into what social skills are, what research has to say in relation to teaching social skills. It provides examples of social skills curricula such as Skillstreaming and Social Stories and offers best uses for each of these curriculums.
Article 2:
Fox, L. and Lentini, R. (2006, November). "You Got It!" Teaching Social and Emotional Skills. Retrieved January 23, 2011, from http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200611/pdf/BTJFoxLentini.pdf.
This article breaks down the process of teaching social skills through three stages: acquistion, fluency, and maintenance and generalization and how each stage of learning will look and ways to implement each stage of teaching a social skill.
I was fortunate to student teach in a community that I have lived in close proximity to for many years. Over the course of more than twenty years, I have watched the community change. As I reflect on my student teaching experience, two issues seem to surface. The first is the notion of “white flight.” The impetus for choosing my first article was to gain an understanding of why demographics shift over the course of time and what does it mean for the education and future for the students who remain. In light of the fact that I am a White teacher, I chose the second article to gain insight into what I need to do to reach the students who are Black.
ReplyDeleteZhang, H. (2008). White Flight in the Context of Education: Evidence from South Carolina. Journal of Geography , 236-245.
Zhang’s article focuses on the reality of “white flight” in South Carolina. He tracks enrollment in poor-performing, inner-city schools and considers the motivations of white parents who relocate their children to higher performing predominantly white schools. He concludes that “white flight” continues and that white parents are more likely to relocate based on the quality of the public schools in their area. This article has provided me with a better understanding of the phenomena of “white flight” and I do believe that this is an important undercurrent to recognize in the community. While I cannot eradicate it on my own, as a teacher I must be conscious of what is going on and why it is happening.
Douglas, B.;Lewis, C.;Douglas, A.; Scott, M.;Garrison-Wade,D;. (2008). The Impact of White Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis. Educational Foundations , 47-62.
Douglas, et al. conducted research into the perception of Black students for their White teachers. Through the course of the study, the researchers confirmed that African American students often do not feel respected and understood by their Caucasian teachers. They conclude by providing insight into the importance of showing respect for Black culture, holding students of color to the same expectations and their White counterparts and recognition of the teacher’s personal frame of reference. They repeatedly point out that all too often, White teachers approach Black students with a “deficit model” and expect that because they are African American they are lacking in some area. This article reminds me that I must honor the culture of each my students and that with the appropriate level of expectation and sensitivity, I may be able to reach across the racial divide to cause all of my students to achieve.
While my class was not diverse in ethnicity, it was diverse in learning styles and abilities. As a result I have been reflecting on the RTI students. Are we servicing this group effectively, especially the "life-time" members? I am reviewing the long-term implications for students that do not meet grade level expectations in literacy. In addition, I am intently looking into the successes and challenges of RTI.
ReplyDeleteReference 1
Sweet, R.W. (2004). The big picture: Where we are nationally on the reading front and how we got here. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 13 - 44). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Dr. G. Reid Lyon was largely responsible for the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development's (NICHD) pursuit of scientifically sound reading research. Specifically on page 39, Dr. Lyon describes illiteracy in the United States as a "dire" public health concern. He cites several eye-opening statistic including, "Surveys of adolescents and young adults with criminal records indicate that at least half have reading difficulties."
Reference 2
Kerins, M.R., Trotter, D., & Schoenbrodt, L. (2010, October). Effects of a Tier 2 intervention on literacy measures: Lessons learned. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 26, 287-302. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from the ERIC database. (ERIC Accession No. EJ899065)
Kerins, Trotter, and Schoenbrodt share a highly interesting case study involving first grade students with below average reading skills. Half of the students received classroom only instruction (Tier 1); the other half received the classroom instruction plus formal intervention from a speech-language pathologist and a special education teacher (Tier 2). While both groups improved, no significant differences could be documented. It is interesting to note that the classroom teacher used the Houghton-Mifflin reading program.
My puzzle of practice is regarding parent participation. Because Gold Rush Elementary has increasing class sizes and a large amount of parental involvement, it seems that attention should be given to utilizing those parents to the fullest extent possible. How does a teacher do this? How do they reach out to those who have not showed an interest in being involved in the school?
ReplyDeleteShalaway, L. (1994, July). The do’s and don’ts of using parent volunteers. Instructor, 104(1), 78-81.
This article describes how to obtain, utilize, and manage parent volunteers in the classroom. It also provides information on what not to do with parent helpers. It is easy to read and a handy reference to have when setting up a classroom volunteer system.
What research says about parent involvement in children’s education: In relation to academic achievement [Fact sheet]. (2001). Retrieved from Michigan Department of Education website: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/
This is a fact sheet from the Michigan DOE with relevant statistics linking parental involvement and student achievement. The reference also lists factors of parental involvement, obstacles to parent involvement, and Epstein’s framework of 6 types of involvement.
In order to be prepared for teaching in multicultural communities, I need to be prepared to work effectively with the diverse families of my students. I need to be able to successfully address issues in family involvement that I am likely to encounter. I believe that cultural and community awareness in education will always be an ongoing learning challenge. The following articles review strategies for educating our diverse communities.
ReplyDeleteAnderson-Butcher, D., Lawson, H. A., Iachini, A., Flaspohler, P., Bean, J., & Wade-Mdivanian, R. (2010, July). Emergent evidence in support of a community collaboration model for school improvement. Children & Schools, 32(3), 160-171.
This article gathers findings of studying six pilot school’s implementation of a community collaboration model for school improvement. This article provides the analysis of the partnership that is needed between the communities and educational professionals for positive school environment in a diverse population.
McCaleb, S. P. (1998, Spring). Connecting preservice teacher education to dierse communities: A focus on family literacy. Theory Into Practice, 37(2), 148-154.
The New College of California Campus in San Francisco’s Mission District prepares preservice teachers to work with diverse populations and teach strategies to effectively educate students in the area. This article explains the program and what is gained by studying the candidates over the course of a year. Although this article is slightly dated, the information gathered is worth noting.
As I reflect back on my student teaching experience and artifacts that I have collected, what strikes me most is the missing or invisible Spanish-speaking, Hispanic families in both the larger Littleton community and the community at Field Elementary. The Spanish-speaking, Hispanic population is the majority group in several neighborhoods in Littleton as well as the majority group in two elementary schools within the Littleton School District. However, the Spanish-speaking, Hispanic families were absent from a large community event and are not usually present in the classroom as volunteers. How and why does this happen? Why would such a large group of people be absent or even silent in the community in which they live and their children go to school?
ReplyDeleteSmith, J., Stern, K., & Shatrova, Z. (2008). Factors Inhibiting Hispanic Parents' School Involvement. The Rural Educator, 29(2), 8-13.
This article is about the barriers that the growing Hispanic population face within their children's schools. Recommendations, for teachers and schools, are provided so action can be taken to dissolve such obastacles.
Aguirre, J. (1998). Pio Pico: Breaking the Culture of Silence. (ERIC Reproduction Service No. ED419 884).
This study looked at Pio Pico, an elementary school in California, in which the majority of families are Hispanic, Spanish-speaking and live in poverty. The study showed how the principal of Pio Pico empowered faculty, parents, and students, which created an increase in family involvement within the school and a united involvement in the community.
I chose these two articles because they deal with the issues of entitlement and the perspectives communities have with regard to the amount of influence and control their tax dollars enable them to have inside the classroom. This is particularly evident in the upper-middle class culture of Douglas County. My puzzle of practice is how to provide quality teaching to my students while dealing with the constant pressures of the community, being open-minded enough to accept valid viewpoints while filtering out the arguments based solely on ego. Where does a teacher draw the line?
ReplyDeleteChase, E. (2006, October). Pecking order: parent pressure Is eclipsing teacher control [Editorial]. Technology in Action: Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pecking-order
This editorial touches on the problem of parental control in the classroom. A growing trend in certain cultures where parents believe they know what’s best for their child and their ideas should be taken as a universal truth. Teachers are under huge pressures to deal with these outside forces, seemingly without assistance from the educational system.
Williamson, R. (2010, May 11). Douglas County Schools seek savings amid Colorado budget crunch, ‘Tabor’. The Bond Wire. Retrieved from http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/119_338/douglas_county_school_district_go_bonds-1011937-1.html
This article defines how Douglas County rejected their school bond issue for the first time in 19 years. This is a telling sign as to the trend of schools and teachers losing more control in determining what and how to teach their students. Being strapped for funding and needing the community to supplement this funding through other means may shift more of the balance of power toward the surround culture and away from the educators.