Teacher Evaluation

I would like to start out by saying I could never be effective at evaluating teachers by using the rubric method.  It seems as though every standard is actually made up of three or four standards, so I had no idea if they passed or failed.  However, I did think the UMF designed rubric would be more effective, since it did break up the standards and allowed each of them to be evaluated differently.  I know that I’ll feel better in the field knowing that this more effective rubric exists.

                We also talked about the importance of self-reflection.  This aspect of evaluation is the most important piece for me.  It just doesn’t seem to make much sense to label a teacher as a failure without telling them why or consider ways of improving their lessons.  The face-to-face conversation needs to happen in order to fully justify the evaluation process.  This conversation could also lead the teacher to discovering new ideas on how to improve their lessons.

                Tyler pointed out a piece of observations that is equal parts frightening and upsetting.  He told us that most observations last for 15 minutes or less.  This doesn’t seem like enough time to fully evaluate a teacher.  It seems wrong to judge a teacher based on about a third of their lesson, when you have no idea what is taking place in the other two thirds.  This statistic allowed me to self-reflect on the fact that my group had harshly judged the instructor in the video based on two minutes of footage.

Classroom Environment

The organization of my classroom will be heavily impacted by my philosophy.  Since I have such a big emphasis on class discussion, the layout of desks will be in a U-shape.  In most cases, I plan on being inside the U in order to act as a facilitator.  I also want to make sure my classroom has an appropriate amount of books and shelves. 

                The motivation factor of my classroom will really come into play in two ways.  First, I hope that I will generate motivation by becoming closely connected to my students.  Also, I want my students to be able to effectively motivate themselves.

                The content of my classroom will be based mainly on class discussions.  This way, students will get the chance to ask questions and expand on their understanding.  I also hope that I will get the opportunity to incorporate films into my curriculum.  Movies tend to really grab the attention of students and cause them to think about a topic in a new way.

                The assessments that I will use in my classroom will almost entirely consist of project based learning and service learning.  I really love the idea of having students go out and research an issue that interests them.  It would be even more beneficial if they could actually help whatever cause they want.

                I hope that the emphasis on choice and sharing ideas will generate a positive classroom climate.  A lot of government and civics classes are focused on political issues, so it is also important that I just listen to student arguments rather than choosing a side.

                The learning focus of my classroom will really be on creating leaders and preparing my students for the future.  This will mean that a big part of my class will be oriented to topics that my students want to cover. 

                I’m not a huge fan of technology integration, but I do see how it is becoming more necessary in the classroom.  Personally, I prefer simplified assignments that students can hand-in and get feedback quickly on, over assignments submitted electronically that may not even send properly.

                My leadership style will properly be very similar to Joel’s style in Teach.  I think that the strongest attribute I have is my own ability to connect with students, so I want to use that as much as possible.  Also, I’m not a big believer in detentions, so I may adopt a style that is similar to Discipline With Dignity for my classroom.

Mass Customized Learning.

                As cool as Mass Customized Learning is, I can’t help but think about some of the big flaws in it.  As someone who is not skilled at all with technology, I think it would be difficult for me to adapt to this new approach to teaching.  Dan pointed out a flaw with the use of iPads in the presentation.  Basically, there are a series of steps that have to be followed in order to submit anything.  Part of my teaching philosophy is that students should receive feedback as quickly as possible, and this technology would make that more difficult.

                I continually make a connection between MCL and the Authentic Curriculum in my head.  In both cases, I don’t like everything.  However, both models highlight the use of project based learning.  I am a firm believer in project based learning, and would love to be able to make a curriculum focused on one big goal.  The unit suggested by the Social Studies concentration students didn’t really incorporate that much technology, but I could see myself teaching it.

                If I could take the idea of the project based unit without the emphasis on technology, then I would do that.  As pointed out by Katie, the emphasis on technology isolates the students.  I have a vision for my classes that involves class discussions and sharing many ideas regarding the content; having a teacher act as a facilitator doesn’t put them to good enough use.  It would be like hiring an experienced guide to climb a mountain, and then searching for your own route.

Teach

From a philosophical standpoint, I think Matt captured my thoughts.  At one point in Teach, he said that if there isn’t a good foundation, there’s nothing to build one.  This captures the focus of why I believe so strongly in essentialism.  Students have to have some general knowledge in certain subjects before they can build on it and develop more complex ideas.  If students don’t have that basic knowledge, then it becomes significantly more difficult for us to teach them.

                Another major point in this film that caught my attention was the use of new technology and incorporation of new ideas into the classroom.  The statistics used in the film show my thoughts on this.  Similarly to the situation where students were using laptops to increase their education, I think it is effective in the short run to use new technology and concepts.  In the long run, it will be less effective.  Throughout the film, I felt myself rooting for Joel, who relied mainly on his own abilities as a lecturer.

                I also think it was important for this film to show the difficulties that arise in differentiation.  It seemed like Matt did a decent job of this by focusing his time on the students who were falling behind and having the students who were reading on grade level do independent work.  However, I don’t think this strategy would be very effective in a secondary education classroom.  I spent most of my time analyzing Joel, since he teaches the same content as me, and it seems like differentiation would be much more difficult in that environment.

Voices

The first philosopher’s beliefs that stood out to me belonged to Socrates.  Similar to Socrates, I thoroughly believe that asking the right questions can draw answers out of students.  Socrates’s theories started the movement toward students discovering answers for themselves.  Although I’m not incredibly gun hoe about students working without guidance, I do think that by leading them in a certain direction with proper questions can lead to a very positive outcome. 

                Even though Booker T. Washington’s philosophy was mainly constructed to aid in the further develop of African Americans being integrated into the education system, I think some of his ideas can be implemented into my own classroom.  I think that it is very important for all students to learn to be self-reliance by the time they graduate.  Self-reliance is a concept that essentially allows American citizens to have freedom.  Without self-reliance, students will be forced into situations where they will not be able to take care of themselves or their families.

                Even though Froebel’s ideas are mainly centered on early childhood education, I’m still a strong believe in her view of the teacher.  Part of my strong Essentialist belief is that students need to learn the fundamentals in order to effectively learn in secondary education.  Froebel’s ideas focus on teaching those fundamental ideas at a young age in order to promote growth in her students.  The idea of growth is really what fuels my teaching philosophy.  If students some into the classroom six steps behind everyone else, it will be that much more difficult for them to catch up.