MMM - Chapter 15 Synthesis

Abstract:
Chapter fifteen of focused on how to get parents involved with their students education. The chapter offered a variety of ways to get parents involved both on the internet and through tangible and personal methods. The book made it clear that not every parent is going to have access to the internet so it is important to keep them updated through different methods. Wormelli mentioned websites such as blackboard where the teacher, student, and parent can all access it in order to stay updated. The benefit of this would be for parents to be able to see what their child is working on and what they have due and they can make sure the student gets it done. Apparently this has been effective, where more students are getting their homework done. Home visits, newsletters, and index inquires were some forms of tangible and personal ways to keep in touch. If a teacher uses a variety of methods such as a website like blackboard and newsletters then a parent can choose to be involved with their child's education and these methods will encourage parents to do so.

Synthesis:
Everyone seemed to really like this chapter and thought the information provided was useful. Also everyone seemed very willing to try a variety of these different approaches.
Personal experiences were shared about the various software and websites used for all to view, and they were found to be both good and bad. It is a good way to get parents involved, but problems can arise when grades are missing. Some people did have their favorites and some leaned towards the more tangible approaches. Everyone agreed with the bottom line that teachers need to find ways to connect parents with their children. Home visits were an iffy subject, which I can see why, but it can be a good way for parents and students to see the teacher as an actual person they can talk to. Reaching out to parents is a good way to get to know the student better.

Book Talk Blog: Team 4 - Boys and Girls Learn Differently

I think that this group did a good job of delivering the information from the book. I really liked having brains with our names on it and putting them on the female and male scale for where we thought we were and then took the test to find out where we really were. I was surprised by my results and thought the test was really interesting. I think that explaining how boys and girls learn differently can be shaky grounds due to sexist issues. I appreciate that the group stated that the book was a little contraditory in itself due to the fact that everyone's thinking can go on a scale like the one we did and some people can be in between male and female thinking but then the book goes on to explain how boys and girls learn differently. I can see how that is very contradictory. The stations were fun and the rite of passage was a great idea because kids these days don't experience any kind of rite of passage and it is important for kids to feel like they are progressing in life. This presentation was definitely a thumbs up.

Meet Me in the Middle - Chapter 15: Parents as Partners in 21st Century Learning

This chapter is about how to keep in touch with students and parents as a teacher. It is important to be able to do it both electronically and personally because some conversations are better off being spoken face to face but help with homework can be just a simple e-mail away. The chapter suggests using a website such as balckboard in which we use here at UMF to connect with students and teachers. Parents are able to access it and see what their students have for homework that night and what is coming up. Apparently, this has really made a difference in students getting their homework done, because it can’t slide by their parents. The chapter offers ways to reach out personally through postcards, home visits, and newsletters. All of these are a great way to get to know both the student and the parents.

I really liked the suggestions this chapter had to offer for both the internet uses and personal uses. I never really thought of using a device such as blackboard in my classroom when I get started. But when teachers have used it in my classroom I have always found it very useful, or even a wiki. I think it is really important to have class information listed somewhere that is easy to access for teachers, students, and parents. Some of the personal approaches that I liked were the home visits, I have always thought of it a little weird having a teacher go to a student house. But teachers are people too, and if a teacher can see a student in their home environment then they have a better chance at understanding that student. I really really likes the quarterly newsletters, I think it would be great to have whatever is going on during that quarter in paper form some parents have something physical to hold on to and look at. I would be really interested in making a newsletter to send out at whatever school I start working at. The index card inquiries are a good idea as well, it’s always good to see what parents feel you need to know about their child.

Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 9: Involving Parents and Communities

This chapter stresses the importance of involving communities and parents in school. Besides the importance of children working with their parents and communities to improve and support their education, there is a political side to it as well. The community in some sense controls the education, and parents want to control their child's education to some extent as well, so it is important to get every party involved that wants to be. But besides the politics it is actually proven that parent involvement does help with student achievement because the student has their parent at their side supporting and encouraging them. Some families drift apart as a student gets older thinking it is to help their child mature, but it is alway important for student to have their parents there to guide them so the schools need to reach out to parents to prevent this from happening. The chapter offers different ways to include parents, such as simply monitoring their child's work. The community can also serve as a tool for educating middle grades students such as career education and after school programs. The extra support from parents and the community can really help a student succeed.

As Turning Points says, it’s a given that parents and the community needs to be involved in the education of the students in their area for many reasons. I really think having the support of the community and parents can really benefit a child. If a child does not have a strong family atmosphere then a teacher can either try and get these parents as involved as they possibly can in their child's education to promote family bonding and support. If parents just don’t want to then I think it is the job of the teacher to supply ample support from elsewhere to make up for the lack of family support. Any kind of support is better than none, and that is where the community can step in as well. Students can learn from going out in their community and experiencing what it’s all about, it just allows for a different way of learning and looking at things and is a sort of adventure outside the school walls.

Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 8: A Safe and Healthy School Environment

A healthy learning environment is such a vital part in education. Students need to feel safe and comfortable when at school so that they won’t be distracted when learning. Within a classroom a teacher has to be consistent with their rules and discipline so everyone knows the consequences of certain actions and there are no exceptions. It’s important to promote bonding amongst students and teachers so that everyone can work well together. Mediation and peer support groups are a good way to prevent and resolve problems within school. It is important for students to know just how important their health is at this age. A school can play a big role in helping to promote and build healthy lifestyles.

I am a very strong believer in creating a very healthy and safe environment for all students. Based on my personal experiences in high school I think in order for a student to be able to focus in school any negativity needs to be removed. Teachers need to show their students that they are someone they can trust and turn to when things get rough. I envision a school where bullying is non existent and the whole school is happy and works together as a team. I know this isn’t all that realistic. I just think that teachers can really make a big difference in their students experiences in school. You need to help students to form bonds they would be unlikely to do outside of school. When everyone can get along in a classroom it can be a very powerful thing.

Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 4: Designing Instruction to Improve Teaching and Learning

This chapter on designing instruction to improve teaching a learning first mentions the backward design model that we have all become so familiar with. Learning should start with what exactly you want students to gain from what you are learning and go from there. Instruction needs to coincide with other aspects of teaching like the curriculum and assessment. The chapter discusses tracking, which is now being put on the back burner. Instruction can take place without tracking students and grouping them into categories, it can take place by making little tweaks here in there in the instruction for every individual student. As teachers we are not taught to teach to one specific category of kids, we need to reach out to all students. The chapter mentions differentiated instruction, which can be really effective when carried out properly by both teachers and students. Also technology is a form of instruction in todays world and we have to learn to adapt to it and use it in our classrooms.

This chapter was more of a refresher than anything. There are so many different aspects of teaching, but they all become intermingled in order to create a well balanced and organized learning experience for all students. I believe that instruction is the biggest aspect of teaching that needs to be tailored to each individual student because is the part in teaching where you have the most freedom. This is where teachers get the chance to tailor their teaching to get through to all students. I think it is so important to create instruction for students that everyone can understand. I do not believe in tracking, I think it labels students and causes more problems than answers. If all teachers can create instruction to reach individual students then there is no need for tracking. Every student is going to be different whether they are gifted in a subject or have some sort of learning disability. Every one learns differently because everyone is different and that is the biggest thing to remember when providing instruction.