Comments on: Educational Issues and Curriculum http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/ Concordia University Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:05:57 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: claudine day http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-56 claudine day Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:09:02 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-56 Joe, I cannot agree with you more! Through our curriculum roadmapping they are pushing that ALL kindergarten teachers be doing the same thing and ALL classrooms should look the same. I am not a cookie cutter and NEVER will be. I have always been noted for my creativity and imagination in the classroom. The last thing I am going to do is start to CONFORM to what everyone else is doing. How does that even make me a good teacher??? I don't follow anyones lead and never will! So there! Joe,
I cannot agree with you more! Through our curriculum roadmapping they are pushing that ALL kindergarten teachers be doing the same thing and ALL classrooms should look the same. I am not a cookie cutter and NEVER will be. I have always been noted for my creativity and imagination in the classroom. The last thing I am going to do is start to CONFORM to what everyone else is doing. How does that even make me a good teacher??? I don’t follow anyones lead and never will! So there!

]]> By: Joe Soss http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Joe Soss Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:57:07 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-32 Incorporating strategies and skills that all students should be able to learn are noteworthy goals. however, it seems to me that some school districts are manipulating the concept of curriculum to create a robot workforce that will be teaching the same exact lessons at the same time everywhere in the district. Conformity can be beneficial but also dangerous to the teachers individual creativity. Incorporating strategies and skills that all students should be able to learn are noteworthy goals. however, it seems to me that some school districts are manipulating the concept of curriculum to create a robot workforce that will be teaching the same exact lessons at the same time everywhere in the district. Conformity can be beneficial but also dangerous to the teachers individual creativity.

]]> By: Laura Anderson http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Laura Anderson Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:54:11 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-30 Issues that impact curriculum that are a priority in my school: Reading strategies - We had an inservice about "Strategies that Work" All disciplines are to integrate this into teaching. For our institute day tomorrow, each discipline is presenting an example of how a strategy is used with the content. We have also been asked to use these strategies in conjuction with peer observations. Overcrowding- This impacts curriculum in that we have many teachers on carts and room sharing. This makes it more difficult to do some of the more creative and spontaneous lessons. Materials are not always handy, need to plan ahead to make sure everything is on the cart or out of the room if you need to leave to lesson plan, etc... Professional Learning Communities- Each week we have grade level meetings by discipline. Every other week we meet across grade level. We have been able to have discussions about specific concepts and the way they are taught in each grade level. MAP testing- These tests are designed to help inform teaching. There is immediate feedback as to how are students did and in which areas they may be defecient. It also ties up all the computers in the building for 2 full weeks each testing cycle. This is an impact for curriculum that is technology related. Issues that impact curriculum that are a priority in my school:
Reading strategies – We had an inservice about “Strategies that Work” All disciplines are to integrate this into teaching. For our institute day tomorrow, each discipline is presenting an example of how a strategy is used with the content. We have also been asked to use these strategies in conjuction with peer observations.
Overcrowding- This impacts curriculum in that we have many teachers on carts and room sharing. This makes it more difficult to do some of the more creative and spontaneous lessons. Materials are not always handy, need to plan ahead to make sure everything is on the cart or out of the room if you need to leave to lesson plan, etc…
Professional Learning Communities- Each week we have grade level meetings by discipline. Every other week we meet across grade level. We have been able to have discussions about specific concepts and the way they are taught in each grade level.
MAP testing- These tests are designed to help inform teaching. There is immediate feedback as to how are students did and in which areas they may be defecient. It also ties up all the computers in the building for 2 full weeks each testing cycle. This is an impact for curriculum that is technology related.

]]> By: Becki Micheletti http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Becki Micheletti Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:51:43 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-26 The four issues that appear to be priority of our school would be: map testing, which we discussed today at a faculty meeting. Peer reviews and mentoring, which all first and second year teachers in the district are required to be part of (which I finished last night! Yippee! Guided Reading, where 3rd and 4th grade teachers are being "encouraged" to participate in gradually (whatever that means). Do they really have to put "new" teachers through such "a waste of a time?" The four issues that appear to be priority of our school would be: map testing, which we discussed today at a faculty meeting. Peer reviews and mentoring, which all first and second year teachers in the district are required to be part of (which I finished last night! Yippee! Guided Reading, where 3rd and 4th grade teachers are being “encouraged” to participate in gradually (whatever that means). Do they really have to put “new” teachers through such “a waste of a time?”

]]> By: Monica Nawrocki http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-25 Monica Nawrocki Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:49:42 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-25 Common assessment, testing, and NCLB are all issues that are arising in my school. Common assessment and testing seem to be the biggest concerns. Our school is mostly focusing on developing a curriculum that is the same across all the schools in the district and a curriculum that also teaches students strategies for taking major tests such as the ACT. They don't want us to necessarily change the content but to incorporate strategies that they will need to do well on those tests. This is especially true in the science part of the ACT. The science ACT sections does not test students knowledge about science but their ability to intrepret and analyze data presented to them. Common assessment, testing, and NCLB are all issues that are arising in my school. Common assessment and testing seem to be the biggest concerns. Our school is mostly focusing on developing a curriculum that is the same across all the schools in the district and a curriculum that also teaches students strategies for taking major tests such as the ACT. They don’t want us to necessarily change the content but to incorporate strategies that they will need to do well on those tests. This is especially true in the science part of the ACT. The science ACT sections does not test students knowledge about science but their ability to intrepret and analyze data presented to them.

]]> By: Dana http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Dana Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:46:05 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-22 Now that I am "with" it I am able to answer the above question. The four issues that are a priority in my school would have to be--reading strategies, block scheduling, reading across the curriculum, and the Illinois State Standards. Now that I am “with” it I am able to answer the above question. The four issues that are a priority in my school would have to be–reading strategies, block scheduling, reading across the curriculum, and the Illinois State Standards.

]]> By: Tim Kramer http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Tim Kramer Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:43:27 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-20 ... is there any place where the school should draw the line when it comes to social issues? thoughts? … is there any place where the school should draw the line when it comes to social issues? thoughts?

]]> By: Cindi http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Cindi Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:38:50 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-16 Current issues effect everything in my school. Social issues impact most students on a daily basis. It is difficult to focus on an acedemic curriculum when you've had nothing to eat or you have no place to sleep. Our school has to take social issues into consideration.... Current issues effect everything in my school. Social issues impact most students on a daily basis. It is difficult to focus on an acedemic curriculum when you’ve had nothing to eat or you have no place to sleep. Our school has to take social issues into consideration….

]]> By: Julie Klawitter http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Julie Klawitter Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:34:16 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-12 ELL, technology, SIP and reading across the curriculum are all topics that are currently on the agenda at my school. They are all related to curriculum, but in slightly different ways. ELL, technology, SIP and reading across the curriculum are all topics that are currently on the agenda at my school. They are all related to curriculum, but in slightly different ways.

]]> By: Tim Kramer http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Tim Kramer Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:31:46 +0000 http://edu6500.edublogs.org/2007/01/10/educational-issues-and-curriculum/#comment-10 Dana, I think the overall goal is to try to not alienate any students. The teachers should try to deal with current events as best they can in order to deal with the constant change and hopefully these changes will help the students in the long run. It sounds, based on your previous entries, that you are doing well in your efforts to help the students you teach. Dana,

I think the overall goal is to try to not alienate any students. The teachers should try to deal with current events as best they can in order to deal with the constant change and hopefully these changes will help the students in the long run. It sounds, based on your previous entries, that you are doing well in your efforts to help the students you teach.

]]>