1. Diversity in Schooling
1.1. Diverse Learners
1.1.1. English Second Language (ESL)
1.1.1.1. Hettie Roessingh talks about this issue on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Alberta/The+Homestretch/ID/2384080200/
1.1.1.2. They are at a disadvantage before they even begin school. 1800 words is expected for beginning school (these are mother talk words). 8000 words are expected to graduate.
1.1.2. Symbols in learning. Students learn in different ways. Literacy opens a window to new things. Video (Literacy: A World to Discover): http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/literacy/videos.aspx
1.1.3. Some students aren't as quick as others, teachers should allow students time to think about questions and not pressure them.
2. Teaching
2.1. What does good teaching look like? More informal, don't put students on the spot.
2.2. What scaffolds can I provide to better the students. This relates to zone of proximal development (ZPD)
2.3. "Don't just teach kids how to count, teach them what counts most."
2.4. Try using different methods of teaching. Use what some people may call a deficit as an asset.
2.5. Never use gifted kids to help struggling students.
2.6. I thought the idea of teaching in the bed of a truck was very interesting, same with the boats.
2.7. The best teachers are storytellers.
2.8. Teachers should try to provide "hooks" for new learning. Then you can build/hang new knowledge off of these.
2.9. Teachers should also figure out students prior knowledge. In a constructivist theory teachers can figure out students prior knowledge and then: approach activities differently and assess differently.
2.10. 1. School curricula subsume different types of learning that call for different types of teaching, and so no single teaching method (e.g. direct instruction, social construction of meaning) can be the method of choice for all occasions. An optimal programme will feature a mixture of instructional methods and learning activities. 2. Students’ instructional needs change as their expertise develops. 3. Students should learn at high levels of mastery yet progress through the curriculum steadily. (Teaching, pg. 6)
2.11. (Teaching, pg. 6)
2.12. Teachers who approach management as a process of establishing an effective learning environment tend to be more successful than teachers who emphasize their roles as disciplinarians. (Teaching, pg. 10)
2.13. Successful teachers are clear and consistent in articulating their expectations. (Teaching, pg. 11)
2.14. Before beginning any lesson or activity, the teacher should ensure that students know what they will be learning and why it is important for them to learn it. (Teaching, pg. 15)
2.15. Ensure that each step is mastered before moving to the next; finishes with a review of main points, stressing general integrative concepts; and follows up with questions or assignments. (Teaching, pg. 18)
2.16. Engage students in activities or assignments that provide them with opportunities to practise or apply what they are learning. (Teaching, pg. 21)
2.17. The principle of teaching within the students’ zones of proximal development implies that students will need explanation, modelling, coaching and other forms of assistance from their teachers, but also that this teacher structuring and scaffolding will be faded as the students’ expertise develops. (Teaching, pg. 23)
2.18. Co-operative learning promotes affective and social benefits such as increased student interest in and valuing of subject matter, and increases in positive attitudes and social interactions among students who differ in gender, race, ethnicity, achievement levels and other characteristics. (Teaching, pg. 27). Talking in pairs or small groups also lets shy students feel more comfortable.
2.19. Assessment
2.19.1. Good assessment includes data from many sources. (Teaching, pg. 29)
2.19.2. Assessment should be treated as an ongoing and integral part of each instructional unit. (Teaching, pg. 30)
3. Learning
3.1. Universal Design of Learning (UDL)
3.1.1. Flexible for a diverse range of students. Encourages students engagement by limiting barriers and making information accessible to all.
3.1.2. UDL may be impossible in some settings due to class size, teacher skills, money, expertise, and other factors.
3.2. Teach the child, not just the curriculum.
3.3. Teach kids to be self-advocates - someone who supports themselves. They understand their unique learning needs and ask for help. Kids must learn to not be afraid to ask for help.
3.4. Students learn what they care about, from people they care about and who, they know, care about them.” ~ Barbara Harrell Carson
3.5. Teach students to gather, synthesize, collaborate, work, validate, and communicate information, not just memorize facts.
4. Poverty
4.1. Book: Money Hungry by Sharon Flake
4.2. Some kids are too hungry to concentrate in school, breakfast programs offer them a meal so they can concentrate on what matters.
4.3. Poverty: the degree to which an individual does without resources
4.4. 8 types of poverty as described in notes in Sept 20 (some you wouldn't normally think to be poverty).
5. Culture in Education
5.1. “Definitions [of the concept, culture] may fail, but culture comes alive in concrete descriptions of events, social inter- actions, and classroom behaviors, much like a romantic novel brings us closer to the experience of love.” ~ Stolp & Smith (1995)
5.2. What does culture look like? It depends on the school.Teachers should appreciate other cultures and accept them, maybe even include them in the classroomhttp. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPvNqJ0Ne60
5.3. “Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning” ~ Ladson-Billings,1994)
5.4. For Geertz, culture represents a “historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols.” (Transforming School Culture, pg. 12)
5.5. We define school culture as historically transmitted patterns of meaning that include the norms, values, beliefs, traditions, and myths understood, maybe in varying degrees, by members of the school community. (Transforming School Culture, pg. 13)
5.6. “Structure should not be used to change organizational performance and effectiveness. It should be vice versa—focus on the culture of excellence and the structures will evolve to support that culture.” (Transforming School Culture, pg. 14)
5.7. Climate
5.7.1. School climate is “what it feels like to spend time in a social system—the weather in that region of social space.” (Transforming School Culture, pg. 11)
5.7.2. Climate is the term typically used to describe people’s shared perceptions of the organization or work unit. (Transforming School Culture, pg. 15)
5.7.3. Climate defines people’s shared perceptions of an environment, and culture captures a deeper meaning embedded in the history of that environment. (Transforming School Culture, pg. 20)