One specific
way in which my content research has caused me to shift my thinking is in the
way I view reading in general. I
started out with very specific questions about one or two aspects of
reading. Throughout my research, I
have broadened the scope of what I want to know to guide my project and have
opened up my questions to figure out what reading is. I have looked into brain research about on brain functioning
while reading, the history of literacy in our country and throughout the
history of mankind, and what essential elements of reading are important when
first learning to read. This
research has really opened some new doors for me in terms of how I will
approach teaching reading and that is making me really excited about starting
the capstone.
I
think the California Common Core standards (CCCS) fit into the school reform
narrative because they are a new means of school reform. From what I know about CCCS, the
standards differ from NCLB because they go more into depth of knowledge as
opposed to a breadth of knowledge.
CCCS opts for more collaboration among students and places an emphasis
on scientific thinking and mathematical reasoning as opposed to knowing
formulas or procedures; it appears to take a more constructivist route. Of course, there is still a form of
assessment, but the assessments are only for grades 3-5 and seem to be a more
demonstrative form of assessment where a student’s knowledge is measured on
more than one element. They have
to do and show multiple step thinking and give a final answer rather than
filling in the best bubble. CCCS may
just be another swing of the pendulum, but it really does seem to have more
emphasis on learning than testing.
Ravitch’s
research on teacher unions seems to support them. She presented information about why teachers unions came
about (to help women keep their jobs after marrying/ having children) and that
corporations that want to reform schools tend to be the biggest union
opponents. She spends most of the
chapter talking about the ineffectiveness of measuring “teacher effectiveness”
according to testing and it seems as though she believes that teachers need a
say in what goes on in their classrooms.
I
believe unions are important. I’m
not super knowledgeable about what teachers unions do, but I had a discussion
with my mother (who taught in California public schools for 20+ years) about
what unions do. She told me that
unions are mostly responsible for negotiations in teacher contracts, which set
guidelines for prep time, health benefits, how many hours of contact with
students, etc. She also said that
during these negotiations with the school district, there is a back and forth
where the district and the teachers compromise and come to an agreement based
on each other’s demands. Simply
put, if the union asks for something then the district asks the teachers to
sacrifice something in return and vice versa. Also, teachers unions help provide teachers with legal
defense if there are legal issues regarding the workplace. I think Ravitch could have included
more information about the purposes of unions and a little more history. I think she explored too much of how
teachers are evaluated and didn’t go enough into the function of a teacher's union.Responded to:
1. Zane Miller
2. Sarah Wilkerson
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