Friday, February 13, 2004 – Tenth Class Session

Unit 3 – Guiding Standards in My Content Areas 

Design Framework:  Cooperative Learning Groups – Large Group and Content Groups

Equipment needed:  VCR, upfront chairs/Computer and Projector/ Tables session/

Materials needed: Entry poster, Agenda map, Table tents for Content Groups /Cultural Literacy test/answer sheet/Turn back Log #4 and Participation papers, Part I.

Assumptions about Learners: Most students know that they will have to take content area tests to demonstrate their expertise.  However, they probably have not been introduced yet to content standards, and certainly not the history of how they were developed.  Also, most students do not realize that they must receive a recommendation from their major departments in order to student teach.

Agenda:  Feedback on Log #4 and Participation papers/ Cultural Illiteracy video/ Literacy Quiz / Large Group discussion of reactions to J.D. Hirsch’s position/ Break / Demonstration of Standards Search / Content Area group – exploration of Benson’s Chapter 1 and application to Standards Search.

TEACHING & LEARNING STANDARDS:  Higher Order Thinking: Students manipulate information in ways that transform their meanings and implications;  Substantive Conversation: The dialogue builds coherently on participants' ideas to promote improved collective understanding of a theme or topic (which does not necessarily require an explicit summary statement).

Timeline:

Looks Like…

Sounds Like…

Multiple intelligences

8:00

Explain plan for the day—Agenda

Provide a visual map with icons of today’s work and the purposes behind activity. 

Professional Thinking—Part I

Feedback --Log #4 & Participation   

     papers

Cultural Illiteracy video

Literacy Quiz

Large Group discussion of reactions

     to J.D. Hirsch’s position

Break

Demonstration of Standards Search  Content Area group – exploration of

     Benson’s Chapter 1

Application to Standards Search

Next Steps

 

Visual

 

Verbal

 

 

 

8:05

We’ll begin with students up front in the chairs. 

 

Leslie will offer feedback on the

Participation Papers, Part I and Log #4.

 

 

I am excited to return your papers today.  As I read them over the past couple of days, I determined that it is time to move up the expectations a bit.  Let me be more specific. 

 

First, let’s take a look at your Lab Log #4, focusing on your increased awarenesses of the “developmentally appropriate” label.

 

There were 18 of you who chose to summarize your schema about adolescent learners.  Most of you made important observations of your field placement classrooms, even though you had not been there a lot.  In fact, I think there were three of you who did not mention your mentors’ approaches.  I’m not sure it this was because you hadn’t been there yet…or just missed that part of the thinking/writing assignment.

 

Please note that on the writing rubric, I include all the dimensions of the writing prompt so that I can more concretely “track” your thinking about the topic.

 

Most of you gave important examples of adolescent behaviors and why those were important to address as teachers.  The social, physical, and emotional dimensions were the ones most often cited.

 

Let’s take a look together at the writing rubric once more.  These first five weeks have been getting used to reflective writing about your experiences.  Now I want to invite you to move up in your thinking, and begin to make professional connections to your readings.  Several of you did this, and thus received an extra point over the 10 possible. 

 

For the next 10 weeks, I want to move up the professional expectations.  When you observe something, try to connect it to some “new” information that you have received in the course which increases your professional thinking.  If you use a quote, please be sure that you cite it appropriately.

 

Your participation papers.  Many of you had both positive responses to the class-created rubric as well as some observations about its limitations.  I was pleased that you were willing to trust me enough to write about both.  You have set some personal AND professional goals and have been able to identify those areas where you can stretch yourselves.  I want to be able to track these goals for each of you, so I made copies of your Part I papers.  I’m trying to figure out a quick reference process to help me remember your individual goals so that I might be able to give more helpful feedback on your efforts.  There were 21 of you who did this paper, so I need to figure out how to create partnerships among you.  If you have any good ideas, talk with me over the break—or send me an email.  I would appreciate the help.

 

Verbal

 

Visual

 

Logical

 

Naturalistic

 

Intrapersonal

 

 

 

 

 

 

8:15

Leslie will introduce the Cultural Illiteracy video tape by placing it in historical context with were we are now with Content Area standards and the “Highly Qualified Teacher.”

 

Let’s shift now to an Introduction to Unit Three – Understanding what will be expected of us as secondary teachers in terms of what we need to know and be able to do in our content areas.

 

In 1988 there was a great deal of concern nationally that American children and youth were being short changed in their education.  Let’s take a look at what the concerns were.  We’ll go back in time to a special program that was on TV.  We’ll only see a segment of the program in order to help you understand where we have come from—and why it matters!

Visual

 

Verbal

 

Logical

 

Intrapersonal

8:35

After the showing of the video have students take the cultural illiteracy test.

Let’s test our own Cultural literacy.  I’m going to pass out a test that was taken from J.D. Hirsch’s book.

 

See how you do!  You may stay where you are, or if you need more elbow room, you may move to a table.  You’ll have 10 minutes to take and then score your results.  When you are ready to score, raise your hand and we’ll bring you an answer sheet.

 

Logical

 

Verbal

8:45

Students will move into partners to react to what they have just seen or heard.

Please join with your partner now, and react to what you have just seen/heard in the video clip and what you experienced by taking the Cultural Literacy Test.

 

Visual

Verbal

Intrapesonal

Movement

8:55

Scott and Audrey will call partners back to the front desks and “capture” reactions, thoughts, concerns on the front board—perhaps in KWL format.

What exactly is cultural illiteracy? How important is it?

Based on the video and the test what observations have you made?  Why? How can we as teachers change this and better prepare our students?

What do you know about “standards for education”?  That brings us to show you how to learn about the standards.

 

Visual

Verbal

Logical

Interpersonal

 

 

Raising Questions

9:10

Audrey and Scott will demonstrate where to go to find the History of Content standards and how to find the National Standards and best advice for printing them off for both the major and minor content areas.

Beginning at the Secondary Block home page click on Unit 3.  In the left hand column you will see a link that says Historical Overview. Double click your mouse on that link. Please read about the history of standards paying special attention to the professional vocabulary.  After reading through this page you will then need to go up and click on you major and minor fields found at the top of the page. You will need to read about the history of standards pertaining to your major and minor. Now I am going to show you how to get to the National Standards for your content area. You will need to print the standards for both your major and minor for Monday. To get to the national standards click on the national standard McReal link at the bottom of the page. This will take you to the McReal homepage were you will click on your major and minor, depending on which one you are going to look at. You will have to print off both standards and bench marks in both your major and minor.

Visual

Verbal

Logical

 

 

9:30

BREAK

 

Movement

 

Interpersonal

9:40

Students will move to the back tables and convene in Base groups based on their Major areas.  They will be given instruction sheets for their discussion process based on their reading of Benson’s Chapter 1.

   

On your tables you will find a discussion guide to assist you in making meaning of Benson’s Chapter 1.

 

The three guiding questions are found in Box 1.2 on page 3.  Use your markers to practice examining standards using these questions.

 

Let’s practice using the samples of state standards in Box 1.3 on pp. 5-6.

 

Use the red highlighter to indicate what you knew when you graduated from high school—what was demanded of you?

 

Use the green highlighter to indicate some of the differences in what is expected now in your major/minor areas compared to what you learned in school.  What’s new?

 

Every time you recognize an implication for your own future classroom practice—and something you know you will need to be able to model or use with your students, use the yellow highlighter.

 

If you want to keep a clean book, feel free to take a post-it packet and use them to mark and write notes to yourself.

 

We are practicing what you will be doing with the National Standards before you come back to class on Monday.

 

Move to tables

 

Verbal

 

Interpersonal

 

Reflective

 

Intrapersonal

 

 

Making Generalizations

9:55

Base groups will report out their conclusions.  Each group will offer a conclusion they have drawn from their examination of the sample standards.

 

Leslie will lead them in drawing some connections between the content areas, and what might be significant differences.

Let’s check out in large group what you have found in your examination of standards. 

 

What will be your major task in examining the National Standards in your major and minor areas.

Drawing

Conclusions

10:15

Next steps. 

I’d like to invite you to use your highlighter to prepare your National Standards for discussion on Monday using the same color-coding process and make annotations in the margins to help you remember the reasons you marked.

 

In addition, you are to read Ch. 2, “Creating a Community of Learners.”  As you read, think about how you will be able to hold high expectations for your students while at the same time encouraging a classroom that is filled with safety and trust!

 

Read the article, “Coach had more to teach than just hoops.”  See what might happen with high expectations at the middle/high school level.

 

Visual

 

Verbal

10:20

Closure