What Did I Learn About Myself This Semester?

WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT MYSELF THIS SEMESTER....ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION....ABOUT TEACHING?

I found my CURR210 class to be very helpful towards aiding me as future physical/health teacher. Our class covered issues on public purposes of schools, especially in the urban community of Newark. During the semester we focused on Arts High School, in which we visited during a field orientation. I learned about the relationship between teachers, students, and American society. To teach democratically a teacher should get know their students and understand their cultural backgrounds. By doing so this will aide the teacher towards different teaching strategies they may be applied in the classroom.

I was extremely impressed with the school’s program and felt that the student’s educational goals in visual arts were addressed. Arts High School is a magnet school which offers special curricula courses from grades 9th to 12th. This school is designed to attract students who have a high level of talent in visual, performing, and music arts. Students have to apply to this school, although it is a public school. Eight grade students living in Newark are eligible to apply. The school’s has a population of over 600 students. The school’s goal is to provide all students with their academic skills and artistic talents to develop into creative artists.

One fact that I learned is the purpose of public school education is to produce “educated citizens” who can be active participants in our democracy. There are many qualities that define what makes a person an educated citizen. An educated citizen should be able to understand the values and moral beliefs of their culture and why their values may be different from other cultures. By having these qualities, the citizen now has the knowledge to communicate effectively with people in the community and be opened minded to their views. Keeping this in mind the students in Arts High School came from diverse cultural backgrounds and the educational goal is to have these students develop into productive citizens. They should have the qualities, moral beliefs, and values that will allow them to be open minded and knowledgeable citizens.

Public education is available for all students and does not discriminate of race, color, or ethic background. The school's purpose to educate their students to the best of their ability. The school gears towards aiding students in any learning difficulties they might have. Special teaching techniques are implemented towards varies learning disabilities. Further, teacher should get to know their student's cultures and interests in order for them to better understand where they are coming from.

Finally, during my community service and meetings in which I attended, I have now a better understanding on various teaching strategies that I can implement as a future teacher.

1. Develop eye contact while speaking to your students. This is beneficial to ELLs who have a language barrier.

2. During physical education class the teacher should model the lesson, repeat, and then ask questions. This helps all students to have a better understanding by visually seeing the lesson. While teaching a health class the teacher can have students watch a video in which the lesson will be reinforced.

3. I have learned and observed teachers praising their student’s efforts. This helps students develop better self-esteem and in turn make them feel good about themselves. The approach here is for the students to open up more in the classroom and be an active participant.

4. Students also learn from each other. For example, by placing students in small groups they can communicate with each other and learn how to work out problems. Some students are not book smart, but by using this strategy they can open their minds and actively participate in class.

Blog #10 What are you learning about your inquiry question?....

What are you learning about your inquiry question?

How is it shaping your understanding of public education?

My inquiry question states.........

As a future teacher what types of strategies can I implement to address students at various learning levels?

During my observations visits I have learned a lot about the students struggles and difficulties they may have in their core subjects. For example, some students may appear to be very good readers but, they have poor comprehension skills. Some students are English Second Language (ESL) students while other may have learning disabilities. Another observation that I have noticed is their writing skills go hand in hand with their poor comprehension skills. In order to read and understand what is read, a student may a difficulty writing their thoughts down on paper.

Some learning strategies for students with various learning levels are as follows:

∙ Visual – a learner who benefits from observing a teacher, video, chart, graphs, etc.
∙ Kinesthetic – a learner who likes to move around while learning, for my gym classes this applies. They usual like hands on activities. ∙ Auditory – are learners who use their sense of hearing to process information

A lot of these students have pull out programs to meet their educational needs. Some have in-class support while other attend smaller classes in the resource room. In-class support provides these students with extra help and modifications while being main streamed into a regular classroom setting. Resource room is is a smaller group were students learn at a slower pase.

The public education system protects and provides for every student. The No Child Left Behindd outlines all goals for teachers to meet and rights for students and parents. No child is neglected from receiving a good education.

Introduction and Annotated Bibliography

Introduction of Inquiry Project:
As a future teacher what types of strategies can I implement to address students at various learning levels?

As a future physical education and health teacher, I would like to reach all students at different learning levels within my classroom. During my literature review I have started to gather information from journals, websites, books, and classroom data. All of these sources will support my findings on the different types of strategies that can benefit all students who are at different learning levels. I will be putting more emphasis on the urban school communities, for we are focusing on these schools in our class. In particular, our class is visiting Arts High School located in Newark, New Jersey. I will be collecting and analyzing more data during my observations, community services, and field visits.

In my annotated bibliography I have gathered some resources which will help support my topic question and help me towards becoming a teacher. The article that I would like to stress upon is entitled, Creating Highly Qualified Teachers for Urban Schools, written by Susan Thompson. She mentions in her article that there are five categories that contribute towards highly qualified teachers: (1) experience, (2) preparation programs and degrees, (3) type of certification, (4) coursework taken in preparation for the profession, and (5) teachers’ own test scores. The demand of highly qualified teachers especially in urban communities is vital for there are many factors to consider. Many students come from diverse economically disadvantaged families, and about 90 percent or higher are African Americans. Teachers who are employed in these schools should be well prepared and educated by having hands on experience. This article stresses the importance of preparing teachers for urban classrooms. After reading the article, I do agree that interns who did their observation work at urban schools received working experience and a better understanding of the students cultures and learning skills.

As a future physical education teacher, while visiting Arts High School I will be gathering data and charting my findings for my topic inquiry question. I have interview questions that will be addressed and I am looking forward to working with these students during my community service visits. I will keep in mind the three basic learning styles which are visual, kinesthetic, and auditory during my observation.



Annotated Bibliography

Lavoie, Richard. (2007). The Motivation Breakthrough. Implementing the 6 P’s in

Classroom. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 251-255.

There are six effective teaching strategies which promote and maintain student motivation. (1) Teach enthusiastically, put energy into your teaching, it inspires students to learn. It also reflects the teacher’s self assurance and skill. (2) Focus on strengths. (3) Recognize, reinforce, and celebrate success, effort, and progress. (4) Encourage and promote creativity in the classroom. (5) Promote cooperation – not competition within your classroom. (6) Establish long term and short term goals; monitor and assess.


Moore, Kimberly B. (2002). Helping Teachers Build a Challenging but Achievable Curriculum,

Early Childhood Today, Retrieved March 2002, from MasterFILE Premier database

(6355789).

The strategy for creating a challenging but achievable curriculum depends on the teacher looking closely at their classroom and focusing on want is going on. Observe and watch how students participate in activities. Watch if they are involved and working together in a group. Continue to observe for appropriate and inappropriate use of materials. By creating topics of interest from books they read in class, this will promote creative learning. Promoting creative learning explores student’s minds.


Nguyen, Diep. (2008). From ELL to School Leader: A Tribute to My First American

Teachers. School Administrator, 65, 12-13. Retrieved November 2008, from

Professional Development Collection database (34939378).

This is a personal narrative story of the author’s experiences as an English language learner (ELL). Diep Nguyen emigrated from Vietnam during her senior year in high school. Through her struggles of transitioning her education to English she received help from her teachers through her ESL lessons. Much credit goes to her teacher, Miss Vehar. She designed an individual academic plan for her and coordinated this instruction for other teachers to follow. Further, she had a peer buddy to help her socially with her English.


O’Brien, Leigh M. (2003). Teacher Education for a Democratic Society. Childhood

Education, Retrieved 2003, from http://findarticles.com

In a democratic education system, we all have rights, freedoms, and responsibilities. Democratic citizens must be able to make informed decisions, analyze, and debate.
Teachers should try to know every student, by knowing their interests, strengths, and areas of weakness. All students should be able to construct their understanding of content work. Teachers need to give students the tools for success. Teachers must be willing to take a stand.


Thompson, Susan. (2005). Creating Highly Qualified Teachers for Urban Schools. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 73-88.

Five categories that contribute to a highly qualified teacher: (1) experience, (2) preparation programs and degrees, (3) type of certification, (4) coursework taken in preparation for the profession, and (5) teachers’ own test scores. A contributing factor towards student achievement is the above five characteristics of effective teachers. As mentioned in the No Child Left Behind Act the demand of highly qualified teachers who can teach in urban schools intensifies the traditional structures and approaches to teacher preparation programs. Urban teachers educate students who have diverse needs, come from economically disadvantaged families, and about 93.6% are African Americans. The Integrative Studies Major Program is designed to prepare teachers primarily for urban classrooms. Teachers who have mastered this program are more knowledgeable and marketable for teaching positions in the urban community. The interns who did their observation and hands on experience in this study found working in the urban school district very helpful. As reported, the student teachers responded positive, for they felt they had a better understanding of student’s cultures in an urban school district.

Topic of Inquiry Question

Topic of Inquiry Project:

As a future teacher what types of strategies can I implement to address students at various learning levels?

As a future physical education and health teacher, I would like to reach all students at different learning levels within my classroom. I feel that with the increasing number of ESL, ELL, and special education students, many are now mainstreamed to regular classrooms like gym and health. Keeping this in mind, I would like to meet the needs of all students in the classroom. I feel that helping students become efficient learners will encourage them to reach their goals and feel good about themselves. As a physical education and health teacher I will explain the lesson to the class and then demonstrate the lesson. For example: Dribbling the ball down the court. I expect that some modifications will be made to the students who are physically challenged.

I will use the classroom data and internet sites to gather information on my topic. During my observation, field experience, and community service I will take notes and ask questions. I feel that The No Child Left Behind Act will aide towards helping me understanding the expectations of these students.

While planning my lesson plans I will refer to the Portrait of a Teacher as an additional resource for my project. Since students learn in different ways, I will incorporate in my inquiry project the three basic learning styles which are as follows:
∙ Visual – a learner who benefits from observing a teacher, video, chart, graphs, etc.
∙ Kinesthetic – a learner who likes to move around while learning, for my gym classes this

applies. They usual like hands on activities.
∙ Auditory – are learners who use their sense of hearing to process information.

Here are a few interview questions that I will gather from my field experience, which will help me answer my topic inquiry question. How many students are mainstreamed into your classroom? Do you feel that these students need extra attention? Does your lesson plan address their learning needs and individualized education program (IEP) if applicable? What kind of modifications do you bring to these students? Do you use a peer buddy system while working with students who are challenged? How does the class interact with these students?

Below is a draft of a data chart which, I plan on using during my field experience visits:

Inquiry Question:

As a future teacher what types of strategies can I implement to address students at various learning levels?

Question: Observation: Response:

Number of students in class?


As PE/H teacher how many classes to you have and at what grades levels?


Are there any physically challenges students? Special education, ESL, ELL, etc.


What kinds of modification due these students receive?


Do you feel that these students need extra attention?


Does your lesson plan address their learning needs? If so, what kinds of modification are implemented?


Do you use peer buddies to work with them?


How does the class interact with these students?


How do you foster acceptance and teamwork to your students?


Do you grade these students differently than your mainstreamed students?


Are you expectations different from other students?


Do these students have personal aides to help them during their transition?


What PE equipment do you feel is off limits to students who have deficient motor skills?

Citizenship and Public Education Recommendations

Citizenship and Public Education Recommendations

If I were an education policy wonk and asked about the connection between citizenship and public education I would recommend the following:Since public education is provided and is funded by the government, public schools are expected to deliver more, compared to private schools which are funded by parents.

Since we live in a democratic society public schools promote citizenship, values, and social skills. In addition, special attention is given towards human rights. As a tax paying citizen I expect the best in our schools.

As a "wonk" on public education I would put more emphasis on, The No Child Left Behind Act. The growth of public education has been advanced and it is for the common good of students to receive the free education. Furthermore, it ensures that all students be taught by highly qualified teachers and that students achieve their goals to their highest level. This guarantees equal rights to all students. Special education students should have all the resources available to them in schools. This includes students who have language barriers, fine motor skills, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and other impairments. I would ensure that all schools implement this policy.

I further would like to stress that students whose families come from low incomes receive the same education compared to students who come from middle class families. The education system is geared to prepared young adults to become productive citizens and obtain good jobs.

Technology is the growth to the future. All public schools should provide students with the highest level of computers and technical equipment. Teachers should be highly qualified in their field of study and should be compensated for their achievements. Government funded workshops are available to educators. These workshops educate teachers by keeping up modern technology. Public education promotes citizenship, values, and social skills. Our nation's economic growth depends on the future generation of our young children.

NCLB - Model of Citizenship

NCLB - Model of Citizenship No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

I feel the the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 model for citizenship is having a "Democratic Citizenship", in which the people have the right to freedom of speech. I have focused on this topic for I strongly believe that the public citizens should have a say and right to their state public schools. After all, parents should be mindful of their children's education and be active participates in their district schools. Teachers and other educators also should communicate with the schools and parents. After all we can all learn from each other and our children are our future.

I would like to also mention that schools and improve their success rates and scores by working with the parents input. The teachers are at school for only a short part of the student's day, and then the parents role is to advocate and reinforce what the students are studying. A parents role in a vital part of their child's edcational foundation. So for this reason, I feel that the NCLB act should educate parents on their rights and services for their children.

The NCLB is provides federal funding to assist schools to meet their educational needs. As a democratic society parents whose children have educational disabilities should be active participates in their school district. Communication is most important between teachers, principals, administrator, and parents. Citizens need to draw the line and make sure that their children are receiving all the education that is available to them. The NCLB protects the children and provides public schools with the necessary funding they need in this growing world.

In the article, "Teaching Against Idiocy," the author, Parker speaks of people who are "idoits", for they don't speak their mind or take part in public life. Since we are all taxpayers, citizens, and live in a democracy society people have the right to stop being "idoits" and voice their opinions. As quoted in the article, "It is the right to do whatever I choose, goes the argument with the added and suppposedly selfless rationalization of protecting "my" family from dangers real and imagined" (4). The democratic way of living together is to work together to create better schools and create better learning techniques.

If I was an education policy wonk and was asked about the connection between citizenship and public education this would be my reply. I would recommend more communication with parents, teachers, administrators, and students. The citizens have rights to know and learn more about their public educational system.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - Personal View

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

- Personal View -

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was signed into law by President Bush in January 2002. The main purpose of this document is to challenge state and school districts that they are meeting the requirements and academic achievements to the public school students. The schools that are at risk for failure are focused upon more. I feel that the NCLB's new assessments are needed especially for under performing schools where students are below achievement levels.

Most of these students are identified as having specific learning disabilities. These students receive special educational services in their district and they are outlined in their personal I.E.P.s. These services are designed to help the student's performance. The NCLB funds programs like this. Their main objective is to make sure that the state public schools are meeting the educational needs in their district.

Further I feel that the NCLB is a good program for it is designed to help parents, educators, and administrators of education that make the policies help improve the performance and educational opportunities to young people.

Some of the assessments for students with disabilities under the NCLB include: - New assessment guidelines and testing for students to be eligible for

special educational services.

- Options for students with disabilities (programs, OT, PT, Speech).

- Teaching parents and teachers about the specific learning disabilities.

- Parent's role in the No Child Left Behind Act

- The program is designed for early grades under the Reading First Program

and in preschool.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states and school districts will have more flexibility in how they use their federal education funds. It now will allow schools to use funds where they feel their is a need. For example, hiring of more teachers, purchasing of computers, or professional workshops. It is my personal opinion that early school intervention is the best educational way of learning. The primary school years are a foundation of a child's educational learning years.

Students that are classified with special needs are also entitled to transportation to and from school if necessary. Students who are from families from low incomes are entitled to free school lunches and other services.

I feel that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a good program. It gives the states and schools more freedom of choice. Greater educational programs will results in stronger academic achievements.