1)
The
first five things that should be done about education:
a.
No
more cuts to school funding. Tax payer
money should increase and be given to the schools so every school can provide
its students with the necessary resources needed to learn.
b.
Teachers’
job security should not be based on student test scores; test scores should be
used as a student evaluation tool.
c.
State
testing should be done at the beginning and end of every school year; schools
will be able to see how much each child progressed over the year instead of
comparing one class this year to another class the next year.
d.
Basic
content standards should be set at the federal level for every state to comply
with. States have the option of adding
on to these standards, but they all must meet basic ones.
e.
States
should be giving the same standardized tests, so that schools can be evaluated
and compared across the country on a level playing field. To go along with this, what is needed for a
student to be considered “proficient” in every grade for math and reading
should be the same across the country.
2)
I
have enjoyed reading “The Death and Life of the American Education System”
because it allowed me to become an informed educator and citizen. Ravitch taught me about the effects of NCLB,
Balanced Literacy, weak curriculum, state testing differences in what is meant
by “proficiency,” school accountability, choice, and charter vs. public
schools. I now feel like I have an
understanding of why are children are dropping out of school, not reaching
grade-level standards, and graduating high school ill prepared for the “real
world.”
3)
As
a teacher, I can do my best to educate my students in a holistic manner;
creating future-citizens that are literate, can problem solve, can have good
social skills, and have an understanding of how to be a member of society. As a citizen, I can vote for politicians that
do not support cutting public funding of schools.
4)
Two
state/national associations from my subject area:
a. The site for the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics has curriculum focal points for Pre-K to 12th grade,
information about various professional development activities, journals and
books pertaining to the subject area, current news involving mathematics education,
lesson plans for teachers, and other helpful resources.
b.
The
Association of Women in Mathematics is a non-profit organization founded in 1971
to encourage females to study mathematics and have “active careers in the
mathematical sciences.” AWM also
promotes equal opportunity and treatment of women and girls in mathematics
across the world.
5)
Future
research:
a.
Experiential
resources: SF Exploratorium, Museum of Mathematics, Legoland (STEM programs),
SeaWorld (large scale math/science), and Lawrence Hall of Science
b.
Books
in subject area: “Learning Environments that Support Mathematical Understanding”,
“Finding What Works: When Practice and Research Meet”, “The Value of Why”, “Developing
Essential Understanding of Algebraic Thinking for Teaching Mathematics in
Grades 3-5”, and “Motivation Matters and Interest Counts: Fostering Engagement
in Mathematics”
c.
Journals:
“Teaching Children Mathematics” & “Journal for Research in Mathematics
Education”
d.
Conferences:
Common Core State Standards Summit 2012 & California Mathematics Council,
Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) 2012
e.
Things
I would still like to see in the world: Museum of Mathematics, SF
Exploratorium, Legoland
No comments:
Post a Comment