Reflection for 10/11

I think I am going to keep this one short as I have rambled on for long enough about each of this week’s articles.

I do think that I have a better idea about what UD is and how it works to help all kids access an education that is appropriate for their strengths and needs. I am totally on board with what is suggested by the article authors. I do see a lot of potential roadblocks on our way to making this happen for our kids – but I think it’s a matter of when not if we will overcome these obstacles (sooner would be much better!).

As I was reading this week and sitting in class last Thursday, I kept thinking about my language arts curriculum. For background: I have been teaching at GNG for 6 years. I’ve always taught SS, but have switched between teaching math and teaching LA. Last year, I taught math, this year LA. I think switching my focus from time-to-time gives me an interesting vantage point. When teaching math, we use the Connected Math Program. It is very straightforward. All the math teachers at our grade level use the program and we deliver a pretty consistent math experience at our grade level.

In LA, we do have a reading program (HOLT), a spelling program, and a set of learning objectives for writing and grammar. Unlike in math where the outcomes are clear, in LA, I feel like I am planning specific lessons for my students that do not always tie into what we did yesterday – or what we are going to do tomorrow. I have standards and goals to teach by and a cohort of colleagues who plan with me, but I still feel disjointed and “overly goaled” (which leads to me feeling focus-less). I am hoping that in this course we can plan a unit with reasonable learning outcomes, purpose, scaffolding, and an obvious course of lessons. In this way, I hope my students will be able to see where we are going and where we have come from. I think using UD will allow me to tailor each learning experience to each student – providing them with choices, individualized learning, and academic progress.

On a lighter note, I love the NoteTaker software. I’ve asked our curriculum coordinator to see if we can purchase it for 6th grade teacher laptops. I think our hand-me-down student laptops would be too expensive to outfit, especially since they are technologically on-their-way-out. Karen said she will look into it – and we are very optimistic.

I am also loving the text reader on this laptop. I have been using it to help me proofread my entries for the blog. This is great because I have a real difficulty picking up typos on the screen.

Overall, interesting week. I am looking forward to starting out unit on Thursday in class.

(Cynthia – Please let me know if I am not “meeting standards” on these reflections. I want to make sure that I am on track.)