Journal Review of “Grading and Reporting in a Standards Based Environment: Implications for Students with Special Needs”
Ray Etheridge
Western Washington University
Guskey, T. and Jung, L., (2009) Grading and Reporting in a Standards Based Environment: Implications for Students with Special Needs. Theory into Practice, 48(1), 53-62.
Review
The article is a fairly frank discussion about how we, as educators can deal with students special needs and yet also maintain proper records in regards to student’s abilities. The authors begin with a brief description of the current state of affairs in regards to students with special needs and the increasing trend of Standards based testing. Their review of the literature is short but detailed and serves as a good introduction into the heart of their subject, namely how do we deal with the legally required former and maintain the rigor and intent of the later? It is there contention that we need a more precise grading system than we currently use, in which all aspects of a student’s work is lumped together to produce a single letter grade. In such a system the actual achievement of required grade standards (product), the energy expended (effort or as they term it, process), and improvement in ability (progress) are lumped together and the difficulties and limitations of such a system as discussed. Should a student with special needs be failed if they do not reach standards for a grade, even if they tried as hard as they could and actually made significant progress toward their IEP goals, clearly not! Yet how can a single letter grade reflect this. It cannot. The solution is elegant in its simplicity. Record each grade separately. However this idea is not the main part of the article for they not only reach this conclusion, which, of course, has been reached before, but provide a five step plan for clearly implementing such a system for use by a school. The five steps are 1) Establish Clear Standards for Student Learning that differentiate between product, process and progress, 2) Ask if the Standard needs Modification for the student, 3) Ask what type of change is needed, a simple accommodation or modification in product standard, 4) If a Modification is needed what is it, and 5) Record such a change in the IEP noting in the student’s record that a modification was made. Which such tools the parents, special needs teacher, staff, general education teachers and administration are provided with far more exacting details and information that they need to ensure the student’s success than any simple letter grade could provide. Since the note that a modification was made does not violate IEP or confidentiality rules those that need to know have access to all appropriate information without violating confidentiality or federal law. The article then ends with an extensive bibliography.
The article is well written, and while some might call the writing style dry, it manages to convey its message in clear and distinct detail. This message is simple-our current grading system, in which a single grade is assigned for all coursework, is insufficient to properly address the educational needs of modern students, schools and teachers. By providing clear guidelines for an improved system, with a well thought out decision tree as the hallmark of the article I find this article extremely valuable as a new educator as it provides a clear tool for address the needs of those students most at risk in the current system. I am very interested in learning more about this idea as well as what the response to this idea might be from other educators, administrators and legal experts. To be honest I might even suggest that it is possible to go a step further, after all why limit “Modification” to just students with special needs? Why not include all types of modifications from AP classification or any course assignment that is not typical for the program. In this way the term and concept of modification can be used to maintain a student’s anonymity but allow for noting any sort of alteration, difference or variation in education for those that need, and have the right to know, what information they need to properly address any and all student’s educational needs, special or not.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Review of "Speaking English in Finnish content based classrooms." by T. Nikula
Journal Article Summary of “Speaking English in Finnish content based classrooms”
Ray Etheridge
Western Washington University
Nikula, T., (2007) Speaking English in Finnish content based classrooms. World Englishes, 26:2, 206-233.
Review
The article deals with the process known in Finland as CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Instruction, a process in which the students are taught a non-language arts class in English rather than their native Finnish tongue. While I admit it may seem a strange choice for teaching in American classes I find that an outsiders view of a situation is often very helpful in understanding and clarifying problems and thoughts related to subjects or concepts that we may take for granted here. The authors’ main goal is to investigate the effective of CLIL and learn how students use or claim ownership of the language in these classes and how it affects the classroom as a learning environment. Research was carried out to understand how students utilized the language and what can be learned from it for teaching in general.
The grade level for the research was 13 to 15 year old students’, male and female students were involved in the study and ability levels varied considerably, although Finnish students typically score very high on standardized tests, the authors clearly point out that knowledge of English as a popular language is new in Finland, having only surpassed German as the most popular choice for a secondary language in the late 1990’s. The data were gathered during eight lessons of ninety minutes each in two classes with a total of 15 students involved in 53 different lessons involving students. Entire sessions were recorded so the study is an in-depth study of a small number of students, and while this is a weakness of the study, the total time under observation is 720 minutes times 15 students, or 180 hours of recorded audio and visual evidence that was involved in the study-a considerable period of time.
The results of the study showed that the students clearly valued the opportunity to learn in English and that, contrary to expectations when language difficulties presented themselves, most students did not resort to using their native language for intellectual or scholastic reasons but rather for emotional or contextual ones. In other words, the students felt that having a biology course or physics course in a foreign language was a privilege or treat and one that they enjoyed and in which they voluntarily choose to continue speaking English, even when it would have been easier to revert to their mother tongue.
It is important to note that the students in the CLIL classes were not being evaluated on their language skills when they were not being graded on their mastery of English. In other words it, was a low-stake environment. They choose to speak English over their native tongue before the class started and engaged in small conversations in English among themselves as well as while speaking to the teacher. When there is no explicit focus on the language, the students chose to use it, to make the language their own, or claim ownership of it, a trait most notably shown when students who were quite fluent in both languages starting mixing the two languages together in order to express complex thoughts or ideas that seem to be better expressed in one or the other of the language. This activity, known as code switching, such as using the more exacting Finnish words for weather and atmosphere as part of an otherwise perfectly acceptable English sentence on wind, shows that the students had reached a level of understanding of and comfort with English even before reaching a level of complete fluency. The only other time students typical resorted to use of their mother tongue was when emotions were involved. If the student got frustrated or overly excited, or they wanted to express something in an emotively manner, as opposed to a rationally manner did they commonly resort to the use of their native language.
In summary the paper reports that students can “claim ownership” of a language best when they interact with the language not just directly as a language course, which the authors admit is important to build up the basic skills of the language, but are able to do so when the atmosphere of learning is informal, creative, interactive and playful, encouraging both official and off-the-record usage of the language outside of the formal class setting itself. Thus the teaching of the language at this point in the classroom is one of a complementary practice to the formal class instruction and it is during this time that the students are allowed and encouraged to use the language and seek mastery of it free from the pressures, fears and difficulties associated with formal lessons and exact plans, goals and evaluation criterion.
Now, as for the analysis of this study I feel that it has both many weaknesses and strengths. Clearly the sample size is a problem. I would like to see far more students studied and far more classes involved and obviously these studies need to occur in America somewhere. So the location of the study is a problem as well, while humans are human the world around nation and culture may mean that these lessons and ideas may not translate well to the American classroom. Still the study does offer some interesting ideas and challenges some of our notions of what it means to be a teacher and how content literacy can or should be taught. The students chose to use the language, they clearly valued the experience, it was something they were encouraged to make their own and something they could see that had value. Rather than creating ever more exact standards, guidelines, EARL’s, GLE’s and ever increasingly complex techniques for measuring, evaluating and testing students not only on the content but the mastery of the language itself, should we not encourage students to make the subjects their own, particularly in regards to instruction of ELL students, and to do so in a low stress and positive environment.
Finally, it is noteworthy is that teaching content language literacy should be seen as a positive and conscious opportunity or noteworthy advantage rather than a chore or onerous task by the student. We should not attempt to slip this in past them but rather embrace it and get them involved in the process of wanting it in order to make it effective as seen in the recent demand for English in such a far away nation as Finland. Clearly the students involved in this study perceive the value of fluency in English, a priority that many of our own native speakers seem not to share. As for the complexity of how to effectively integrate teaching and multilingual mastery and combine the rational and emotional or passionate sides to the teaching world, we can see from this study that attempts to separate them seem to be both impossible and even undesirable, but such a revelation only points us in a direction that we might have only been able to perceive if we allowed others to be the basis for a look in at teaching our own language.
Ray Etheridge
Western Washington University
Nikula, T., (2007) Speaking English in Finnish content based classrooms. World Englishes, 26:2, 206-233.
Review
The article deals with the process known in Finland as CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Instruction, a process in which the students are taught a non-language arts class in English rather than their native Finnish tongue. While I admit it may seem a strange choice for teaching in American classes I find that an outsiders view of a situation is often very helpful in understanding and clarifying problems and thoughts related to subjects or concepts that we may take for granted here. The authors’ main goal is to investigate the effective of CLIL and learn how students use or claim ownership of the language in these classes and how it affects the classroom as a learning environment. Research was carried out to understand how students utilized the language and what can be learned from it for teaching in general.
The grade level for the research was 13 to 15 year old students’, male and female students were involved in the study and ability levels varied considerably, although Finnish students typically score very high on standardized tests, the authors clearly point out that knowledge of English as a popular language is new in Finland, having only surpassed German as the most popular choice for a secondary language in the late 1990’s. The data were gathered during eight lessons of ninety minutes each in two classes with a total of 15 students involved in 53 different lessons involving students. Entire sessions were recorded so the study is an in-depth study of a small number of students, and while this is a weakness of the study, the total time under observation is 720 minutes times 15 students, or 180 hours of recorded audio and visual evidence that was involved in the study-a considerable period of time.
The results of the study showed that the students clearly valued the opportunity to learn in English and that, contrary to expectations when language difficulties presented themselves, most students did not resort to using their native language for intellectual or scholastic reasons but rather for emotional or contextual ones. In other words, the students felt that having a biology course or physics course in a foreign language was a privilege or treat and one that they enjoyed and in which they voluntarily choose to continue speaking English, even when it would have been easier to revert to their mother tongue.
It is important to note that the students in the CLIL classes were not being evaluated on their language skills when they were not being graded on their mastery of English. In other words it, was a low-stake environment. They choose to speak English over their native tongue before the class started and engaged in small conversations in English among themselves as well as while speaking to the teacher. When there is no explicit focus on the language, the students chose to use it, to make the language their own, or claim ownership of it, a trait most notably shown when students who were quite fluent in both languages starting mixing the two languages together in order to express complex thoughts or ideas that seem to be better expressed in one or the other of the language. This activity, known as code switching, such as using the more exacting Finnish words for weather and atmosphere as part of an otherwise perfectly acceptable English sentence on wind, shows that the students had reached a level of understanding of and comfort with English even before reaching a level of complete fluency. The only other time students typical resorted to use of their mother tongue was when emotions were involved. If the student got frustrated or overly excited, or they wanted to express something in an emotively manner, as opposed to a rationally manner did they commonly resort to the use of their native language.
In summary the paper reports that students can “claim ownership” of a language best when they interact with the language not just directly as a language course, which the authors admit is important to build up the basic skills of the language, but are able to do so when the atmosphere of learning is informal, creative, interactive and playful, encouraging both official and off-the-record usage of the language outside of the formal class setting itself. Thus the teaching of the language at this point in the classroom is one of a complementary practice to the formal class instruction and it is during this time that the students are allowed and encouraged to use the language and seek mastery of it free from the pressures, fears and difficulties associated with formal lessons and exact plans, goals and evaluation criterion.
Now, as for the analysis of this study I feel that it has both many weaknesses and strengths. Clearly the sample size is a problem. I would like to see far more students studied and far more classes involved and obviously these studies need to occur in America somewhere. So the location of the study is a problem as well, while humans are human the world around nation and culture may mean that these lessons and ideas may not translate well to the American classroom. Still the study does offer some interesting ideas and challenges some of our notions of what it means to be a teacher and how content literacy can or should be taught. The students chose to use the language, they clearly valued the experience, it was something they were encouraged to make their own and something they could see that had value. Rather than creating ever more exact standards, guidelines, EARL’s, GLE’s and ever increasingly complex techniques for measuring, evaluating and testing students not only on the content but the mastery of the language itself, should we not encourage students to make the subjects their own, particularly in regards to instruction of ELL students, and to do so in a low stress and positive environment.
Finally, it is noteworthy is that teaching content language literacy should be seen as a positive and conscious opportunity or noteworthy advantage rather than a chore or onerous task by the student. We should not attempt to slip this in past them but rather embrace it and get them involved in the process of wanting it in order to make it effective as seen in the recent demand for English in such a far away nation as Finland. Clearly the students involved in this study perceive the value of fluency in English, a priority that many of our own native speakers seem not to share. As for the complexity of how to effectively integrate teaching and multilingual mastery and combine the rational and emotional or passionate sides to the teaching world, we can see from this study that attempts to separate them seem to be both impossible and even undesirable, but such a revelation only points us in a direction that we might have only been able to perceive if we allowed others to be the basis for a look in at teaching our own language.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Review of "Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gap of High-Poverty Middle Schools" by B. Balfanz and V. Byrnes
Balfanz, B. and Byrnes, V., Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gap of High-Poverty Middle Schools: Enablers and Constraints, Journal of Education for Students placed at Risk, 11(2). 143-159.
Review
This article was written as part of an analysis of an attempt to implement a series of reforms in the Philadelphia School District in regards to improving the district via a process called Whole School
Reform. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the achievement gap can be understood via a longitudinal study of students in middle school (5th to 8th grades) and its’ usefulness, as well as the challenges of such, in doing so. They concluded that while various types of individual changes (such as professional development, curricular changes, community involvement, etc…) could be effective at a local level that such improvements were only effective for the student body as a whole when implemented as part of such a system wide implementation of reform, yet even if such reforms were made intriguing challenges and tasks remained.
The article began by describing the prevailing research, the setting of the project and the methods used to analyze the success and failures of such an attempts. One of the strengths of the article is its’ clear and concise language, as it was easy to read and understand with relatively little jargon or obtuse references and yet retained a level of rigor and precision important for this type of article. Following a well done documentation of the research the authors clearly listed their methods and goals, such as number of students, attendance, test scores (particular attention was paid to improvement in test score per year), pre-testing and post-testing methods, student attitudes and activities, community involvement and addressed issues of validity and accuracy consistently and professionally. The authors also stressed that the lack of longitudinal studies of the size they were attempting and hoped that such an attempt would result in new discoveries and a better understanding of the challenges that faced modern education and what successes you might be able to expect following such a model as they were attempting.
The results of their research were presented in a clear concise fashion, with much of the mathematical tables and results summarized in the body of the article with the actual data reserved for its’ final pages. Some results were expected such as the need to implement such changes as administrative reform, teacher support and training, community involvement worked best when done as part of a whole system of reform system rather than as piecemeal projects. They also pointed our some surprising results and interesting discoveries that emerged from their study, phrasing these as avenues
for further research, interesting discoveries and surprising results, such as the fact that while many students were able to thrive in middle school while others in the same school and system sank further behind as well as the lack of an expected difference in performance due to gender, with a frankness and sincerity that made the article informative and thought provoking. As a weakness they did not really address how the results of the study could be generalized to other areas, as they clearly intended the article for such a purpose, but left this part of the discussion as inherently understood by the reader.
Overall the article was informative and well written. As an educator one can clearly see both the benefits and restrictions of such a study. While piecemeal reforms can work it is really only due to such a longitudinal study do the cumulative benefits of such an overarching system of changes become apparent? In fact I believe that it is the clear and frank discussion of the unintended discoveries of this study that point to its’ success. By opening up new avenues of research, such as an investigation of what is needed for those students not reached in such a system of change, we can clearly see both the advantages and limitations of such approaches, namely that a system of reform is clearly most effective when supported by the entire range of educators, administrators and parents as well as the manifold difficulties of reaching the students most at risk in such a well run system. What works for many students may fail to reach the most disenfranchised from the system and that at some point such students may well need assistance that goes beyond what is possible in the classroom and when school is view as a separate part of their life experiences. Of course solutions to such dilemmas may prove difficult to achieve given the limitations of the current education system but that is a subject for other, newer, research studies and another day.
Review
This article was written as part of an analysis of an attempt to implement a series of reforms in the Philadelphia School District in regards to improving the district via a process called Whole School
Reform. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the achievement gap can be understood via a longitudinal study of students in middle school (5th to 8th grades) and its’ usefulness, as well as the challenges of such, in doing so. They concluded that while various types of individual changes (such as professional development, curricular changes, community involvement, etc…) could be effective at a local level that such improvements were only effective for the student body as a whole when implemented as part of such a system wide implementation of reform, yet even if such reforms were made intriguing challenges and tasks remained.
The article began by describing the prevailing research, the setting of the project and the methods used to analyze the success and failures of such an attempts. One of the strengths of the article is its’ clear and concise language, as it was easy to read and understand with relatively little jargon or obtuse references and yet retained a level of rigor and precision important for this type of article. Following a well done documentation of the research the authors clearly listed their methods and goals, such as number of students, attendance, test scores (particular attention was paid to improvement in test score per year), pre-testing and post-testing methods, student attitudes and activities, community involvement and addressed issues of validity and accuracy consistently and professionally. The authors also stressed that the lack of longitudinal studies of the size they were attempting and hoped that such an attempt would result in new discoveries and a better understanding of the challenges that faced modern education and what successes you might be able to expect following such a model as they were attempting.
The results of their research were presented in a clear concise fashion, with much of the mathematical tables and results summarized in the body of the article with the actual data reserved for its’ final pages. Some results were expected such as the need to implement such changes as administrative reform, teacher support and training, community involvement worked best when done as part of a whole system of reform system rather than as piecemeal projects. They also pointed our some surprising results and interesting discoveries that emerged from their study, phrasing these as avenues
for further research, interesting discoveries and surprising results, such as the fact that while many students were able to thrive in middle school while others in the same school and system sank further behind as well as the lack of an expected difference in performance due to gender, with a frankness and sincerity that made the article informative and thought provoking. As a weakness they did not really address how the results of the study could be generalized to other areas, as they clearly intended the article for such a purpose, but left this part of the discussion as inherently understood by the reader.
Overall the article was informative and well written. As an educator one can clearly see both the benefits and restrictions of such a study. While piecemeal reforms can work it is really only due to such a longitudinal study do the cumulative benefits of such an overarching system of changes become apparent? In fact I believe that it is the clear and frank discussion of the unintended discoveries of this study that point to its’ success. By opening up new avenues of research, such as an investigation of what is needed for those students not reached in such a system of change, we can clearly see both the advantages and limitations of such approaches, namely that a system of reform is clearly most effective when supported by the entire range of educators, administrators and parents as well as the manifold difficulties of reaching the students most at risk in such a well run system. What works for many students may fail to reach the most disenfranchised from the system and that at some point such students may well need assistance that goes beyond what is possible in the classroom and when school is view as a separate part of their life experiences. Of course solutions to such dilemmas may prove difficult to achieve given the limitations of the current education system but that is a subject for other, newer, research studies and another day.
Review of "Newton in the Big Apple" by A. Kelly and K. Sheppard
Kelly, A. and Sheppard, K., (2008) Newton in the Big Apple: Access to High School Physics in New York City. The Physics Teacher, 46(5), 280-283.
Review
The article details the state of affairs in the access to Physics as a course in high schools across New York City. It begins with a brief overview of the populations, ethnicity and types of courses offered in the high schools of New York City as well as with a discussion of the types of schools there, particularly noting their size, ranking schools as large, mid-sized and small (typically restructured) schools with populations of more than 1200, 600-1200 and less than 600 each. The authors then go on to detail, in both words and with graphs and tables the sample size, numbers of schools, percentage of schools and types of classes offered. Classes could be AP (Advanced Placement), Regents (a rigorous college prep class with a standardizing culminating examination) and Non-Regents (a more conceptually oriented class). They then discuss where and what types of Physics courses are available at what types of schools and notable ethnic and socio-economic differences discovered as part of their research. The results are stark and disturbing. Physics tends to be offered predominately at higher income schools with substantial Caucasian and Asian populations while smaller schools, generally considered desirable offer less Physics and usually Non-Regents courses. Interestingly, the smaller schools that did offer Physics courses, typically Non-Regents, graduated substantially more students who had taken Physics course 61% compared to the city average of 21%. In summary the authors list three conclusions of their study. First, large disparities exist in the opportunity to take physics in New York City. Second that larger schools typically offer it far more commonly than small schools-95% to 26% respectively, although the smaller schools have percentage-wise more students taking the course if offered-21% to 61% again respectively. Finally, third, that AP and Regents classes are typically offered at schools with a larger percentage of Caucasian and Asian students and also in larger schools situated in more economically privileged areas. In finale they summarize that if the goal of Science Education is to “science for all” then clearly the system needs work. They suggest a comprehensive review of the system in order to effect improvements system wide.
Overall I found the article to be well written and quite illuminating. The authors present their datum clearly and with precision. The definitions used are easy to understand, their logic and variable well presented and conclusions startling in their simplicity. Differences in the types of schools are clearly discussed and the fact that the general trend to make smaller schools out of larger ones, generally considered a desirable trend to increase student involvement, motivation and community has had the unintended side effect of limiting access to AP and Regents style courses. In addition the article effectively points out differences in community resources and ethnic constitutions. While I feel some additional research to identify why this situation has developed and what could be done about it, as clearly the goal of “science for all” has not been reached by the recent changes and restructuring, in fact, it appears these reforms may have actually helped to create a situation in which science education is even more rarified and stratified than before. The authors do not offer solutions for the problem they have discovered, but that is not their intent. The article is more of a “smoking gun” piece than outline of reform, but as such it is very successful at pointing out what has happened and how even well intended reforms may have unintended side effects. Overall, I found the article to be quite enlightening and well written and it has spurred me to search for similar such datum regarding my own city and teaching environment.
Review
The article details the state of affairs in the access to Physics as a course in high schools across New York City. It begins with a brief overview of the populations, ethnicity and types of courses offered in the high schools of New York City as well as with a discussion of the types of schools there, particularly noting their size, ranking schools as large, mid-sized and small (typically restructured) schools with populations of more than 1200, 600-1200 and less than 600 each. The authors then go on to detail, in both words and with graphs and tables the sample size, numbers of schools, percentage of schools and types of classes offered. Classes could be AP (Advanced Placement), Regents (a rigorous college prep class with a standardizing culminating examination) and Non-Regents (a more conceptually oriented class). They then discuss where and what types of Physics courses are available at what types of schools and notable ethnic and socio-economic differences discovered as part of their research. The results are stark and disturbing. Physics tends to be offered predominately at higher income schools with substantial Caucasian and Asian populations while smaller schools, generally considered desirable offer less Physics and usually Non-Regents courses. Interestingly, the smaller schools that did offer Physics courses, typically Non-Regents, graduated substantially more students who had taken Physics course 61% compared to the city average of 21%. In summary the authors list three conclusions of their study. First, large disparities exist in the opportunity to take physics in New York City. Second that larger schools typically offer it far more commonly than small schools-95% to 26% respectively, although the smaller schools have percentage-wise more students taking the course if offered-21% to 61% again respectively. Finally, third, that AP and Regents classes are typically offered at schools with a larger percentage of Caucasian and Asian students and also in larger schools situated in more economically privileged areas. In finale they summarize that if the goal of Science Education is to “science for all” then clearly the system needs work. They suggest a comprehensive review of the system in order to effect improvements system wide.
Overall I found the article to be well written and quite illuminating. The authors present their datum clearly and with precision. The definitions used are easy to understand, their logic and variable well presented and conclusions startling in their simplicity. Differences in the types of schools are clearly discussed and the fact that the general trend to make smaller schools out of larger ones, generally considered a desirable trend to increase student involvement, motivation and community has had the unintended side effect of limiting access to AP and Regents style courses. In addition the article effectively points out differences in community resources and ethnic constitutions. While I feel some additional research to identify why this situation has developed and what could be done about it, as clearly the goal of “science for all” has not been reached by the recent changes and restructuring, in fact, it appears these reforms may have actually helped to create a situation in which science education is even more rarified and stratified than before. The authors do not offer solutions for the problem they have discovered, but that is not their intent. The article is more of a “smoking gun” piece than outline of reform, but as such it is very successful at pointing out what has happened and how even well intended reforms may have unintended side effects. Overall, I found the article to be quite enlightening and well written and it has spurred me to search for similar such datum regarding my own city and teaching environment.
Review of "Using Issues-Based Science in the Classroom" by S. Williams and J. Howarth
Williams, S. and Howarth, J., (2009) Using Issues-Based Science in the Classroom: Challenging students to think critically about the role of science in society. The Science Teacher, 76(7), 24-29.
Review
The article begins with a discussion of various issues of the day, such as H1N1, paper or plastic bags and the environment, and genetically modified crops, which serve as an introduction to the involvement of students in science via such issues. The article then goes on to discuss and define the various characteristics of issues-based science education and how it varies the emphasis of science as an isolated, information based subject studied in isolation and assessed via multiple choice tests to a field of study based on understanding the context of science as a collaboration which seeks to connect science to everyday issues in via open ended questions and “authentic” assessment. A variety of issues are then illustrated with pertinent questions, tips are given for engaging in the activities of an issues based science education, such as giving students a chance to make recommendations after they have done the appropriate research and drawing on student’s knowledge and interests to generate questions to study. The article then discusses how the method addresses the new National Science Education Standards and the relevance of doing so in a global society. The article then goes on to discuss how to go about planning an issues-based method of instruction and gives many helpful ideas that help explain the advantages, disadvantage and needs of such a curriculum in a short but well written series of paragraphs and charts. The article concludes with an analysis of when it is appropriate to engage in this type of learning and suggests how many types of students and their learning methods could be accommodated by this method before concluding with a call to engage students in critical thinking about science and the need for it in the modern world.
The article was well written, organized and helpful. It provided a clear overview of the advantages, and disadvantage of teaching issues based science. In fact the strongest feature of the article was its’ critical analysis of itself. By including the advantages-developing critical thought, involvement with the community, and student interest and motivation with real world issues, and disadvantage-extra time, energy, materials, resources required and the more advanced mental stage of development required for use of this process, formal operations, the article not only addressed the reason for using the technique, the limitations of the technique and included suggestions for how and when to implement the technique as part of an over-arching plan that address both the student’s needs and limited resources and time of the teacher. The charts and graphs are particularly useful in this regard and by providing a rubric for use and a continuum of methods the article succeeds in empowering the teacher with tools they can use in their classrooms. The only weak point of the article was that it should have been more precise in how issues-based science could be used to address the needs of students at different developmental levels, it did admit that such an method of instruction works best with students who have acquired the critical thinking skills necessary for the approach but was weak in delineating how to address those students how had not reach such an intellectual level or how the method could be used to aid them in this regards, a small point but an important one as this is the one issue that is perhaps the most difficult for teachers to address in order to use this style of instruction effectively. The articles in the bibliography also seem tailored to allow the reader, presumably the teacher or administrator, more tools to reasonably access this style of teaching in a manner consistent with practical use and teaching constraints.
Review
The article begins with a discussion of various issues of the day, such as H1N1, paper or plastic bags and the environment, and genetically modified crops, which serve as an introduction to the involvement of students in science via such issues. The article then goes on to discuss and define the various characteristics of issues-based science education and how it varies the emphasis of science as an isolated, information based subject studied in isolation and assessed via multiple choice tests to a field of study based on understanding the context of science as a collaboration which seeks to connect science to everyday issues in via open ended questions and “authentic” assessment. A variety of issues are then illustrated with pertinent questions, tips are given for engaging in the activities of an issues based science education, such as giving students a chance to make recommendations after they have done the appropriate research and drawing on student’s knowledge and interests to generate questions to study. The article then discusses how the method addresses the new National Science Education Standards and the relevance of doing so in a global society. The article then goes on to discuss how to go about planning an issues-based method of instruction and gives many helpful ideas that help explain the advantages, disadvantage and needs of such a curriculum in a short but well written series of paragraphs and charts. The article concludes with an analysis of when it is appropriate to engage in this type of learning and suggests how many types of students and their learning methods could be accommodated by this method before concluding with a call to engage students in critical thinking about science and the need for it in the modern world.
The article was well written, organized and helpful. It provided a clear overview of the advantages, and disadvantage of teaching issues based science. In fact the strongest feature of the article was its’ critical analysis of itself. By including the advantages-developing critical thought, involvement with the community, and student interest and motivation with real world issues, and disadvantage-extra time, energy, materials, resources required and the more advanced mental stage of development required for use of this process, formal operations, the article not only addressed the reason for using the technique, the limitations of the technique and included suggestions for how and when to implement the technique as part of an over-arching plan that address both the student’s needs and limited resources and time of the teacher. The charts and graphs are particularly useful in this regard and by providing a rubric for use and a continuum of methods the article succeeds in empowering the teacher with tools they can use in their classrooms. The only weak point of the article was that it should have been more precise in how issues-based science could be used to address the needs of students at different developmental levels, it did admit that such an method of instruction works best with students who have acquired the critical thinking skills necessary for the approach but was weak in delineating how to address those students how had not reach such an intellectual level or how the method could be used to aid them in this regards, a small point but an important one as this is the one issue that is perhaps the most difficult for teachers to address in order to use this style of instruction effectively. The articles in the bibliography also seem tailored to allow the reader, presumably the teacher or administrator, more tools to reasonably access this style of teaching in a manner consistent with practical use and teaching constraints.
Review of "From Frustrating Forgetfulness to Fabulous Forethought" by M. Hall and G. Brier.
Hall, M. and Brier, G., (2007) From Frustrating Forgetfulness to Fabulous Forethought: Current research on the adolescent brain may provide insight on how to create a more fruitful learning environment. The Science Teacher, 74(1), 24-27.
Review
The article begins with a brief discussion of some typical student behaviors such as forgetfulness and focus, and then launches into a summary of some recent research on brain development, particularly that of the development of the adolescent brain in the regions of the pre-frontal lobe, the cerebellum and limbic cortex. They then discuss some of the processes during this phase of life, particularly that of myelination, or the development of myelin around the axons that guide neurotransmitter processing. It is also during this discussion that they mention various aspects of adolescent behavior that are related to these developments, particularly that of the development of organizational abilities (pre-frontal cortex), motor control and the understanding of social cues (cerebellum) and emotional stability (limbic cortex). The article then launches into a discussion of various useful tools and techniques meant to help encourage the development of these various regions of the brain, such as firm due dates, negative consequences and student developed organization of tasks to aid in the development of the pre-frontal cortex, varied in class activities (visual aids, kinesthetic hands on activities, etc…) and types of organizers to help remind students of the structure and timing of the class (pre-frontal cortex and cerebellum), allowing students to personalize their learning process to create emotional context to the educations(limbic system). The article ends with a discussion of what the teacher can do to help engage their students with examples such as demonstrate emotional neutrality, providing choices, varying instruction and holding mini-conferences to assess student development and advancement, helpful suggestions all.
I found the article to be helpful and informative as a teacher. Had I not known anything about neuroscience and adolescent behavior the article would have been an excellent introduction to the subject. While some of the information would go over the head of non-science teachers the writing was contemporary and easily understood by the layman. In giving specific techniques the article shined. It gave may helpful ideas and suggestions that could be easily used in class to make both the teacher and the students lives easier, such as color coordinated papers and daily rosters of activities. The only criticism I might have is that I would have liked a discussion of the linking process between the activities and the brain development, even if in footnotes, but must admit that would probably have put the article into the realm of the scientists rather than the teacher so do not begrudge its absence, at least a good bibliography was provided so such activities could be undertake if you are so inclined. Fortunately the authors do stress that the teacher should remain emotionally neutral in regards to their student but passionate about the subject and try to encourage such passions in the students. All too often the concept of emotional neutrality is taken to such an extreme that a dry intellectual approach to subject matter can bore students and teacher alike. Interestingly, I found one note, mentioned merely as a illustration of adolescent behavior in the article to be most illuminating, the authors tell of how the teacher was teaching the class about the development of the pre-frontal cortex and how it does not full mature until around the age of 25, to which a student responded that he was happy to know that all this organization would become easy one day. Actually teaching students about the process rather than using it, as a tool of manipulation via psychology is probably one of the best tools we have these days. Sharing this information with the students so they can come to realize what they are going through as much as possible so as to become more integrated in the learning process itself may be one of the best techniques we discover as a result of these discoveries. Should such information not be shared with those actually going through the process itself even if they are not ready for the full study of neurochemistry itself? This author thinks so.
Review
The article begins with a brief discussion of some typical student behaviors such as forgetfulness and focus, and then launches into a summary of some recent research on brain development, particularly that of the development of the adolescent brain in the regions of the pre-frontal lobe, the cerebellum and limbic cortex. They then discuss some of the processes during this phase of life, particularly that of myelination, or the development of myelin around the axons that guide neurotransmitter processing. It is also during this discussion that they mention various aspects of adolescent behavior that are related to these developments, particularly that of the development of organizational abilities (pre-frontal cortex), motor control and the understanding of social cues (cerebellum) and emotional stability (limbic cortex). The article then launches into a discussion of various useful tools and techniques meant to help encourage the development of these various regions of the brain, such as firm due dates, negative consequences and student developed organization of tasks to aid in the development of the pre-frontal cortex, varied in class activities (visual aids, kinesthetic hands on activities, etc…) and types of organizers to help remind students of the structure and timing of the class (pre-frontal cortex and cerebellum), allowing students to personalize their learning process to create emotional context to the educations(limbic system). The article ends with a discussion of what the teacher can do to help engage their students with examples such as demonstrate emotional neutrality, providing choices, varying instruction and holding mini-conferences to assess student development and advancement, helpful suggestions all.
I found the article to be helpful and informative as a teacher. Had I not known anything about neuroscience and adolescent behavior the article would have been an excellent introduction to the subject. While some of the information would go over the head of non-science teachers the writing was contemporary and easily understood by the layman. In giving specific techniques the article shined. It gave may helpful ideas and suggestions that could be easily used in class to make both the teacher and the students lives easier, such as color coordinated papers and daily rosters of activities. The only criticism I might have is that I would have liked a discussion of the linking process between the activities and the brain development, even if in footnotes, but must admit that would probably have put the article into the realm of the scientists rather than the teacher so do not begrudge its absence, at least a good bibliography was provided so such activities could be undertake if you are so inclined. Fortunately the authors do stress that the teacher should remain emotionally neutral in regards to their student but passionate about the subject and try to encourage such passions in the students. All too often the concept of emotional neutrality is taken to such an extreme that a dry intellectual approach to subject matter can bore students and teacher alike. Interestingly, I found one note, mentioned merely as a illustration of adolescent behavior in the article to be most illuminating, the authors tell of how the teacher was teaching the class about the development of the pre-frontal cortex and how it does not full mature until around the age of 25, to which a student responded that he was happy to know that all this organization would become easy one day. Actually teaching students about the process rather than using it, as a tool of manipulation via psychology is probably one of the best tools we have these days. Sharing this information with the students so they can come to realize what they are going through as much as possible so as to become more integrated in the learning process itself may be one of the best techniques we discover as a result of these discoveries. Should such information not be shared with those actually going through the process itself even if they are not ready for the full study of neurochemistry itself? This author thinks so.
Applets a la Davidson Review
Ah the wonderful world of applets. How I love thee! To be honest these little programs, often developed by many computer savvy people across the world really do help bring a Physics class to life. Since most are free, and easily accessible via the Internet it also serves as a major tool that allows even cash strapped classes, schools and people be able to interact with what is in essence a virtual Physics laboratory.
The Davidson site, http://webphysics.davidson.edu/applets/applets.html is a particularly useful one. It is easy to navigate, very simple to use and has many fun applets are are useful for illustration, experiment and enjoyment. The only downside is that many of the applets are for more advanced studies such as waves, electrical fields and optics but within these limitations it is a very useful site. It also has many links to other sites and excellent source materials and even a Spanish language version available!
I thoroughly recommend the site and will endeavor to find you all one with Mechanics and other applets that are more appropriate to subject matter introduced earlier and for other fields! Hope you liked this review and found it handy.
The Davidson site, http://webphysics.davidson.edu/applets/applets.html is a particularly useful one. It is easy to navigate, very simple to use and has many fun applets are are useful for illustration, experiment and enjoyment. The only downside is that many of the applets are for more advanced studies such as waves, electrical fields and optics but within these limitations it is a very useful site. It also has many links to other sites and excellent source materials and even a Spanish language version available!
I thoroughly recommend the site and will endeavor to find you all one with Mechanics and other applets that are more appropriate to subject matter introduced earlier and for other fields! Hope you liked this review and found it handy.
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