Mike is posing a very direct question

Mike V.  is taking this opportunity to pose three very simple, but very important questions:    

1.   Does merit pay actually work?   


2.   Are student test scores and teacher competency related?"


3.   What is the purpose of assessment,  in your estimation.    


Choose any one of the above questions and let us hear your thoughts.    

Donna poses questions about the concept of "think big start small."

Both Ornstein (in Chapter 31) and Tomlinson and McTighe (in Chapter 10) mention this idea of  a "think big, but start small" approach to incorporating new ideas and teaching strategies into  one's classroom.    How do you interpret that statement and how does it apply to you in the classroom?    Do you agree with these  authors?    And finally, what would be your advice for  new young teachers be as they begin to ‘think big and start small”  in their own classrooms?   

Alexis wonders if the United States is educationally competitive

"The United States places 17th in the developed world for education, according to a global report by education firm Pearson.” 

The United Stated ranked 17^th in the entire world with Finland being rated first, South Korea came in 2^nd and Hong Kong came in 3^rd for the best countries for education. Others that came in close were Singapore, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.  This information was last updated in 2012 so it’s fairly recent. Do you believe that differences in some various educational institutions around the world can create an international variation amongst student performance? What are these top performing countries doing in education that other countries aren’t? Have they used special resources throughout the years to maximize such performance in their schools? Are the families in these countries relying solely on the government so they force their children to focus more on their schooling than anything else? What do you believe are the strongest factors in a strong educational system.

You might wish to reference the following link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/best-education-in-the-wor_n_2199795.html

Jennifer is asking about the class of the future

      The author of this article believes that in a few years many hand-held devices will be able to store the entire human knowledge base and, in addition, that we will be teaching students through online courses aka MOOCs.   We will also be relying on Big Data which enables teachers to provide differentiated instruction to students with very little difficulty.    Are you comfortable with this hi-tech classroom of the future?    Do you feel prepared to teach in this type of an atmosphere?   Does the preponderance of this type of technology make you nervous?  In your opinion will this classroom of the future produce better students?    Better teachers?       

     

Greg wonders if we are getting the whole picture

In this week's reading, Tomlinson and McTighe compare standardized testing to a snapshot of a student's learning and achievement rather than the complete photo album.  Today, we see with the core standard initiative that more focus is being placed on standardized testing than ever before. Do you agree with the authors that this is merely a snapshot of our students' abilities?   On the other hand, do you feel that this increased emphasis on standardized testing is a step in the right direction for our nation's future educational success?  Are standardized tests an accurate or inaccurate representation of student knowledge?   Will this movement toward a common core curriculum do more harm than good for our students?  What are your thoughts?    I look forward to hearing your thoughts, especially with regard to the "snapshot" allegation.   

Thanks,

Joana poses an in-depth question about curriculum

Given the present educational climate, what would you consider to be the most critical issues that we, as educators, are dealing with with regard to curriculum?   What are you and your with colleagues doing in order to address this/these problem(s) at the school level and, more importantly, how are you dealing with these curriculum concerns within your classroom(s)?    I look forward to your comments.    

Stacy poses a questions about the needs of all students

In Chapter 2  McTighe and Tomlinson discuss what they feel really matters in teaching. They believe that teaching responsively is very important and affects the way in which we shape our students. They believe that “responsive and differentiated teaching means (that) a teacher is as attuned to students’ varied learning needs as to the requirements of a thoughtful and well-articulated curriculum.”  Do you agree with this statement?    Is it an easy goal to reach?

What are some of the strategies that you apply in order  to make sure that you are making the proper modifications for your students ?   How are you approaching your curriculum so that you  support each learner’s success in the classroom?   Do you find this to be an overwhelming task?     I would like your input on one or two of the questions posed.   Thank-you.