Gender in education

Does gender effect education in boys. Their is some arguement that boys struggle more than girls in education. However, I think that if is someone is having trouble in school it is not related to their gender but it is because they are having difficulty in school or that the school that they are attending needs to be innovated. According to the issue, Is There a Crisis in the Education of Boys, “Sara Mead, a senior policy analyst at Education Sector in Washington, D.C., assembles long-term data from the federally sponsored National Assessment of Educational Progress to show that the “crisis” emphasis is unwarranted and detracts from broader social justice issues” (Noll, 2009, 15th ed., pp. 286-287). If boys are seen struggling more than girls in schools it is not because of their gender. For them to succeed academically they need to make sure the boys are placed in classrooms where they can focus and make a change in their academics if they are behind. The 2000 Annual Report of School Safety shows that the innovation of a safe school is important and states that “The Safe School environment and Safe School policies elements help provide a friendly, emotionally secure environment. Technology and security devices provide an array of services to students, families, and faculty, in a safe secure environment” (Riley & Reno, 2000). With safe schools and the right innovations in schools students will have the opportunity to be in an environment that is success friendly. Gender is not the reason students do not succeed in school it is a personal work ethic and being in a school friendly environment will encourage students to succeed.

Should public schools be redefined?

The question of whether public schools should be redefined is a controversial issue. Although the amount of funding in many public schools is low this is not something the school can have control over. According to American Education, “The problem is that how much money spent per public school student varies between school districts because of differences in local property taxes. There are differences between school districts in the value of the property to be taxed and the amount a community is willing to tax its property” (Joel Spring, 2008, p. 346). School funding in public schools will not increase if the school is in located in a low income community because people are not willing to pay higher taxes. A public school does not need to be redefined if it has a moral education and a challenging standard curriculum offered to the students. According to the issue, Should “Public Schooling Be Redefined?, “Gatto condemned the public school system for its emphasis on obedience and subordination rather than unleashing of the intellectual and creative powers of the individual” (Noll, 2009, 15th ed., pp. 154-155). If a public school is not succeeding and it provides the best education it can and opportunities for the students that school should not be redefined because it will not change to efforts of the students in the school.

High-stakes assessments

The question of whether high-stakes assessments improve learning in schools is a controversial issue that is seen in schools today. Many teachers in school districts feel that they spend more time testing their students than instructing them. Should high-stakes assessments determine if students can progress to the next grade if the student has passed every test given by the teacher? When standard tests are given in each grade and the students perform poorly on the test the teachers and the administrators are the ones that are blamed. Therefore, the teachers that work in schools with high-stakes assessments are encouraged to focus their learning activities in the classroom on what the students will be tested on the standard tests. I feel that if students can pass the tests that they are given by their teachers in their schools to move on the next grade or graduate from college is the standard that schools should enforce. I do not feel that one test can decide this capability of learning that a student has. I agree with Ken Jones when he argues in the issue Do High-Stakes Assessments Improve Learning, “the current accountability approach, relying on the use of high-stakes tests mandated from above, is detrimental to local school improvement and erodes democratic principles” (Noll, J.W., 15th ed., pp. 132-133). I also feel that when schools use high-stakes test that it takes away from what students would normally learn in a certain class because the teachers are focusing on what the high-stakes test require the student to learn.
According to American Education, “both teachers and administrators are motivated to ensure that classroom instruction complies to academic standards and provides students with the specific knowledge and skills required by the tests” (Spring J., 2008, p. 219). Although high-stakes tests are a driving force in the schools systems I feel that they are limiting the amount of information that students should be learning in the classroom. Funding in schools is another issue that is associated with high-stakes assessments. According to last weeks debate, “if schools do not comply with standardized testing, they lose funds. Teachers and Principals gets bonuses for improved scores.” The amount of financial aid and federal powers over local schools does not match up. The money that is invested in education needs to be more effective. I feel that high-stakes testing puts to much pressure on students because they are threatened with the consequences of failure with just one test to determine this. Not only does it put an immense amount of stress on the students it also puts stress on the teachers because the majority of the time they are blamed if the students do not pass the tests. Therefore, high-stakes assessments are not an effective way of teaching.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Are zero tolerance policies effective? No, I do not think that a zero tolerance policy can lead to safe schools. I think that a zero tolerance policy lacks flexibility and many times the students are accused for things that they should not be accused for. I agree with Alfie Kohn when he argues that “not only are zero-tolerance policies ineffective, they are also harmful-creating fear rather than a sense of security and trust and replacing programs that are effective in treating the root causes of youth violence” (Abbeduto & Symons, 2008, 5th ed., pp. 362-363). A zero tolerance policy causes a strict emphasis at the wrong root of the problem and causes the students to be in fear of things that would be considered innocent and not pertain to school violence. The policy does not focus on the main causes of youth violence because it is focusing on little things that are not causing the violence that is seen in schools today. Violence in school is not something that can be detected by monitoring the student’s every move. It would be more effective to focus on the main signals that come across as violent. According to Diversity of Learners and Settings, “There are good reasons to dwell on rampage school shootings even though they are rare. They are an unprecedented kind of adolescent violence. We do not understand why they happen and have barely begun to consider their long-term consequences” (Newman K., 2004, 444). Schools are among the safest places for children to be and with a zero tolerance policy many innocent students are blamed for things that should not be the focus of school violence.

Bilingual Education

Bilingual education programs help non-English speaking children succeed. Bilingual education programs can help children develop different ways of knowing and seeing the world. These programs will help children understand how big the world is and that other countries have differences from the one that they live in. These programs are important for children who move from another country to the United States. According to American Education, “people can be bicultural, switching from a holistic to a Western worldview. This is what many children from Confucian-based and other collectivist societies must learn when entering U.S. schools. They must learn to be bicultural” (Spring J., 2008, p. 157). When children that are immigrants make the transition from collectivist societies to the U.S. society it requires for the transition to be bicultural. I agree with Professor Stephen Krashen when he says, “good bilingual education programs provide background knowledge of subject matter and literacy in the child’s native language” (DelCampo, D.S., & DelCampo, R.L., 7th ed., pp. 264-265). I feel that bilingual education programs are the best way to educate non-English speaking students.

eBooks

According to the artcile in Multimedia and Internet@Schools, Jan./Feb. 2009, "Ebook and 21st-Century Learning," ebooks are the newest way for teachers and students to look up book and accress a digital library. This article subject is on Ebooks and how ebooks are becoming the new library resource for the 21st Century. Ebooks are the electronic versions of books in the library that can can be accessed by students and teachers on the internet. Ebooks provide access to students to become more informed on their technology literacy and research. Ebooks are available to students and teachers 24/7. They help bring lessons to life, engage struggling readers, and connect technology and learning. Ebooks make it easier for students to do research and writing assignments because they can be accessed all the time and this works for students that have hectic schedules. Ebooks increase the technology driven aspect that is needed in every classroom!

Swine Flu

The fear of Swine Flu entering schools is increasing as the return on school approaches many student and teachers. According to NSW health, "there have been 3,648 confirmed cases of swine flu and a total of 17 people have died from swine flu." It is important for parents and teachers to work together as school approaches for the fall to avoid an increase in swine flu among the students. Schools play an important role when teaching children how to maintain a good hygiene and and how to understand the ways to minimize the spread of infections. This summer there have been hundreds of children sent home from overnight camps because of the rapid increase of swine flu like symptoms. Number of officials think that the number of swine flu like symptoms that have been seen in camps across the U.S. this summer is just a preview of what is going to partake in elementary and secondary schools and for students that are moving into dormitories. Health officials are predicting the increase of the flu in the fall with the U.S. population having to wait until long after the start of school for the treatment of swine flu to exist. Schools districts and universities are working towards ways to alert the public on swine flu before the school year approaches. They are going to to this by holding education campaigns with updated statistics, discuss worst-case scenarios, and how to prevent these worst-case scenarios. "School closures would occur only by order of the superintendent or the county health department and only if so many children were sick that it was impractical to keep classes running," said Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, director of student medical services at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Many campuses are stocking up on supplies like paper masks, hand sanitizer, food, and water. After many camps were cancelled and had to send campers home the increase of Tami flu among the campers increased. Many campers were required to bring Tami flu and this might be something that is seen in schools if swine flue continues. Schools are educating students on how to properly cough and sneeze so it does not spread bacteria. How to prevent the spread of the virus in schools can be educated, however it is important to take personal responsibility and take care of your hygiene.

School Violence

It is important that teachers and students feel safe at the schools they attend. Most schools are relatively safe but the amount of school violence that is seen today is unacceptable. Parents, teachers, and administrators expect schools to be a safe place of learning. School violence happens when the students choose to act on the concept of youth violence. Youth violence can start young for some students and continue throughout their time as a student in schools. Youth violence can consist of bullying, slapping, punching, and even weapon use. If a teacher is suspecting a student to have a violence problem their are some risk signs that the teacher can look for. Some risks include: poor behavioral control, antisocial beliefs and attitudes, low parental involvement in students life, poor academic performance, and low commitment in schools activities. Although, most people feel safe at the school they attend their is always a risk of school violence and every parent, teacher, and student should be aware of the consequences. According to youth violence.com, "more than 780,000 young people ages 10 to 24 are treated in emergency departments each year for injuries sustained due to violence (CDC 2006b). On average, 16 persons between the ages of 10 and 24 are murdered each day in the United States (CDC 2006b). " Youth violence is a serious problem that needs to be stopped before it happens because violence can have lasting harmful effects on a community, friends, and family. Prevention should reduce risk factors and promote protective factors. For prevention to work it should address levels that influence youth violence. Levels might include: individual, relationship, community, and society. Promoting awareness of youth violence and fostering the commitment to social change are both effective prevention strategies. Having an understanding of school violence is how school violence is going to stop!

How to use positive reinforcement in the classroom

Teachers often find that maintaining behavior management is a difficult task to master and takes practice, time, and using different techniques. However, using positive reinforcement in you classroom can promote better behavior management from your students and is easy to do. If positive reinforcement is used the right way in a classroom teachers will see improvement in the behavior management of their classroom. Their are multiple ways to use positive reinforcement in the classroom. First, teachers need to to greet their students every morning with a happy greeting. This will get the students attitude more positive at the beginning of the day. Teachers also want to make sure that they praise their students at the appropriate times. Teachers also want to make sure that they only praise their students when it they deserve it so that when saying "great job" is always meaningful. Teachers also want to make sure that when praising their students that they tell them specifically what they have done right so that the student knows what behavior they should continue practicing. When using positive reinforcement it is important that teachers use it loudly and clearly so that every student can hear them. When the other students hear a particular student getting praised for good behavior this will influence them to do the same. Another way to use positive reinforcement is by rewarding the students. For example, a teacher could give stars to each student for good behavior and by the time that a student has five stars they will be awarded with a fun activity or a free homework pass. It is important that teachers use positive reinforcement right when they see the good behavior. If the reinforcement is delayed students will be confused on what is being praised and nothing will be reinforced. When dealing with behavior issues it is easy to see the bad behavior and punish students for that. It is important that teachers recognize the good behavior more times than the bad behavior.

Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions

According to PBIS.org, "The TA center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices." School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports are used for student's with special needs to give these student's access to the most effective instructional and behavioral practices and interventions as possible. SWPBIS is a decision making framework that promotes improving academic and behavioral outcomes for all students. The 4 SWPBIS elements are data, outcomes, practices, and systems that support social competence, academic behavior, decision making, and student behavior. These four elements are guided by principles of: arranging an environment that prevents the occurrences of problem behavior, having teachers promote and show pro social skills and behaviors, and monitor student performance and progress everyday. The hopeful outcome that will come from PBIS would be to have teaching and learning environments more structured and engaging, have teachers monitor classroom management and to use disciplinary issues, to improve specialized assistance for the students with cognitive disabilities, and to get the academic maximum academic progression from all students. The continuum of SWPBS is organized by the levels of the needs to students supports based on their behavioral responsiveness to intervention. The continuum of SWPBS is a three-tiered prevention logic that is sectioned off by the levels of support for each student. Depending on the levels of intensity of behavior for each student and what each support that each student requires the students will either be placed in the group of contingency or secondary tier, a highly individualized plan that is the tertiary tier, then the rest of the student's will be placed in the primary tier. If SWPBS is used efficiently it can be effective by promoting benchmarks, classroom checklists, effective classroom plan, classroom management, and effective behavior supports.

Reading in Schools

It is important to get student's of the 21st century interested in reading in schools because with the new technology in their generation student's are becoming more distracted and less interested in reading. Reading is a hobby that is slowly becoming less popular by the American population. Children who learn to read when they are young and keep reading on their own are more likely to stay in school and eventually get a job as adults. As a teacher their are many ways that you can make a difference and promote your student's to read more. Reading should be fun and teacher's can show this by being an example. Teacher's should not force their student's to read in their own time but they can show them how it is fun to do in their free time by promoting it in their classroom. Another way for teacher's to promote reading to their student's is by giving them book lists with different books that fit many interests. By giving them a list of interesting books that are not mandatory to read for school student's will be more interested in reading because they will not consider these books boring. Teacher's can also email reading websites and lists to parent's of their student's so the parents will have a better idea of what books their children will be interested in. They can get these books for their children to read during their free time or during the summer. Celebrating reading Holiday's in your classroom is another way to get student's interested in reading during the school day. For example, classrooms can celebrate Read Across America on Dr. Seuss's birthday and also celebrate National Poetry Month. Read Across America day can promote student's to read because they will see their peers reading in a fun atmosphere and National Poetry Day will also promote student's to read because this is a time that they can experience poetry. A way to promote reading for pleasure is to let every student pick any book that they would like to read on their own and then at the end of the year their can be a show and tell day to let each student tell about their book and to bring in an object that represents what they learned from the book. Overall, their are many things that teacher's can do to promote reading in the classroom, outside the classroom, and reading for pleasure. It is important that teacher's try some of these techniques because with the increasing technology and distractions of the 21st century less people are becoming interested in the art of reading.

Technology in Schools

Technology in schools is rapidly increasing. "A study commissioned by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology and recently released by Columbia University discovered that West Virginia's use of educational technology led directly to significant gains in K-6 students' reading, math, and language skills." It is shown that because of increasing technology that student's test scores have increased. When student's learn in a multimedia environment it helps them learn by auditory hearing, language, and decoding-in-context that they do not get in a regular environment. "A study conducted at Stephens Institute of Technology found that high-school students retained math skills longer after using commercially available mathematics software than did students in a control group receiving traditional classroom instruction. (Technology and Learning, September 1997)." However, it is important that teachers use effective technology and that it is carefully selected to be integrated educationally. It is also important that teacher receive ample training in how to integrate software into their classroom. Although advanced technology seems "ideal" for every classroom, schools that do not have enough funding will not receive the advanced technology because of the high costs. However, it is important for student's to receive some education on advanced technology because if they are not informed on the technology of the 21st century they will not be fully prepared for the 21st century. Most jobs require their employee to have a background on technology. Although technology in schools is effective it is not perfect. Technology is always changing and constantly needs to be tested and improved.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is effectively being used in the classrooms. Assistive technology helps students with disabilities have access to devices that makes learning easier for them. Assistive technology aids the learning of students with disabilities, helps them have a better understanding, and increases their participation in the classroom. According to an article by Sherril Steele-Carlin, from Education World, "more than 4,000 assistive technologies have been designed for students and teachers. These devices include hearing aids, glare-reduction screens, screen magnifiers, Braille note-taking devices, and voice-recognition software." Assistive Technology is the newest technology that is being used in the classroom. Because it is so new it is important for all teachers to be informed on assistive technology and how it should be used. If teachers know how to use assistive technology effectively students will be provided with multiple ways to complete tasks and it will help them focus on achieving to their ability. It is important for teachers to understand their students strengths and weaknesses so they can build on their assistive technologies to make them more effective for each student. Assistive technologies can not only increase a student's academic performance but it can also increase and student's social performance. It is important for teachers to be informed on the assistive technology they wish to use before using it in the classroom.

Co-Teaching

Co-Teaching is seen more now in schools. It is a way for two different teachers to come together and teach in one classroom. Its ideal approach is to bring two different teachers together and for these teachers to use to best of their teaching abilities to benefit the students. Co-Teaching is usually seen when a special education teacher and a general education teacher will teach a class together. This is good for the special education students because they can get the attention they need from the special education teacher. This will also benefit the general education students because it will give them more ways to learn the context of what they have been taught. Co-Teaching is a way for teachers to combine their expertise and benefit the students on their content knowledge, learning strategies, and more students achieve to a higher standard. Co-Teaching requires a great deal of planning, participation, and joint effort from each teacher. The teachers must make lesson plans together and must agree on how things are going to be setup and run in the classroom.
There are a variety of techniques and ways for teachers to co-teach. One teacher can teach while one observes, teachers teach simultaneously, students rotate through stations, and teachers alternate the teaching lesson. It depends on the students and the dynamic of the classroom on which techniques to choose. However, all of these techniques can be effective. For teachers to be effective at co-teaching they most be open to the idea, willing to work with others, open to share ideas, and be willing to learn from other teachers.

Lesson Plans for Elementary School Teachers

For teachers making lesson plans is essential. However, many new and upcoming teachers have questions for what is the best lesson plan layout and what the layout should include! Developing good lesson plans is going to take time, thinking, and practice to become an expert at this skill. The best way to become comfortable with making lesson plans is to practice making them. Their are fundamental components that every teacher should learn when making lesson plans. They are to write, revise, and improve. Good lesson plans will not ensure that every student is going to learn everything that is being taught, however it will certainly contribute to it. Lesson plans are a way of communicating and helping teachers organize content, materials, and methods. Lesson plans will help new teachers in organizing subject-matter more fundamentally.

Here are some helpful websites that will help guide teachers to make lesson plans:

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plan/resource/5775.html?detoured=1
http://teachers.net/lessons/
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/