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Channel-Talk for The Learning Classroom
From: Jack Mccauley (channel-talklearning@learner.org)
Date: Mon Mar 01 2004 - 07:53:15 EST
Next message: Katherine Kraus: "[Channel-talklearning] Spring session The Learning Classroom"
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Thanks for your response. I was a little frustrated when I wrote my
last note?viewing the classroom sessions, seeing some creative lessons,
and good teachers doing what teachers can do just after having spent an
entire Pro. Dev. Day on data analysis and reading strategies had me
thinking that as worthwhile as the session had been we had not really
talked about classroom activities. I don't think teachers finished the
session excited about creating lessons, just more concerned about
whether they were covering everything. I was a superintendent of an
8000 student school district for 15 years before a colleague and I
started this elementary charter school. We are doing some good things
and have a good school. This course (especially since I have done some
more reading) is helping restore some perspective; we (teachers) really
do need to keep learning. In Michigan there are state continued
education requirements that prompted me to get involved with this class.
We started with our school seven years ago and had some wonderful
plans; we still do and we are fulfilling most of our goals. What has
really struck me after now doing more of the reading and viewing
additional video sessions is how much of what we?that?s me and the
teaching staff?are doing that we have forgotten exactly why we are doing
it. I know we are doing good things with learning centers, cooperative
learning, multiple intelligences that have become part of how we do
things, but almost like in a vacuum. If we forget the theory (or the
facts) and the reason we started doing it, we fall into our routines
and do not do it as well as we could. As I read and view some items I
am thinking??I knew that??but had forgotten. I really respect the kind
of work you are doing; it is not easy and I suspect you deal with a lot
of "why are we doing this?" The NCLB is under a lot of criticism, but
the fact is that we need that commitment to every child, but there are
some problems to work out with the law and day-to-day school activities.
On a recent flight I read in Time or Newsweek about a school in Iowa
where they have improved test scores, but (as least as reported) they
have abandoned much of their curriculum goals?did you see that? It was
just last week. I should have saved it.
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<H4>Thanks for your response.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I was
a little frustrated when I wrote my last note?viewing the classroom sessions,
seeing some creative lessons, and good teachers doing what teachers can do just
after having spent an entire Pro. Dev. Day on data analysis and reading
strategies had me thinking that as worthwhile as the session had been we
had not really talked about classroom activities. I don't think teachers
finished the session excited about creating lessons, just more concerned about
whether they were covering everything. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I was a superintendent of an 8000 student school district for 15 years
before a colleague and I started this elementary charter school. We are doing
some good things and have a good school.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>This course (especially since I have done some more reading) is
helping restore some perspective; we (teachers) really do need to keep learning.
In Michigan there are state continued education requirements that prompted
me to get involved with this class.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>We started with our school seven years ago and had some wonderful plans;
we still do and we are fulfilling most of our goals.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What has really struck me after now
doing more of the reading and viewing additional video sessions is how much of
what we?that?s me and the teaching staff?are doing that we have forgotten
exactly why we are doing it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I know
we are doing good things with learning centers, cooperative learning, multiple
intelligences that have become part of how we do things, but almost like in a
vacuum.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If we forget the theory (or
the facts) and the reason we started doing it, we fall into our routines
and do not do it as well as we could. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As I read and view some items I am
thinking??I knew that??but had forgotten.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I really respect the kind of work you are doing; it is not easy and
I suspect you deal with a lot of "why are we doing this?"<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The NCLB is under a lot of criticism,
but the fact is that we need that commitment to every child, but there are some
problems to work out with the law and day-to-day school activities.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>On a recent flight I read in Time or
Newsweek about a school in Iowa where they have improved test scores, but (as
least as reported) they have abandoned much of their curriculum goals?did you
see that? <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was just last
week.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I should have saved
it.</H4></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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