Shawn+Vento

__Response Journal #1__
 * Introduce yourself - include your discipline, the age group you teach and any aspect of your professional profile that you would like to share.
 * Reflect on your expectations for this course.
 * Reflect on the following: How do you believe deepening your knowledge of curriculum design and assessment will help your teaching practice? How might it help your students?

My name is Shawn Vento and I teach grades 4-8 Physical Education and grades 6-8 Health at Dhahran Elementary Middle School. I have been teaching for 8 years and this is my third year in Saudi Arabia. I am looking forward to learning the current best practices in all aspects of curriculum design, instruction and student assessment. I expect that as I become familiar and comfortable with the "Backwards Design" model that my unit plans will begin to focus less on the individual activites and more on the essential questions that I want my students to be able to answer. I believe that a more thorough knowledge of curriculum design, instruction and assessment will make me a better teacher and my students better learners. By focusing on what I expect my students to know and developing more concise assessments that reflect these essential questions my students will experience more success and ultimately become more actively engaged in constructing meaningful knowledge.

__Response Journal #2__

Read and respond to Knowledge Alive
 * What is the author's point of view with regard to the //knowledge arts//?
 * How would you respond to his ideas and suggestions?
 * What are the implications of his ideas for curriculum designers?

David Perkins believes schools and teachers should place a stronger emphasis on teaching the knowledge arts. The knowledge arts theory allows students to create, communicate, organize and finally act upon their knowledge in a more meaningful way. The author believes that schools have traditionally placed emphasis on students learning facts and formulas. I agree that students often “learn” or memorize material that is required for a test or project. When the assessment is completed the material is then forgotten. I agree that teaching for understanding allows for students to become more engaged and excited about the learning process. Curriculum designers must focus more on developing critical thinkers who are able to effectively communicate their knowledge and let go of the premise that learning is best demonstrated through regurgitation of facts. We must focus less on learning individual subjects and more on developing a culture of learning where each student feels more engaged in their own learning process.

Read and respond to Preparing for Today and Tomorrow
 * In Eisner's view what //aims// are appropriate for schools seeking to prepare students for today and tomorrow?
 * In your experience, what factors give rise to the 'preparatory' and 'hoop jumping' conception of education that runs contrary to his beliefs
 * To what extent are you able to focus on Eisner's //aims// in your present teaching situation?

In __Preparing for Today and Tomorrow__, Elliot Eisner states that students are best prepared for their future by “enabling them to deal effectively with the present.” Eisner outlines five aims he believes are essential in preparing students for their future. The five aims involve developing: judgment, critical thinking, meaningful literacy, collaboration and service. These five aims are in contradiction to the “hoop jumping” mentality that is prevalent among teachers, administrators and parents. Administrators are too often concerned about their test scores in relation to other schools in their district. Teachers feel that test scores are a reflection of teaching ability, and parents instill in their children at an early age the importance of outperforming others so they can get into the best colleges. One way I try to prepare students for their future is to provide opportunities in my P.E. classes for each student to officiate the games we play. The students are required to not rely on another person to interpret the rules of the game but rather to make decisions based upon their own knowledge. I feel this activity teaches students the ability to make judgments based on their interpretations of the rules and what has happened in the game. When students officiate in groups of two or three they are learning to collaborate with their peers in a meaningful way.

__Response Journal #3__ Visit the website //Concept to Classroom// and read [|Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning] workshop.
 * Read all 7 pages
 * Open 'What Do You Think?' and 'Buzzwords' links as you read
 * The curriculum design and assessment models that will be the focus of this course are informed by a constructivist view of teaching and learning. Describe some of the benefits of constructivism.
 * What should educators be cautious of in relation to constructivism?

The constructivist view of teaching and learning believes people build or construct their own knowledge of the world through experiences and then reflecting on these experiences. One benefit of constructivism is the development of higher-level thinking skills or knowledge arts. Constructivism is inquiry-based and students learn how to solve problems by asking questions, investigating different sources of information and then drawing their own conclusions. Constructivism helps to develop better communication and social skills. As students collaborate with peers they learn how to effectively articulate their ideas and to listen and respond to the ideas of others. Constructivism encourages alternative methods of assessment. Instead of relying on pen and paper tests students are required to learn more real-world activities such as journals, reports, group presentations and models. Constructivism helps students transfer new skills and knowledge to the real world. Skills such as problem-solving, collaboration and critical analysis help to prepare students for real-life situations. Finally, constructivism helps build a culture of learning where students become intrinsically motivated to learn. As students learn to actively construct their own knowledge they are more likely to be confident and excited about learning. I believe that collaborative learning is a great tool but teachers must ensure all students are part of the learning process. Some students who are lacking in confidence may hold back while allowing just a few students to dominate the group. The constructivist classroom requires a strong educator who actively involves and guide students through inquiry-based learning. For constructivism to be successfully incorporated it is imperative for educators to help community members understand the importance of indicators of excellence other than pen and paper tests.

__Response Journal #4__
 * Read [|PowerfulLearning.pdf].
 * Give an example from your own experience for each of Brandt's conditions for //powerful learning//.
 * Which of these conditions are viable in your present teaching assignment?

** When people are intrinsically motivated they are more likely to take an interest and be more successful in their learning. As a P.E. teacher I work with students with varied levels of fitness and athletic ability. Students who see they are not able to perform skills as well as their peers often become disinterested and are less likely to improve. One way I try to make P.E. meaningful for all students is to create learning groups based upon their present fitness and athletic ability. In my P.E. classes we participate in fitness units several times throughout the year. Each student performs 5 fitness tests and records the results in their fitness journal. Based on the results of these fitness tests, students then work to develop at least 3 fitness goals for themselves. Not only does this make fitness more meaningful to each student but it also sets individual goals that can be achieved by each student. I feel that it is important that students first learn the fundamental skills involved in a sport. The next step is to learn the rules of play, and finally we will progress to learning basic and/or advanced strategies. I find that placing students in learning groups with peers at similar developmental stages helps everyone attain maximal improvement. I am a kinesthetic learner. I learn best not by seeing or hearing but by being actively involved in the activity. I try to provide many different methods for my students to learn skills in class. For instance, I will describe and demonstrate, I will provide opportunities for students to practice individually as well as with their peers. I have even used video taping so students can see for themselves any mistakes in their technique. Most of the learning activities we are involved with in class take place with a partner, small group or team environment. When the students are working with others they are encouraged to give feedback to their peers. In P.E. students receive constant feedback from their peers and from me. Students will give written feedback to their partner through the use of a skill checklist. As the student is performing a basketball lay-up shot, their partner will use a checklist that identifies the different components that need to be completed. Some strategies I try to teach to my students so they will be come more successful learners include; time management skills, stress management and using the grading rubric to grade themselves before they hand in a project. This is a very important condition for learning that is always emphasized in sport and P.E. classes. We can not perform our best if we are afraid of making a mistake. While we are offering suggestions for improvements we must be sure that we follow it up with words of encouragement. For example, “That was a much better volleyball serve, this time I want you to step with your left leg as your right hand makes contact with the ball. Keep it up, you are showing great improvement!” I know that my students will learn better when I can control other factors which may act as a distraction to learning. These other factors might include; other classes sharing the gymnasium, extreme temperature if we have class outside, lack of P.E. equipment. I believe all of these conditions are viable in my present teaching assignment. One area I would like to improve upon is making learning more meaningful for all students. Perhaps, I could provide opportunities for students to select one or more of the sports they would like to learn about.
 * People learn what is personally meaningful for them.
 * People learn more when they accept challenging but achievable goals. **
 * Learning is developmental. **
 * Everyone learns differently. **
 * Much learning occurs through social interaction. **
 * People need feedback to learn. **
 * Successful learning involves use of strategies-which themselves are learned. **
 * A positive emotional climate strengthens learning. **
 * Learning is influenced by the total environment. **

__ Response Journal #5

__  The best lesson and unit plans are "backwards" because this model forces me as a teacher to first identify exactly what I want the students to know at the end of a lesson or unit. When I have identified these goals or standards I can then begin to think about what would be acceptable evidence to demonstrate understanding of the desired goals. Does a written test demonstrate that a grade 8 student really understands how to design their own physical fitness training program? Probably not. More realistically, the students should be able to demonstrate they can design their own fitness training program which effectively helps them to achieve fitness goals based on their own needs. Finally, I can plan learning experiences that will allow students to be most successful in presenting their evidence of learning the curriculum. Students will need to know more than the meaning of muscular strength or heart and lung endurance. Instead, they will need to experience different methods for improving these areas of fitness.
 * Read the following except from //Understanding by Design//[|The Backwards Design Process]
 * Justify the claim that the best lesson and unit designs are “backwards.”

The backward design seems to be the most efficient and effective method for planning lessons and units. Identify our goals, determine how to assess understanding and then and only then, plan the individual learning activities.

__Response Journal #6__   I associate student understanding as being enduring and transferable. A student can not forget what they understand, rather an understanding becomes part of a students being. Understanding allows students to transfer what they know to other areas of study or life in general. When students understand they are able to recognize patterns that enable them to develop new connections and knowledge.
 * Read P 114 and 115. Knowing vs. Understanding:  What behaviors do you associate with student understanding?

  Students who "know" the material but do not understand the larger concepts will most likely "forget" once the assessment has been completed. Students who understand will be able to use existing knowledge to make the inferences that allow them to create new knowledge.
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">How do you distinguish between students "knowing" and "doing" versus understanding what they are studying.