Rosie+Sohail


 * **Question** || **Response** || **Posted By** ||
 * **Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results : //To what extent are the targeted understandings... //** ||  ||   ||
 * Aligned with appropriate goals (standards, benchmarks)?    ||   ||   ||
 * Big ideas at the heart of the discipline (as opposed to basic facts and skills) in need of // uncoverage? // ||   ||   ||
 *  Framed by provocative // essential // and // unit // questions?    ||   ||   ||
 * Linked to valid and relevant knowledge and skills? ||  ||   ||


 * **Stage 2 - Determine Acceptable Evidence** || **Response** || **Posted By** ||
 * **//To what extent are...//**
 *  Students asked to demonstrate their understanding through authentic performance tasks?
 *  Appropriate criterion-based scoring tools used to evaluate student products and performances
 *  A variety of appropriate assessment formats used?
 *  Assessments used as feedback for students and teachers, as well as for evaluation?
 * Students encouraged to self-assess ||  ||   ||
 * **Stage 3 - Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction** ||  ||   ||
 * **//To what extent will...//**
 *  Students know //where// they're going (the learning goals) and //why// the material is important, and //what is required of them// (in terms of unit goals, performance requirements, and evaluative criteria)?
 *  Students be hooked and //engaged// in digging into the big ideas of the unit (through inquiry, research, problem solving, and experimentation)?
 *  Students receive explicit instruction on the knowledge and skills needed to //equip// them for the required performances?
 *  Students have opportunities to //rehearse//, //revise//, and //refine// their work based on feedback?
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Students //self-assess// and set goals prior to the conclusion of the unit? ||  ||   ||

__Response to Journal #1__

Hi, I’m Rosie Sohail. I’m married with two gorgeous girls, Aaliyah, 4 years old and Roxanna, who has just turned one. This is my third year of teaching at Dhahran British Grammar School and currently I’m teaching Year 4 (8 and 9 year olds). Before embarking on the international school scene I was in the UK, teaching for 3 years at a primary school and 3 years at a middle school, as a Maths and Science teacher. I hope that taking on the various challenges that this course will pose for me will reinvigorate my beliefs of the ‘learning process’ and what it means to learn, in the academic sense, again…seeing an aspect of life once again through a student’s eyes. Most importantly, I hope to apply as much of the learnt theory and knowledge from practical activities to the planning of lessons that I teach. As educators we have to re-evaluate our teaching and also consider recent research in order to be progressive. Deepening my knowledge of Curriculum Design and Assessment will improve, I hope, my performance as an educator, where the students learn with meaning and moreover want to learn, through enjoyment. I would like to see how assessment, formative and summative, can be used more efficiently and effectively to inform planning and teaching on the part of the teacher, and learning on the part of the student. Traditionally, assessment has been primarily for use of the teacher. I wonder if it was made more accessible to students, and in a way that was meaningful to the student, they too could reflect upon their own learning, with much a greater depth of understanding, rather than on a more superficial basis.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> __Response to Journal #2__ __//**Knowledge Alive by David Perkins**//__ The core concept underlying Perkins educational theory is that learning is a consequence of thinking, deep and critical thinking. To date, conventional educational practices have focused primarily on linguistics and mathematics. A more complete curriculum would honor students varied abilities and would allow the visual arts, dance and sports, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills a more substantial and salient presence in the classroom The slogan less is more encapsulates Perkins’ belief regarding effective learning and teaching. Less subject matter (content) and deep probing of selected subject matter result in better learning outcomes. Perkins proposes a curriculum that makes knowledge more meaningful, whereby connections can be and should be made. In my opinion, the goals of education are to teach for understanding; to help students learn to use knowledge to solve unexpected problems rather than simply recite back facts; and to develop a culture of thinking in the classroom so that students think critically and creatively thereby gaining intellectual empowerment. However, such a culture of learning needs to be embedded into a curriculum with sensitivity. Parents need to be educated too, as so many associate success in learning with how much one knows, which is ultimately reflected in test scores and grades. The primary skill worth learning is deep thinking, which involves the flexible and active use of knowledge. Students, whether gifted or slow learners, should be given the opportunit <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">y and motivation to learn, keeping in mind (and allowing) that it just takes some longer to learn than others. As Perkins has stated:” The Second Curriculum – The Knowledge Arts – is not an add-on but a meld, a fusion”. The implications of Perkins’ ideas for curriculum designers will be positive and progressive in my opinion. The individual and isolated concepts of critical and creative thinking through inquiry based learning is certainly not a new concept, and has been promoted in recent years in schools back in the UK, and I’m sure in many other parts of the world. As a result the leap for some curriculum designers may not be as daunting as it may be for others. However, I do agree that the promotion of innovative ideas, through research, is a ‘far cry’ from actually implementing and enforcing them. Individual teachers have already started incorporating elements, relating to Perkins’ philosophy, in their planning and teaching. The biggest step or overhaul will be taken by the school, in educating the wider school community, for example parents, who understandably may be resistant or anxious to any ‘deviations from the traditional style with which they are possibly more accustomed to. “The unknowable future is not a sound basis on which to plan curriculum and instruction,” writes Elliot W. Eisner. We can best prepare students for the future by enabling them to deal effectively with the present. To create “an education process that is genuinely meaningful to students and that challenges them with problems and ideas that they find both interesting and intellectually demanding,”, he recommends that schools cultivate in students the following abilities: dealing with problems that have more than one correct answer, critiquing ideas; using multiple forms of literacy to develop the mind; working with others collectively and cooperatively; and making a contribution to the larger community. Eisner concludes, “genuine reform and improvement of our schools will require a shift in those well established educational ideas and theories with which we have become comfortable.”
 * //__ Preparing for Today and Tomorrow by Elliot Eisner __//**

In my opinion, knowledge, measured through testing, has been seen as the passport and //**preferred path to economic growth and stability**//, replacing many skilled labour-intensive careers. As a consequence, plumbers and electricians, for example, are in great demand. Today’s challenging workplace, places a stronger emphasis on academic skills (i.e., a college degree) as well as “intangible” assets such as adaptability, problem-solving abilities, decision-making skills, creative/innovative thinking and interpersonal skills. Are our schools equipping students with any of the above skills? Well, I would agree with Eisner’s view that “test scores need to take a back seat…” so that we can devote more time and energy refocusing our attention on an educational system whereby our students learn and develop meaning through application of knowledge and experiences, as oppose to absorbing and assimilating information. <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> I believe the major factor giving rise to the ‘preparatory’ and ‘hoop jumping’ mentality is the //**political nature**// of many parts of the world, whereby governments and policy makers ultimately apply pressure on schools, in order //**to raise standards**//, by what they deem as effective - formal testing, since the data is measurable and tangible. Of course testing is an important part of the assessment process but we shouldn’t be expecting children of the age of 6 to undertake formal tests in English and Maths at the end of the school year in order to produce league tables of schools. We are inevitably teaching students to pass tests…//jump through hoops//…grooming them at an early age. Back home in the UK, it is the Government’s expectation that all schools have to meet targets. For example, 80 per cent of all 11year olds should achieve a ‘level 4’ in Maths, English and Science in their SATs. A school’s performance is measured from published league tables generated by SATs scores at the end of each school year for 6 and 11 year olds. DBGS (where I teach) follows the Curriculum for England and children do sit SATs at the age of 6 and 11, but fortunately the data generated is used for internal use only, therefore the pressure is nowhere near as great as it is in the UK. Another example of an initiative in the UK, in order to raise standards, was Performance Related Pay, which meant that teachers were entitled to bonuses in their salary, providing their class showed a marked increase in performance. This performance was measured through the means of testing, so again students were being taught how to pass tests…//jump through hoops//. <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> In Dhahran British Grammar School, we encourage good judgment in our students and encourage decision-making appropriate to the student’s age, through a variety of activities. Critical thinking and literacy skills are also actively encouraged. I hope to teach such skills with more consistency and not to treat them in isolation, consciously incorporating them into my planning. I would like it to be a more natural process for me. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> __**  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">The constructivist approach has many student-centered benefits. The most obvious one is that students become actively involved and engaged <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">in the learning process. Constructivism promotes interaction among students, and teaches children how to negotiate in social situations using tactful, considerate methods, skills that are needed in the real world. Allowing and creating opportunities for all to have a voice promotes the construction of new ideas. Learning activities are based on realistic contexts strengthening a student’s curiosity and interest in the world. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">A constructivist perspective views learners as actively engaged in making meaning, and teaching with that approach looks for what students can analyse, investigate, collaborate, share, build and generate, based on what they already know, rather than what facts, skills, and processes they can recite. In my opinion, to do this effectively, a teacher needs to be a learner and a researcher, to continually adjust their actions to engage students in learning, using constructivism as a point of reference. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Furthermore, students have a greater ownership of their own learning and a sense of accomplishment when they are able or ‘allowed’ to ask questions and develop ideas through communication and then apply their knowledge and understanding. Simply presenting material, giving out problems, and accepting answers back is just not a refined enough process of communication for efficient learning. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">When adopting a constructivist approach to teaching, educators should firstly not misinterpret the essence of the teaching which is child-centred in a multitude of approaches, and NOT use the fallback that this is ‘discussion-based’ learning. On accepting that discussion plays a key role in the constructivist approach to learning, educators must try to ensure that all students have a voice, and that a few students do not dominate discussions. The educator would need to pre-empt this and oversee discussions and correct any imbalances by redirecting and refocusing the group and ultimately the group dynamics. However, the different personality types and learning styles of each individual needs to be considered and moreover deeply respected. Discursive skills are not qualities that all students possess; however, it is a skill that we want to encourage. What we must remember is that discussion is a means of communication, one among many, that the ‘passive’ student should attempt to improve, however, with no unnecessary pressures and unrealistic expectations, whereby their learning experience becomes filled with anxiety and possible dread. We mustn’t forget to empathise with the student, no matter how positive and effective the approach may appear to be. We are on dangerous ground when we have a compulsion to use an approach that appeals only to us the educators, without careful thought and consideration, as to how effective it will be to the particular students being taught. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Educators need to work collegially towards reconstructing an education culture together rather than heroically on their own. In my opinion, this involves adopting philosophies from both a constructivist and traditional stance. There are approaches that suit one individual better than another and I think we would all agree that a programme of study that is tailored to the students’ individual needs and learning styles would be most ideal yet most unrealistic, given ‘large’ class sizes, but how we can attempt to get even close to this scenario is by being open-minded, because every class is unique, and adopting aspects from several educational philosophies, that best suits our class at the time, taking into account the different personality types and learning styles that are present at the time. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif"> __**People learn what is personally meaningful to them.**__ While teaching a science lesson on “The effects of exercise on the human body” we brainstormed ideas and then I got the children out on to the football pitch to do a few laps, and then we discussed how we were feeling physically. Comparing the two situations, before and after, there was a greater fluidity of thoughts when the children had actually experienced the effects of exercising. This was personally meaningful to them. I find many practical and interactive situations are meaningful and from there we were able to discuss pulse rate and measure it, thereby building upon their previous knowledge. In Maths, for fractions we ordered pizza, a wonderful learning experience put in to a real life context, with an incentive at the end…EAT, EAT EAT!!!
 * __ Response to Journal #3
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,158)">__Response to Journal #4__ **

__**People learn more when they accept challenging but achievable goals.**__ Children derive and gain in confidence when they make accomplishments and reach goals. To nurture confidence in a child those goals need to be within grasp. To be within grasp, such goals need to be explained to child and a discussion should take place as to what strategies could be employed to reach the goal. Most importantly the child needs to see and understand why a particular goal has been set. If it is an academic goal, I like to show them examples of their work. The children in my class are set individual targets/goals that are reviewed as and when they are achieved. For example, a goal may be to write cursively with consistency in every lesson. I try to be pro-active in reminding children of their goals through encouragement and when they do achieve their goals, acknowledging it through reward, praise and class recognition. When appropriate challenge becomes a positive experience, the child is hopefully more so or just as open to the next challenge…progress is being made.

__**Learning is developmental.**__ There are a multitude of factors that effect the development of each child and the knock-on effects with learning. Ultimately, every child within a year group, regardless of ability, should be taught the same key objectives. Now, there is a minority of children in my class who still have difficulty with fractions. Before we can say that these children are simply not developmentally ready, many different approaches need to be tried. A last desperate measure was to bake a cake and cut it into sixteenths. Then split the skittles into sixteenths to decorate each slice and work out the remainder. It worked!! For how long, that remains to be seen.

We need to appreciate that children learn at different rates and most importantly have different styles of learning; kinesthetic, auditory, visual or a combination, and in order for our children to learn effectively we need to be open minded and versatile in how we deliver lessons, and furthermore we must not only teach to the majority. This is where differentiation plays an important role in establishing that all children are taught the same objectives, however the less able receive support for further reinforcement and the more able children are extended and enriched, horizontally. I differentiate in Maths and English so that key objectives for every child are ‘hit’ and that they get the attention that they truly deserve. For the remaining subjects they sit in fixed, mixed ability groups…being able to work collaboratively together regardless of ability is important and the label attached with academic ability is removed. It then becomes a case of a child’s Emotional Quotient verses Intelligence Quotient. Children should be given the opportunity to shine in as many different ways as possible.
 * __Individuals learn differently.__**

I will often begin a new topic by having a brainstorming session, where children will contribute what they already know – their current knowledge. The children that I teach would only be able to construct new knowledge by understanding and making connections. This is aided by careful planning sequential lessons, that way enabling the children to build upon previous knowledge in a logical manner.
 * __People construct new knowledge by building on their current knowledge.__**

The children in my class know that there is a time for working collaboratively together and independently. Collaborative learning is highly dependent on the topic being studied and task. For example, in Maths if the children are problem-solving, then the children work collaboratively, understanding the problem and discussing the different strategies that they could use. From the teacher’s point of view it needs to be carefully thought through as to what the group dynamics will be. Even then, you still have to be active and alert in the classroom to refocus and redirect groups that may be off-task, encourage all members of the group, especially the more passive members, to express their thoughts and ideas, in a socially acceptable manner. Furthermore, when ideas ‘dry up’ the teacher needs to be there to be the catalyst and re-inject fuel into the discussion. In addition, lots of social interaction occurs at the beginning of every lesson, between me and the rest of the class, in order to introduce and brainstorm a new topic or recap on a previous lesson, through interactive learning. For example, I may ask for volunteers in turn to come to the front of the class to add a label to the structure of the human skeleton.
 * __Much learning occurs through social interaction.__**

Children need positive and constructive feedback. I like to give my pupils immediate, verbal, feedback during the lesson, this keeps them focused and motivated, and they have the security of knowing that they are ‘on-track-, heading in the right direction. I think children, especially the younger ones, need to hear what it is they are doing right; however, it is important to address those areas that need further development, so I give children individual targets. These are reviewed on an on-going basis as and when the children reach their target. Also, a lot of the feedback that I give is in the form of written comments that are articulated to the child, so that the sentiment is fully understood, first and foremost by the child, secondly it is reinforced and finally it is interesting to listen to what they think.
 * __People need feedback to learn.__**

Children need to be shown strategies as a launch pad to aid and further their own learning. Children should be given a variety of strategies to use so that they are fully equipped to problem-solve with confidence. This is very true in Maths, especially with the younger children, where children are taught a variety of strategies and methods for the four operations. This flexibility, in a subject that can be considered in the traditional sense rigid, (i.e.you’re either wrong or you’re right), allows children to approach a problem from an angle that they are most comfortable with and use their strategy of choice, which in turn can then create a basis for a discussion.
 * __Successful learning involves use of strategies- which themselves are learned.__**

Students need to feel secure in themselves; this in turn breeds increased confidence and self-esteem, and ultimately a positive emotional climate. I feel that the children in my classroom are happy and feel secure. The children in my class earn Merits (reaching certificate milestones that are reflective of individual progress). They have Golden Time (structured free time, playing with jigsaws, board games, lego, drawing and painting) and Table Points (a winning table each week reflecting excellent all round team work skills). These are examples of how I like to reward and encourage positive behaviour, both academically and socially/emotionally in the classroom. However, those children not contributing to a ‘positive emotional climate’ need to be sanctioned, as a reminder that such actions are not acceptable and not to be condoned, otherwise it is very easy to send out mixed messages to the children. Children need firm and clear boundaries, they need to know where they ALL stand, and they need to feel that their teachers’ are FAIR.
 * __A positive emotional climate strengthens learning.__**

I try and instill a positive work ethic in the children that I teach. My classroom is very colourful, with lots of wall displays relaying information to the children in a very interactive manner. I have a Maths, English, Science, History, and Geography board. I will update them depending on the topic that we are studying. I will include relevant information that is very visually engaging for the children. Furthermore, the children have their work displayed which gives them a sense of accomplishment and ownership over their work. We have Class Etiquette, where children must abide by a set of class rules that the class created and democratically agreed upon, in order to create a safe and harmonious environment for all. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> __**Which of these conditions are viable in your present teaching?**__ From my comments with examples, and there was a lot of self-reflection, I feel that all of these conditions are present in my teaching, however to varying degrees; some being more prevalent and more effective than others in the classroom.
 * __Learning is influenced by the total environment.__**

**__Response to Journal #5__** ** <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #080808; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">__ Justify the claim that the best lesson and unit designs are backwards. __ **   <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> A primary goal of education should be the development and deepening of student understanding. Backward Design delays the planning of classroom activities until goals have been clarified and assessments designed. This process helps to //**avoid**// the twin problems of **//textbook and activity-oriented teaching//**, in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">   <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Backward Design encourages teachers to reflect and to identify the important concepts and big ideas. It asks of teachers to focus on essential questions - ones that will grab students' attention, challenging and inspiring them to get involved in learning new material.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">By  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> following the principle 3 stages to Backward Design we naturally have to align our teaching and learning activities and our assessments to the important knowledge and skills we have identified. Consequently, teachers select and cluster the expectations that they feel their students should acquire. As a result, the **//number of assessments//** that students have to complete and the **//quantity of marking//** are **//reduced//**.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Backward Design enables us as teachers to **//teach to our own strengths//** and continue to use activities and resources that we have trialled and think work best. Since we are all teaching towards the same enduring goals and understandings, how we get there, with our class, is up to us as professionals.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">The curriculum can be //**overwhelming**//, but with Backward Design, **//clustering//** the expectations/goals and also identifying key goals within a set of goals, the curriculum of many schools’ can become more manageable.   <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Teachers are, as a result, able to see the bigger picture and themselves makes connections to their students' learning. Furthermore, students are better able to connect the knowledge and skills they are learning within a subject or across a range of subjects.