ImagineIT Phase 4: Dilemmas
Dilemma on Curriculum and Instruction
“But for many - perhaps most teachers in high-needs, urban settings - state regulations and standardized tests constrain curricular choices”
page 77 What Should I Do? Confronting Dilemmas of Teaching in Urban Schools by Anna Ershler Richert
This is the biggest dilemma for me in implementing anything that is not specifically stated in our Common Core Standards book or our Science Framework. My ImagineIt focuses on 3D printing and using that technology to push the students grasps of concepts. I feel like our science curriculum focuses on too many reading standards (main idea and details, using context clues for vocabulary, etc). I see this as turning students “off” of what I want Science to be if they are not good readers or writers. I want my science class to be all about inquiry skills and learning through observations. I want them to use vocabulary naturally and not learn it for the sake of memorization. I have a difficult time doing this when I am given a framework book and told to follow it because that is what our network wants. 3D printing is not going to be on Common Core tests, nor are the questions going to be about what interesting thing they learned about. So far it is about what is the main idea, what are the details to support it, define the vocabulary or label the diagram. I feel like students get that already in Language Arts and I want my Science class time to be more relaxed and really all about their own discoveries. I want to use 3D printing and design to make students’ ideas, discoveries, learning more tangible so they can display them and share with others. I do not have a solution or ideas of how to overcome this dilemma other than having students write about what they learned, labeling their observations with specific vocabulary terms, but I still feel like forcing this on paper is distracting away from what I intent to do.
“But for many - perhaps most teachers in high-needs, urban settings - state regulations and standardized tests constrain curricular choices”
page 77 What Should I Do? Confronting Dilemmas of Teaching in Urban Schools by Anna Ershler Richert
This is the biggest dilemma for me in implementing anything that is not specifically stated in our Common Core Standards book or our Science Framework. My ImagineIt focuses on 3D printing and using that technology to push the students grasps of concepts. I feel like our science curriculum focuses on too many reading standards (main idea and details, using context clues for vocabulary, etc). I see this as turning students “off” of what I want Science to be if they are not good readers or writers. I want my science class to be all about inquiry skills and learning through observations. I want them to use vocabulary naturally and not learn it for the sake of memorization. I have a difficult time doing this when I am given a framework book and told to follow it because that is what our network wants. 3D printing is not going to be on Common Core tests, nor are the questions going to be about what interesting thing they learned about. So far it is about what is the main idea, what are the details to support it, define the vocabulary or label the diagram. I feel like students get that already in Language Arts and I want my Science class time to be more relaxed and really all about their own discoveries. I want to use 3D printing and design to make students’ ideas, discoveries, learning more tangible so they can display them and share with others. I do not have a solution or ideas of how to overcome this dilemma other than having students write about what they learned, labeling their observations with specific vocabulary terms, but I still feel like forcing this on paper is distracting away from what I intent to do.
Dilemma on Assessment
“In addition to standardized tests, grades are an example of an evaluation mechanism that functions to judge and sort students”
page 95 What Should I Do? Confronting Dilemmas of Teaching in Urban Schools by Anna Ershler Richert
This dilemma goes hand in hand with the dilemma on Curriculum and Instruction. Teachers at my school have to input two grades per subject per week. These two grades have to have the standard that is assessed. The troubling part of this is that each grade level has to have the same two type of assignments (classwork, homework, exam) and standard each week. I feel like this is forcing me to teach exactly the same thing as my colleagues are teaching. Also, having only two assignments per week per subject with a particular standard makes me feel very constrained. I also do not know how to plan for my ImagineIT. I want to implement the 3D printing and design mainly in my science lessons. This requires me to expand my lessons more and allow for more time for the students to create designs and 3D print. The other teachers are very comfortable using the science books available to them and staying on the lesson in the book. They also do not have a 3D printer in their classroom like I do. This leaves me behind in my lessons, which causes a problem when I input grades with the particular assignment and standard.
More than 75% of my students are below grade level, with 90% as English Language Learners, and many are below 3rd grade reading level. As I strive to keep my science time more on experiments and learning, I do not know how to assess the students. I have pictures of the students working that demonstrates that there is learning going on and I sometimes have the students write or draw what they learned, but mostly we have peer and class discussions. I do not know how I can grade their observations. So far my solution has been to “make up” grades depending on well the students were involved in our class discussions or observations. It makes me very uncomfortable and worried that I will be found out and disciplined.
“In addition to standardized tests, grades are an example of an evaluation mechanism that functions to judge and sort students”
page 95 What Should I Do? Confronting Dilemmas of Teaching in Urban Schools by Anna Ershler Richert
This dilemma goes hand in hand with the dilemma on Curriculum and Instruction. Teachers at my school have to input two grades per subject per week. These two grades have to have the standard that is assessed. The troubling part of this is that each grade level has to have the same two type of assignments (classwork, homework, exam) and standard each week. I feel like this is forcing me to teach exactly the same thing as my colleagues are teaching. Also, having only two assignments per week per subject with a particular standard makes me feel very constrained. I also do not know how to plan for my ImagineIT. I want to implement the 3D printing and design mainly in my science lessons. This requires me to expand my lessons more and allow for more time for the students to create designs and 3D print. The other teachers are very comfortable using the science books available to them and staying on the lesson in the book. They also do not have a 3D printer in their classroom like I do. This leaves me behind in my lessons, which causes a problem when I input grades with the particular assignment and standard.
More than 75% of my students are below grade level, with 90% as English Language Learners, and many are below 3rd grade reading level. As I strive to keep my science time more on experiments and learning, I do not know how to assess the students. I have pictures of the students working that demonstrates that there is learning going on and I sometimes have the students write or draw what they learned, but mostly we have peer and class discussions. I do not know how I can grade their observations. So far my solution has been to “make up” grades depending on well the students were involved in our class discussions or observations. It makes me very uncomfortable and worried that I will be found out and disciplined.