After reading this chapter in Pink's book I think I really need to take an art class like he did! I have no ability to draw or produce art in any way.
I definitely have a hard time with symphony. I am a science teacher and I tend to be very organized and concrete, sequential. As much as I am able to "think out of the box" when it comes to a science question I tend to struggle when it comes to other subjects or areas of my life. I can distinctly remember a time in high school where I was asked to interpret a poem. I came back to class the next day with some things written down however, I was completely off when it came time to share our interpretations. I recall thinking why couldn't they just say that? I think that having the ability to interpret poems is definitely symphony. You have to be able to see the relationships between the symbols and understand the metaphors in the poem and that is what symphony is. You also need to be able to see the over all big picture when interpreting a poem and that is defiantly something I lack. I hope that after reading some more of Pink's book and completing this class that my symphony improves.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Letter to E.D. Hirsch
Dear E.D. Hirsch,
I am a 2nd year High School Biology teacher in Glen Rock, NJ. Recently I have read about some of your philosophies on education and since my aspirations are to someday become Science Department Chair and then eventually go into some form of higher administration, it has been very thought provoking and interesting to read about your philosophies.
Recently I have become part of a committee to revamp the science curriculum in my district. Part of looking at the science curriculum is seeing when our students need to learn particular topics and what those topics need to be. And of course one of the things we visit is whether a topic should be covered more than once. Upon reading about your thoughts I have noticed that you believe once a topic has been taught there should be no repetition of that topic. However, it is my belief that students often need a review or expansion of a topic when they arrive at the next level of their education. For example: the Scientific Method is often taught in elementary school all the way to high school however, more details are added each year as well as practice. It is usually not until the students are in high school that they actually put the method in lab practice. Mostly because they do not have enough lab experience and practice until than. But, if we were to teach it in 5th grade and then never visit it again, it is likely that the students will forget it and never have practical practice with it.
I do agree with your concept of standards, whether it be national, state, school or a combination of all of the standards it is important that our students leave their subjects with a general understanding that is constant across the board. Standards are important within a subject area but they are also important within a school. Standard requirements to graduate high school or be promoted to the next grade insures that all students are being promoted with the same general knowledge. And I completely agree that there are basic, general knowledge and skills that all students need to know.
When you say that students who fail objective tests should repeat the class or be put into remediation, are you talking about individual tests or the culmination of all the tests throughout the course? Because a student failing one test or even a few tests does not mean that the student has completely failed to master the general topics in a course, it may just mean that they failed to master a few of the topics in the course. However, if you are referring to the culmination of tests or end of the year assessments like the end of course Biology Assessment the state of NJ has implemented than you may be on to something.
Lastly, you stated that memory and repeated practice are the ways that we should be teaching and that it has been neglected because of things like inquiry learning or group work. However, I believe that it is a combination of all of these practices that leads to good learning. Students should be exposed to a variety of teaching and learning styles. Students should be kept guessing, when they come into the classroom they should be asking, "What are we doing today?" because they are not sure what type of teaching you will be doing. They should be wondering what type of homework they will be given, will it be practice, reading and questions or studying for a quiz or test.There isn't one right way to teach or learn. Therefore, I believe that many types of teaching can be used when educating a student.
Sincerely,
Sally Casper
I am a 2nd year High School Biology teacher in Glen Rock, NJ. Recently I have read about some of your philosophies on education and since my aspirations are to someday become Science Department Chair and then eventually go into some form of higher administration, it has been very thought provoking and interesting to read about your philosophies.
Recently I have become part of a committee to revamp the science curriculum in my district. Part of looking at the science curriculum is seeing when our students need to learn particular topics and what those topics need to be. And of course one of the things we visit is whether a topic should be covered more than once. Upon reading about your thoughts I have noticed that you believe once a topic has been taught there should be no repetition of that topic. However, it is my belief that students often need a review or expansion of a topic when they arrive at the next level of their education. For example: the Scientific Method is often taught in elementary school all the way to high school however, more details are added each year as well as practice. It is usually not until the students are in high school that they actually put the method in lab practice. Mostly because they do not have enough lab experience and practice until than. But, if we were to teach it in 5th grade and then never visit it again, it is likely that the students will forget it and never have practical practice with it.
I do agree with your concept of standards, whether it be national, state, school or a combination of all of the standards it is important that our students leave their subjects with a general understanding that is constant across the board. Standards are important within a subject area but they are also important within a school. Standard requirements to graduate high school or be promoted to the next grade insures that all students are being promoted with the same general knowledge. And I completely agree that there are basic, general knowledge and skills that all students need to know.
When you say that students who fail objective tests should repeat the class or be put into remediation, are you talking about individual tests or the culmination of all the tests throughout the course? Because a student failing one test or even a few tests does not mean that the student has completely failed to master the general topics in a course, it may just mean that they failed to master a few of the topics in the course. However, if you are referring to the culmination of tests or end of the year assessments like the end of course Biology Assessment the state of NJ has implemented than you may be on to something.
Lastly, you stated that memory and repeated practice are the ways that we should be teaching and that it has been neglected because of things like inquiry learning or group work. However, I believe that it is a combination of all of these practices that leads to good learning. Students should be exposed to a variety of teaching and learning styles. Students should be kept guessing, when they come into the classroom they should be asking, "What are we doing today?" because they are not sure what type of teaching you will be doing. They should be wondering what type of homework they will be given, will it be practice, reading and questions or studying for a quiz or test.There isn't one right way to teach or learn. Therefore, I believe that many types of teaching can be used when educating a student.
Sincerely,
Sally Casper
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Standards
When I look at the biology standards for high school students I see some main areas that need to be covered: cell structure and metabolism; photosynthesis and cellular respiration; diseases; evolution and genetics. Now, of course a lot of things can fit within those topics but, when I look at how much I teach, I am definitely teaching more than the state standards are asking to be taught.
I think that the standards are somewhat effective because they help to guide a teacher in what they teach. Standards can be a good resource for teachers to make sure that all biology students are learning the same general ideas that way when they move on to either AP sciences or college that they are all coming out of the course with at least the same general principles and ideas. However, I think that most biology teachers are teaching more than is listed in the state standards. For instance, there is no life science standard that involves Gene Technology however it is something that I teach every year. And I teach it because students can relate to it, they see these techniques being used on shows like: "Law and Order" and "CSI." And it also ties together a lot of information about DNA. Of course I can probably find a standard to fit it in however, there is no standard that says that I need to cover it.
I think that it is a good thing that we have state standards, as I said it helps us to at least make sure that our students in NJ are leaving a particular subject knowing the same general ideas. Some will always know more, however, no student should know less. It is important to have some type of standards otherwise we would just have teachers teaching whatever it is that they think is interesting and although that is not always bad students still need to leave at the end of the year knowing the same general principles as a student somewhere else.
National standards can help us to make sure that students are learning the same general principles in their classes. think that it a school or district wants to have their own standards that is fine but they should make sure that they are at least abiding by the state standards. However, no standards I think would lead to problems.
I think that the standards are somewhat effective because they help to guide a teacher in what they teach. Standards can be a good resource for teachers to make sure that all biology students are learning the same general ideas that way when they move on to either AP sciences or college that they are all coming out of the course with at least the same general principles and ideas. However, I think that most biology teachers are teaching more than is listed in the state standards. For instance, there is no life science standard that involves Gene Technology however it is something that I teach every year. And I teach it because students can relate to it, they see these techniques being used on shows like: "Law and Order" and "CSI." And it also ties together a lot of information about DNA. Of course I can probably find a standard to fit it in however, there is no standard that says that I need to cover it.
I think that it is a good thing that we have state standards, as I said it helps us to at least make sure that our students in NJ are leaving a particular subject knowing the same general ideas. Some will always know more, however, no student should know less. It is important to have some type of standards otherwise we would just have teachers teaching whatever it is that they think is interesting and although that is not always bad students still need to leave at the end of the year knowing the same general principles as a student somewhere else.
National standards can help us to make sure that students are learning the same general principles in their classes. think that it a school or district wants to have their own standards that is fine but they should make sure that they are at least abiding by the state standards. However, no standards I think would lead to problems.
This I Believe
I believe that every child should have an opportunity to receive a good education. If every teacher does the best that they can at their job than children will learn. Children need to have the opportunity to be at school to receive this education.
Last year I had a student who was absent for many days in a row, at first some of the other students told me she was sick, then after about 10 days of her absence I decided to investigate. I went to the office to find out some information and what I learned was heart breaking. Her parents no longer lived together and her mother kicked her out of the house, she was living with her father and she was in essence the parent. She took care of him and the apartment and she tried as hard as she could to take the bus to our school district but many times didn't make it in to school. I believe she was not given the opportunity to receive an education because she had to be a parent when she still needed parents.
I eventually started to home school this particular girl in biology however, she asked me not to come to her house. We would either meet at the town library or she would somehow get to the school that I was teaching at. It might seem as if she was then receiving an education however, I believe that education is more than just the core subjects. Part of an education is being at school, socializing in the cafeteria, and being part of a club or an athletic team. Part of an education is learning how to balance school and other activities, and this girl was not able to have these aspects of an education. Therefore, I believe every child has the right to an education that expands beyond the core subjects.
Last year I had a student who was absent for many days in a row, at first some of the other students told me she was sick, then after about 10 days of her absence I decided to investigate. I went to the office to find out some information and what I learned was heart breaking. Her parents no longer lived together and her mother kicked her out of the house, she was living with her father and she was in essence the parent. She took care of him and the apartment and she tried as hard as she could to take the bus to our school district but many times didn't make it in to school. I believe she was not given the opportunity to receive an education because she had to be a parent when she still needed parents.
I eventually started to home school this particular girl in biology however, she asked me not to come to her house. We would either meet at the town library or she would somehow get to the school that I was teaching at. It might seem as if she was then receiving an education however, I believe that education is more than just the core subjects. Part of an education is being at school, socializing in the cafeteria, and being part of a club or an athletic team. Part of an education is learning how to balance school and other activities, and this girl was not able to have these aspects of an education. Therefore, I believe every child has the right to an education that expands beyond the core subjects.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Introduction to Me!
My name is Sally Casper and I am a high school Biology teacher at Glen Rock High School in Glen Rock, NJ. At Glen Rock I am the JV Cheerleading coach, the advisor for the Class of 2010, I do the choreography for the musicals and I am also the advisor for the quiz bowl. I also have a part time job at the Buehler Challenger and Science Center in Paramus. Eventually someday I would like to become Science Department Chair and then an Asst. Principal or Principal. This class is a requirement for my Master's in Biology with a concentration in Science Education that I am currently working on. I plan on working on my Administration and Supervision degree after that.
I have two wonderful parents, my mom is also a Biology Teacher and my dad is a Police Officer. And I have two brothers who love to tease me, which I always thought they would grow out of by now! One is a sophomore in college and the other is a junior in high school. My family has a cute dog named Maggie, she is a beagle and my family adores her. I also have an amazing boyfriend and he is a computer programmer for a health care software company. Dan is a great runner; he ran the NJ Marathon this past May in under 3 and half hours.
When I am not working and doing all these other things I like to be by the water, I love the shore and I love boats. I also like to read and exercise. And at night you can often find me grading papers and watching some TV to relax.
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