Inquiry Celebration at Lakeview Reflection

      At the Lakeview Inquiry Celebration, I was unfortunately not afforded the opportunity to sit in on specific social studies seminars. Instead, I was able to sit in on several math seminars. However, this is not to say that the presentations were not valuable. On the contrary, I found the information presented in these seminars to be a formative experience in designing inquiry projects.

      The most interesting, albeit possibly controversial seminar I attended was one on working with students to reinforce basic math skills that might have been lost or never learned. The presenter pointed out that many students are attempting to do math without a firm grasp on the basics – addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction. The presenter decided to use timed drill-and-practice assessments to hone these skills with accuracy, precision, and speed.

      The questions I had based on this action research presentation revolved around the use of the timed tests. Since they were 1 minute, 40 question tests, I desired to know how many completed them or came close in that time frame (answer: zero; highest score was ~32). Also, I was curious about the implications of such timed tests. I remember in elementary school, I really dreaded such things. It was not that I was particularly bad at these skills – I was simply a little slower. I think that timed assessments can be damaging to the confidence to students who work more slowly. Basically, my issue with these sorts of assessments is that there is little differentiation. However, I do acknowledge that there is indeed a problem in which middle school students do lack these basic math skills. Thus, I thought the presentation was strong on the whole.

      The key things that I learned from this inquiry were mainly about the actual structure and creation of the research methodology and questions. First, it became increasingly clear that one should choose a topic which suits your interests. There was a marked difference in the demeanor of the interns who used topics that they were clearly passionate about. Along with that is the idea that one should design inquiry projects fit your context. The presentations I watched all involved research questions that formed organically from the issues or phenomena observed in their respective classrooms.

     Making one's inquiry public is an excellent decision. Research should always be shared with future researchers, as they could expand on your inquiry in order to develop solutions to 21st century problems. Also, informing others of inquiry can help teachers learn about effective strategies for making classrooms excellent places to learn.

Characteristics of a Novice Teacher Analysis II

"We believe that the novice teacher should be aware, of and have respect for human diversity."

        The Big Ideas presented in this characteristic reflect how the novice teacher has a duty to understand human diversity that is present on a global, national, regional, and local level. This is an important characteristic as it relates to how well one knows his or her students. It is important to first, respect the traditions and differences between diverse cultures, ethnicity, etc so that the novice teacher can better serve the needs of each student. Understanding and learning about human diversity helps students feel included rather than excluded.

       Artifacts that I have done which represent this ideal are lessons about diversity in culture and ethnicity. For instance, I recently completed a lesson that addressed geography and religious diversity, in which students were taught to practice tolerance and respect other cultures. It is critical for the novice teacher and the students to understand and respect diversity, so structuring lessons around this content is particularly effective.


"We believe that the novice teacher should have in-depth knowledge of pedagogy."

     No surprise here, pedagogy is the bread and butter for any teacher -- novice teacher included. It is critical for novice teachers to come out of training programs with a high level of pedagogical knowledge. After all, how can one develop into a master teacher without knowing the basis for educational ideas? The better one understands educational psychology, classroom management, and how to teach in general, the more likely that teacher is to grow into an effective educator.

    Good artifacts which are demonstrative of pedagogical knowledge will include things such as written papers and research essays for pedagogical classes, as well as test scores for the PLT (which I have not yet taken). However, these artifacts would give credibility to a novice teacher wishing to prove that he or she had a solid background in pedagogical knowledge.

Characteristics of a Novice Teacher Analysis

"We believe that the novice teacher should be a reflective practitioner."

The "big ideas" Presented in this statement relate to how novice teachers should reflect on their practice. Basically, this characteristic expresses the urgent need for expert teachers to look inward at their own techniques and look for ways to improve their practice. If a novice teacher does this, then they can continue to hone their skills and become a more effective educator.

My artifact that currently embodies this character trait is my researcher notes and notebook. This document helps me keep track of things that go on in my PDS, as well as creates space for me to reflect on how I could improve. For instance, if I have a particular set of problems which arise in  my teaching experience, I can make note of those problems. Then, through research or collaboration with other teachers, I can search for effective solutions to these problems.

This artifact relates to this characteristic because it, at its core, is literally the definition of reflection on one's practice. If used correctly, a researcher notebook can help educators think deeply about meaningful ways to improve their instructional methods.

"We believe that the novice teacher should have in-depth knowledge of content."

This is a rather straightforward characteristic, yet is among the most important. Clearly, knowing your content is paramount to being an effective educator. The better that you know your content, the better you can answer questions and illuminate important themes in your content. For instance, an in-depth knowledge of history goes miles towards creating interesting lessons and inspiring meaningful learning, as well as fosters comprehensive knowledge of key facts.

I would contend that my overall body of work (tests, essays, grades, etc) in core content classes lends credibility to my knowledge of content. For instance, I have papers where professors have lauded my research and analysis abilities.

This relates to the characteristic quite directly in that it literally deals with my content knowledge. I would not have such a good GPA or other high scores if my knowledge of content was weak.

Our PDS group's definition (UHS: Myself, Andrew, Alexis, Mackenzie, Caleb) of a PDS: 

1.       A place where everyone, teacher, student, and administration, as well as preservice teachers can learn. Each should be able to continually learn from one another. It should also include reciprocal professional development. This allows every person involved with a PDS to have a chance at success
2.       A program that has a strong University to School connection. This allows for the linkage of liberal arts instruction and practicum instruction to create a well-rounded program for future educators. This also assists helping preservice teachers learn theory into practice as well as practicing reflection and inquiry.
3.       A place where all students, educators, and administrators can feel comfortable. This can be accomplished and displayed through collaboration and reflective practices. This also means it is a place of open communication between not only teachers and students, but a community. Lastly, a mutual respect should be found between students, educators, and the community. 

4. Must be committed to use cutting-edge research, technology, and theory. This is critical for increasing student learning and providing future educators with powerful teaching abilities so that they can be more effective educators. 

5. Must be an environment that places the needs of the students and their learning above all else. In other words, students must be the center of the PDS. The needs of the students must dictate the curriculum.
6. Has a responsibility to broaden the learning community beyond that of the school and the university. This is critical, as members of the community (particularly parents) can be an excellent resource if they are invested in the learning community. 
7. Should be used as an "instrument of change", and always look to develop new policy though inquiry-based practice.
8. Must be a program which establishes specific goals for learning and development and strives to meet these goals.
9.. The PDS is an extended learning community in which multiple partner institutions develop relationships with the schools that they serve. 
10. Work towards educational reform and school improvement in the area by integrating expertise and knowledge of practice as well as developing new approaches specific to that locality. 
11. Provides an environment that supports the learning of K-12 students as well as student teachers, faculty, and other professionals in the field. All members of the community can learn and grow from each other in the field. 

12. Develops a common shared professional vision of teaching and learning grounded in research and practitioner knowledge. Professionals learn by doing, not through rote memorization or higher education course work.

13. Allows for all learners to have equitable access to knowledge.

14. An environment recognizes and honors the diversity of students and multicultural curricula. 

15. Creates an educative community and enables educators and the students to make educational decision together. Is a learning process for everyone involved including the P-12 students and faculty, college/university faculty, and preservice teachers which helps build a stronger educative community.

16. Builds and strengthens the learning community by promoting life-long learning through communication, collaboration, and reflection. 

17. Helps future educators conduct inquiry, action research, and reflective practice to find the most effective instructional techniques and learning strategies in the classrooms.

18. A learning environment that supports candidate and faculty development within the context of meeting all children’s needs. Each PDS is committed to providing equitable learning opportunities for all, and to preparing candidates and faculty to meet the needs of diverse student populations.

19. A program that is always progressing. PDS partners work together over time, building relationships
and commitment to their shared goals. They develop new strategies, roles, and
relationships to support their work.

20. A setting in which new practitioners and P–12 and university faculty can learn to meet the challenges of 21st century education together, because the expertise and resources of both university and the schools support them.

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