book reflection- sroth

Book Reflection – S. Roth
I have never been much of a fan of ‘No Child Left Behind’. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that every child has the right to a quality education and it’s our job as educators to try our best to provide every student with that education. My issues with NCLB have been the fact that they aren’t showing progress or lack of progress with the same group of kids. You compare last year’s juniors to this year’s juniors…not progression from 8th grade to 11th grade with the same group of kids. And the price of not meeting YAP is so high that teachers are teaching to the test instead of teaching for students to learn the concept/standards. This book has served to cement in my mind that NCLB is actually doing a disservice to our students. NCLB has served to decrease our student’s critical thinking and analytical skills because all we test is basic knowledge on our standard tests. We may be closing the gap between the test scores of our white middle-class students and our economically disadvantaged minority students, but are losing out to other countries when it comes to producing graduates with the abilities to compete in our new global work place. For me, the book has pushed me to reflect on my own teaching practices and make some changes. I am now more conscious about pushing students to think critically and creatively with more analysis of what they are studying.

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Achievement Animoto

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The Global Achievement Gap

Achievement Reflection

I like the description on the inside cover on the ‘who’ this book is for: “It is essential reading for parents, policy makers, and anyone interested in seeing our young people succeed as employees and citizens.” The world around us is constantly changing and upgrading the tools used and how they are used. However, it seems that education, even though its purpose is to empower future leaders and citizens has not evolved with the outside world. This book demonstrates what businesses deem important and how these aspects may be implemented in the classroom.

Mr. Wagner describes seven survival skills that are essential that students achieve in order to become competitive in the world-wide marketplace. Being a math teacher, I liked how these skills align very well with what is being proposed with the common core standards.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and will have to say that I agreed with it. Very interesting to see what the business world has to say, along with what the 'good' schools are doing.

Marley Blabbers on Achievement Gap

Meagan's Global Achievement Gap Animoto

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animoto Danielle Hunt

My computer would not let me listen to the samples of the songs so I picked one. I thought that the title was fitting "Everyone is asking" If is not an appropriate song I apologize. Please let me know. thanks danielle

http://animoto.com/play/2V1NpJikdx1B2VTgqE44eQ

Final Reflection

I did not have a good taste for this book when I started. Unfortunately, I was the Super Summary person and bashed the book. I felt like the author was attacking me. As I read on, he finally mentions that the change is bigger than teachers. I totally agree with this. We need to look at what is best for the students. If it is a bridge that brings the school and business world together, then let's do it. Money and politics are such large factors in this equation. As I also said in my Super Summary where are the businesses in helping good for Xerox to bring in 15 year olds.

As teachers we have a short time to fill all of our curriculm requirements and be accountable for testing. As a computer teacher, I am also accountable for a technology test at the end of 8th grade that may or may not cover my standards (seems like a guess every year). I would love to be able to give technology "challenges/assignments" and see how students respond but I have only 7 weeks with students to cover all of my curriculum. Wagner has valid ideas and some solutions but it has to be decisions far above my job position. I was happy to read he does recognize teachers are stuck.

I liked the way he mentioned the "Growing Up Digital" section (pg 170+). These daily/hourly tasks that every day people are using are banned in our schools ( MySpace, cell phones, You Tube). Technology is instant and that is the way our students are learning.

He has great ideas that could really work but it is going to take time, money and changing people's perspectives which is hard to do.

This book reminds me of a program that we are doing at the middle school on our Friday Intersessions. We have a DI team which comes together and the students solve problems. They compete and did well last year and year before. But once again, not all students come and use this opportunity because we do not have time during school. It all comes down to testing and money.

Reflecting on the Achievement Gap

The Global Achievement Gap focused on how schools need to change instruction in order to ensure student success in our changing world. It discusses ways that schools should prepare students for the work force: motivating students by encouraging the use of new technologies, teamwork, and multitasking. The author points out that textbooks and standardized tests are not beneficial in preparing students for the work force. The emphasis is for students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. There is a difinitive need for schools to play "catch up" to the changing world, updating the way education approaches instruction.

Many aspects discussed in the book resonated with me as an educator. I see the need for educators to change the way they teach and think about students in this era. The need for student-based instruction is more important than content-based instruction. Teaching 21st century skills is so important to the success of students as well; although, content standards do not focus on students being taught these skills. As educators, we are continually placed in the middle of a difficult conflict: the fact that we need to be teaching students how to thrive in our society and the fact that NCLB tests students and holds schools accountable for information on a standardized test.

Overall, I feel the book made some great points. However, I do see folly in some of the notions as well. For example, the book emphasized the importance of critical thinking, expressing that textbooks should be thrown out. The problem with that is students need background knowledge in order to think critically. How are students suppose to make connections when they have a limited background of information to connect to. I feel this type of teaching will create a gap as well. A gap between the students who have an abundance of learning and life experiences and the ones who do not.

The Distance Between Us

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Reflections on The Global Achievement Gap

The Global Achievement Gap provided great exposure to several topics: how students are living their lives outside school, what schools need to do to educate them more effectively, America's education system in comparison with other countries, and how we can (and must) become more competitive in the global market. I will reference a few points in the book that I thought were exceptional.

First of all, America's present-day youth are spending the majority of their time involved in structured activities: soccer practice, music lessons, organizations, and the like consume their "free time". When they are faced with "free time", many children (and adults alike) spend it engaged in some kind of electronic device. The most common, of course, is the computer. The Global Achievement Gap discusses how educators must harness these technological devices and put them to use in their classrooms. On page 173, it discusses how the stereotype of a "computer geek" is long gone. Eighty percent of preteens and teens use MySpace weekly. Children are great at multitasking, but there is considerable concern when they are faced with digging deeper into one topic.

The problem, according to The Global Achievement Gap, is not that our country is filled with poor teachers or low quality schools. The problem is that our schools and teachers are outdated. We must update our systems. Currently, our students are excellent at memorizing facts and data and the ability to regurgitate it. The issue that they face is that the global market and economy are requiring people to have skills that are not being taught in schools; skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and communication.

Other countries around the world are preparing students by teaching them these skills. Japan has long been known for its teamwork mentality. They are expected to work as a team and solve problems as a team. The Global Achievement Gap suggests that America needs to do something similar. One vice president from Talent Management at Cisco System actually suggests that American schools need to throw out textbooks altogether because the answers to tomorrow's problems are not in yesterday's solutions (p.15-16). This is somewhat extreme, in my opinion.

Overall, the book did a great job of exposing me to new ideas that exist globally. I would suggest this book as a launching point for anyone interested in how America is competing with other countries globally. However, I did not feel that many solutions were presented. It was mostly pointing out problems but not offering much in the way of solutions.

Meagan's Final Reflection

The Global Achievement Gap focused on the 7 survival skills and what schools aren't doing to prepare students for the global world. The author talks a lot about project based learning and student centered instruction. The book also emphasizes that our schools are teaching to the test and knowledge based information, rather than focusing on using information to solve problems and create possible solutions. He discusses several charter schools who focus on these things and how successful they have been. (I would love to teach at one of these!)

I personally appreciated the flame this book lit under me. However, I feel a little bit like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I would love to use project based, individualized learning with each of my 100 science students, but I also need my students to know the state standards so they can do well on the test. If they don't do well, society looks at me as a poor educator and at the students as incompetent.

In conclusion, change needs to happen at the top before I can really grab hold of the 7 survival skills. Right now, I am teaching the standards to my students, because this is what has been required of me. Hopefully, in the near future, we can change our standards to accommodate the global world we live in, and we can do what's best for our students. Until then, I'll incorporate the survival skills as much as I can into my teaching.

Closing the Gap-Super Summary

This chapter is all about new and innovative schools. The schools which are showcased teach skills that are almost identical to the seven survival skills listed in the text. Some common themes of these schools that I noticed are:

1) Project-based learning
2) Smaller class sizes
3) Cross-curricular units of study
4) Field experience (internships)
5) Consistent student conferencing with EACH student
6) Individualized programs of study based on student interest
7) Community involvement and support
8) AND financial stability

I have to admit I started out quite skeptical of this book. However, I really feel that it has opened my eyes and made me really look at the way I teach. This chapter especially hit home for me. I often feel that students miss out on a lot of the experiences they SHOULD be getting because of the large emphasis on test taking and knowledge based standards. I am really finding that when students are most motivated I have to cut them off because we just have so much content to cover and not enough time for the things that really matter.

The quote that I picked is actually on the very last page of the conclusion chapter:

"If not you, then who? If not now, then when?"

We should all take a minute to reflect on this quote and then, just as I tell my students, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, or at least try! :)

Motivating Today's Students

The chapter begins with a concern by some business leaders and educators of the decline of a work ethic of today’s youth. However, it was noted that this view may be due to how one defines work ethic – it may not be that there is less of a work ethic, but just a different type. The internet has changed how students learn, work, and live. The internet has evolved the process of how students learn; allowing them to multitask (or “continuous partial attention”) with research, entertainment and socially instantly.
The chapter focus deals with the concept many teachers have of their students – that of having unmotivated students in the classroom. The author has discovered in his interviews and studies that it may not be that our students are not motivated, but that students nowadays are motivated in different ways in we ourselves were. With the coming of age of the internet and all the related technology, students have come to be used to instant results and discovering results through various types of inquiries. They have also evolved into using various resources, not just the web, but other networks including social.
All this basically boils down to teachers having to become aware of students’ competence and self-assuredness of using ‘different’ tools in the classroom. The chapter also made the connection to making the learning in the classroom real-world in order to motivate students. As one of the interviewees stated, “school is boring for kids today because it hasn’t caught up with what kids can do outside of school”.

My quote comes from the Singapore educators on page 192. "Their new mantra is 'teach less, learn more. Schools need to focus more on projects and the inquiry method. They need to engage students with passion."

Uncle Sam Speaks

Baby CeCe Blabs

Global Achievement Gap

Reinventing the Education Profession

I could not believe the beginning of this chapter. A day in the life of "Greg," a high school principal, could have easily been a description in a day in the life of "Sheridan," a rural school teacher in South Dakota. As educators, we are constantly being shown the newest "priority," and that is stacked on top of the last five "priorities." Someone needs to look up the definition of priority, and submit it to the right person.

The author has done extensive research in classrooms across the USA. I especially found his descriptions of different "learning walks" to be very effective. It was interesting how he stated that when a group of teachers would look at a classroom's lesson, they would grade it anywhere from an F to an A -- looking at the same lesson. This held true in public and private schools across the USA. I think what all educators need to sit down and do -- principals, superintendents, teachers, school board members, even students -- is look at this question, look at the research, and make some careful considerations:

"What is the real problem you're trying to solve, and how do you know it's the most important problem you should be working on?"

Overall, I agree that the teaching education as a whole needs to be addressed. It is unfortunate that over half of all new teachers will leave the profession within the first five years. However, I can understand why. I recently heard the question posed on television, "Is the presidency too much for one individual to handle?" and I would have to apply the same question to teaching. If I did not have the close-knit connection with the paraprofessionals and the other certified teacher in my building, it would be too much. On a daily basis, I have to reevaluate and ask myself, "What are the most important things we will accomplish today?" I wish we did have more time to collaborate with each other and get useful feedback in order to improve our instruction.