EDSS 541

RR1: Possible ITU Instructional Strategies

            The NEA’s Focus On: Closing the Achievement Gap are a collection of studies that critically analyzed 6 different major groups in American schools and recommends strategies to help these groups succeed in the classroom.  Of the six major groups I found the study on Latinos and Native Americans to be most helpful for my Integrated Thematic Unit (ITU).  Since my focus school has a majority of Latino/Hispanic I found this topic to be of great interest.  The biggest facing the Hispanic community is the high dropout rate which is the highest for any ethnic group.  To help alleviate this problem the study suggested to adopt strategies that get the students involved in the community and to showcase their work so that the community and families can see their accomplishments.

            I found the Native American study suggestions to be complementing of the Hispanic study.  The suggestions given for Native American students differed in the fact that they recommend that teachers get to know their Native American students’ culture to help foster self acceptance within the students.  Furthermore, the study suggested that students try to tie their heritage in their studies as a means to connect the content to their lives.  After all, if knowledge is applicable to one’s own life, that that knowledge become more tangible and worth learning.

            In all 6 studies I found great ideas to incorporate in my ITU, but given the demographics of my focus school I will be utilizing these important strategies mentioned earlier.  In my opinion, student will benefit tremendously from an ITU that helps them understand their heritage/culture while working within their communities as it will leave a lasting impression toward their development into an educated and productive citizen.

RR2: ITU Models and Resources

For our theme of diversity we decided to primarily consult the state and local standards.  In social science I will be focusing on the standard 11.8: Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation of post–World War II America.  Specifically I will be focusing on standard 11.8.2: Describe the significance of Mexican immigration and its relationship to the agricultural economy, especially in California. 

For resources I will be using the US History text to provide a base foundation of knowledge and supplement with field surveys of people in the community and various primary sources. 

For my essential questions I have proposed the following:

1.    Explain diversity in your own words?

2.    Describe the cultural diversity of Escondido High School, does it reflect the diversity of the city?  Why or why not?

3.    How does diversity affect a community?

4.    How did the diversity of Escondido affect the community?

5.    In the future, how do you think increasing diversity will continue to impact Escondido?

             

RR3: ITU Instructional Strategies

Thematic Map

Have students freely create a thematic map as the ITU progresses to help them understand the connections being made in the unit.  This will also serve as a written/visual/informal assessment for the teacher as he/she will be able to see how deep the connections students are making.

Web Quests

Through web quests, students will be allowed to go more in depth into the theme and disciplinary topics.

Service Learning / Community Outreach

Have students go into the community to help them research their topics/theme.  This will provide a more tangible connection to their learning as opposed to reading books and going only.  This will also give them an opportunity to apply what they are learning in the unit.

Quiz Show (Jeopardy, Who wants to be a Millionaire, 20 Questions)

Having students participate in quiz shows will be a good formative assessment for what they are learning in the middle of the unit and will give the teacher an opportunity to reflect and adjust the unit if necessary.

Informational Packet

Have students create an informational packet for certain topics.  For instance in PE, they would create a pamphlet for healthy eating in a diverse area or in social sciences they will be challenged to produce a travel pamphlet enticing others to come to the area.  Such packets will require students to apply much of what they learned.

Class/Group Discussions

Giving the class/group time to discuss their findings will lead to greater understanding and insight.  This will be most useful before producing the informational packet as previously discussed or to help prepare them for the quiz show game.  Furthermore, the entire class can discuss the best means to fulfill the service learning / community outreach component of the unit.

RR4:  My Contributions to the ITU

            After looking at the ITU tasks, I think I would be able to contribute to all the tasks but given my talents and interests I have several tasks that I am looking forward to leading.  With my technology background, I would like to research creative ways to involve technology in the ITU, for instance maybe teaching students to create PLNs to help connect them to experts in the content and to their class.  I would also like to contribute by taking the lead in creating the poster for ITU because I do have some skill in working with digital mediums.  Finally, given my social science background I would like to oversee the social justice and equity component in the ITU.  Although I will play a role in every aspect of the project I do intend to take leadership roles in these tasks described as I feel I can strengthen the project in these areas.

RR5:  Cover Proposal

RR6: Personal Learning Network

         As part of my Integrated Thematic Unit, my team and I will establish a Personal Learning Network to help coordinate activities for the ITU.  At the moment, we communicate by email and through Twitter via #csusmehs.  After another meeting with the group I will help create a blog for the ITU so that we can all add input in real-time.  The more means to collaborate for the ITU, the more effectively our ideas and visions will come together.

To help keep the students and teachers connected for the ITU, I have established a website detailing the project.  The site will also give students opportunities to write reflections as they complete the project.  Please visit the site at http://ehsdiversityproject.weebly.com.

RR7: Key Elements and Processes of Service Learning

            According to Katherine Kaye (2004) service learning is defined as:

…a teaching method where guided or classroom learning is deepened through service to others in a process that provides structured time for reflection on the service experience and demonstration of the skills and knowledge acquired (p. 7).

Using Kaye’s definition, I interpret service learning as a mode of learning that gives students an opportunity to learn about critical issues in their lives and are given many opportunities to reflect on their findings and express their thoughts on these issues through a creative medium. 

            Kaye (2004) identifies 4 major stages of the service learning process as 1) preparation, 2) action, 3) reflection and 4) demonstration.  The preparation stage requires the students and teacher to cooperatively identify issues they want to study.  In the action phase, students determine how to address the issue of the chosen topic.  After action has been taken, the reflection portion gives students an opportunity to apply what they have accomplished and learned.  Finally, students are given a chance to demonstrate their findings in creative ways that involve the community and their peers. 

            Within these the process of learning, the service learning project should have elements of integrated learning, meeting genuine needs, student voice and choice, collaborative opportunities, mutual teaching and learning, and a sense of civic responsibility (Kaye, 2004, p. 37).  If all these elements are present in the service learning curriculum, students will find more value in what they are learning and in turn will have a greater chance of impacting a student’s knowledge of the world. 

RR8: ITU Service Learning Ideas

For our ITU themed around diversity I would like to incorporate some of the following service learning ideas.

·        1.  Researching national, regional, and local immigration policies.

·        2.  Having the students visit local retirement homes to identify local residents to interview for firsthand accounts of the growing diversity of the community.

·        3.  Allowing students to conduct live field study through physical surveys of members in the community.

·        4.  Blogging their thoughts for others to read and discuss through a project blog.

I took into consideration what my other colleagues may be doing with their subject areas and I thought that these service learning activities would also benefit their needs as well.  For instance, doing live interviews/surveys will allow us to get a cultural feel and a physical sample for the statistical requirement for math.  Likewise, having students visit a retirement home will allow students to gather historical sources and practice their Spanish skills with some of the interviewees. 

RR9: Ethnographic Research

The ethnographic research was completed by my ITU group mates.  Please defer to the ITU website under "The School" tab for ethno graphic results.

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/312822#

RR10: ITU Cover Sheet

RR12: ITU Reviews and Submission

After reviewing past ITU projects, I really like the organization of the “Homelessness” ITU project.  I like how each required component of the ITU is clearly categorized.  I will try to make the Diversity Project components  clearly categorized. 

I also liked the Civil Rights ITU project with its detailed unit calendar.  The group chose to use separate, but highly coordinated, calendars.   The unit calendars for the Diversity Project also mimic this model in that each instruction day is themed and each teacher will be planning their lessons around each theme.

Please see the Diversity Project at:  http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=312822

RR13: Co-Teaching Models

The Co-Teaching presentation was really interesting and informative.  I really enjoyed the models that were displayed at the presentation and I would like to work in a co-teaching classroom.  Of the 4 models I recall watching video demonstrations of supportive, parallel, and complementary models.  A team co-teaching model was not demonstrated but simply explained as a model that incorporates the later 3 models presented.

The different co-teaching models can be best summarized in the following:

Supportive: One teacher takes instructional lead in front of the class while the other teacher walks the class to provide support by helping students during instruction.

Parallel:  A model that has teachers working with individual groups simultaneously.  Groups are often taught in stations.

Complementary:  In this model, one teacher compliments the lead teacher by modeling proper note taking or paraphrasing important information. 

Team Co-Teaching:  A model in which both teachers share in all elements of the classroom like planning, assessing, and teaching.  It was explained that a good co-teaching model requires plenty of selflessness and flexibility.  Co-teaching models often have components of the other 3 models explained. 

RR14: ITU Co-Teaching Models

As written in ITU Task 5

During the collaborative days Ms. Knudsen, Mr. Gonzalez, and Mr. Payad will be using a team teaching approach that allows them to utilize complimentary, supportive, and parallel teaching models. For instance, before the Socratic seminar, all three teachers will work in a parallel model to help students understand the issues of diversity within their disciplines before transitioning into a parallel model during the Socratic seminar as they each present questions from the disciplines to stimulate class discussion.

We will try to incorporate a team teaching model that includes complimentary, supporting and parallel teaching models.  We do this on our first big collaborative day that challenges students to participate in a Socratic seminar discussing diversity in the community.

RR16: Components of Cooperative Learning

The 5 components of cooperative learning can best be remembered through the acronym PIGSFACE.

·         Positive Interdependence: Students must understand that they all must work together to accomplish a task.

·         Individual and Group Accountability: Each student must be held individually accountable.  Teacher must make frequent individual checks to monitor.

·         Group Processing: Groups reflect on their actions and discuss what works and what needs to change.  Changes are made if everyone agrees.

·         Social Skill:  In a cooperative learning environment students learn various social skills like leadership, decision making, trust building, and conflict management skills.

·         Face to Face Interaction: Students take the time to teach each other about the content.  Students also participate in discussions of the topic to enhance learning. 

FF17: ITU Cooperative Learning

Much of the cooperative learning for the Diversity Project will be incorporated into the final projects.  At the end of the project we wanted students to choose how they want to present their understanding of diversity.  Students will be broken into 5 groups of 6 to create a website, produce a documentary, create pamphlets informative pamphlets in English and Spanish, produce a diversity quilt, and public presentation highlighting all the final projects.  For these final projects, students will be graded by thorough and detailed rubrics that ask students to complete specific tasks.

After reviewing the Cooperative Learning power point, I would like to add more peer review components to hold students accountable for their learning during the projects.  I would like for students to peer review within the group and a class peer review of every project.  I feel that this will strengthen the cooperative learning elements in our ITU.

RR18: Lesson Planning Resources

The Diversity Project utilizes many different strategies.  In US History, I have students create a historical timeline that detail the different paths of Native Americans, African American, Asian Americans, and Hispanics throughout history.  This serves as both a affective and cognitive learning objectives according to blooms taxonomy.

To support our diverse learners, we as a groups decided to theme our instructional days.  For instance one day all content areas learn about the African American and Asian Americans while we also have a Melting Pot day that challenges students to bring review their learning and begin to tie all the information in.  Using the thematic approach is recommended on the SDAIE checklist to support all students on a content level.

RR19: Assessment Differentiation

Because every student is unique in their intelligences, the easiest way to differentiate assessment is to provide different opportunities to demonstrate understanding of what they are learning.  Instead of taking a traditional formal test to demonstrate learning, students can do non-traditional projects like a portfolio of their learning or a major art project that visually represents their learning.

Technology also provides other creative mediums for students to demonstrate knowledge.  For instance, students can make a website informing everyone what they learned.  Since the website will be open to the public, students will be challenged to produce a website of very high quality.  Furthermore, students can be challenged to create a video documentary showing visually displaying what they learned.  Of course, to carefully evaluate these different forms of assessment, teachers should produce intricate rubrics that challenge students to highlight important concepts to be covered in these demonstrations of knowledge.

RR20: ITU Assessment Strategies

The Diversity Project ITU allows students to select from a variety of different assessments to demonstrate summative understanding of diversity.  Students will be given a choice to produce a project website that shares their the project and what they learned with the world, a video documentary about the project, producing a diversity quilt from individual student posters, and informational pamphlets about the diversity in the local community.  These summative assessments are also supported by carefully crafted assessments that ask students to incorporate mathematic, cultural, and historical elements.

RR21: Identify Assessment Strategies to Use in a TPA Task

If given the opportunity to do TPA task 3 again I would like to incorporate a technology driven form of assessment.  As a social science teacher I can see myself having students create blogs and reflect on their learning of a major unit.  For instance, when covering the civil rights movement I would have students do daily blog postings on what they are learning about civil rights.  These daily blog postings will serve as a good formative assessments as I can see exactly what students are thinking about the topic as the unit progresses. 

Another good assessment to use would be the creation of a website that chronicles the unit and what students are learning.  A rubric will be used to ensure students create a very informative website.  I like the notion of a website to assess student learning because a website must not only have the content to demonstrate knowledge, but must also be creatively designed to fit the theme of the unit.