Tracking is a major issue today. However, most schools do it regardless of the pros against it. Therefore, I like the section on teaching "lower-tracked" students and mixed classes. "Schools are set up like beauty pageants - some of us were set up to fail. They way they treat us, they might as well say, 'you suck, get lost, get out of here.'" This quote from one student put a lot into perspective for me. Next year I will be at a high school teaching regular ninth and eleventh grade classes. These are not the students who are considered the best and brightest, but they shouldn't feel as if they are the ones who are set up to fail. It is going to be my job to make those students feel as if they can achieve anything and set high expectations for themselves. When teachers set high expectations for their students, they let the students know that they care and know the students can succeed. However, this means there is a lot more work for the teacher. So often I feel as if teachers get burnt out or get frustrated with these "lower-tracked" students that they resign themselves to an attitude of apathy. I think this transfers to the students. So many of my students refuse to do work or don't care about doing work because they do not see the merit or importance of doing it. A lot of this is due to the fact that my students are extremely privileged and will probable be going into their family businesses. However, this is no excuse for spoon-feeding and asking for students to regurgitate information without thinking. We have to give students the tools and the opportunity to succeed every day in and out of our classroom.
I wish you luck in your job next year! Your students are very fortunate to be getting a teacher that has high expectations of them. I completely agree that often times teachers seem to have given up on the students so they give up on themselves. I sadly saw this in my high school placement last semester. Many of my students were in the same Math class and all year they struggled to keep a teacher in that class. One student shared with me that they were the reason teachers kept leaving; because they were dumb and bad at school so no one wanted to teach them. That just breaks my heart. Every student should be allowed the same educational opportunities, regardless of their "track", socioeconomic situation, or background.
I agree Danielle! Students should be expected to success, regardless of any external factors. I have taught struggling readers for the past 2 years and it has bee tough, but very rewarding. While I can't take credit for increased scores, I can take ALL the credit for inspiring students to read more. My approach has been to immerse them in reading that interests them as a way to increase their abilities in reading. The best thing I've heard in my 3 short years of teaching is when a student said, "When you said I would end up liking to read I thought you were crazy, but you were right! I really like reading now." Mission accomplished!
I feel like this is kind of like the saying, "the students that act out the most need the most love". Many students may not have a support system at home. It is our responsibility as teachers to make sure that these students are given equal opportunities and pushed to give their best efforts.
On page 178 Christensen write about the student that was a poor reader but could memorize rap lyrics and details about rap artist. She new there was the capacity for this student to learn. In order for her to know that about him, she had to develop a relationship. I think the relational aspect is missing in classrooms today. If students don't think you care about them, why would they want to care about anything you want to teach them?
I have never gather portfolios but I do think it is a great idea. I think this would work better with a curriculum that is geared more toward writing than my school. I agree with her and her comment about the legislators and the school boards that mandate writing and given forced responses to essay topics. Last year all the state essays for the school were given to the English teachers to grade. This was a very difficult task to say the least. The topics the students were given were debatable and the grading scale and rubrics were confusing. It took us hours to grade just one class. Another difficulty added to the pot was we had to grade them all together in the same room at the same time. who has that kind of free time during the day?
I also agree with her in showing them many examples. They just love seeing what someone else said and they can see that real writers struggle to get the right words down too. I think that it helps them to realize that all writers get stuck. Even if they mimic a writers ways they are still learning to write so what's wrong with that if it gets them started? highlighting the different categories in the writing also helps them see what they have done versus what they are missing. i like that idea and will use that with my students.
The grading process you describe sounds terrible and I'm so sorry! And I agree, students love seeing other people's work. The find it so fascinating, like they are peeking into someone's life for a moment. Let me know how the coloring goes because I like this idea as well!
Gloria, I agree with the topics and prompts for the testing. We had quite the challenge also and are gearing up to do it again in a few weeks. While I disagree with the testing cycle, I do (as I know you do also) try to explain to my students that we all have things to do that we don't like, so the best way to get through them is to forge ahead and do our best. I have tried to add more reader response into my lessons this semester in an attempt to have students practice that critical thinking and analysis that they will need for testing. I hope it has helped. Good luck with the rest of your year!
I have every intention of using portfolios in my classes. I love the holistic view of student progress they give as well as the options for the students. Christensen explained them perfectly when she said, "portfolios [are] places where students keep the journey of their writing, but also as a place where they analyze both their work and their process, so they can take what they know and apply it to the next piece that comes along," (pp. 160). She was so right when she said "most students are'nt accustomed to standing back from their work and assessing it. The routine has been write it, turn it in, the teacher grades it, get it back. End of cycle," (pp. 162). I have seen this in every ELA class I have observed. I feel like if you are going to teach with a constructivist pedagogy, you have to have that line of communication with your students about their writing and their writing process. So often the conversation ends when the assignment is turned in and that should only be the beginning (or a middle point somewhere). Also, she she mentions, I have seen just how important it is to give the students examples to analyze and exact expectations while "leaving them loose enough so that students have room to follow their passion," (pp. 163).
I'm also glad she included the chapter on tracking. I have never been a fan of tacking students for their classes. Why can't all classes be conducted like an honors class? We should be challenging all of our students so they can be their best. When we put them into tracked "boxes", we are telling them this is as good as it's going to get, sorry. I have personally witnessed how students feel about being tracked. In my student teaching I was on the gifted inclusion team and the other two 6th grade teams were not. When I went to observe a "nongifted" ELA class, the students recognized me from being down the hall and asked why I was sent to their classroom. They thought I was in trouble for some reason and was sent to their class as punishment. One student even apologized to me saying "they were the bad, dumb kids down at this end of the hall". No child should have this kind of image of themselves. It broke my heart to hear that and even worse that the teachers tend to treat them that way, too. Every child is gifted in their own way, we just have to help them find that passion.
It is sad that students believe the lie they are being told by tracking. I've had a few students who told me they weren't good at English. My response was, "Well you haven't learned English from me yet, so I am expecting your best and we will work on it together." While it doesn't always work the first time, by showing students that they have and chance and that you expect their best often gives them enough confidence to try.
I agree that all classes should be treated as gifted. All of our students have the capacity to learn at a high level. However, me must dismantle this learned helplessness our students have taken too close to heart by encouraging them and guiding them to their true capacity.
I agree that tracking is still an issue in education and I'm not sure there are any alternatives in my current situation. With that being said, I do have options within my own classroom and many of Christensen's suggestions and lessons will allow me to expand the minds of ALL of my students, regardless of their "position" in the school system. I love the authenticity of her lessons and the activities that she uses to give students a voice. I currently keep folders for students, but the portfolio idea, as explained so clearly in this book, gives purpose to the use of reflection pieces for students to see their own growth by adding the evaluation process to the mix. I feel that the sharing of student work is essential to building their confidence in their own abilities, as well as building a classroom community. This was by far the best text we used in this course for me.
Building confidence in them is so important, yet so many students never have that opportunity to think about their own work. Reflection is a key aspect of the portfolios. I agree with you about this book. I really didn't want to read it. I didn't think anything would be better than Atwell's workshops. Yet, Christensen hit a home run in my book. Maybe a combination of Atwell and Christensen in the classroom would work!
Janie, I honestly appreciate the intensity in which you take on in fostering authentic learning in your classroom. Your outlook is exactly what we need to combat the adverse affects of tracking. It takes so little to discourage a student for an academic lifetime... it takes so much longer to build them back up. But it is a necessary task.
I think using portfolios in the classroom is very important to asses students' growth and provide student reflection. Our high school classes keep a portfolio for each student in all of their English classes and it moves with them as they go to the next grade. Students are required to write reflections on their growth or weaknesses and are given a grade on their portfolio at the end. I also think it gives the students a sense of accomplishment and confidence when they can look back at their work.
I am really excited about the opportunity to use portfolios in the classroom. I think it serves a much greater means of assessment. Students even have an opportunity to assess themselves when deciding what to include in their portfolio. This does not occur in traditional grading unless you specifically give an opportunity to assess themselves. But this too is a grade... and students are more interested in a positive grade than to truly evaluate themselves.
I really, really like the idea of a portfolio. The students I have had during my student teach have been so grade driven that I don't think they even try to consider what they have learned once they have gotten their grade. They were not able to see a connection between past assignment and new assignments. The portfolio make students stop, even if just for a few minutes, and actually see for themselves what they are capable of. I really like Christensen's analogy to basketball. I think that is something most students could relate to. I agree with her thoughts of mandated portfolios. It is so like our society to want to politicize and commercialize everything. That is exactly what portfolios are not all about. They are about freedom of expression and actual learning and growing. As for tracking, well, she is so right. I spent most of my student teaching in 6th and 7th grades. They were all about tracking. This is not lost on my students. In my lowest class one girl said "I always get stuck with the bad kids." Her problem? She had an IEP. She was a bright girl, and she gave every assignment her best. Her family worked with her at home, yet, as long as she has the "label" she will be with this group. And, this group will struggle as long as they are together and no one has any expectations of them. In one of my placements, I asked a to perform that same task as the highest group. The low group did not complete the task, and they were a lot less focused. I was okay with that. The host teacher was getting antsy with the students. But, I know that you cannot throw a task at them and expect from them what they have not had to do before. If they had more opportunities, they may be able to produce comparable work. Kids need a chance. Who am I to decide what is in them and what is not?
I really enjoy the concept of portfolios. This is an opportunity for students to put together their best work for evaluation. This gives them choice and ownership over their work and grade. I don't think our lesser performances should define us. If I know I didn't do as well on an assignment I won't put it forward for evaluation, unless my intentions is to show my growth and progress within that concept. Portfolios as the primary form of evaluation can also cater to the different learning styles or multiple intelligences. Only taking exams as major assessments is not fair or reliable means of evaluating student learning. Not only do most exams not reach higher learning (ex: multiple choice) but they also put those with test anxiety at a disadvantage. My only concern with implementing portfolio based assessments is doing so in a successful fashion. Being a new educator and having no prior experience in it in K-12 schooling, it is still foreign to me. A text book knowledge of the concept isn't likely to transfer over well to real practice. Additionally, I may have issue implementing it in a school where certain forms of assessment are mandated across the departments.
As for tracking... It is the bane of education. It may serve some necessary roles for getting students into classes that best suit their needs, but it gets warped into something else entirely. We have kids with severe learned helplessness because they recognize that they are tracked into low performing. We have kids not pursuing their passions because one adult figure tracks them away from that. My mom even gave up on her interests in becoming a flight attendant because one adviser thought it was unbecoming of her. Instead, she was tracked into typing and clerical classes. There must be a better way. Why must we group students in the first place... instead of treating each child on an individual basis?
Tracking is a major issue today. However, most schools do it regardless of the pros against it. Therefore, I like the section on teaching "lower-tracked" students and mixed classes. "Schools are set up like beauty pageants - some of us were set up to fail. They way they treat us, they might as well say, 'you suck, get lost, get out of here.'" This quote from one student put a lot into perspective for me. Next year I will be at a high school teaching regular ninth and eleventh grade classes. These are not the students who are considered the best and brightest, but they shouldn't feel as if they are the ones who are set up to fail. It is going to be my job to make those students feel as if they can achieve anything and set high expectations for themselves. When teachers set high expectations for their students, they let the students know that they care and know the students can succeed. However, this means there is a lot more work for the teacher. So often I feel as if teachers get burnt out or get frustrated with these "lower-tracked" students that they resign themselves to an attitude of apathy. I think this transfers to the students. So many of my students refuse to do work or don't care about doing work because they do not see the merit or importance of doing it. A lot of this is due to the fact that my students are extremely privileged and will probable be going into their family businesses. However, this is no excuse for spoon-feeding and asking for students to regurgitate information without thinking. We have to give students the tools and the opportunity to succeed every day in and out of our classroom.
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck in your job next year! Your students are very fortunate to be getting a teacher that has high expectations of them. I completely agree that often times teachers seem to have given up on the students so they give up on themselves. I sadly saw this in my high school placement last semester. Many of my students were in the same Math class and all year they struggled to keep a teacher in that class. One student shared with me that they were the reason teachers kept leaving; because they were dumb and bad at school so no one wanted to teach them. That just breaks my heart. Every student should be allowed the same educational opportunities, regardless of their "track", socioeconomic situation, or background.
DeleteI agree Danielle! Students should be expected to success, regardless of any external factors. I have taught struggling readers for the past 2 years and it has bee tough, but very rewarding. While I can't take credit for increased scores, I can take ALL the credit for inspiring students to read more. My approach has been to immerse them in reading that interests them as a way to increase their abilities in reading. The best thing I've heard in my 3 short years of teaching is when a student said, "When you said I would end up liking to read I thought you were crazy, but you were right! I really like reading now." Mission accomplished!
DeleteI feel like this is kind of like the saying, "the students that act out the most need the most love". Many students may not have a support system at home. It is our responsibility as teachers to make sure that these students are given equal opportunities and pushed to give their best efforts.
DeleteOn page 178 Christensen write about the student that was a poor reader but could memorize rap lyrics and details about rap artist. She new there was the capacity for this student to learn. In order for her to know that about him, she had to develop a relationship. I think the relational aspect is missing in classrooms today. If students don't think you care about them, why would they want to care about anything you want to teach them?
DeleteI have never gather portfolios but I do think it is a great idea. I think this would work better with a curriculum that is geared more toward writing than my school. I agree with her and her comment about the legislators and the school boards that mandate writing and given forced responses to essay topics. Last year all the state essays for the school were given to the English teachers to grade. This was a very difficult task to say the least. The topics the students were given were debatable and the grading scale and rubrics were confusing. It took us hours to grade just one class. Another difficulty added to the pot was we had to grade them all together in the same room at the same time. who has that kind of free time during the day?
ReplyDeleteI also agree with her in showing them many examples. They just love seeing what someone else said and they can see that real writers struggle to get the right words down too. I think that it helps them to realize that all writers get stuck. Even if they mimic a writers ways they are still learning to write so what's wrong with that if it gets them started? highlighting the different categories in the writing also helps them see what they have done versus what they are missing. i like that idea and will use that with my students.
The grading process you describe sounds terrible and I'm so sorry! And I agree, students love seeing other people's work. The find it so fascinating, like they are peeking into someone's life for a moment. Let me know how the coloring goes because I like this idea as well!
DeleteGloria, I agree with the topics and prompts for the testing. We had quite the challenge also and are gearing up to do it again in a few weeks. While I disagree with the testing cycle, I do (as I know you do also) try to explain to my students that we all have things to do that we don't like, so the best way to get through them is to forge ahead and do our best. I have tried to add more reader response into my lessons this semester in an attempt to have students practice that critical thinking and analysis that they will need for testing. I hope it has helped. Good luck with the rest of your year!
DeleteI have every intention of using portfolios in my classes. I love the holistic view of student progress they give as well as the options for the students. Christensen explained them perfectly when she said, "portfolios [are] places where students keep the journey of their writing, but also as a place where they analyze both their work and their process, so they can take what they know and apply it to the next piece that comes along," (pp. 160). She was so right when she said "most students are'nt accustomed to standing back from their work and assessing it. The routine has been write it, turn it in, the teacher grades it, get it back. End of cycle," (pp. 162). I have seen this in every ELA class I have observed. I feel like if you are going to teach with a constructivist pedagogy, you have to have that line of communication with your students about their writing and their writing process. So often the conversation ends when the assignment is turned in and that should only be the beginning (or a middle point somewhere). Also, she she mentions, I have seen just how important it is to give the students examples to analyze and exact expectations while "leaving them loose enough so that students have room to follow their passion," (pp. 163).
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad she included the chapter on tracking. I have never been a fan of tacking students for their classes. Why can't all classes be conducted like an honors class? We should be challenging all of our students so they can be their best. When we put them into tracked "boxes", we are telling them this is as good as it's going to get, sorry. I have personally witnessed how students feel about being tracked. In my student teaching I was on the gifted inclusion team and the other two 6th grade teams were not. When I went to observe a "nongifted" ELA class, the students recognized me from being down the hall and asked why I was sent to their classroom. They thought I was in trouble for some reason and was sent to their class as punishment. One student even apologized to me saying "they were the bad, dumb kids down at this end of the hall". No child should have this kind of image of themselves. It broke my heart to hear that and even worse that the teachers tend to treat them that way, too. Every child is gifted in their own way, we just have to help them find that passion.
It is sad that students believe the lie they are being told by tracking. I've had a few students who told me they weren't good at English. My response was, "Well you haven't learned English from me yet, so I am expecting your best and we will work on it together." While it doesn't always work the first time, by showing students that they have and chance and that you expect their best often gives them enough confidence to try.
DeleteI agree that all classes should be treated as gifted. All of our students have the capacity to learn at a high level. However, me must dismantle this learned helplessness our students have taken too close to heart by encouraging them and guiding them to their true capacity.
DeleteI agree that tracking is still an issue in education and I'm not sure there are any alternatives in my current situation. With that being said, I do have options within my own classroom and many of Christensen's suggestions and lessons will allow me to expand the minds of ALL of my students, regardless of their "position" in the school system. I love the authenticity of her lessons and the activities that she uses to give students a voice. I currently keep folders for students, but the portfolio idea, as explained so clearly in this book, gives purpose to the use of reflection pieces for students to see their own growth by adding the evaluation process to the mix. I feel that the sharing of student work is essential to building their confidence in their own abilities, as well as building a classroom community. This was by far the best text we used in this course for me.
ReplyDeleteBuilding confidence in them is so important, yet so many students never have that opportunity to think about their own work. Reflection is a key aspect of the portfolios. I agree with you about this book. I really didn't want to read it. I didn't think anything would be better than Atwell's workshops. Yet, Christensen hit a home run in my book. Maybe a combination of Atwell and Christensen in the classroom would work!
DeleteJanie, I honestly appreciate the intensity in which you take on in fostering authentic learning in your classroom. Your outlook is exactly what we need to combat the adverse affects of tracking. It takes so little to discourage a student for an academic lifetime... it takes so much longer to build them back up. But it is a necessary task.
DeleteI think using portfolios in the classroom is very important to asses students' growth and provide student reflection. Our high school classes keep a portfolio for each student in all of their English classes and it moves with them as they go to the next grade. Students are required to write reflections on their growth or weaknesses and are given a grade on their portfolio at the end. I also think it gives the students a sense of accomplishment and confidence when they can look back at their work.
ReplyDeleteI am really excited about the opportunity to use portfolios in the classroom. I think it serves a much greater means of assessment. Students even have an opportunity to assess themselves when deciding what to include in their portfolio. This does not occur in traditional grading unless you specifically give an opportunity to assess themselves. But this too is a grade... and students are more interested in a positive grade than to truly evaluate themselves.
DeleteI really, really like the idea of a portfolio. The students I have had during my student teach have been so grade driven that I don't think they even try to consider what they have learned once they have gotten their grade. They were not able to see a connection between past assignment and new assignments. The portfolio make students stop, even if just for a few minutes, and actually see for themselves what they are capable of. I really like Christensen's analogy to basketball. I think that is something most students could relate to. I agree with her thoughts of mandated portfolios. It is so like our society to want to politicize and commercialize everything. That is exactly what portfolios are not all about. They are about freedom of expression and actual learning and growing.
ReplyDeleteAs for tracking, well, she is so right. I spent most of my student teaching in 6th and 7th grades. They were all about tracking. This is not lost on my students. In my lowest class one girl said "I always get stuck with the bad kids." Her problem? She had an IEP. She was a bright girl, and she gave every assignment her best. Her family worked with her at home, yet, as long as she has the "label" she will be with this group. And, this group will struggle as long as they are together and no one has any expectations of them. In one of my placements, I asked a to perform that same task as the highest group. The low group did not complete the task, and they were a lot less focused. I was okay with that. The host teacher was getting antsy with the students. But, I know that you cannot throw a task at them and expect from them what they have not had to do before. If they had more opportunities, they may be able to produce comparable work. Kids need a chance. Who am I to decide what is in them and what is not?
I really enjoy the concept of portfolios. This is an opportunity for students to put together their best work for evaluation. This gives them choice and ownership over their work and grade. I don't think our lesser performances should define us. If I know I didn't do as well on an assignment I won't put it forward for evaluation, unless my intentions is to show my growth and progress within that concept. Portfolios as the primary form of evaluation can also cater to the different learning styles or multiple intelligences. Only taking exams as major assessments is not fair or reliable means of evaluating student learning. Not only do most exams not reach higher learning (ex: multiple choice) but they also put those with test anxiety at a disadvantage. My only concern with implementing portfolio based assessments is doing so in a successful fashion. Being a new educator and having no prior experience in it in K-12 schooling, it is still foreign to me. A text book knowledge of the concept isn't likely to transfer over well to real practice. Additionally, I may have issue implementing it in a school where certain forms of assessment are mandated across the departments.
ReplyDeleteAs for tracking... It is the bane of education. It may serve some necessary roles for getting students into classes that best suit their needs, but it gets warped into something else entirely. We have kids with severe learned helplessness because they recognize that they are tracked into low performing. We have kids not pursuing their passions because one adult figure tracks them away from that. My mom even gave up on her interests in becoming a flight attendant because one adviser thought it was unbecoming of her. Instead, she was tracked into typing and clerical classes. There must be a better way. Why must we group students in the first place... instead of treating each child on an individual basis?