Blog Post #4: Chapters 5&6

A.) "determining what is important in curriculum is the teacher's role.  Difficult as it it, it is our responsibility (and opportunity)..." (p. 60, FPDC).  
How do you think you'll do in that respect? I think that I will likely struggle a bit with this at the beginning of my teaching career, but with dedication I can be successful. After teaching I will better learn what is most important and develop strategies to deepen understanding so that my students can be successful.
What type of an active learner and decision-maker are you? 
I am the kind of learner who needs to see things to make sense of them. I am not a decisive person. I like to consider all of my options before coming to a decision, this can be rather unhelpful at times. Because of this I like to completely understand a concept before I really feel like I've internalized and learned it.
The brain is inefficient at rote memorization and seeks instead to make meaning of information. If we don't make meaning of what we study, we are likely not to remember it, be able to retrieve it, or be able to use it.
I have been pretty good at memorization throughout my school years, but once the test was over, the information I needed to remember went right out of my head. I did notice in my schooling that if the concepts I had to be learning built upon each other it was hard just to memorize, particularly with math. In this topic things had to connect to my current schema or I would not learn. I had a few teachers that helped facilitate that and some who left me more confused than when I came into the classroom.
Students in schools, classrooms, and educational systems that teach less and teach it better score higher on standardized measures than students in school that seek coverage of massive amounts of information with little emphasis on understanding. In other words, curriculum that is a mile wide but only an inch deep is ineffective in producing real learning.
In my experience when a teacher rushes through things I learn very little. It is clear that the teacher is knowledgeable, but in my experience they don't scaffold long enough for me to truly grasp what they are trying to teach and as a result I forget. I have found that if I really understand one concept and am introduced to another concept say on a standardized test, I would be better able to make an educated guess about the topic than I would if I were briefly introduced.
As knowledge and information grow at an unprecedented rate, it becomes increasingly clear that "coverage is an impossible educational goal. Rather, the aim of education must be to help students understand frames of meaning in the discipline, how to ask useful questions, and how to find and use information effectively and efficiently.
I have found in my study of education that we are trying to teach student different ways of thinking so that when they are on their own they will be able to figure it out for themselves. 
To that end, it is the role of educators to "uncover" what is essential to know, understand, and be able to do in the disciplines. Experts of a field value such knowledge, understanding, and skill as essential to productivity in their discipline. Teacher must struggle against "coverage" and strive for "uncoverage" of meaning--distinguishing between what is essential to the discipline, what is important, and what would be nice to know if there were time to do so.
I think there are certain aspects in each grade that are essential to know. It is essential for example to know how to add and subtract. Foundational skills are very important to learn. It is important that I learn how to distinguish these so that I can place the most emphasis on these skills.
The importance of curriculum lies in helping students master and retain essential information, organize knowledge around essential concepts, develop essential understandings, and competently utilize essential skills. Unless those elements are present, interrelated, and balanced in curriculum, students weave a fabric of learning that is riddled wit holes and is insubstantial.
I want to teach my students in a way that endures throughout time. I have had teacher come up with methods of instruction that to this day are still stuck in my head. A spanish teacher I had in the 7th grade taught us a way to remember stem changing verbs. To this day it helps me when I am speaking Spanish.
Important curriculum is necessarily focused on high-level thinking . There is no other way to ensure that students make meaning of, apply, and extend knowledge, understanding, and skill. In other words, there is no lesser route toward expertise in a discipline.
As I stated above, as teachers it is our responsibility to foster different kinds of thinking. We want our students to be lifelong learners. If we want this for them then we must provide instruction that fosters the kinds of thinking they will need later on in life for learning and problem solving.
Were you aware of all of these reasons?  
I am sure on some level I was aware of these reasons, but having them said straight out is very helpful. It is a good reminder of my responsibilities as a teacher. These are great reminders of how to help my students be successful.
Are there any that you disagree with? 
There were none that I disagreed with, I thought that Carol was right on target. 
B.) Fox-Taming Teacher:
1. "...help varied students work in a variety of ways toward a common goal." (page 69)  Mr. Johnson recognizes that each of his students is different and learns in different ways. This means he has gotten to know them and taken time to learn about them.
2. "...it inevitably establishes a framework for both student and teacher success." (page 71) It is clear Mr. Johnson cares about his students because he wants the to succeed. He has provided a framework that ensures each students can be challenged but not overwhelmed. They all have the opportunity to feel successful.
3. "...Mr. Johnson asks his students to think of times when some event, circumstance, or change in their lived made them "sink" or "float"." (Page 71) Mr. Johnson is trying to connect learning to the students lives to make it more meaningful. This again shows that he cares and is actually trying to connect with his students. He allows them to share which helps them feel valued in his classroom. He also is able to learn more about his students through this lesson.
4. "Although he may sometimes elect to have students discover a principle rather than presenting it to them at the outset of a lesson...." (page 71) This again shows that he knows the capabilities of his students. He pushes them, but knows their limits. A good teacher knows their students so they can know how to teach something in the optimal way.