Turning Points 2000, Chapter 9 Synthesis

Chapter nine was all about the importance of involving not only parents and families in classrooms, but the entire community. It noted that research showed that the more involved a student's support group (parents, other relatives, what have you) was in the student's academic life, the student was more likely to have higher grades and a more positive attitude, higher attendance and graduation rates, higher rates of enrollment in some form of post-high school academics, and fewer placements in special education. In addition to the benefits to the student, the teachers were more likely to experience higher morale, see more community and family support, and hold better reputations with the community. The chapter discussed ways to bring the students and their communities closer together, among them being community outreach programs that get the students directly involved with local establishments.

The majority of the class felt that, while parent involvement would be ideal, it is not always going to happen to the extent that we wish it. Amber summed it up quite nicely by stating, 'I feel like parental involvement is so difficult because as a society we push independence.' Many also brought up the difficulties of parental involvement in different households, and the importance of remaining aware of the possible explanations of why it is difficult- work, disinterest, cultural/language barriers. Community involvement seemed to be well-received, as it could not only expand student horizons as far as subject matter is concerned, but could allow the student to pursue interests that they might not be able to under normal circumstances. Many of the programs mentioned were also career-based, which would help boost enrollment in post-secondary training or academics even more.

Book Talk: Girls and Boys Learn Differently

This presentation was incredibly enjoyable. I loved the different stations, and had lots of fun making Play-Doh roses with Dr. Grace! Though from your reviews your book wasn't as enjoyable as some of the others sounded, you did a fantastic job of making the information easy to understand with cool activities. I was incredibly jealous of your Wix page, and our group has since started playing around with that site and all of its fantastic possibilities. The quiz confused me a little bit, and I think it would have been more interesting if it hasn't been as long and there had been more information about the different brain types, but overall that part interested me the most. Excellent job!

Book Talk: A Whole New Mind

This presentation was incredibly fun- I had a blast. It seemed like you guys really enjoyed reading the book (I want to read the book...), and you also looked like you genuinely enjoyed presenting the crucial information. I found the facial recognition activity to be really interesting, mainly because I find people-watching really fun. I'm sorry that our group was slightly ridiculous, but I think it was mainly a result of the creative ways we experienced the information you were presenting. I loved loved loved the story activity, even if we did kill off Grandma. Also a highlight was Dr. Grace's exclamation on the Wordle. Most excellent. :) In all seriousness, though, your presentation was well thought out and informative without being boring, which is most excellent indeed. Thank you!!

Book Talk: Student Oriented Curriculum

Overall, I found the book talk presentation to be interesting and intriguing, all at the same time. First of all, there was a lot of movement, which, especially that particular day, I really appreciated due to my hyperactiveness. I liked how the presenters gave us a chance to share our own experiences in middle school, but something I think I would have enjoyed more was the choice of whether to speak in front of the class like that or not. I was the student (and still am, depending on the situation) who froze up when asked a direct question, even though direct questioning was happening all over the place. I REALLY enjoyed the activity at the end, where we picked from the statement papers and wrote about them. Another aspect of the presentation that, I'm sorry to say, didn't really hold my interest, was the bit where we counted off and then later jigsawed. I found that the information was too dense even with the notecards to take notes with. I did see, however, that in addition to notecards, one group got a typed handout; I was extremely jealous and would have probably been less stressed out about sharing about my first group topics had I had a secondary notesheet to look back on.
Overall, I liked the way the presentation went; it was very relaxed and unrehearsed, which I find to be ten times more exciting than a 'practiced' lesson. I think I would have liked to see the 'Devil's advocate' point of view come out a little more for added variety, but in all, excellent job. :)

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 13

This chapter discussed the unique classroom experiences that could be had in the great wide world of the outside. The author strongly advocates some form of outdoor activity with classrooms for several reasons; not only is fresh air a necessity that many students don't get enough of, but it allows for more movement and less same-old, same-old kind of thing for each and every day. He also suggests that spending time outside breaks down the traditional lenses that teachers view their students with, and even vice versa. The author shared his own experiences with taking his classes on various camping and wilderness trips, which only illustrated that students are ready, willing, and incredibly able to further develop their own sense of independence within the supervised setting that the teacher can provide. Wormeli also mentioned the different types of outdoor activities he has enjoyed with his classes.

The first thing I thought when I was reading this particular chapter was, 'I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE.' No, seriously. The second thing I thought of were two isolated third-grade-related incidents relating to outdoor lessons. The first one was my own third grade experience on Ossippee Mountain, where the entire third grade of Narragansett Elementary School in Gorham spent the day hiking. We investigated the weather tower (couldn't climb up, but we tried!), observed different ecosystems, and watched for animal tracks. The second third grade experience is technically my younger brother Marshall's, but I was there as well, so... anyway, at the very end of the school year (because the Ossippee Mountain trip is always in October), my brother Marshall's class took a weekend trip to Baxter State Park and hiked Mount Katahdin to Chimney Pond. The cool thing about this trip is the fact that his teacher, Mr. Sands, put together enough fund-raising materials so every child's family could take part in the trip as well (which is where I come in). My dad, Marshall, me, and my friend Sarah were able to go on the trip, and even though Sarah and I were in seventh grade at the time, we had a blast learning about the geological elements and how to read maps, compasses, and build fires and such. I especially think that, even if an overnight excursion isn't possible or practical (I mean, what if something happens to the students, or they aren't ready for that kind of responsibility?), day trips to local outdoors-y places can fulfill the suggestions Wormeli has made.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 9

Chapter nine discussed the benefits of block scheduling versus traditional class period lengths. The block scheduling format is not only helpful for teachers in that they are more inclined to vary instruction and spend adequate amounts of time on different subject material, but it's helpful for students- the author mentions the students that 'are invisible in traditional scheduling' because they require additional attention from the teacher. The chapter also discusses other considerations, such as how to deal with missing work and absenteeism, other methods of instruction (such as guests, extended simulations or activities, activities that build on developed skills each week, etc), and what block scheduling can do for professional relationships with other teachers.

I found this chapter interesting because I experienced block scheduling in my middle school, high school, and in Mount Blue when I did practicum, and each method was different. The one I was used to from Gorham school districts were a Monday, Tuesday, Friday periods 1-7 traditional school day. On Wednesdays periods 1,3,5, and 6 met, and on Thursday were periods 2,4,5, and 7. The method that Mount Blue used was an alternate day, where certain class periods were scheduled as a color (blue or gold), and Monday, Wednesday, Fridays were one color, and Tuesdays and Thursdays were the other, with the color switching the next week. The method they described in the book was unlike any of the other ones I'd ever seen. On the subject of block scheduling as a whole, I found it both incredibly helpful and annoying, all at the same time. For me, especially Math blocks, block schedules were created to torture me. I found that the extended period of studying a subject that I was abysmal at discouraged me even more, and I found that when I had math class during period 5, which met every day rather than having a block, made learning a little more bearable and easy.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 12

Chapter twelve discussed how important it is to be a good, just adviser to the students you teach. Being able to experience your students in different situations is an important part of developing strong relationships with them. The author used an example of taking his students hiking and experiencing firsthand how their classroom demeanors differed from their attitudes elsewhere. He suggests taking the time to engage your students in different activities to further bring out the different sides of the students' personalities. This can also double as personal development for the students, as they can hone different skills and talents they may have and get positive feedback from their classmates.

The ideas that the author puts forth in this chapter are really interesting; I know in middle school for seventh grade we went to a culture fair in Boston for the day, and got to walk around to booths representing different countries and cultures. We learned that our English teacher could play the bagpipes, a skill he learned in college while on exchange to Scotland. In eighth grade, we went bowling and found that our math teacher was in a bowling league. Both experiences made me realize that they were people with lives outside of school, and had interests and talents outside of school that we didn't necessarily know about. I think taking the time to experience your class and teachers in new ways like this puts things into perspective a bit, and could also bring the team teachers close together when they see each other outside of school walls.