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D) Instructional strategies
- compacting
- deciding what student knows and needs to know - pre-assessment
- concentrate on what needs to know
- independent projects
- interest centres or groups
- tiered assignments
- level depends on previous learning, interest, and abilities
- flexible groupings
- learning centres
- varying questions
- level depends on previous learning, interest, and abilities
- mentorships/apprenticeships
- contracts
Independent projects, learning centres, contracts... looks like a surefire plan for involving parents in schoolwork to me!
Especially given the fact that the professor teaching this stuff has a webpage bearing the legend, Teaching is an ancient, mysterious, and revered profession.
Can a profession be ancient and mysterious?
Answer: no.
5 comments:
deciding what student knows and needs to know
I'd settle for that.
What's a "learning center"?
Learning centre: 4 to 5 kids at a table (possibly a new $300 "kidney table" designed for collaboration) who chat about anything they wish until Mister or Ms. Whoever decides to "check" on their ongoing collaboration.
Assessment: Checklists, peer evaluation, or the ever popular self-evaluation.
"TIPS helps solve some important problems with homework:"
"TIPS helps all families become involved, not just the few who know how to discuss math, science, or other subjects."
[If a parent doesn't know the supject, how can he/she be involved on anything more than a superficial level?]
TIPS makes homework the student's responsibility and does not ask parents to "teach" subjects or skills that they are not prepared to teach.
[Again, what, exactly, does the parent do?]
TIPS asks students to share and enjoy their work, ideas, and progress with their families.
[And the parent, who can't tell if something is right or wrong, just pats the child on the back. What if the child is telling the parent that he/she doesn't understand a word that is going on in class?]
TIPS allows families to comment and request other information from teachers in a section for home-to-school communication.
[And what, exactly, is the parent supposed to ask?]
"Goals for TIPS Interactive Homework2"
"Build students' confidence by requiring them to show their work, share ideas, gather reactions, interview parents, or conduct other interactions with a family partner. "
[And what is this family "partner" supposed to do if he/she doesn't know the material?]
"Link schoolwork with real-life situations."
[How?]
"Help parents understand more about what their children are learning in school."
[Right! Here's the Lattice method.]
"Encourage parents and children to talk regularly about schoolwork and progress. "
[Kids get to learn more swear words from their parents. My wife and I have a rule not to talk critically about the school or teachers. We've broken this rule many times out of frustration.]
"Enable parents and teachers to frequently communicate about children's work, progress, or problems. "
[Right. Smile, head nod, do nothing.]
This is from the TIPS example on fractions. It's at the bottom of the page after the child has presented the topic to a parent.
"Dear Parent, Please let me know your reactions to your child’s work on this activity.
____ O.K. My child seems to understand this skill
____ PLEASE CHECK. My child needed some help on this, but seems to understand.
____ PLEASE HELP. My child still needs instruction on this skill. ____ PLEASE NOTE. (other comments)"
How about:
_____ I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS CRAP
I check all of my son's work every night. I set higher expectations than his school. I do a lot of explaining and reteaching. I don't want to do this and I shouldn't have to. TIPS turns a negative into a positive. Apparently the schools can't do the job themselves.
TIPS is a grand annoyance for capable parents and is a useless joke for the rest.
Can I quote you on that?
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