FIAE Chapter 10

There will always be reasons why a teacher should and should not let students redo an assignment. These reasons can be things that the teacher infers about a students excuse why the project wasn’t done or that the student has a legitimate excuse. The only advice I obtain from the text is that if you do decide to let students redo an assignment, make sure that you have received a signed paper from the parents saying that it is up for your discretion. Having a paper that the parent signs insures that both parent and student understand it’s your discretion or that they at least have signed a paper you can revert back to if problems arise. Teachers should be able to change the format of a test, ask students when they will be able to take the test over again, and be able to grade the test based on their improvements from the previous test. Some times teachers should not let students retake something. Times at the end of a grading period are good times to not accept anything redone because it saves the teacher from doing endless hours of grading over again. This chapter has given great advise that seems important to know. I will as a teacher use documentation from parents to fall back upon when needed.

FIAE Chapter 9

Chapter nine lists ten things to avoid when grading students. Having nonacademic factors in a grading system is ok, but not averaged into the final grade. I disagree with this because I believe that if a student shows up to every class and does not miss one lesson, then they have proven a greater maturity level then others. This is something I would grade. I agree that students should not be graded on the works leading up to the mastery product. Students need time to master a subject so why should we as teachers grade their steps to mastery? We shouldn’t! Grading homework should be avoided because it is only practice. I personally believe that it shows a students ability to manage time and they will be more apt to do something that is graded if it also improves their knowledge in the long run. Help students when they need differentiating. I believe in the extra credit rule on some aspects of assignments. I feel that students should be shown they have done a get job at something by going above and beyond expectations. Although this chapter says otherwise, I still have to go with my gut reaction. Having no group grades and not grading on a curve are other evidences that I disagree with. I feel that I am equipped to teach and know if students work better with these tools or not. I can tailor them if I see need fit.

FIAE Chapter 8

When teachers say that they grade because the school asks them to, how does this show much knowledge about the point of grading in the first place. I personally don’t want someone grading me who just does it because they are asked. Grading is a long and “tedious” task that teachers have to do. Why is a teacher not able to say that a student has passed the class because they demonstrate mastery of the subjects talked about in class? Grades confuse students to the point that the student worries about the grade more then the assignments or class itself. They are looking for an A on something rather then more knowledge coming out of a class. When this happens, how to teachers go about fixing the problem? They grade that too! Chapter eight says that participation, effort, and behavior can benefit a class because they are valued ethics, but can in retrospect hurt a class because you grade to much on these three aspects. Finally, I think that grading will be easier when pigs start to fly, but that’s my opinion.

FIAE Chapter 7

Chapter seven talks about how teachers do not consult with others about their grading process. I find that my teachers all had different opinions about what was good work and what was bad work so I was able to slack off in some classes, but not others. A better grading system should be put into place. How will this happen? When teachers start communicating with each other on what constitutes as an “A” in a class about geometry, English, or computer science. Students need to be able to understand a grading process and be able to see a brake down of what they are being graded on. Grades will not be what matters in the long run, they are just indicators on test taking skills. What matters is that through a teachers formative and even summative assessments students master the knowledge by applying what they have learned to the real world.

MI Chapter 12

This chapter starts out by talking about different aspects of memory. It says that there is not good nor bad memory, only that someone is better with another intelligence linked to the memory then another intelligence. People that are spatial learners are able to recognize faces rather than a certain persons name. This chapter lists many ways that students and anyone can memorize key facts better. One example was to sing the answer to the question (musical intelligence) Problem solving can also be improved by focusing on that problem and addressing it by reflecting your knowledge about MI’s on it. If you have to draw a picture out to get to an answer you most likely fall into some spatial category.

MI Chapter 11

This chapter talks about how students should only be looked at for their positives in a special education setting. Having the special students demonstrate clarity of the work they are doing and understanding by only using one intelligence is fair to use as evidence because the student can produce better work while working with that intelligence. This at least shows you that the student has some evidence of knowledge. I found the list of famous people with disabilities and was shocked to find so many names I know. These people overcame there boundaries probably by focusing on what they could do rather then what they couldn’t.. This chapter uses the term cognitive bypassing. This term means that students somewhat ignore tasks being presented in another task to focus on using the one task that you can use the most. Use the best intelligence to get the best result.

MI Chapter 8

MI theory can be used in classroom management as chapter eight has pointed out. The chapter talks about how to get a class to quiet down by using some MI strategies like clapping for musical people, writing “quite” on the board for linguistic people, and simply putting a finger up against your mouth to symbolize being quite. This chapter also has lists of ways to “transition” students or just move them on to their next activity using MI theory, clarifying rules using MI theory, and even grouping the classroom up from using MI theory. Students need to learn from the intelligent they know the most because that will help clarify things the most. I think that intelligences can be a cool and creative way of assigning tasks. If I made all my works due have a certain level of choice for the students to choose from, then I would have a better percentage of the students who understand the information being asked.

UBD/DI Chapter 8

Chapter eight talks about how teachers should never compare students to one another. It says that each student ha a different level of understanding and that comparing students is not a balanced way of grading. They suggest to grade the students based on personal achievement. Weighted grades help the student as well as the teacher understand what tasks or assessments are more important. Although as a teacher you think everything is important, a student can understand that the heavier weight of a grade means they have to work harder. Grading now seems a little difficult after finding a few facts out. The main idea that this chapter also suggests is that grades are for the students to get feedback. The teachers number one priority is to show the students if they have mastered or even understood the information.

MI Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is a short chapter that suggests there might be a ninth intelligence. The existential intelligence deals with the “ultimate life issues”. Meaning that the questions in life that are hardest to answer such as: the significance of life, death, and love. Gardener considers this the be an intelligence because it fit’s the criteria for an intelligence. It has a cultural value and is documented historically in books and autobiographies. There are symbols used in a system such as Christianity and Buddism in religious structures. The intelligence even has people who are great hosts of this skill such as people with deeper understanding of life or a person who has the capacity to ask existential questions. Gardener goes on to tell about subjects that this intelligence can be shown in and how it benefit’s the subject. I find that being able ask existential questions and being able to answer those questions show that that person can think deeply and focus on what truly matters.

MI Chapter 13

This chapter gives three more intelligences that students learn by. These three applications are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Computer technology is basically having the students be able to use processing software, draw-and-paint software, and other applications that use linguistic and spatial thinking as well. Table 13.1 demonstrates different software that each intelligence is associated with. Cultural diversity uses art and music, scientific discoveries, social mores, political institutions, and numbering systems to pass down to other generations. This keeps the culture rich and ongoing. Some examples of this usage is the Puluwat navigate the seas because of their spatial and naturalist intelligence while the Anang of Nigeria use song and dance when they are only five years old. I find that Career counseling can be the most beneficial in my opinion because it shows that students what they can do as a career in the intelligence field they are best in. A linguistic learner can work in the library and a kinesthetic learner can be a physical therapist. It is good to know what jobs are out there in the world if you find one specific intelligence easier then another.

MI Chapter 7

The intelligences provide a “context for asking questions” about things in the class that can be beneficial to learning and shine a light on things in the classroom that are not working. If no one in the classroom is a visual learner, a teacher must be able to recognize that and alter their lesson to suit the needs of the students. This chapter then goes on and lists questions that correspond with the intelligences and how they effect the classroom. An idea that is presented in the chapter that can help a classroom that is divided up into different style learners is to follow the “types of activity centers” that is displayed in table 7.1. Different sections of a room can be used as a learning tool for students with needs. Have the students chose which “centers” there should be in the classroom for the week. This gets them motivated to learn by that specific intelligence.

UBD/DI Chapter 9

Chapter nine discusses the steps that teachers go through when they are working on guiding principles of backwards design. When teachers work is guided by these principles they determine what students should know, what they understand, and what they are able to do. Teachers find evidence on the subject that will clearly show the students what is expected. They use the principles to guide there lessons and address needs from the students if there are any. I liked that the chapter also had a unit plan about health. This could be a great source I could use when designing a unit for nutrition. This chapter also reminded teachers to assess their students to see what they know before entering into a new unit. This will create an overview of who knows what and what you need to emphasize on when teaching. At the end of the chapter ideas are presented about the learning environment, the curriculum and the teacher that are useful to know.

MI Chapter 6

Chapter six has more information about using all eight intelligences in different lessons that teachers are able to do in class. Summarizing everything that is shown in this chapter is difficult because each lesson idea is cool and creative. Linguistic lessons usually have “open-ended language activities” to better suit everyone. Logical-mathematics lessons usually focus in science and math courses, but the lesson plans that this chapter focuses on is using the lesson to point out the wide use of it in every part of the school day. Spatial lessons include visualization, color cues, picture metaphors, idea sketching, and graphic symbols. Kinesthetic intelligences use hands on activities incorporated with reading, math, and science. Musical lessons are usually not used in schools. Many memorization tools use music and songs, so why don’t teachers use songs in science and math to memorize equations? It could help. Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence are used everyday in the schools. It is just the teachers decision whether to have the students works as a group on something, or have the students experience themselves as autonomous beings. Finally, naturalist lessons can either be taking the classroom outside or bringing the outside into the classroom.

MI Chapter 5

Chapter Five provides a “broad range of stimulating curricula to awaken the slumbering brains that Goodlad fears populate our nations schools.” It says that we as teachers need to reach beyond the books and boards to turn up to excitement in the school. As a MI teacher, one should use all eight MI techniques in the teachings. Switching from one to another and even grouping intelligences can benefit the classroom as well as the students. This chapter gives many examples in all the eight intelligences for teachers to create a lesson around. By focusing on a specific topic, asking key MI questions, using MI techniques, brainstorming, selecting an appropriate activity, setting up a plan, and implementing the plan, a teacher is able to create a terrific lesson plan that benefits their classroom and the content standards. I believe that teachers that have strayed away from the textbook can work better with the students who are not linguistic learners and are more open to helping a wide variety of students. Yet, the textbooks do serve as a great tool to keep a lesson on track. Being able to swing from MI teaching to contemporary teaching is the best way a teacher can teach in my opinion.

UBD/DI Chapter 7

Teachers all over the globe understand that there is just not enough time to teach everything that they want to or that they need to. They focus on trying to force the content standards on the students hoping that they will grasp them. A better way that this chapter advises teachers to go about covering their material is not to cover it, but to uncover it. Using essential questions to open up discussion about math, art, science, dance, and ext. can conquer the content standards of the subject. Over time, these essential questions deepen the understanding of a subject and we as teachers expect more sophisticated answers to them. This chapter finishes up with a discussion of how to pull the essential questions together using the “WHERETO” framework. Each letter uncovering an important aspect of managing a classroom.

UBD/DI Chapter 6

This chapter reverts back to talking about the three stages of backwards design and how it can focus teachers to teach the principles. Some of the elements used in a flexible classroom are time, space, student grouping, resources, and partnership. Using these in the classroom can benefit a student if used in the right way. Managing time in a classroom is always on the students mind as well as the teachers. This chapter also displays tables that have Q and A about the different elements. Teachers are in the classroom to break old habits of teaching and create useful and creative techniques. Some old habits are okay, but if a person can change their personal life then a teacher can change their professional life.

FIAE Chapter 6

Chapter six discusses the best ways that a test can be made up. The main points of a test that this chapter talked about are the length, time frame, and material on the test. They said that the short the test the better because it would be easier for a teacher to grade and a shorter test can cover the major topics rather than the useless details. It is always good for a teacher to give the students enough time for them to comfortably finish the test without worrying whether they will finish it or not. Having questions, such as multiple choice, true or false, and short response questions, that make the student think about the subject are the best ways to test their understanding. Having the questions clear and concise makes the test less stressful for a student to take as well.

FIAE Chapter 5

Tiering is an effective way to alter an assessment’s complexity to better suit the needs of an individual learner. This process can be to add complexity or subtract the assessments complexity. By being able to adjust the level of complexity of a rubric a student is challenged to try harder on the subject matter and maybe even learn new material and broaden their sense of awareness. If a rubric is to complex for another individual, then by simply changing the sentence structure around to better suit the students needs can benefit them dramatically. Pushing students to the end of their zone of proximal development is good for the student.

FIAE Chapter 4

This chapter is all about more assessments and rubric making. It focuses on three important types of assessments and what they do. Portfolios are useful because they show the “big picture” or a longitudinal study of the students work over a period of time. This helps the teacher see the students development and if they are balanced with the other students. Rubrics are also good tools to use because they show exactly what needs to be done and if the student followed directions. A clear and precise rubric is all a student needs to go by if it is done the right way. The last assessment is a students self-assessment were they discuss whether they believe they have done what it takes to complete the task at hand. This assessment helps the student and teacher set specific goals for the student. Assessments are in place for the teacher to learn what the students know, not for the teacher to grade how well the student know the material.

MI Chapter 10

Chapter ten talks about the different ways that a teacher assesses a student. Many teachers take the final tests only into consideration when they are figuring out how a student learns things. This is the wrong way. A teacher needs to be open to teaching students the tricks to the real world. If students can demonstrate that they can apply the information to the real world then they have mastered the content. This chapter tells teachers to study their students by having them keep journals, work samples, audio files, checklists, and so much more. Teachers are able to learn the students learning style and be able to assess them the correct way at the end of the unit by giving them questions based on their learning style.