Create, Evaluate, Reflect: C.E.R. 1, 2, & 3

CREATE, EVALUATE, REFLECT
C.E.R. 1

CREATE:

CER 1

Create:

I used https://bubbl.us/mindmap to create this concept map. I found the website to be fun, and pretty simple. Plus, it’s free!! :)

EVALUATE:

Conduct a web inquiry and compile a useful list of websites that contain examples of the following:

1. Valuable advice: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr152.shtml

2. Irrelevant advice: http://www.great-ideas.org/

3. Practical/logical advice: https://www.teachervision.com/new-teacher/resource/6495.html

4. Words of inspiration to remember: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201309/20-awe-inspiring-quotes-teachers-and-parents

5. Lessons- things to watch out for/mistakes to avoid: http://www.teachhub.com/10-classroom-management-mistakes-avoid

RELATE:

Based on this article: Teacher Research Informing Policy: An Analysis of Research on Highly Qualified Teaching and NCLB, Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University

1. What does it mean to be a qualified teacher?

According to NCLB, a qualified teacher is a teacher who has a bachelor’s degree or higher, has the content knowledge required to teach core subjects, and (usually) holds a state teaching license (Amrein-Beardsley, 1). With NCLB, “now more than ever, high quality teachers are vital only to the extent that they improve student academic achievement” (Amrein-Beardsley, 1). The criteria for a “qualified” teacher is heavily linked to student academic achievement. What this means to me is that, to be a highly qualified teacher, your students must score high on state exams, and must have higher than average grades. I do not believe that this is how teachers should be determined to be “qualified.” To me, a qualified teacher is someone who teaches with their heart, not with the end-goal being superb test scores. Highly qualified teachers know their students on a personal, individual level. They understand that students do not all learn in the same way, or at the same rate, and can adjust their instruction accordingly. Highly qualified teachers use many methods and activities to get their students to not only memorize but understand and relate to the content they are learning. A highly qualified teacher can relate lessons to students’ lives, giving their students motivation to learn. Highly qualified teachers care about their students, not just the test scores.

2. How do you assess qualifications?

Sure, certification can be considered when assessing qualifications of a teacher. But that is, by far, NOT the only thing to be assessed. Qualifications should be assessed by observing student-teacher relationships, classroom management, and overall passion and dedication to the job. A teacher can have three Master’s degrees and a PhD, but if they are not personable and cannot relate to their students then, to me, they do not have all of the proper qualifications.

3. What is good teaching, and how is it measured?

Good teaching utilizes many different types of instruction in the classroom. Good teaching is when a teacher can create engaging activities for their students, and when they know how to tailor their lesson plans to meet the needs of the students in their class. Good teaching is when a teacher uses more than just written exams to assess their students, and instead uses hands-on, minds-on activities, cooperative learning, technological projects, and by allowing as much student-centered learning as possible.

4. How do qualifications make a difference? What knowledge or skills would a qualified teacher possess that an unqualified teacher does not?

Qualified teachers possess an understanding that students are people, not just another number. They see the needs of each of each of their students individually, whereas unqualified teachers view their class as a single student, so to speak, and believe that one teaching method will work for every child.

5. How do school systems that may have a paucity (scarcity) of “qualified teachers” (such as rural and urban schools) work to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind?

No Child Left Behind unfortunately punishes teachers and schools with low performance scores on state assessments. When scores are low enough, teachers fear being fired and schools fear that they could be closed. Of course increasing teacher salary would “ensure every classroom is lead by a highly qualified teacher” however, there is not a budget for that. I think that what needs to be done, is NCLB needs to be looked over again. Perhaps it is not the teachers or the students, but the area in which the school is located?