Independent Study

Independent Study is an alternative instructional strategy whereby students work independently and generally at home, according to a written agreement, and under the supervision of a credentialed teacher(s). Parents and family members provide additional support for their student as needed. Students have to follow the curriculum given to them by the school district.

Pro's
http://www.growingupeasier.org/index.php?main_page=page&id=158&chapter=3



Con's

• Not possible to ask questions of instructor or to learn from questions asked by others learning the same topic
• Density of presentation may be high because content must be self-contained
• Individuals must be motivated enough to complete tutorial
• Frequently takes novices longer to learn via tutorial than via classroom setting

Lot's of information in the link under pro's

Parental Interaction

Studies show student achievement is higher when parental interaction is high.  Today, involved parents want more say in what happens in the classroom. They desire more information about their children's curriculum and occasionally real decision-making power. When interacting with parents it's quality not quantity.  Here are a few tips:

1. Make It Positive Research has shown that teachers communicate with parents most often when the child misbehaves. It is important to also let parents know what their child is doing well. This actually helps parents be more responsive to those areas where their child needs work. 
2. Make It Practical Give parents resources to understand the curriculum. Then be specific about where students are having trouble. Make specific suggestions about what parents can do to help their child overcome the difficulties they are having with schoolwork. 
3. Make It Personal Although there is not a lot of time to write personal messages for every student in your class, collaboration between parents and teachers is raised when parents read something personal about their own child. Try to include personalized messages to parents whenever possible.

Outside of contacting parents yourself, most of your interaction will come from open house night and conferences.  For Open House night,  you need to be sure to have all the expectations you have for students and everything in your curriculum for the year. What are you going to cover? What are you going to read? Cover it all as thoroughly as you can, and allow plenty of time for questions. 

Each school will have a different way to deal with conferences. Some have student lead, where the students show their parents how they are doing and talk about their strategies for continuing. They often  have to talk about their plan for high school and beyond. Some schools have parent/teacher conferences where they talk about the strategies for helping the student in that particular class.  I've also heard of arena conferences where teachers are in the lunchroom and it's a free for all. Parents can go and talk to which ever teacher they want. 

Here are some other strategies for parental interaction

1. Begin the year by explaining how and when you'll keep in touch with them. Let parents know that you value their questions and concerns and would never minimize them by responding "off the cuff" or "on the fly." Explain that in order to give them your undivided attention, you've set aside specific times to talk. It's important to decide when you want to take and return phone calls and emails and when you're available for school conferences, and to actually be available during those times. Post these times and procedures and send them home with your welcome letter or first newsletter. Earmarking office hours and sticking to them eliminates the need parents may feel to grab your ear in the parking lot or to monopolize your attention outside your classroom door before or after school.
    
2. Never feel pressured to make an important decision, evaluation, or assessment during a parent conference or conversation. Instead, be prepared to take some time to think and get back to the parent. For example, "You've made a great point, Mrs. Smith, and this is an important issue. I'd really like to give it some serious thought and get back to you on it." Then make it a point to tell the parent exactly when he or she can expect a response: "Let's schedule another meeting/phone conference for Friday. Does that work for you?" This allows you time to consider the issue, develop possible solutions, and consult with colleagues, administrators, or other professionals, if necessary.
    
3. Let parents know they can trust you. Be discrete: Avoid discussing students with other parents or engaging in any negative faculty-room talk. I also make this a rule for parent volunteers who spend time in the classroom. I tell parents that all of us have good days and bad days. If a volunteer witnesses a "bad day" — any negative or challenging behavior on the part of a student in the class — that particular situation remains in the classroom and confidential.
    
4. Assure parents that you will inform them immediately about any concerns you might have with regard to their child. Parents become extremely upset when the first sign of trouble comes in the form of a progress report halfway into the marking period or worse yet, on the report card itself. I always try to share even small concerns early on, rather than waiting and then dropping a bombshell.
    
5. When presenting a concern to parents, ALWAYS be ready to explain what strategies you've already used to address the issue and what new strategies you are considering. Parents don't want concerns dropped in their laps without at least a tentative action plan, which you'll adjust based on their input.

glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/5

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/five-keys-successful-parent-teacher-communication

Student apathy and motivation

We all know those students who don't care. For whatever reason it seems like they just don't care about their work, grades, or education. There are many reasons why students don't want to try. Some have a bad home life, they are afraid to fail, experience peer pressure, have realized they can get through without really trying, ect... However there are many tricks in how we can motivate these students.

One way is to have high standards. If you believe it is possible for them to grow into it, students will respond and will help them view the world differently. It is critical for students need have someone in their life who holds you to high standards and believes they can achieve.  However, the high standard must be appropriate for the grade level, and you have to meet them at their level. You can't use a vocabulary above their grade level in a lecture. You can't talk to them like they are college students, because they aren't. You need to help them learn how to learn and retain the information. which leads into my next point: Making learning FUN!

There are many different ways to make learning fun. You can play games, and do different group activities. Having a different form of assessment that isn't a test. I had a project in high school that still stands out in my brain and every time we talk about assessment it pops up. I had a group project where we had to make a movie of Hamlet. We had to have 5 songs, 5 quotes, and had to be no more then 8 minuets, but we had full creative control. No two movies were the same, and It was fantastic and fun to film. In my placement class my master teacher had the students make a presentation about a story they just read, about how they would turn it into a movie. They had to have a plot summary, and what they would change in their movie, and what type of movie it would be. Some students got really into it and even found actors they would want to have play the characters. They seemed to really enjoy it.  

You can also add things to a lesson while you give it. If you notice your students spacing out not paying attention, come up with something to bring their attention back. Draw on something from the lesson and find a way to make it fun. If it's a lecture, crack a few jokes around the important information to help them remember. If the students are enjoying the lesson they have a tendency to remember more from it, and are more engaged. 

Learning Letter

This class was not what I was expecting. I was expecting to be reading a book a week that we would and then talk about how we would implement them into a classroom. Instead We read a ton of pedagogy and some novels. But we had some big projects as well. I was definitely not expecting the giant unit plan, that hung over my head like a  ceiling the whole quarter. I was a little stressed out about it, but I understood the practicality of it. As teacher we will be designing unit plan quite often, and this was just the first of many. Even though it was difficult I feel like I came out stronger, and wiser for it. I now have an idea of how to plan out a unit. Granted if we were actually to teach them, we would probably end up changing things, and running out of time for everything, but it's a great learning experience. Frustrating  yes, but great. I liked the book talks. Some of the books talked about I will most definitely read and may even recommend to students, or read out loud to students. There's a part of me that wishes I chose a different book, because Will Grayson Will Grayson  was a little complicated to explain since the two protagonists have the same name, but different story lines. But I love John Green, he is my favorite author. Even though he writes YA books, there are still amazing and can reach anyone. Like the Fault In Our Stars, who knew a book about kids with cancer could end so hopeful? The mini lessons I liked because I liked seeing the different techniques and choices my peers made. I also liked the feed back because it came as a student perspective, not a supervisor, they weren't necessarily looking for what was wrong, just pointed out what they saw. Supervisors don't really point out the smaller thing, that once changed could actually make a good improvement, but the "big" stuff that may or not actually be useful information.

Some of the pedagogy we read was incredible tough and dense to read through. It was probably a good thing we wrote blogs, because I can only kind of remember some of the things we read. I remember parts of readicide, but I think with everything that happened this quarter a lot of the reading have all blended together. As long as you can remember the important parts, like not ruining reading, or that students have learned how to fake read, and fake understanding. Also, that we shouldn't just use the banking method. Instead of just talking at our students we need to let them do the talking, and taking a big part in their own learning. Banking is usually boring and doesn't help the students learn. Although I have had professor use the banking method, and I was interested the whole time. It was "War and Society" and it was fascinating. I like history, and I had though about it sooner I may have tried to minor in it, but I can also pick up classes here and there as I go through life.

This course has made me realize that I need to spend more time preparing for things. Like the mini lesson, I knew everything I wanted to do /say, but i should've spent a couple more minuets writing on the board, and preparing before hand. I'm not 100% sure if I am ready to have my own classroom, but i have another year to figure it out.  Participation wise in this class I feel like mine pick up toward the end of the quarter. I am definitely one of those students who likes to sit there, listen, and not talk. But having most of my peers in other classes helped me feel more comfortable, and it was a good learning environment.  Which is something I will strive for in my own classroom.

 

Yang

I liked this book a lot more then I thought I would. When I first started reading it I was like what is this? The three different stories confused me a little bit, and I thought the one with the cousin was a little racist...Then the end came and it all made sense. I understood that the main character struggled wit accepting himself and his heritage, and the cousin was the "burden" of being Chinese. It was a good novel and I really enjoyed it.

I think this book would be useful to read with students because it deals with other cultures, and also adolescence always struggle with accepting themselves, and others. I would probably use the cousin to help point out racial stereo types, and how to react in a situation when dealing with people from another culture. I was in a class recently where one of my peers is from Mexico and he talked about the differences in education, and writing and how he had to adjust to a whole new culture. He also talked about the Middle Eastern exchange students and how in their country, boys and girls learn in different rooms and how covered up their women are. Then they come here, and they are in a classroom with girls and may even have a female teacher. They have to adjust to our women walking around as what they ( and even some Americans) would see as scantily clad. This book would be a good book to help cover cultural boundaries and open discussion to the differences in different cultures.

This book is also an easy read, and I would suggest it to students who may be struggling with reading. They way it is laid out could help those students with their comprehension. Though students may be confused at the beginning of the novel, like I was, but if they power through they will understand what is happening at the end of the book.

Romeo and Juliet

This is the one Shakespeare play everyone had heard of. It is used in a lot of shows, like when they do a production on the show.  Romeo and Juliet makes a great gate way into Shakespeare. It is easy to follow the plot, and for students who have yet to read anything written by Shakespeare it is a good way  to introduce his writing style, and iambic pentameter.  Though plays are meant to be watched, not read. I think it is very important to show students a movie version of the play after reading it, or after reading each act. Before reading, I think it would be fun to find the Wishbone episode of Romeo and Juliet, because it gives them a summary, of the play and who doesn't love Wishbone. 

 This play is supposed to be one of the most tragic love stories ever written. However, I think it's a little ridiculous They knew each other for less than a week. I feel like it's more of a teenage rebellion gone wrong. They only reason they were so intent on being together is because they were not allowed to be. Granted the don't know the other is from the warring family until after they meet, and have "love at first sight". I'm not trying to be cynical, but I don't believe in love at first sight. I think there can be an attraction, but love takes time, and effort. And they had neither.  They were just kids, and they went about the whole situation like kids. Sneaking around, and hiding their relationship. I guess the parents wouldn't have approved of the match, but at least have some communication with the parents. It's just humorous to me I guess.

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian

I enjoyed this book. I liked that the chapters were short which made it seem like I was reading fast, even if I wasn't. I had to read this book for my Intro to fiction class and it went over well with everyone. It was surprising to me how common death seemed to be on the Rez. In the book itself there were around three deaths, and more were mentioned. They go to so many memorials a year. I haven't been to one in roughly 3 years, and consider myself very lucky. Although sadly that streak is about to end. I didn't like how he lost all his friends after he transferred school, and how poorly they treated him in the first game against each other. It was horrible how they threw things at him and called him names. You wouldn't think just leaving the Rez for school would turn a whole community against someone.
I think it was interesting how even though his friend snubbed him and acted like he didn't care,
Jounier loved him and wanted him to be happy. Even if he wasn't in his life. That shows a level a maturity most people lack. His sister was just wow. I don't know how someone can live like she did. I would never be able to sit in a basement day after day reading romance novels, Then run away with some guy you knew for a short period of time and get married. I did cry when she did and Jounier worked his way through the new.

A theme I have noticed in a lot of young adult books is death, or loss. I first started to notice this in the intro to fiction class from last year where we like six young adult books. All them had death in it...it was slightly depressing. Most of the books we had to read were really good, yet pulled at my heart strings. When I pointed this out to a classmate she stated that loss is something most teenagers have to deal with. it's like the coming of age. How they find who they are and who their true friends are.