In class we talked about tracking and bi-lingual education. Bi lingual education should start in kindergarten and continue throughout all of the student's education. I agree that language learning needs to be both in English and in the language most spoken in the area the student lives in but I also feel that Spanish is the second largest language spoken in the U.S I feel that Spanish is an important language to learn. I feel that all classrooms should be immersion classes. We need to start with our youngest students so that when they are ready for the working word we will already have bi and even tri lingual teachers. Many teachers that are not bi-lingual are no longer at a viable age to try to be fluent in a new language.
I think tracking if used correctly could be a helpful tool. The problem is that we track these students then just leave them there for the rest of their school career. We need better ways to access their learning levels, so that we can give them the help they need to reach their full potential.
Many schools in the biggest poverty areas receive the least amount of money to help their students achieve the same level of education that is needed to compete in the world today. The graph on page 4 of the Skeeter and Grant readings show how unequal things still are for those that are considered the minority in this country.
How student learning is assessed Skeeter and Grant page 20 covers how student learning has become assessed in only a very narrow specific way. I feel that the way we assess students today is wrong an multiple levels. If a student does not do well on tests or even does not feel well on the day of the test he or she will be labeled at a lower learning scale than students who do well on tests and may feel fine that day. here is a clip that states how I and a lot of other parents and educators I have spoken with feel about standardized testing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWv34fQUwd0&feature=PlayList&p=83643E38C4A75F22&index=57
I agree with your primary point that standardized tests hurt our youth. Because of NCLB, teachers are under pressure to make sure their students achieve (they want that federal funding and they don't want to lose their jobs. But honestly if teachers would begin to just focus with the task at hand...which is making sure kids are learning what they are teaching then they will do 'well' on these 'tests'. I think the tests takes away time for creativity in the classroom. There must be someway to assess a school's achievement other than standardized testing (which happen to be extremely linear and black and white).
ReplyDeleteI also agree about standardized testing. I feel that students should be more creative and critical thinkers and students will not learn this by being taught the best test taking strategies. I agree with what people said in class, that students should be assessed on their overall progress by looking at their work during the whole year; not by cramming for a standardized test. Improvement is the best way for the teacher and the students to see what they have learned and what they still need work on.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your take on the video and how does that relate to your comments about the statistics?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment that many teachers who are not bilingual are not at a viable age to become fluent in another language, but I certainly hope that does not support a belief that non bilingual teachers are not successful teachers. There are many who are great at what they do, even if it is only in English.
ReplyDeleteAlso about tracking, after learning that it is not a very successful teaching tool how could it be changed to be useful?