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Essential questions #1:  How does the shift in the Alaska Language Arts standards impact teaching and learning in my classroom?

     Although I have talked to many fearful parents about Common Core changes, I find myself very interested and even appreciative of their impact.  I believe that Alaska has forged it’s own way in a moderate and reasonable way.  I appreciate that collectively we have a greater emphasis on teach standards.  I’m happy to release some of the stranglehold that packaged curriculum has had on our schools.  Our curriculums have been good and in first grade they are still relevant.  But not every lesson is appropriate or effective.  And without a doubt not every lesson can be optimal for our students needs.  Teaching to the standards has given us a path for greater creativity and greater emphasis on what really matters.  I feel liberated.  It feels like I have been freed to get to the meat of the matter.
     The article entitled, “Mano a Mano, Arts Based Nonfiction and Content Area” was a case in point.  The first graders using artistic means of learning were inspiring.  As a first grade teacher I’m excited to be able to try new more creative means of bringing education to my kids.
     I also appreciate the streamlining offered by both common core and Alaska standards. 
      “Fewer and more Rigorous Standards:  Standards at each grade level may decrease in number but the expectation for depth of knowledge will be deeper.  What this means is that your child may be asked to master content that was not at their grade level before, but more time will be allowed to practice the content for mastery rather than the spiral curriculum of repeating the same content for several years” (Amyw, 2012).
     My final point is what has led me to my research question.  The common core and new Alaska standards allow for a more student centered approach to education. 
     “Student-centered:  Students will engage in learning opportunities that allow them to acquire Habits of Mind, or dispositions towards learning and life.  These cannot be acquired through excessive worksheets but rather when students are allowed opportunities to practice 21st Century Skills by exploring content, manipulating it and sharing their mastery of the content in ways that are hands-on and engaging” (Kist, 2013).

Essential question #2:  What is the question I would like to research over the next eight weeks?

            My question originates from the age-old question that nearly all teachers of primary aged children ask:  “What do I do with the rest of the class during reading group time?”  The question is really, “How can I teach children to be independent literacy learners?” 
            I believe that the answers to this question goes beyond classroom management.  It is, in essence, teaching the children to take ownership for their learning.  It is directly teaching children to “love to learn” and to do it without adult direction.  Although this sounds like a “pipedream”, I believe that there are powerful methods that can teach these skills to even very young children.  I’m excited to try them out!

References

Amyw. (2012, March 13).  A Parent's Guide to the Common Core Standards | All Things Common Core. Retrieved September 20, 2013, from http://allthingscommoncore.com/content/parents-guide-common-core-standards

Bryce, N. (2012). "Mano a Mano": Arts-based nonfiction literacy and content area learning. Language Arts, 89.3, 179-193.

Kist, W. (2013, March). New literacies and the common core.  Retrieved September 19, 2013, from http://seaccr.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/new-literacies-and-the-common-core.pdf

9/21/2013 05:50:02 am

Your opening comment made me curious. Why are parents fearful? I have not had this reaction... yet.

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Lori Montes
9/22/2013 05:15:07 am

I've encountered many fearful parents as well. The biggest concern I am hearing is that students will not be able to adapt well to the changes, and they are worried that their children will score poorly on the new assessment test.

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Carrollea Hubbard
9/21/2013 09:42:35 am

Lisa,
I love your webpage, creative, orderly, simple to navigate, well done. On to blogging about your answers to EQ 1. Habits of Mind caught my attention. I believe Habits of Mind is a wonderful learning tool for students of all ages including adults. I thoroughly enjoyed taking the course. Integrating the 16 Habits of Mind into the classroom learning environment is a smart plan. I like your thinking about thinking skills.

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Lori Montes
9/22/2013 05:30:17 am

I think your research question is fantastic! I can't wait to see what you find out. I had read a good article in another class call 'Feedback and Self-Regulated Learning: A Theoretical Synthesis' by Butler and Winne. I wasn't able to find a link online to the full article, but I believe you can find it on Egan Library. If I recall correctly, they had a lot of tips for classroom independent learning, including some room set-up ideas that I had used with great success. I increased the number of quiet one person study areas I had in my classroom and saw that students were very excited to work in a more secluded environment.

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9/22/2013 02:57:42 pm

Thank you so much for the tip. I will look up the article. I'm excited about it too.

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fadwa Edais
9/22/2013 10:14:22 am

As a parent of two children attending the Anchorage School District and as an educator for fifteen years, I am really excited about the new common core standards. What I like about the the Common Core State Standards mission is that it povide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. I agree with you that there are fewer new standards that rigorous and not spiral. The ccs are designed to to be (1) research and evidence based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3) rigorous, and (4) internationally benchmarked. A particular standard was included in the document only when the best available evidence indicated that its mastery was essential for college and career readiness in a twenty-first-century, globally competitive society.
Regarding the question of your research in order to make primary age children independent you can checkout daily 5 (word wall, writing, independent reading, computer time, spelling words) where the students move to five different stations within specific amount of time while the teacher performing other tasks in the classroom.














Reply
9/22/2013 03:04:03 pm

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I was interested in your response to the common core issue. You sound very supportive. I'm glad to know a little more about the research that went into the formation of the standards.

The Daily 5 is at the top of my list of things to study. Thanks.

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