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Due: In class, Tuesday, 7 February Length: 2 pages (500 words) Estimated time to do assignment: 2 hours (1 hour of reading, 1 hour of writing) Ben Franklin: "Tell me and I will forget. Teach me and I will remember. Involve me and I will learn." Reasons/ Goals/ Objectives: 1) Evaluate your formal schooling, especially in preK-12, and whatever education that gave you as preparation for college, workforce, and life. 2) Understand systematically how schools (should) work, including curriculum, instructional materials, assessment, and articulation (=effective transition from level to level, such as high school to college). 3) Preparation for Humboldt-based lesson plan project, as part of outreach to Humboldt-named schools and as a better learning experience for yourself. Grading: on-time; critical thinking; expository language; revision. Activity: SKIM the learning standards documents for each of the six subject areas that are required, by law, in the curricula of Oregon schools. (Most other states have similar standards.) Here are links to PDFs for them (the four-digit numbers are codes in my database - ignore them): Fine Art (0693) • English (0694) • Mathematics (0695) • Science (0696) • Social Science (0697) • Second Languages (0698) The chart further below will show you what NOT to read and then what you will read within one subject area of your choice. DO NOT READ EVERY WORD OF EACH DOCUMENT (unless you really want to). Pay most of your attention, first, to the "Summary Chart of Standards and Criteria for [subject area]". It will have standards that are marked "A", etc., and then criteria that are marked "A1", "A2", etc. SKIM this part for EACH subject area (math, English, etc.). Focus on the BOLD print under the left-hand column on the "Summary" page(s). That should take about 3-5 minutes per subject area (total at most 30 minutes). Now choose ONE subject area as your special focus. Math and English are the subject areas that society emphasizes heavily. But those standards are rather lengthy and complicated; so you may want to choose one of the other four (science, social science, arts, second languages). It will help later on if you choose the subject area that will be the focus of your special interest in our course. But choose something YOU CARE ABOUT. From here on in you'll be reading only the relevant document, not those for the other subject areas, and you won't be reading all of even that one document. A few pages after the "Summary Chart" in the document for your chosen subject area you will find the "Scoring Guides" for each Standard, with big "A", "B", etc. at the top of the page. On those pages you'll see "Criteria" (A1, A2, etc.) and then "Descriptions of Proficient Performance" (bullet-points in columns). For just your ONE subject area (math, English, etc.) SKIM through the "Criteria" for EACH standard ("A", "B", etc.) of that subject (and ONLY that subject). Read only the BOLD print in the "Criteria" section (roughy the top third of the pages), and don't read anything further down the page. That should take about 10 minutes of reading time. Now choose just ONE standard ("A", etc.) for just YOUR OWN chosen subject area. This will be an important part of your written reflection. Read ALL the "Criteria" for that ONE standard of your ONE subject area, but DON'T yet read the "Descriptions of Proficient Performance" for anything. That should take about 2 minutes. Now choose ONE Criterion for your ONE chosen Standard for your ONE chosen subject area. Read ALL the "Descriptions of Proficient Performance" for that ONE chosen criterion of that ONE chosen standard of that ONE chosen subject area. That should take about 3 minutes. When you write your reflection you'll be evaluating part of your education (in school or elsewhere) according to those criteria. The chart below will help you follow the steps through reading the materials and making your choices. The page numbers refer to the pages in the subject-area documents. But NOTE that you will be reading Scoring Guides, Standards and Criteria for ONLY ONE subject area.
Here is an example. You choose the subject area "Social Science". You can do that before or after you read the "Summary" information (pp. 8-9), but read (SKIM!) the "Summary" information for ALL six subject areas. Now read the Criteria for EACH Standard for Social Science - just the TOP parts of pp. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22. Now choose just ONE of those Standards, perhaps Standard D: "Understand United States History". That's on p. 16. Read ALL the "Criteria" (BOLD print AND regular print) on p. 16, but nothing yet further down the page or on other Standards pages. Now choose ONE criterion, perhaps D2: "Historical Analysis and Comprehension". Read the all the "Descriptions of Proficient Performance" for ONLY criterion D2. Now you're done reading. IN your reflection you'll discuss where, when and how you have learned about "Historical Analys and Comprehension", as related to United States History. Other people will probably be reflecting about something, though perhaps they will pick the same subject area, standard, and criterion. Now reflect and write. Somewhere in your reflection address the questions and topics below (in whatever order you think appropriate). It's OK to describe teachers, books, and tests, but avoid long personal comments and focus on what you yourself experienced as you encountered the learning that school and life offered you. • evaluate the education you have been getting in the 6 subject areas - who and what played what part in however good or bad it has been? • "drill down" into your chosen subject area (whether or not it is your college major) - How well have you met the Standards in that subject area, and how did you learn what you needed to? • "drill down" even further into just ONE of the standards in that chosen subject area - How did your schooling present the learning that is needed to meet that standard? Here you may need to recall several times in your life and some learning that happened outside school. • For just one Criterion of your chosen Standard in your chosen Subject area, rate yourself and your education (form school or elsewhere) according to this system: (E) Exemplary: The learning demonstrates an exemplary mastery of the criterion and exhibits exceptional intellectual maturity or unique thinking, methods, or talents. ("Exemplary" means that people who see what you've done are amazed at how excellent you are in comparison to your peers, such as the other learners in the same school and classroom.) (H) Highly proficient: The learning demonstrates mastery of the standard at a level higher than entry-level college coursework. (Example: you "test out" of first-year college French and do OK in the second-year college French course.) (M) Meets the standard: The learning demonstrates that the student isprepared for entry-level college coursework. (Example: You take the Philosophy 101 course and get a "B" or better.) (W) Working toward the standard: The learning approaches readiness fo rentry-level college coursework. (Example: You get a "C" in the 101 course, but pull up to a "B-" or better after that.) (N) Not meeting the standard: the student is not prepared ot do entry-level college coursework. Give the evidence that supports your self-evaluation: tell a story, describe an activity, etc. • However good or bad your eductional experience in that area of learning, is what the standards and criteria describe actually what a person needs to know as: a) a responsible citizen; b) a student who can succeed in college? • What has your college education added to what you came to college with? • What and how has your life experience (work, travel, school of hard knocks) added to your formal educational experience? • What advice about education can you give to those younger than you? • Putt |