https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x Reflect on the reading of your text so far in a post under your name. Please add the title of your book. Then, add a comment to at least one other person's post. To prepare for our next meeting, try out something from your text. en-us 2020-11-30 13:55:11 UTC 2020-12-01 01:32:23 UTC hello@padlet.com jmbillone1 https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/971224248 I read chapter one--"The Inviting Classroom." One important point the author made was the importance of monitoring cognitive engagement. It is easier to tell whether students are cognitively engaged in a classroom when it is filled with discussion and dialogue. One quote that struck me was, "Although school is compulsory, learning is not." Teachers need to create an inviting classroom, which has 4 elements: trust, respect, optimism, and intentionality. A teacher can have these traits and be an intentionally inviting teacher, which sets the stage for student learning. The "engagement by design" model includes relationships, clarity, and challenge. The remainder of the text addresses these components. ]]> 2020-11-30 13:59:29 UTC https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/971224248 https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/972643718 I read chapter one of this book. Early in the chapter, the author reminds readers that "students are not always self-regulated learners. They may not be aware of what they do or do not understand." I think this idea is important for us to always keep in mind and reinforces the need to check for students' understanding. The chapter provided an explanation of what checking for understanding is (feedback students can use to improve their performance and information teachers should use to guide future instruction). Because teaching orchestra in the virtual environment is very different than in person, I am still trying to navigate how to check for students' understanding. ]]> 2020-11-30 18:10:47 UTC https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/972643718 https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/973909811 I finished chapters one and two. In chapter one "Why Educational Achievement Matters", the author discusses the importance of education to society as a whole. He documented a Columbia University study that indicated that preventing one high school dropout produces a net benefit to society of approximately $210, 000. This number is inclusive of taxes the individual would pay, reduced health care costs (individuals would be healthier and less depended on public assistance), and reduced criminal justice costs. He also indicated that the importance of education is not "what" the student is learning. but that the student has the ability to learn and to develop new skills. In actuality, what students are learning are obsolete by the time they graduate into the workforce.  The author also mentions several trends in education which have not effectively enhanced the skill or ability of students to learn. He mentions reduced school size, charter schools, for-profit organizations running public schools, curriculum changes, technological advances, additional support staff among other changes that have not effectively produced major improvements in education overall. The author stresses the importance of teacher quality. 

In chapter two, "The Case for Formative Assessment", the author focuses on research on teacher development. He suggests that no real improvement happens in classrooms when states require professional training in the latest educational "fads". These changes take time to translate into the classroom and become effective. 
It is interesting that the author notes that the all teachers fail even the best ones because they have high aspirations for what their students can achieve. 
He then discusses three specific areas of teacher development. Learning styles, educational neuroscience, and content-area knowledge. It is interesting that he suggests that making learning "easy" or according to how the student learns best, may not be the best instructional design. He further suggests that if teachers make learning "easy" for students (according to their specific learning styles),  students don't have to work hard to make sense of what they are learning. Further, he suggests that students are less likely to remember/retain that information at a later time. He recommends that students should be introduced to a variety of learning styles to ensure that they can acquire the skills to adapt to all situations and push kids out of their comfort zone. 

The author discusses the origins/various definitions of formative assessments. He suggests that when teachers rely on evidence from formative assessments to make decisions about what to do next, students learn. He also mentions that formative assessments are more of a process than an actual tool. 

 He notes three specific types of formative assessments. Long-Cycle (lasting over several weeks-monitors student progress), medium cycle (focus on the teaching unit), and short cycle (focus on real-time response to student's learning needs). According to the author, evidence suggests that the last type has the most impact on student achievement.

The author also states that there is a real distinction between teaching and learning. What students learn from what teachers teach is unpredictable. The key to connecting teaching and learning is fostering an effective learning environment where students are engaged in the learning. ]]> 2020-12-01 00:31:08 UTC https://padlet.com/jmbillone1/gs83vb0ihutar65x/wish/973909811