After reading chapter 1 in the Introduction to Teaching book you were exposed to the rewards and challenges of being a classroom teacher. Based on the information presented in the textbook what do you think will be the most rewarding and the most challenging for you as a future teacher? How does this information change your beliefs about becoming a teacher?
You may or may not have been exposed to the concepts of high stakes testing prior to reading this chapter. In order to be the change in today's schools you must learn how to speak out on specific issues in educatuin. After viewing The Test on the included text DVD select 2 out the 4 questions to respond to.
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of high-stakes testing?
2. What types of students are most adversely affected by high-stakes testing?
3. What can schools do to minimize the negative effects of high-stakes testing?
4. What are your experiences with high stakes testing such as ISTEP, Praxis, SAT's etc.?
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I think the most rewarding aspect of teaching will be that “light bulb” moment that children have. When I was a senior I was a student aid during study hall in the middle school special education room and I was working with a child on long division and she had many problems with it and something just clicked and she did multiple problems in a row correctly. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I think what will be most challenging will be multitasking. While I’m pretty good at it, I can be overwhelmed at times which I think is common for everybody.
ReplyDeleteHigh stakes testing can have both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage would be better prepared students for college and beyond. Passing the test can give the student a sense of accomplishment. However, not passing the test could depress the student and cause he or she to feel disappointed and could lead to bullying. Almost everyone in this class has experienced ISTEP, Praxis and the SAT at some point in their life. I would have to say both ISTEP and Praxis seemed to be in the same “class” of difficulty and SAT was in a league of its own. However, students are able to prepare for each of those exams which sort of takes the stress out of it. If you know you are prepared for the exam then you shouldn’t feel much anxiety.
I think the most rewarding thing about being a teacher will be seeing students succeed. Children learn things in elementary school and remember them for the rest of their lives. It will be very rewarding when those children look back and remember who it was that taught them certain facts and strategies. The most challenging thing I think I will face is trying to get all students excited about learning. I want to see all of the students in my classroom enjoy coming to school but it will be very hard to do. These examples make me nervous about being a teacher but I want to accept the challenge and succeed.
ReplyDeleteAn advantage to high-stakes testing is to make sure the students are on the same level. If a student is not understanding the same information then they can be put into a grade they are comfortable in. A disadvantage to this high-stakes testing is that some students may not pass and then they will become discouraged. If they see that they are not able to correctly answer the same questions as other students, they may feel embarrassed. During school, ISTEP had to be completed every couple of years. I never found ISTEP to be too challenging because it was basic information we had learned. The Praxis test was similar to ISTEP in the information you had to answer. The SAT's were much more difficult and everyone ended up with various results. The SAT's were very long and had a lot of difficult information on them.
Having already had a little experience teaching in a classroom setting, I have a pretty good idea of the most rewarding and most difficult aspects of being a teacher. As far the positive side of teaching goes, I most enjoyed being a positive role model for children who may not have much in the form of responsible adults in their own home. Knowing that I can provide stability and a safe environment for my students while at the same time teaching them the academic and social skills they will need to make a difference in their communities is about as rewarding as it gets. The most challenging part of teaching for me so far has definately been the many different aspects of classroom management with the split second decisions, late nights, and hours of preperation that it entails.
ReplyDeleteSome advantages of high stakes testing include having a specific idea where students are academically compared to others, teaching time management and stress coping mechanisms, and challenging a student to try and solve problems and answer questions on their own using problem solving and their own knowledge rather than depending on others. Disadvantages include placing to much stress on students which may cause them not to perform at their best, as well as possible feelings of inadequacy when a student doesn't do so well on the test. My experiences with high stakes testing have all been pretty positive.But I realize that is because I tend to be a good test taker and work well under pressure. If the situation were switched and I was asked to write a 200 page paper over several months I may not do as well because having so much time could not only cause me to second guess everything I wrote, but also may cause me to lose any sense of urgency and competition resulting in a paper that is not my best work.
The most rewarding thing about being a teacher will have to be seeing the children in the classroom succeed and learning new things. I’ve had a little experience in an elementary school when I was a senior in high school. I student taught an art class, so I was able to experience how all grade levels in an elementary school learn new things. The students really do look up to you, and they made my day so much better every day when I went to student teach. It is so exciting when they learn how to do something new, they get really excited about it and it makes them want to learn more and more. I think the most challenging thing about being a teacher will be getting the students to want to learn more. Some students will not understand certain things right away and they may get discouraged. I want them to know that everyone doesn’t understand everything right away, and I want them to know that it is ok. If a student understands what is going on in the classroom they will be encouraged to learn more in the future lessons. I just want the students who do not understand everything fully to come to me for extra help and I want to encourage them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that high-stakes testing has both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage to high-stakes testing is that it lets teachers know the students learning levels. It lets the teachers compare the students to each other as well. If a student is not at a learning level that they should be at then the teacher must know this so the student can get extra help. Having a student get extra help will not only help them now, but it will also help them in the future. A disadvantage to high-stakes testing is that it is actually stressful for the students. The whole time taking the tests they are thinking “I need to pass this, I need to pass this.” If that doesn’t distract someone while taking a test, then I don’t know what does. I remember when I took ISTEP in elementary school, middle school, and high school they told us we wouldn’t move on if we didn’t pass this test. I just think that is ridiculous and it stresses the students out and discourages them. I found the ISTEP tests to be rather easy, but still I was stressing out the whole time taking them. Taking the SAT’s and ACT’s was not very stressful at all, I was able to prepare for them ahead of time so I didn’t feel anxious while taking those two tests at all. Yet, the SAT and ACT tests are a bit challenging and long.
I look for one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching to be making a difference. I ask my boyfriend's son every week after school what he learned that day, and every week I receive the same answer "I don't know." That is something I want to change. I want students to go home excited and ready to learn more every night. I find it funny how my younger nieces and nephews love going to school, while my older nieces and nephews dread it. As I teacher, I look forward to trying to make learning a lifelong ambition. And as far as something I will find challenging as a teacher...Well, I am sure I will come across the occasional studen who comes from a home where he/she receives no type of support from his family. The challenge in this will be knowing what I can and what I can't do to reach out to them. I will have to work very hard at not overstepping my bounds. Every kid deserves a good support system. The parents problems shouldn't be placed on the child's shoulders...in a perfect world. The chapter made me realize all that is really involved in the world of teaching. Teachers are much bigger heroes than they are given credit for.
ReplyDeleteThe big advantage of high stakes testing is that students are no longer being moved from grade to grade based on social promotion. They are being forced to actually learn the subjects. This testing has caused the schools to take a closer look at themselves and re-evaluate the way they are teaching. The focus is being put on the school systems and the reform needed. They may have failed students in the past, but the future will be brighter. The test results are showing where resources would be better served.
The disadvantages are that students feel defeated when they fail these tests. Some students are not good test takers, and therefore these tests just serve as another dissapointment. It is a lot of weight to put on a child's shoulders. Some worry that teachers begin teaching to the test, instead of making sure students have a well-rounded education. Many kids dropout due to fear of failure, thus causing their futures to be put at stake.
Children from poor homes and minority groups tend to be the most adversely affected by high stakes testing. This is due largely to poor resources in the school districts to prepare these students for these type of tests. Also, they are often unable to receive the needed support from home. Students that are minorities may have trouble reading these tests. Unless they have a teacher who is able to translate, they could easily be lost. There are many kinks in the system. I am sure there will be much reform as far as the testing is concerned.
Oh without a doubt the most rewarding thing would be when you see your students' learning and applying the learned concepts to everyday life. Especially with a child who just can't seem to get it and after some practice with the student, you see their eyes light up and it just sticks with them. Much like someone turning the lights on within their brain. The most challenging would probably making split-second decisions and also how to discipline a misbehaving student and to what degree. I don't want to be "that mean teacher", but that teacher that goes out of the way to help a student understand. The teacher that makes class fun and kids look forward to coming to class and learning.
ReplyDeleteHigh-stakes testing is an effective way to better understand where the students are at academically. It weighs so much that a student with a sub-par GPA can still advance in their academic careers by successfully passing this tests. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of these high-stake tests. It puts way too much pressure on the student. They get stressed out and nervous, even more so than a normal test. I am sort of contradicting myself I realize as I am about to write this next part, but some students just aren't strong test takers which would make their score low and furthermore not be an accurate reading with their peers. Schools can minimize some of the negative effects by not making the test have such a huge outcome on their lives. IF you pass, great! woohoo!, but if you fail, then these kids are going to feel miserable. As seen in the video clip, it seems that current GPA has no real hold if you pass the test or not. The school should also have many extra help ways to better prepare the kids for these types of tests.
I think the most rewarding part of teaching for me will be see success come out of my students. In this chapter teacher talk about students sending them notes and gifts saying how they had made a difference in their life. I think that will be the most rewarding part of teacher hearing that I made a difference in another person’s life and that part of who they are today is because of something I did. I feel the most challenging part of teaching will be making all of the split second decisions and being fair when I make them. In this chapter teacher talked about all of the decisions they make with only seconds notice and how sometimes who the child was made a difference in the decision. I just hope I can be fair and not bias when making a decision in my future classroom. I think this chapter really opened my eyes to the fact that there is a lot more to becoming a teacher than just knowing the material.
ReplyDeleteThe Test: I feel this test is absolutely ridiculous and I can’t believe this is happening in our country. We talk about how all students are different and every child learns differently, then we hand them all the same test and tell them if they don’t pass the test they will NOT be moving on. I can’t see how this if fair to these children that there future is determined by one test. So now I will actually move on to answering the questions. I could only find one real advantage to this test and that is reading levels have increases. This is a very good advantage that children especially children of minorities are being push and are reading at their grade level. A huge disadvantage of this test in my eyes is it’s making children sad. And it may not seem like a real disadvantage but you have all these children that tried and gave it their all and there all just wasn’t good enough. And now they are going to stand there while all of their friends (well probably not all of their friends) move on and leave them behind all because of one test. In my eyes that’s very discouraging and a big error in the state of Florida. Not all schools and children are affected by this test. Private schools on the other hand are exempt from taking the FCAT. So the majority of the people hurt by this are poor minorities in public school.
I believe that the most rewarding aspect of being a teacher, will be seeing students grow and progress not only academically, but as people as the year goes on. It would feel great to see a former student come into my classroom after graduating high school or college and having them tell about the success they've had and knowing that you helped them get to that point. A challenging point would be dealing with students that have difficulty doing something. I know that it's our job to help with problems they encounter, it's just going to be difficult to see students struggle at first.
ReplyDeleteAn advantage to high-stakes testing, is that if you can do well on them, you probablly will be well prepared for the next step in your education. If you can go through the SAT without any problems, it shows that you are more than likely a successful student that can achieve many academic things at higher levels. However the flip side to this is not doing well. Some people take the SAT multiple times and don't do well. There can be many reasons for this but the one that most people encounter is not being prepared. Some teachers don't do a good job in covering material found in these tests. They may skim over the material, however with so much riding on these tests, they should do a better job going over the material.
As of now, I have taken the ISTEP, SAT, and the Praxis. The ISTEP made me nervous as a elementary/high school student, however I didn't have any trouble passing it. The Praxis was the same way. I didn't know what to expect going in but once I started, the test wasn't as bad as I thought. The worst test that I've ever taken, was the SAT. I was like a 4 hour test that had a lot riding on it. Colleges look at your score and you can't hide it. I knew some of the information, but there was a lot of things that puzzled me. In the long run, I did pretty well on all of these tests but I'm glad that they're all over with.
When I become a teacher I believe I will feel most rewarded when I can see my students succeeding. Chemistry can be a tough subject for some students and I want to be able to help them understand it and hopefully enjoy it. While teaching chemistry I will be trying my best to make it interesting and fun for the students. Another reward is that a teacher’s schedule is perfect for someone who wants to have a family. I want to have a family and be able to spend time with my children. Being a teacher will allow me to spend a lot of time with my family. Like I said before, chemistry can be tough for some students and I believe this will be the most challenging for me. If I have students that cannot understand what I am teaching, or do not want to try, I will have a difficult time. This information does not change my beliefs on becoming a teacher. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and I know the rewards will outweigh the challenges.
ReplyDelete2.) The low-income, disadvantaged students are the ones that are mostly affected by the high-stakes testing. These students come from a household that may not speak English and the parents themselves may not be able to pass the test. Also, these students attend a school that probably does not have a lot of funding from the government. The schools that are teaching these students may not even be prepared to teach them well enough to pass the test.
4.) My experience taking a high-stakes test was similar. During senior year in high school we must take the SAT and/or the ACT in order to be able to attend college. Everyone knew that the results on this test were very important. The SAT and ACT are tests that allow the colleges to see where we rank amongst the other students. If we do poorly on the test, even if we have done well in high school, then we may not be accepted to colleges. This test is one of the main components that the colleges look at when considering students.
When I become a teacher the most rewarding thing to me will be watching the children achieve thier goals. Watching them change through the course and knowing that I am teaching them knowledge that they will go on to use for the rest of thier lives. Knowing that i am going to make a change in my community and the minds of younger generations. That has always been my motive in being a teacher and now I can not wait to get to that point and be able to see all of that come true. However, the most difficult/ challenging part for me will be making sure that I don't leave anyone be hind making sure that everyone gets the subject at hand before I go on with the lesson. Especially my first few years because I will feel so under pressure to make sure that everything else is going as planned and I am meeting all of the state standards.
ReplyDeleteThe high stakes testing is does have some advantages it deffinately shows what level a child is at by not giving them any true preparation. However for a child that is anything like I am they are no good because when I have a test placed in front of me especially one that I didn't study for I will find myself focusing on the questions that I am not sure of so much that I will actually mentally block out the things that I do know and are completely simple. Howevee, I do not think that they should be used to hold a child back in class. They should be used to get a feel for what the children know and then they should use a different method of teaching that child whether it be one on one with an aid or just extra activities at night for them to do.
I have never had a completely awful time with the testing but like a said above when there is no way to study for a test and if I didn't know the answer to one of the question I would spend more time focusing on that then the ones that I did know luckly I was always able to slide by though.
I believe the most rewarding part of teaching will be seeing the students doing their best and succeeding. My goal in teaching is to help students so that they enjoy learning. I want to be a teacher that students hope they get at the beginning of the year. One of my major goals in teaching is making sure that every student does the best they can; and seeing that they are doing so will be very rewarding to me. The most challenging thing will probably be making sure that everyone is getting the most out of each lesson. Since all students learn differently, I will have to do my best to provide as many different learning experiences for the students so that all of them get an equal opportunity. I am a very goal oriented person, so seeing that a student isn't understanding something or if a student is not really trying their best will be very challenging to me. These things don't really change my will to become a teacher. They actually make me want to become a teacher even more so that I can help as many students through my career as possible.
ReplyDeleteHigh-stakes testing is really starting to take over the education process. Many students are adversely affected by these types of tests though. I don't believe a test tells you whether a student is smart or less advanced. Many of these tests cause students to dislike school. Some students are afraid of testing so when these types of tests come around during the school year, they panic and struggle to do well. They may be some of the smartest people in their classes but are scared of the testing process. Other students are adversely affected in the fact that they are in a lower income school system that are expected to take the same tests and do just as well as students of higher school systems. These students don't really get a fair chance in the fact that their education really isn't the same as students in higher income schools. They most likely have less technology and less opportunities for out of school learning experiences where the learning is completely free to the student. Their scores end up being less than the higher school systems, but are looked at just the same. These students learn to dislike school because they feel they are never good enough. I have have a lot of experience with testing. I have went though the ISTEP, GQE, SAT, and have already taken the Praxis. Testing has never really been difficult for me. I come from a supportive family that has always helped me and encouraged me to do my best. Family support, I believe, is very important in a student's education. I have also been fortunate to have very good teachers who have always been willing to help whenever I struggled. For students who do not have the same support I did, it can make learning very difficult.
After reading chapter one, I believe that the most rewarding part of teaching will be watching students grow and learn, and use what they learned in real life situations. I feel that the most challenging aspect of teaching will be getting every student to grow and learn. This hasn't really changed my beliefs on teaching, but it has made it more real.
ReplyDelete1. The advantage to high-stakes testing is that it will help bring students to grade level reading standards. The disadvantages that I have seen are that it places stress on a lot of students. It takes away from other important lessons and causes teachers to focus more on the test than on what the students actually need. Also, teachers tend to "teach the test" and some of the methods used don't teach all students. Students learn in different ways and a lot of the diverse learning methods are ignored when "teaching the test". The FCAT also ignored things such as grades and GPA.
3. Schools can focus more on teaching what needs to be taught in each grade level. But putting less emphasis on the high-stakes tests I think teachers would do a great favor to kids. It will help kids relax more and then learning will occur more naturally, instead of rushed and stressed. Teachers also need to make sure that all students understand the material covered on the tests. Giving pretests close to the test date and focusing on areas where students struggled will help students learn the areas of difficulty as a class. This may be a tall order for some teachers but I think that is is a neccessary step that needs to be taken.
I think the most rewarding thing for me being a teacher will be seeing every student finally understand that one thing they were struggling with. Whether they finally learn how to cut in a straight line or they learn how to multiply with ease, I just want that student to finally feel like they accomplished that one thing they felt like was holding them back. The most challenging thing for me will be seeing students not understand or suceeding. I will want to do whatever I can to help that student understand and not get frustrated and give up. When I sense that the student wants to give up it will motivate me to push them harder to do their best.
ReplyDeleteI think the advantages to high-stake testing are to make sure that each student is at the level that they should be compared to their grade and age. It helps to make sure the teachers as well as the students are up to par on their academics and if they aren't they won't pass and will hopefully be taught the materials that they need to be at the correct level. A disadvantage would be having extremely good students that happen to do poorly on the test and then not be able to graduate or be held back to repeat a grade when they maybe just had a bad day or just didn't understand the questions correctly. Hopefully the testing system will be worked out where not every student will be held back, but maybe those students will be required to go to summer classes or after school tutoring until they know their materials.
My expierence with high-stake testing has been okay. I passed the istep with no problems. I did fairly well on the SATs. The Praxis on the other hand, I was extremely sick when I went to take the test and I ended up not passing the reading section because I had to read and reread some sections over and over again and I eventually ran out of time. I feel that I know the material, but circumstances may have you needing more time. Which may have been an issue with some of the students. Just because the student doesn't know the information fast enough to take the entire test without guessing to finish in the correct time frame doesn't mean the student doesn't know the material. I think that in some way the fact that they are timed test makes me nervous and sometimes the reason I do not pass is because of inefficient timing.
I think that the most rewarding thing about being a teacher would be being able to lead these children towards a bright future. I think that having an affect on the children and possibly being a change in their lives would be the most rewarding of all. The most challenging thing about being a teacher I would think would be being able to give each student the same amount of attention. That is something that I think is very important and when I do become a teacher I will try to put the same amount of my effort and time into each individual student.
ReplyDeleteI think that high-stakes testing has both its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of having high-stakes testing is that it will help put the students in their grade level standards. The disadvantage to high-stakes testing is that is can be very stressful on students. This may lead to lower test scores just because of how nervous they can become over these tests. I am not a very good test taker. Now when it comes to assignments and class material I do very well. When tests like that come around I tend to freeze up and in my opinion, do a lot worse than I normally would have.
My experiences with high-stake testing has not been very good. Like I said before I tend to freeze up when I get dealt a test like that. No matter how much I study or try to study for it I always end up doing worse than I think my potential is. I also do not like the pressure of it being a timed test. It makes me nervous and I tend to rush through it.
I believe the most rewarding aspect about being a teacher is that I can be a positve role model. I have a desire for intrinsic rewards. Emotional reward is probablly what I thrive for the most. I do fear confrontation with the parents. I think parents and teachers should always try to be on the same page, have open communication. But realisticly, that won't always be the case. It will be hard for me to handle a parent who has no interest in their childs education and is meerly going through the steps of being a parent. P.S. Having children of my own, a school teachers schedule is pretty accomidating to my childrens schedule.
ReplyDelete1. Testing is always stressfull. The brightest of childen sometimes do poorly on tests so a lot of focus on testing may not be as benifical as expected. On the other hand, it is crucial to see how a child is developing and if they are learning the proper infromation they need to progress. Education is like a flight of stairs, it is hard to move up and on if you don't hit all the previous steps. If we as educators could find a happy medium on test focus an individual learning with a happy, well rounded atmosphere I beleive it could solve a lot of issues.
ReplyDelete4. My experience with highrisk tests are always full of tension. However when I get my results, good or bad, they help me realign my learning techniques.
I feel the intrinsic rewards will be the most rewarding for me. The feeling of knowing that you are helping someone, especially with the acquisition of knowledge is always an empowering feeling. Not to mention the rewards of constantly learning more yourself, and about yourself through the neverending interactions with people in an everchanging environment. The thought of having an extended length of time of to take advantage of to show my family the vast beautiful world we are a part of is also inviting. The challenges, though they will be many, only asure me that this will be a career where my role and my approach will always need to be reflected upon to improve the effectiveness of my proffession. This information does not change my view of teaching, it only reinforces the importance of being the change you want to see.
ReplyDeleteThe advantage of high stakes testing is that they show that each child has acquired the knowledge to suceed into the next level, however the disadvantage is that too much time is invested into gauranteing the students are ready for the test instead of giving them a well rounded education. The only experience I have had with high stakes testing is the ISTEP's. This was before there was as much emphasis as there is now. In addition, there was not an unneccesary amount of time spent on preparation so it was not distracting from our original cirriculum.
For I think the most rewarding thing will be watching the look on a child's face when they finally understand something that I'm teaching them. I have seen that look before when I taught swim lessons. The advantages of testing is knowing what the child knows and what they need to work on. It gives the teacher a better understanding of how to teach them so that they can understand. I think a big disadvantage is that they put pressure on students and they freak the students out a bit to where they can possibly be turned off of learning if they do poorly. It took me two times to pass the math part of my ISTEP in highschool and when I took my SATs I took it twice but when I had to take them we didn't have any essays like they do now. The SATs stressed me out a bit but I wasn't too worried about since pretty everything on it I had been learning pretty much my entire school career
ReplyDeletewell the disadvantages of high risk testing is letting people know what kind test there are but they should have different kinds testing and for different people instead of for the common smartin kids because some kids learn differently take it from me I know.
ReplyDeleteit would be more minorty people instead of the majority because it seems that it gear to root some people out to show who might got it or smarted then others. well get teacher that care about teaching instead of babysitting some people are not teaching for the love of teaching. now some kids just looking at school like what ever.
my experince with high risk testing. i never did like it made it seem like i was dumb. now i know different.