Educationese

Educationese
Tahra Meshell
EDU 210
Lynn Basko
May 9, 2015

Terms of the Teaching World

The language and vocabulary of the education world, what they mean, and each one’s purpose in the education process. Pedagogy



Pedagogy is the practice of teaching an academic topic and objective or concept of theory in the best possible way.

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The purpose of pedagogy is to not only teach, but to demonstrate the best ways of teaching in an integrated setting.

Teachers

 The primary source of learning and education are those that work directly with our children, the teachers.
 The teachers are the one that know exactly what needs to be taught, how to measure the mastery of each objective and are a significant impact on the school’s curriculum and how it is taught.

Master Teacher



The teachers that spend their entire teaching career looking to become better for their students, peers, and the schools they work for become master teachers.
Master teachers are the ones that have mastered the curricular knowledge and the ability to support other teachers as a role model and mentor.

Mentoring
 Master teachers develop supportive relationships with a beginning teacher.
The beginning teacher receives the basics in school operations and the district expectations as well as advice and guidance. By establishing this type of relationship, the master teacher has then become a mentor and began mentoring the young teacher.
 Mentoring can lead to a very strong bond between teachers and help build the morale of the staff.

Tenure



To become a master teacher and mentor, one must first gain tenure. Tenure is the status that is received by a teacher after completing a probationary period of satisfaction to the district in which the tenure is being received.


Tenure helps to maintain permanent and qualified teachers to remain in the school until retirement.

Normal School

 In the 1800s, institutions were established for the sole purpose of training teachers. These schools were called normal schools.
 Normal schools have been the greatest factor to the professional training of teachers and have involved into a detailed program to gain certification.

Emergency (temporary) Certificate
When districts have exhausted all their options of finding qualified and certified teachers to hire, they may request an emergency certificate which allows them to hire someone who has not quite met the requirements for standard certification as long as the one receiving the certificate obtains the necessary credentials or understand that they will be replaced by a certified teacher once they are found. 



The ability for districts to hire based on emergency certificates allows for those hired to learn while doing as well as giving the school a look at the type of teacher they will be once they are certified by standard. School board
 The governing body that has been elected in my local voters who set and uphold the policies of the district, oversee the operation of the district, and represent all the people of the school is called the school board.
 The school board maintains the operations of the school as well as meets the needs that are asked of the student body to the best of its ability.

Superintendent



The school board hires a chief administrator of the school district to oversee the planning, staffing, evaluating, administering, and budgeting who works with the board to improve the programs within the school. This chief executive officer is called the superintendent.

Principal
 Under the supervision of the superintendent, comes the individual who carries the primary responsibility of the success or the failure of the school at which he operates. This person is called the principal. The principal wears many hats. From Implementing district policies and leading staff in the district vision statement to administration of the school, the principal sets the mood for the school and maintains the path of the curriculum.

Investors in the School
 Parents and students show a vested interest in their schools and have the potential to influence curriculum. Parents can impact the school decisions by playing parts and holding roles on textbook and education committees. Students also impact the way the district sets up policies and procedures by the needs the student present to the school board and the feelings they share about their life at school.
 The mayor in many towns also holds an investment in the community schools. The support of the mayor shows that the school means something and it is not just another business. The mayor backs a big part of school funding and helps to get the schools what are needed.

Null curriculum


As much as school boards push to teach certain curriculum, they fail to explain what is needed to be taught to proceed to the next topic. This leaves teachers to decide for themselves the most important objectives to teach. The things that are not being taught but students are still able to learn are called the null curriculum.


Null curriculum may lead students to believe that there are objectives that are less important than the rest or even to avoid change and conflict that the hidden curriculum may bring.


Null curriculum may also deny some the chance to learn as equally as the others.

Lesson Plans
 When teachers sit down to decide which of those objectives are most important to teach, they are required to outline them in a lesson plan. A lesson plan is a tool teachers use to help students, parents, and administrators what the students are expected to master.
 Lesson plans are a good strategy for teachers to stay organized and on track with their objectives.

Scoring Rubric

Another great tool used by teachers is the scoring rubric. The scoring rubric is a tool used to assess the performance of a certain task based on the desired level and points assigned to each level, serving teachers and students with a clear understanding of what is to be expected.



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Rubrics help to give feedback and to show where improvement can be made.

Inquiry Instruction
 The most used model with the processing family of instruction that
John Dewey made popular in the 20th century is the inquiry instruction.
 Inquiry instruction- also known as problem solving, creative thinking or the scientific method

 Studies have shown that students prefer to find knowledge and not have it provided for them in textbooks or demonstrations. Direct Instruction



Direct instruction is the method that is centered around the teacher and the ability to control the discussion, the pace, the learning process, and the value and quality of the supervised work.



This type of instruction is a great way for teachers to be able to evaluate the student in a formal setting.

Cooperative learning
 Many students grasp objectives better in a small group setting allowing them to feed off answers and ideas of others.
 The model instruction that associates with the social family of learning that allows for a group learning environment is that of the cooperative learning where small groups are formed of three to four and work to complete assignments and tasks.

Bloom’s Taxonomy




Benjamin S. Bloom developed a classification system in 1956 to promote higher forms of thinking. Today, it is most widely used and known as Bloom’s Taxonomy.
This system is mostly used when designing learning process such as analyzing and evaluating. (Bloom, et al. 1956)

Charter School
 The public has a huge impact on schools and the choice among schools has gotten broader. One of those choices is the access to charter schools.
 Charter schools are school that are publicly supported and established with the issuance of a charter that has to come from the state or local school board to provide a greater freedom to schools and a choice in programs and electives as parents and students.

Voucher



To become eligible for a school outside your zoning, such as a charter school, one must obtain a voucher. A voucher is payment or grant to a child or parent for their child’s education and the ability to attend the school of their choice.



Vouchers allow for families to extend their choices to other schools for sake of disadvantaged students in city schools to find better schooling as well as students who are in failing districts.

Standards
 Standards are the ideas of the level of quality and achievement considered acceptable and desirable by the benchmarks that are given to compare student learning, instruction, and curriculum.  Standards are set to motivate students and teachers to do their best to maintain a level of success. Standardized Test



Tests that are given under certain guidelines and the same requirements as an assessment, and use the data to assess the progress and mastery of objectives and how well students are meeting standards compared to others at the same level are called standardized tests.

Assessments o Assessments are activities or processes taken to collect and evaluate the information on a student or school to measure their knowledge and skills, and how well they are performing certain objectives to standard. o Assessments help to identify areas of struggle to allow for better placement in classrooms. o Main types of assessments include: o Formal Assessments o Informal Assessments o Summative Assessments o Formative Assessments

Portfolio Assessment


One of the best ways to measure a student’s strengths and weaknesses is by performing a portfolio assessment. A portfolio assessment is used to document a child’s learning by collecting and maintaining the student’s work over a period of time. 

Portfolios help to display the advancement in learning to the students and parents. They also help students to watch and improve on themselves.

Informal Assessment

 Informal assessments are a way to collect information on the progress of a student, group, or class without them having an effect on grades.
 Informal assessments include observation, peer evaluations, self evaluations, and even checklists.

Inclusion

 Possibly the most important principle to the
Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act, inclusion is the act of serving students with many different abilities, as well as disabilities, with the right support and services needed to succeed in a regular classroom setting.
 Inclusion allows for students to spend more time in a regular classroom promoting a more integrated tolerance, as well as progress in academics and socially for those with disabilities.

English Language Learners, ELL




As well as working with students with disabilities, teachers are also having to accommodate those of ELL.
English language learners are students who have a low proficiency level of the
English language. One of the most complex groups to work with due to the varying levels of socioeconomic status as well as content proficiency.

Assistive technology

 Technology has become a big part of the educational system. The advancement in technology has also advanced the teaching strategies.
 One of those strategies is that of assistive technology which is used to allow ALL students the use of technology and new ways to help with learning and interaction.

References

Webb, D., Metha, A., Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American education. Columbus,
OH: Pearson.
Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956).
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David
McKay Co Inc. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html .

References: Webb, D., Metha, A., Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American education. Columbus, OH: Pearson. Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html .