I just finished reading Pink's chapter six "Symphony" and now I'm listening to Beethoven as I formulate my thoughts about what I just read. As I listen to the classical pieces I am very aware that it's not just one instrument, it's many coming together and that together is the "big picture." Of course it's essential for a composer to see the big picture or else the orchestra would not produce the end result that we expect of its many members.
As I read and underlined important or interesting facts found in chapter six, I realized how essential Symphony is to many facets of life. There are those that are good at one thing, but it's those of us that see the big picture that will gain more from it. It amazed me how Pink's self-portrait changed once he allowed Symphony to be a part of his life.
It's almost eerie how "specialized knowledge work can quickly become routinized work - and therefore be automated or outsourced away." But, of course if one notices relationships that are unrelated but can work together, that person has an advantage over the rest of us. Additionally, college students double major on account of being more marketable because the world is looking for connections that are unconnected, but can be. So, I guess I never thought about it before, but now that I'm made aware of it Symphony does make sense and in turn, as educators we should try to teach in a way that makes our students see the big picture.
To link Symphony directly to education and what we do on a daily basis, I think means to ask for creativity and novel concepts in the assignments we have students complete. We should require of our students to create projects that make them think on all levels and design work that depicts the big picture and not just a narrow-minded concept. Also, we can work with other colleagues so that our students get exposure to interdisciplinary lessons because that too integrates Symphony.
Getting back to some points I still want to mention dealing with chapter six, I happen to really enjoy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and I chuckled as I read the bit about the commercial in which two individuals collide and that's how chocolate and peanut butter came to be as a Reese's. So, it's a given that powerful ideas can come from two existing notions, now it's just a matter of uniting them.
This leads me to the next point that resonated in my mind for a while. "The guy who invented the wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius." And isn't that the truth? One wheel will give you a unicycle, but four wheels can give you a car. Obviously the latter is better.
The last point I want to make is to say as a poet at heart, maybe there's hope for me to be a systems thinker - but only when and if I get tired of the teaching profession (lol). How fascinating that Sidney Harman doesn't find it all that valuable t0 hire MBAs, but instead would like some poets as managers because they are the original system thinkers.
Oh, one more thing...I've now stared at the negative space in the picture of the Hershey's kiss and the only thing I can think of is what is found between the "K" and the "I" which is a mini Hershey's kiss - is that the negative space Pink is talking about?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
E.D.Hirsch
Dear E.D. Hirsch,
Let me introduce myself. I'm a high school Language Arts teacher and have been for the past ten years. The first time I heard of you was in an Education course while pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Education. Now, ten years later, your name has come up in yet another course I'm taking dealing with Education. And the thing is, I didn't agree with you then and I don't agree with you now.
Yes, I realize you say that curriculum is important and I know no one will argue with that point. However, everything else you insinuate is ridiculous. In your book Cultural Literacy, you argue that the economic equality rests on uniformity of subject matter in schools. You say that poor people are at a disadvantage because they lack baseline content knowledge - however, you make no real recommendations how poverty-stricken communities are supposed to get their students to study. Many of those students go to a job after school or go home to take care of younger siblings, or worse those students are out doing illegal activities; So do you think those students will care about your "cultural literacy'? Do you think those students care about the "dead old white guys"?
Additionally, you harshly criticize "the project method" - you've got to be kidding? That is the best hands-on way that students learn and appreciate the subject matter! For example, in the past I've had students memorize the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen..." speech from Julius Caesar for a grade, and guess what, a week later, they would no longer remember it. However, when I assigned a visual project to be created based on the play, they brought in exceptional work because they said it was fun to do, but among the fun, they learned something that will not be forgotten.
The bottom line is this, as much as you're a big name in the world of Education, I think more people disagree with your opinions, than actually commend you for some innovative philosophy. Your philosophy is anything but novel. Your antiquated, rote memorization as a form of mastering content is not the way to go!
Sincerely,
Maria Debowska
Let me introduce myself. I'm a high school Language Arts teacher and have been for the past ten years. The first time I heard of you was in an Education course while pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Education. Now, ten years later, your name has come up in yet another course I'm taking dealing with Education. And the thing is, I didn't agree with you then and I don't agree with you now.
Yes, I realize you say that curriculum is important and I know no one will argue with that point. However, everything else you insinuate is ridiculous. In your book Cultural Literacy, you argue that the economic equality rests on uniformity of subject matter in schools. You say that poor people are at a disadvantage because they lack baseline content knowledge - however, you make no real recommendations how poverty-stricken communities are supposed to get their students to study. Many of those students go to a job after school or go home to take care of younger siblings, or worse those students are out doing illegal activities; So do you think those students will care about your "cultural literacy'? Do you think those students care about the "dead old white guys"?
Additionally, you harshly criticize "the project method" - you've got to be kidding? That is the best hands-on way that students learn and appreciate the subject matter! For example, in the past I've had students memorize the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen..." speech from Julius Caesar for a grade, and guess what, a week later, they would no longer remember it. However, when I assigned a visual project to be created based on the play, they brought in exceptional work because they said it was fun to do, but among the fun, they learned something that will not be forgotten.
The bottom line is this, as much as you're a big name in the world of Education, I think more people disagree with your opinions, than actually commend you for some innovative philosophy. Your philosophy is anything but novel. Your antiquated, rote memorization as a form of mastering content is not the way to go!
Sincerely,
Maria Debowska
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I Believe - Role Models
I believe we all need positive role models in our lives. We need role models that find the good in us and guide us in channeling that good to make ourselves and our society a better place. In today’s day and age there is so much deceit, vulgarity, and disrespect. In turn, there is not enough patience, understanding, and tolerance. So you ask, where am I going with this?
Today before you I stand as a successful, accomplished, and strong woman. But it was not always the case. Back in my native Poland, my dad dropped me off in kindergarten one day and never returned. He tragically died in a car accident, that Friday, November 13, 1981. For the next year, my mother would drag me to his gravesite every day – whether it was day or night – we had to pay our daily visit. I was six at the time and the youngest of four; the eldest was my sister who was in her twenties and lived in the United States. My sister insisted we come for a visit – this was her way of pulling my mother away from the daily visits to the cemetery and the wasting away of her life; hence she and I immigrated to the US.
Here my mother worked two jobs; one in a factory and one as a cleaning lady. She was an educated woman, but since she did not know the English language, she had no choice but to take on menial work. Since she heard so many negative stories about public schools she worked day and night to make sure I attended a good private school. Eventually, however, it was time to move onto high school and the tuition for a private high school was too much for my mother to handle, thus for the first time I went into the public school system. At the time we lived in Passaic, an at-risk district. I was petrified of my first day at Passaic High, not knowing what to expect. But, I knew that my mother would want me to overcome my fears, make her proud by earning good grades, and pave the way for a better future for myself, and that is exactly what I did.
Many students around me could care less whether they completed their assignments or passed their tests. I, on the other hand, was not going to fall into that trap of failure because I had a great role model and I was not going to let her down. Additionally, I found that my teachers took an interest in me and when they complimented me on a job well done I also wanted to please them and so I would work even harder on the next assignment. Upon graduating high school, I attended Seton Hall and even did a study abroad in Oxford University. From there I went on to earn a Masters from Rutgers, and now I am at Montclair working towards a Supervisory Certificate. My journey is never ending. I manage to budget my time to be a good and caring fill in the blank – wife, mother of two, friend, colleague, teacher, professor, and student. Of course I could have fallen through the cracks, but I did not on account of the role models I had, especially of course my mother.
I became an educator because I believe my job affects the lives of my students. I have no shame in telling them my life story and including the part that I often helped my mom when she cleaned houses. When an ESL student says to me I think I will never master English, I say, if I could do it, so can you. Ironically today I am an English teacher and I use my position to be a role model for my students. I know I was lucky enough to have caring teachers and I want to give back what I have received. The bottom line is, whether you are a parent and/or a teacher, you are in a position that puts you in the spotlight for the youth of America to emulate; therefore you must be a positive role model, so many of our children and young adults need you!
Today before you I stand as a successful, accomplished, and strong woman. But it was not always the case. Back in my native Poland, my dad dropped me off in kindergarten one day and never returned. He tragically died in a car accident, that Friday, November 13, 1981. For the next year, my mother would drag me to his gravesite every day – whether it was day or night – we had to pay our daily visit. I was six at the time and the youngest of four; the eldest was my sister who was in her twenties and lived in the United States. My sister insisted we come for a visit – this was her way of pulling my mother away from the daily visits to the cemetery and the wasting away of her life; hence she and I immigrated to the US.
Here my mother worked two jobs; one in a factory and one as a cleaning lady. She was an educated woman, but since she did not know the English language, she had no choice but to take on menial work. Since she heard so many negative stories about public schools she worked day and night to make sure I attended a good private school. Eventually, however, it was time to move onto high school and the tuition for a private high school was too much for my mother to handle, thus for the first time I went into the public school system. At the time we lived in Passaic, an at-risk district. I was petrified of my first day at Passaic High, not knowing what to expect. But, I knew that my mother would want me to overcome my fears, make her proud by earning good grades, and pave the way for a better future for myself, and that is exactly what I did.
Many students around me could care less whether they completed their assignments or passed their tests. I, on the other hand, was not going to fall into that trap of failure because I had a great role model and I was not going to let her down. Additionally, I found that my teachers took an interest in me and when they complimented me on a job well done I also wanted to please them and so I would work even harder on the next assignment. Upon graduating high school, I attended Seton Hall and even did a study abroad in Oxford University. From there I went on to earn a Masters from Rutgers, and now I am at Montclair working towards a Supervisory Certificate. My journey is never ending. I manage to budget my time to be a good and caring fill in the blank – wife, mother of two, friend, colleague, teacher, professor, and student. Of course I could have fallen through the cracks, but I did not on account of the role models I had, especially of course my mother.
I became an educator because I believe my job affects the lives of my students. I have no shame in telling them my life story and including the part that I often helped my mom when she cleaned houses. When an ESL student says to me I think I will never master English, I say, if I could do it, so can you. Ironically today I am an English teacher and I use my position to be a role model for my students. I know I was lucky enough to have caring teachers and I want to give back what I have received. The bottom line is, whether you are a parent and/or a teacher, you are in a position that puts you in the spotlight for the youth of America to emulate; therefore you must be a positive role model, so many of our children and young adults need you!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Language Arts Literacy - NJ CCCS
Since I teach Language Arts, in my blog I will evaluate the NJ current standards in this area. To begin with, below you will find the general description of the Language Arts Literacy CCCS as found on the State of NJ Standards website.
3. Language Arts Literacy
"The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for language arts literacy capture language experiences all children need in order to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally in classrooms across the curriculum. The standards are intended to promote students' capacities to construct meaning in any arena, with others as well as on their own. If students learn to read, write, speak, listen, and view critically, strategically, and creatively, and if they learn to use these arts individually and with others, they will have the literacy skills they need to discover personal and shared meaning throughout their lives."
I find the above to be very true. How can one teach English and not touch upon reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critically viewing media literacy? In the past two years, I have revised two curriculums. With that said, I did not run into any problems implementing the CCCS. It is obvious that each and every point in the standards can not be touched upon during one academic year (because as we already know, we don't actually get 180 days to teach). But, in all honesty I find the Language Arts Literacy Core Curriculum Content Standards very effective and I have used most of the strands in both the curriculums I have revised.
My department head insists that we use all of the LAL CCCS, but of course there are some that just don't fit. For example, 3.1.H.2 states "Develop materials for a portfolio that reflects a specific career choice." At no time during the year do I have my students develop a portfolio reflecting a career choice - I just don't have the time to do that since it would take time away from the many lessons and goals I need to accomplish. On the other hand, I shouldn't really have to worry about this strand since I teach sophomores and a career project/research paper is done on the freshman level; hence the strand does get touched upon during the student's high school career (just not in my class). Is that okay? I do not see why not. There are strands like 3.2.C.4 "use transition words to reinforce a logical progression of ideas" that are essential in writing and that is a strand that would be used on all levels during. The point I'm trying to make is that some CCCS will be used often and others won't, but the fact that they are in the NJ current standards means they will be used at some point in the child's academic career.
Knowing that I had to post my reflection about the standards, I decided to open it up to more Language Arts teachers, so I e-mailed five colleagues at Lodi High and asked for their comments about the standards. Of the three that replied (I wanted to post this blog already, so I gave up on waiting for the other two), not one negative thing was said about having to use these standards. The consensus is that we need standards!
But, why do we need standards? Well, for starters, as a new teacher, one might not know where to begin teaching, whereas the standards give that teacher a starting point. On the other hand, some veteran teachers would like to teach the good old way they have always taught, so since the standards are mandated these veteran teachers must keep up with the times.
We certainly need standards, so the final question arises: Where do we need standards - on the national, state, or local level? My feeling is that what we have is appropriate. In Language Arts there are 12 national standards (you may find them at: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm). In turn, I would presume the national standards are used towards creating the state standards, but of course NJ separates them into many strands. I think it's best as is and local standards are not necessary.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My Introduction
Hi Guys & Gals,
My name's Maria Debowska and I have been a Language Arts teacher at Lodi High School for the past ten years. This year, however, I am on maternity leave because I wanted to get a chance to spend more time with my three and a half year old daughter, Alexis and my two month old son, Justin. Besides caring for the kids, I am an adjunct professor at Rockland Community College, where I teach Freshman Composition on Monday nights and of course on Thursdays you'll see me in our Principles of Curriculum Development course. I'm taking this class because it's a requirement to earn the Supervisory Certificate. After I attain the certificate, I am considering working on a doctorate in education, but my husband tells me I'm crazy - we'll see.
Something interesting about me is that I set a goal for myself to visit all the states in the US; this came about when I was studying in Oxford and heard many people commenting on the US and all these beautiful States (mind you, no one said anything about NJ) and I thought to myself, I'd like to visit them all. So, how many have I seen thus far? The answer is 36.
Well, I think that's enough about me.
See you on Thursday. ~ Maria D.
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