TeacherDrivenChange

Algebra Success Academy Story

The CTA IFT sponsored Algebra Success Academy uses mathematics to create a teaching and learning environment based on student strengths.  Through the Algebra Success Academy students are learning that success is defined in many different ways – not just tests.  Success occurs in quite unassuming teacher-student moments that rarely receive headlines.  Teachers are developing an environment of hope and optimism where their students are gaining a sense of accomplishment and confidence.   Click here for the Algebra Success story. 

The Sun is Shining on the CTA IFT Grant

While there may be no free lunch, how about a free ride?  Imagine a car could run without you spending a dime on fuel. If you drove a solar-powered car, that dream might just come true. Like solar-powered homes, solar cars harness energy from the sun, converting it into electricity. That electricity then fuels the battery that runs the car's motor. Instead of using a battery, some solar cars direct the power straight to an electric motor. 

But how practical are solar powered cars?  Is it the next big idea? These are some of the questions that students at La Mirada High School are considering.  Not waiting for the future, these students with their teachers are exploring new technologies right now.  Moving full speed ahead, Norwalk La Mirada teachers, students and community partners are using the Green Jobs Prep School CTA IFT Grant to examine how traditional forms of energy can be converted to solar power.  This Grant is part of the Solar Energy Academy at La Mirada High School.  According to Norma Williamson, grant author and program director, students are learning the ins and outs of solar power as an alternative energy source.   Moving from theory to practice, students are working convert a golf cart through solar power. 

 
Solar Powered Cars have been defined as cars which run on energy from the sun.  This definition however is changing.  Solar power now allows people to charge plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) through solar panels installed on their homes and in recent history solar panels installed on the roof of the car itself. Click here for a brief history of solar cars. 

 

Green Jobs Prep School is a career technical education/career pathway school within a school that prepares high school students to join post secondary programs in environmental majors.  The goal is for these programs to lead to an industry recognized certificate, licensure, associate or baccalaureate degree and, ultimately, success in the green economy.  Look for updates on this great program where the future is right now.

Below is a brief video, produced by La Mirada High School students on the Solar Academy's solar golf cart process.

Teachers - Tell Your Stories

Race to the Top is a hodgepodge of old, bad and contradictory ideas that appeal to the fears and frustrations of those who search for simple, nihilistic solutions to the highly complex problems and challenges facing the public schools.  The National Education Association suggested that the Obama Administration should develop school improvement initiatives based on research and on what works in the classroom.  Scholars have been even more dismissive.  The education historian Diane Ravitch writes: “What is extraordinary about these regulations is that they have no credible basis in research.  They just happen to be the programs and approaches favored by the people in power.”  Others point to the apparent hypocrisy of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s claims to be a data-driven reformer.

With all the criticism towards the federal government’s Race to the Top, none may be as the dangerous as the government’s desire to change the teaching and learning process: the relationship between teachers and their students. 

The story of the public schools – especially the teacher-student relationship - is a multifaceted and complex one; thousands of stories that form a tapestry of how teachers work, connect, excite, engage, and enrich the lives of children. 

Chimamanda Adichie, on the Blog, Accomplished California Teachers (ACT), beautifully portrays the importance of stories.  ACT is a new teacher leadership network for the state of California.  ACT is funded by the Stuart Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation, and housed under the umbrella of the 
School of Education at Stanford University.

To understand the importance of stories, David B. Cohen brings to our attention “The Danger of a Single Story” delivered by novelist Chimamanda Adichie.  She argues for the importance of literature, the power of narratives, and the risks of perpetuating or accepting a steady stream of non-varied stories that distort their subject matter. 

The message for teachers is to tell your stories about the great and wonderful teaching and learning experiences you are having each day.  Tell your stories every chance you get: to parents, to administrators, to policy makers, to politicians, and most of all to other teachers.

Beyond Superman: A Guest Blog by George Lucas

With all the talk about what’s wrong with our schools, The George Lucas Educational Foundation believes it’s time to have a conversation about what's right with public education, what's working.  The Foundation reminds everyone that there are successes in education every single day and that our children might be better served if we paid more attention to what works than what’s wrong in our schools and classrooms.

In districts of every stripe and demographic make-up, educators are dedicating themselves to providing their students with a high quality

21st century education, and using new technologies to make it happen. They are showing kids how to find and analyze information   .   .   .   These educators are beginning to re-invent the learning process, guiding students through rigorous, real-life projects that integrate core academic topics and personalize the learning experience   .   .   .   Continue reading.

Lessonopoly

Click here for an interactive dynamic resource for classroom teachers.  Lessonopoly is a free tool that lets teachers manage their classroom, find and share lesson plans, and connect with colleague.  Lessonopoly has fresh ideas, is an open educational resource, and provides innovative thinking.  The Science of the Olympic Winter Games project is just one example of dozens of games, projects, and programs that you can apply to your classroom.

A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an Educational Revolution

By Anya Kamenetz   .   .   .   As smart phones and handheld computers move into classrooms worldwide, we may be witnessing the start of an educational revolution. How technology could unleash childhood creativity -- and transform the role of the teacher.  Continue reading. 

 

Finding the Student's 'Price Point'

By Paul E. Peterson   .   .   .   A couple of weeks ago, I learned about “price points” by speaking at a conference for those who design hotels and restaurants. As many readers may know, the price point is the approximate amount someone is willing to pay for such things as kitchen cabinets, faucets, sinks, and bathroom tile. All of these commodities come in a zillion different shapes, sizes, materials, and—of course — prices. If a designer does not know the customer’s price point, too much time can be spent promoting a gold-plated door knob when a brass one will do.

 

On the other side, the designer can annoy a customer by promoting something plastic when only brass is acceptable.  Students have their own version of the price point—the material they are ready to learn.  If teachers repeat familiar material, bored students will stare out the window or practice their spitball skills. Conversely, teachers who introduce excessively advanced material will leave their students confused and dissatisfied. Each and every student has his or her own price point. Continue reading.

Is Imagination Dead?

In the Movie Six Degrees of Separation, Will Smith explains how imagination is an integral part of our individuality.  The film discusses the importance of imagination and how we have lost our sense of purpose and direction.  Many teachers believe that imagination and creativity have been eliminated in our schools and replaced with state mandates.  Watch the film, discuss it with your colleagues, and comment below.

Focusing on Strengths

Jenifer Fox has written a remarkable book, Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them, which deserves the attention of all those interested in closing the achievement for African American and Latino students.  Ms. Fox has demonstrated in practical and realistic terms how strength-based thinking can be applied to the teaching and learning process.  While each teacher and parent can determine the proper role of the strength-based approach as it relates to their own particular interests and needs, it is difficult to deny the potential for success that Fox writes about in her new book. 

Unintended Consequences

To move to a learning-centered environment may require a dramatic shift in thinking, especially given the current emphasis on standards and outcomes.  While the standards-based movement and the call for increased accountability seem to be a reasonable and rational response to the numerous challenges faced by public education, little attention is being paid to the unintended consequences on students, teachers, and the learning process. Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of seventeen best-selling books, has written extensively on necessity of our public schools to move from a teacher-centered to a learning-centered environment. Rifkin suggests that public education needs to become a seamless web between school and community by emphasizing civil, service, and character education.