Stargate Loving Teachers

[Nolamom]

don't you just love hanging in limbo?

[mathpiglet]

...by your fingernails?

[gater62]

Yeah, I don't think I got it. I haven't heard from anyone and they did say they'd let us know by the 15th. Oh well, I still have technology academy classes.

[Morbo]

i wouldn't rule yourself out.
companies aren't always timely when it comes to...well..everything.

[gater62]

Heading up to Corpus Christi tomorrow for 3 days of Problem Based Learning training. Kind of looking forward to it. I love being the student again.

[gater62]

The school district sent me an email that since they had so many applications for the virtual classroom, but they are delaying announcement until next Wednesday.

[Nolamom]

and so the waiting continues...

[mathpiglet]

That's better news than not getting it!

[gater62]

and so the waiting continues...

Just like my old Navy days!

That's better news than not getting it!

Yes, but I am so anxious! At least I still have a shot!

[gater62]

Keep your fingers crossed for me! Today is the day!

I have to share with you all my funny workshop story. This week I'm doing Pre-AP History and Social Sciences training down in Brownsville. Two of the men in my group are actually biology and chemistry teachers. Their administration told them to sign up for this class (the science ones were full) because it had science in the title and would count for them.

[Nolamom]

that about sounds right for admin!

[Nolamom]

Went to a planning workshop on Thursday and Friday for school. The buzzword this time around is teaching conceptually/thematically. Education goes through these mini-revolutions with amazing regularity and cyclically. Every time someone in a position of power over the system gets a big idea, there's supposed to be an overhaul of how things are done. Generally it's immediately after they've read some book by someone trying to pass an agenda. If you've been in education for more than about 10 or 15 years, you start seeing things repeated time and again, just called by a different name. Anyway, conceptual/thematic sounds terrific until one considers that social studies (my department) is primarily history which is chronological/sequential. You could teach about the concept of revolution and try to lump together all the revolutions through time, but that would be extremely confusing to students. Likewise, my primary subject economics, absolutely needs to be taught in a sequence - concepts and ideas build on one another. I had to laugh at some of the stuff they had lumped together for the first week of class scope and sequence - production possibilities (very basic, fundamental) and government fiscal policy (end of course - requires an understanding of many different concepts first).

[gater62]

Went to a planning workshop on Thursday and Friday for school. The buzzword this time around is teaching conceptually/thematically. Education goes through these mini-revolutions with amazing regularity and cyclically. Every time someone in a position of power over the system gets a big idea, there's supposed to be an overhaul of how things are done. Generally it's immediately after they've read some book by someone trying to pass an agenda. If you've been in education for more than about 10 or 15 years, you start seeing things repeated time and again, just called by a different name. Anyway, conceptual/thematic sounds terrific until one considers that social studies (my department) is primarily history which is chronological/sequential. You could teach about the concept of revolution and try to lump together all the revolutions through time, but that would be extremely confusing to students. Likewise, my primary subject economics, absolutely needs to be taught in a sequence - concepts and ideas build on one another. I had to laugh at some of the stuff they had lumped together for the first week of class scope and sequence - production possibilities (very basic, fundamental) and government fiscal policy (end of course - requires an understanding of many different concepts first).

Exactly! We used to teach Geography regionally and thematically, and I feel my students were much better off than today when I have to teach regionally using CScope. Still, we could have issues where students think migration only happens in a certain region because that is where it was covered. But for history, it really does confuse the students.

[Nolamom]

when I broached the matter with the district director he just said "Nola, you just teach it however you want. This is just a guideline for new teachers" well, that's fine and dandy for me, but it's going to put new teachers in a real pickle - trying to figure out how to cover subjects without an adequate foundation. How, for example, can you explain the idea of international trade without first understanding the concept of a market or for that matter, what money is.

[aretood2]

Keep your fingers crossed for me! Today is the day!

I have to share with you all my funny workshop story. This week I'm doing Pre-AP History and Social Sciences training down in Brownsville. Two of the men in my group are actually biology and chemistry teachers. Their administration told them to sign up for this class (the science ones were full) because it had science in the title and would count for them.

...It might work for a biology teacher, with psychology leading into neurology which leads to biology

when I broached the matter with the district director he just said "Nola, you just teach it however you want. This is just a guideline for new teachers" well, that's fine and dandy for me, but it's going to put new teachers in a real pickle - trying to figure out how to cover subjects without an adequate foundation. How, for example, can you explain the idea of international trade without first understanding the concept of a market or for that matter, what money is.

It sounds like that would work best in other subjects, like English and such. Which is what most researchers think about when they come up with their great new idea. They don't consider economics or civics when they do their thing.

[jelgate]

Think about Science and Math. That makes no sense.

[aretood2]

Think about Science and Math. That makes no sense.

Economics is pretty much the application of math. And Psychology has overlaps with natural science.

[Nolamom]

I've taught psychology. It does deal with brain structures and chemical reactions in a limited way. Probably the most "sciencey" of the social sciences. And you're right about economics. It's the ugly stepchild of the social sciences. Most social studies teachers avoid it like the plague. I love it. It's all common sense and logic. (and a bit of applied mathematics)

[jelgate]

Economics is pretty much the application of math. And Psychology has overlaps with natural science.

I wasn't saying the stupidity of the system doesn't apply to the social sciences just that the more "real" Math and Science it makes very little sense.

[Nolamom]

except in a limited way, in certain subjects, it really doesn't make a lot of sense. English literature is a good example. Thematically, you could teach poetry and cover a broad range of authors and types. Or the Romantics. Or English or American Lit. That makes sense. Even geography can be taught thematically (not terrific, but possible) - teach mountains and use examples from different continents, teach migration patterns and use different group movements. But nearly every other area of education has a basic level that builds into more developed concepts.