SECTION 1
BE DEMANDING
Items 1-4
ITEMS 1-4
ITEM I
I use the standards to guide every learning opportunity
The first item covered in the 12 Touchstones is unpacking the standards. This is essential because it helps to "identify what the students need to know and be able to do" (Goodwin & Hubbell 2013). The standards can be complicated but it's important for the teacher to focus and not go into an extreme of aligning current and future lessons they are not able to connect with students or try to be too entertaining and lose the intention of the lesson. It is important to have the right balance between being engaging and challenging that help student and encourages them to listen, learn and understand.
In unpacking the standards for Finical literacy I had to adapt the lesson to fit a mixed grade class.
Common Core Standard
Students will be able to understand basic financial literacy. Students will gain information and skills to have a foundation in finances.
Unpack the Standard
I used the 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching (Goodwin, B. & Hubble, E., 2013), as the foundation on how to unpack the standards for this lesson. These are the standards that I wanted my students to understand and learn from the lesson.
Understand the steps of financial planning and making a budget
Identify short and long term goals and impacts it has to good spending habits
Evaluate and compare career opportunities, income potential and other sources of income
understand the difference between gross and net income, factors that affect deductions on wages and income
Identify and prioritize fixed, variable and periodic budget categories
References
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
ITEM 2
I ensure students set personal objectives for each lesson
I ensure students set personal objectives for each lesson
It is important for teachers to help students set up personal learning goals. Students should set up long term learning goals and then breaking up those goals into smaller short term goals " learning objectives that break learning into achievable, bite-sized chunks" (Goodwin & Hubbell 2013). It is also beneficial for teachers to set up classroom goals that are ambitious goals for the school. It can be 3-5 goals that can inspire students to achieve and work hard.
Goodwin & Hubbell (2013) state that " setting goals and achieving small goals, students develop fate control, learned optimism, and a willingness to take on new challenges". This is why teaching students how to set goals is so important it enables them to 1. understand the correlation between hard work and results 2. it teaches them about perseverance. These tools will help students be able to achieve success in school and in life, learning that we can make mistake, how to learn from them and continue to move forward to achieve goals.
Ideas to help students set personal objectives:
I will use the ideas based on 7 habits of happy kids, to begin with, the end in mind in order to have kids set up the classroom and personal goals for the year. In the 7 Habits it says having a plan " I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school’s mission and vision"
In class, we will review our goal at the end of the week and have students review their personal goals. Then discuss how are doing and what can be improved.
References
Covey, S. (2008). The 7 habits of happy kids. New York: Simon & Schuster
ITEM 3
I peel back the curtain and make my performance expectations clear
It is important for teachers, students and parents have a clear understanding of what is being graded and how. This communication sets clear guidelines that ensure the students can be successful. Rubrics and be used for formative or summative assessment depending on the nature of the lesson or test. In the article by Jackson &Larkin (2002) give various examples of how to set up rubrics for assessments. The importance of rubrics if it provides "a framework for teachers, parents, and students to understand the expectations of an assignment before the project begins". (Jackson & Larkin 2002)
References
Jackson, C., & Larkin, M. (2002). Teaching Students to Use Grading Rubrics. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 35(1), 40-45
ITEM 4
I measure understanding against high expectations
It is important that grades reflect a student's academic performance. Teachers have a tendency to pad grades for a various of factors , and "soften expectations for students by making allowances for effort, ability, behavior, and attitude" (Bursuck et al., 1996). This unfortunately makes grades not based on performance and does not reflect the students understanding of the class. This has a huge impact on students because skills build upon each other and when a grade does not reflect the students understanding it makes it difficult for proper placement. The students then has an unrealistic expectation of success that can have long term effects.
In my class I plan to prevent this my applying these ideas to grading and managing my class from The 12 Touchstones
1. Using non academic methods to address behavior issues and not grade based on effort.
2. Use a grading Rubric to ensure that expectation are clear on what is required for mastery of the concept or lesson.
3. Provide students with feedback on homework to help them improve and allow them to make up missed work
4.Using assessments to assess concepts and critical thinking, and ask open ended questions to facilitate critical thinking and check knowledge on subject.
Bursuck, W. D., Munk, D. D., & Olson, M. M. (1999). The Fairness of Report Card Grading Adaptations: What Do Students With and Without Learning Disabilities Think? Remedial and Special Education, 20(2), 84–105.