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thoughts on problem-based learning

Posted Friday, April 04, 2008 10:27 PM by jtspencer
For the last two weeks, students in my class have explored multiple facets of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. They have analyzed sources for bias, posed intelligent questions, created metaphors for the conflict and developed solutions. I admit that Read More...
6 Comments

exploring metaphors

Posted Saturday, March 29, 2008 5:37 AM by jtspencer
"It's a sun," a girl explains without offering even a concise explanation for her metaphor of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. "I'm not sure I'm seeing the connection," I prod carefully, placing the blame on myself rather than suggesting that she might Read More...
1 Comments

Socrates in McDonalds

Posted Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:13 AM by jtspencer
She greets the students with a faux smile and haggard eyes, offering the same rehearsed line, "pick up your bell work," and like androids, they wander to their assigned seats. Though she resembles a Wal-Mart greeter, the classroom most closely resembles Read More...
5 Comments

12 things that need to change

Posted Thursday, March 06, 2008 7:32 PM by jtspencer
Sometimes I feel as if I don't fit into the system of education. I wonder if I am just crazy or if I am part of a silent minority (perhaps even majority) who feel the same way. So, I am making a list of paradigm shifts that I think many teachers, administrators Read More...
3 Comments

can I reach the iGeneration?

Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:08 PM by jtspencer
In our English Language Development class (a thirty minute mandated period where I am supposed to offer scripted, factory-direct instruction) I posed the question, "Why don't kids read?" Students discussed the difficulty of reading text that has been Read More...
6 Comments

why I like movie nights

Posted Saturday, January 26, 2008 5:22 AM by jtspencer
A small crowd of ten students gather in my classroom for our monthly movie night. The name is a bit of a misnomer. The movie actually runs from 4:45-5:15, but "Monthly Movie Late-Afternoon/Early Evening" sounds convoluted. I guess most lies are borne Read More...
3 Comments

gender-based education

Posted Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:40 AM by jtspencer
Gender-based education, once relegated to parochial schools and stodgy prep academies, is now becoming a popular trend in education. Parents swear by the need to separate adolescents to help ease concentration. (Some would argue in favor of sending all Read More...
1 Comments

in ten words or less

Posted Thursday, December 13, 2007 5:43 PM by jtspencer
Educational Philosophy in Less Than Ten Words: Someone challenged me to define my educational philosophy in ten words or less. While I initially scoffed at the excercise (considering it as a sound-byte creation) I found it to be challenging and interesting. Read More...
7 Comments

an unintended present

Posted Friday, December 07, 2007 4:28 AM by jtspencer
Yesterday, staff development was actually very relevant. However, it was painful. The question at hand was, "Why did our school fail to make AYP?" Looking back, I failed to differentiate between AYP and "Why is our school a failing school?" They used Read More...
1 Comments

Does teaching make you happy?

Posted Friday, November 30, 2007 5:56 AM by jtspencer
It's six fifty-six and I have no idea what I'm teaching first hour. It has to do with the sixties and the counter-culture, but I'm still undecided about how it will flesh out. I'm sure I have something typed up in the lesson plan binder (the one where Read More...
4 Comments

what Charlie Brown taught me about teaching

Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007 7:31 PM by jtspencer
Sometimes on a rough day, when I'm feeling more insecure than usual, I play a little game. It's so subtly manipulative that it seems benevolent. Unlike the more obvious put-downs or the fishing for compliments, I almost subconciously try and build a mini-monument Read More...
3 Comments

what a dirty job can teach us

Posted Tuesday, November 20, 2007 6:46 AM by jtspencer
Recently, while lounging around my in-law's house, I stumbled across a t.v. show about the "dirtiest jobs." I'm not sure what it's called. Perhaps "America's Dirtiest Jobs." If I wasn't feeling lazy, I'd open up a new tab and search on google. Anyway, Read More...
0 Comments

changing priorities

Posted Thursday, November 15, 2007 5:14 AM by jtspencer
Last night, we showed a video of the IMPACT program to our school board. To my surprise, allowing the children to tell their viewpoint on the program was the most powerful feature of the presentation. One of the board members was in tears and the audience's Read More...
2 Comments

the "F-word" that really does have power

Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 10:01 AM by jtspencer
Our school is like a prison. From the uniforms to the bland walls to the security cameras and the cafeteria food. The average student is told what to do at all times - when to eat, when to pee, when to play (but not too rough), what to say, when to speak, Read More...
6 Comments

should kids have to memorize the fifty states?

Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2007 6:01 AM by jtspencer
Sometime around fifth grade, the teacher energetically rolled out a huge map of the United States. "By the end of this unit," he began (I didn't even know what a unit was) "you will know the capital of every one of these states." Students gasped in shock. Read More...
4 Comments
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