(Part 3) Top products from r/education

Personally, I think you're quite brave. I'm a biology and integrated science teacher and trained in biology and there is no way in hell I would approach a class like that. You could really make a difference as long as you don't get kicked out and fired in the process. There are some great books on teaching evolution. I do think being up front about teaching evolution is probably the better idea rather than to spring it on them all later. Part of me would ask the Principal if the letter is alright, the other have would ask for forgiveness later. When you do discuss biology/evolution make sure they understand that most natural philosophers were believers. Darwin definitely was (which is one of the reasons why he had such a problem internally).

This is a good book for your personal understanding of the history of the topic: Evolution: The history of an idea

These are good ones for teaching Evolution:
NSTA Toolkit for teaching Evolution
and
Teaching about evolution and the nature of science.

As far as the letter goes, I would not admit that you have no advanced training in teaching evolution. That leaves holes for them to say, "Well if you aren't trained in it, then don't teach it." I do like that you say your background is in physics. That gives them something to be similar to you with. "In as fair manner as I can" also gives them holes. Just say that you are going to be presenting it fairly and discussing both (which I assume you have to teach the biblical version in your school anyway). I like the "general scientific processes that..." but I would follow with something about the tools evolution uses. Depending on your area, I've seen a large movement against "Critical Thinking Skills" and calling them "indoctrination." As much as we know critical thinking is goal, many fundamentalists do not anymore. The bullying and mocking statement is perfect :)

Good luck and Godspeed. Hope I helped a little bit.

Not to diminish your concerns (knowing someone's name IS important), but there are, like, 24 other things that you should be deathly afraid of. But soldier on! You can do it! I recommend The First Days of School by the Wongs and Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire.

And you remember kids' names like anything else-- use mnemonic tricks. Learn at least one thing about each student that you can identify with his or her face (and name). Also name cards, seating chart, get-to-know-you games, etc. Say their names as often as possible until you learn them.

Good luck!

> I said they were about average for the city. Which they are.

Show me. Though I fear we're treading into confirmation bias territory, I would be interested in any city-wide data comparisons you can provide.

> That would be a much better way to tell if they're helping their kids learn than this snapshot.

A series of snapshots is called a motion picture but, still, I agree: oranges to oranges comparisons are always preferable. This school, however, isn't an orange, it's a miniature kumquat, making it hard to draw direct comparisons.

I'm a fan of schools experimenting with ways to color outside the box and I like the premise of mastery based education. The unanswered question isn't whether or not this school is doing anything radically experimental (it isn't) or whether or not what they are doing is radically effective (it isn't.) The question calls up a simple cost-benefit decision: whether or not it's fair to divert resources from the rest of the population to fund a program that is going to see many of any cohort age out before they achieve mastery. Imagine if every school had two teachers in each classroom and a 7:1 ratio.

Sometimes it sucks to be a square peg in a round hole world but that doesn't mean we should be retooling every hole to accommodate the outliers. The job of the public schools isn't to balance the scales to assure equal outcomes, it's to provide equal treatment and opportunity. This school is the proverbial thumb on the scale that inherently means other schools are underserved.

There's a great book on this topic - http://www.amazon.com/The-Trouble-Schools-David-Labaree/dp/030011978X The Trouble with Ed Schools.

TFA's admission criteria is pretty smart - they argue that it's easier to teach educational pedagogy than subject content (I strongly agree), so teacher candidates should be admitted based upon their content strength.

Further along these lines, I'm against undergraduate Education degrees - I don't think someone can start as an effective 5-12th grade social studies teacher unless they already have an undergraduate degree in History. You should really only start training "to become a teacher" after you've already mastered the content that you'll be teaching.

Here are some activities courtesy of John Van de Walle:

On the board write a collection of 8 to 10 factions. A few should be greater than 1, with the others ranging from 0 to 1. Let students sort the fractions into three groups: those close to 0, close to 1/2, and close to 1. For those close to 1/2, have them decide if the fraction is more or less than 1/2. The difficulty of this task largely depends on the fractions. The first time you try this, use fractions such as 1/20, 53/100, or 9/10 that are very close to the three benchmarks. On subsequent days, use fractions with most of the denominators less than 20. You might include one or two fractions such as 2/8 or 3/4 that are exactly in between the benchmarks. As usual, require explanations for each fraction.

Have students name a fraction that is close to 1 but not more than 1. Next, have them name another fraction that is even closer to 1 than that. For the second response, they have to explain why they believe the fraction is closer to 1 than the previous fraction. Continue for several fractions in the same manner, each one being closer to 1 than the previous fraction. Similarly, try close to 0 or even close to 1/2 (either under or over). The first several times you try this activity, let the students use models to help with their thinking. Later, see how well their explanations work when they cannot use models or drawings. Focus discussions on the relative size of fractional parts.

Draw a picture of a shape with a portion shaded, or a number line with an "x" on it. Have each student write down a fraction that he or she thinks is a good estimate of the amount shown (or the indicated mark on the number line). Listen without judgment to the ideas of several students and discuss with them why any particular estimate might be a good one. There is no single correct answer, but estimates should be "in the ballpark". If children have difficulty coming up with an estimate, ask if they think the amount is closer to 0, 1/2, or 1.

These activities are all from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Student-Centered-Mathematics-Developmentally-Appropriate/dp/0132824876/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1458582087&sr=8-6&keywords=john+a+van+de+walle which has been a big help to me when planning math lessons.

I'm 47, and I'm self-learned/directed since the age of 10. What I do (Immersive Design & Storytelling) requires 'a bit of everything' in both knowledge and skills: from business planning and interaction design to mythology and programming.

From your first indications, it seems you're going to delve into Neuromarketing!

In order to make it future-proof, you might want to:

• Attend some free, authoritative online courses such as Introduction to Psychology from Yale University, and Positive Psychology from Harvard;
  
• Learn about the Flow Theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, from all his books / audiobooks / video lectures;
  
• Save a few hundred bucks and experiment with a Neurofeedback headset such as the Emotiv Insight, and follow the development of devices such as Neuralink;
  
• Find your niche: for example, if you're also into video games you could enjoy a design / marketing book like 'The Gamer's Brain: How Neuroscience and User Experience Can Impact Video Game Design';
  
• Always look for problems that no one has ever addressed so far, and make solving them your mission!
  
  As for the 'hardness' of learning online:
  
  
• Find your pace: make it a daily habit with a schedule;
  
• Learn in chunks, and instantly apply what you've learned;
  
• Always keep written / vocal notes of your ideas: you would think you will remember them, but you won't;
  
• Organize your ideas visually, with tools like TheBrain and Mindmanager;
  
• Stay motivated: look for study groups where you can share this experience with others;
  
• Be curious about what happens around you: your work will affect the world you live in;
  
• Stay up to date to everything 'futuristic' like VR & AI, and see how they will impact your field;
  
• Follow your inspiration, and understand how can it be converted in money;
  
• Make a path of your own, by creatively combining different (new) subjects and disciplines;
  
  
  And most importantly...
  
  
  NEVER GIVE UP!
  
  
  Even if you fail hard, get back on your ass, analyze what went wrong, and correct the course. ; )

hey, good luck.

The Public Schools

Jim Crow's Children

Ghetto Schooling

We Make the Road By Walking

Teacher in America

Women's Education in the United States, 1740-1840

Savage Inequalities

Shame of the Nation

also, i'll second Tyack's One Best System

a few authors to read/study: John Dewey, Horace Mann, W.E.B. Du Bois, Maria Montessori, Myles Horton, Dianne Ravitch, Jeannie Oakes, bell hooks, Howard Gardner, Betty Reardon, Howard Zinn, Cathy Davidson

topics: Native American boarding schools, ethnic/racial biases of original IQ test designs, desegregation, resegregation, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, Bloom's taxonomy, multiple intelligences, tracking, career and technical education, the Common Core, school choice, special education, peace education, types of schools: traditional public, charter, contract, private, independent; the superintendency and school governance, elected/appointed boards, mayoral control, teacher cooperatives; resource inequalities, the incorporation of technology, teacher training, mind brain education, learning environments, standardized testing, accountability, teacher evaluation...

a list like you've requested could never be exhaustive, but that should be enough to keep you busy for awhile.

These do not seem that different than many state standards. What do you see that is different with these?
At a high-level, lots of standards sound reasonable, but the whole notion of standards, especially ones like these that specify certain content/knowledge at certain ages ignore a lot of what is known about learning and child development. Additionally, these standards are largely driven by companies whose business is making textbooks and standardized tests. Even if the federal gov't doesn't mandate it, states will be compelled to adopt the latest tests, textbooks, and curriculum (to get RTTT funding or other political pressure. Moreover, such national standards move educational decision making further away from teachers and communities.
Here are a couple links to counterbalance the national standards view: here and here. Also check out the great book, One Size Fits Few

http://www.amazon.com/English-Teachers-Companion-Fourth-Edition/dp/0325028400

My teaching companion. It is great and written by a great teacher.

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These are all good books to start with ^^

The Baffler never fails to amuse. They have a good, if somewhat dated, book out here: http://www.amazon.com/Commodify-Your-Dissent-Salvos-Baffler/dp/0393316734/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377804239&sr=1-3&keywords=The+Baffler

Except for a correlation IS a relationship. Though I understand your need for research. I would recommend Spark by Dr. John Ratey and Brain Rules by John Medina. Here's a little web-based snippet of the Exercise chapter from Brain Rules.

Intrinsic

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-What-Understanding-Self-Motivation/dp/0140255265

http://selfdeterminationtheory.org/

i believe its in chapter two of Outliers

Dibs is a touching, non-fictional book.

It was on RadioLab a while back and there's a book about it, too: http://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Unabomber-Education-American-Terrorist/dp/0393020029/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293051065&sr=1-5

I think the more pressing question is: What does this mean for 21st century brains?