Improve Your Memory

By: Madison Brosky

Watch this Video to test how your memory is before learning about these future techniques!

To help yourself or others remember something more easily, researchers have suggested a few simple things matter in memory matters:

•       Depth - how deeply you process something helps you integrate it into and recall it from memory.
•       Meaning - how much meaning you can draw from an experience helps recall
•       Elaboration - Connecting other information or thoughts to the experience makes it more likely to be remembered.
•       Distinctiveness - A memory that is different or unique in some way from other memories is also easier to recall.

 If I was to use this in the classroom, the depth is how deeply you process information and turn it into a memory, meaning in other words how much meaning can you draw from this experience, and elaboration, connecting other thoughts and feeling to the experience. 

Memory is a crazy thing because the brain does not work as a road map everything depends on chance and personal influences. I think it is important to figure out strategies that will help each student recall memories in their past, or even so they can have a better understanding of the material being presented to them. 

I was told that Talking/Thinking, helps one elaborate and add depth to their memory. If as a teacher I push to make these thoughts stand out in the kid's mind it will help them with their future education, they will be able to recall information that was given in the past that will almost always work like a chain reaction of memories.

The most important way of teaching is rehearsing, saying something over and over teachers say will help it stick in your brain. I never really understood that saying until we worked with this module in my TE 150 class. It actually means that it will stick and be easier to remember as one rehearses more and more. So not only will learning how to store things in our brain for memories be beneficial as teachers it will really be beneficial for our students.

#DayWithoutImmigrants

By: Riss Willwerth

This article discusses a school in Southern California in a predominantly Latino district. Six high school employees were recently put on leave for publicly posting and commenting on students on social media who decided to partake in the “Day without Immigrants” protest. This protest urged all immigrants to not attend school or work and not spend any money that day. This all in response to Trumps recent political talk and decisions. Business’ and schools all over the country saw the effect of not having these people work and how it could potentially hurt all their businesses.

Five high school teachers and one guidance counselor posted comments such as,”50 students were gone… it was a very pleasant day” and “the school was much cleaner…there were no discipline issues…roads were less busy”. As well as “That’s what you get when you jump on some crazy bandwagon cause its an excuse to be lazy and/or get drunk” and that “my cumulative gpa increased and the mostly failing students were missing...classes less disruptive...lets do this more”. In my opinion the administration of this school district had every right to put them on administrative leave. The comments made by these teachers are extremely inappropriate and rude and way out of line for any teacher to say out loud let alone post on social media. Although the posts are deleted, photos of these posts are still flying around social media. These kids are old enough to know whats going on in the world and when the politics of today is something that could greatly affect them I see why they would partake in this protest. That’s what this country is about, freedom to protest. I am glad these teachers are getting repercussions from their actions because as an educator, that is just not acceptable and can make teachers in general look bad.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/02/19/these-california-teachers-mocked-students-for-skipping-school-on-immigrant-boycott-day/?utm_term=.6d954a5b9947

Observing Communities

Written By: Andrea Thanos 

As a student entering the education field, I am also a part of the global cohort here at Michigan State University. To give you a little background on the global cohort, it is a class that prepares future educators to teach with a global view and to impact today’s diverse classrooms. I found out about this cohort during my orientation, and instantly it caught my eye. I feel that this program is so important because it prepares young people to envision the world in new ways.

For one of our main projects this year, our Cultural Competency project, we were given four options. One of which began with attending three MRULE meetings. MRULE is a club that holds meetings all around campus at various times throughout the week. I had heard about these clubs previously and was intrigued by this club that promotes leadership, difference, and helps build the community together. I instantly picked this option and so far have attended two meetings. I believe this organization relates to my field because it aims to guide students into broadening their horizons and open up their eyes to other peoples’ beliefs and ways of life. This is something that I myself have gathered from being a part of the global cohort program over this past semester and a half.

At these meetings I was able to share my beliefs, while still being receptive and attentive to the perspective of others. In the first meeting I attended we were given puzzle pieces and were told to find our matching partners. Once we found our partners we were asked to answer a few questions to each other. After that we split up into small groups were we continued discussions. The next meeting, we communicated in a different way. We all sat in a large circle and had a very free flowing kind of discussion. There was never a need to raise your hand and wait to be called on, but instead it was encouraged to say what you felt whenever you felt like sharing. I enjoyed both types of discussion, but felt more comfortable in smaller groups.




This club aims to tie the community together and connect people from various different backgrounds. It represented everything that it claimed to be. I would recommend to everyone and anyone to attend at least one MRULE meeting throughout the years at Michigan State.

Why English?

By: Megan Ross

 If you choose to go into secondary education, like I did, you have to pick a subject to major in. I chose english, and often people ask me why. Many people think that subjects like math and science are much more practical. And although we all read a few books in high school that didn't seem to play a role in our future, I chose english because I have always loved it.
     
Sure, doctors and engineers don't need to know much about literature and writing, but it's bigger than that. The subject of english isn't about bettering your career or salary. It's about growing as a person. I've been a big reader my whole life and I honestly think it has helped me become better in other ares of my education. People that struggle with reading tend to struggle in different ares as well, so being a big reader has always helped me along. I love the way that when you're reading a great book, your mind leaves all of your problems and stress behind. I want to share with my future students the feeling of finishing a great book. I want them to read a poem and not cringe because they don't understand, but rather smile because it has a beautiful message. I want them to create their own stories and write them fluently and well.

 I know I'm not saving lives, or building expensive machines, but the opportunity to help students grow in their knowledge and depth is important to me. I am so happy I get to share my passion with other people.
     
So, if you were ever wondering why english, the answer is because I want people to fall in love with words the way I did when I was a a little girl.

Media Sources:

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/inspirational-reading-quotes/

http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/562742.html

Required Courses in University

By: Jessica Lusky

I was very frustrated the other day after receiving a test score from my History of Life course. I have not done well on any of the exams thus far and have done everything in my power to prepare for the best results possible. The reason I am slightly angered by the course is because it does not have any relation to my major in which I chose to focus on for the next four years. This is not the first university required class I have taken, but it is the least interesting to me and least related to my major which has made it very difficult for me to succeed. I decided to do a little bit of research to see if maybe I was just being a little bit too negative, or if others had the same views I did.


I came across an article, “Why You Should Consider a College That Doesn’t Require General Education Requirements”, which explains a pro and con of general education course requirements at the university level. The pro discussed is that there is a high value in a well-rounded education. This type of education is said to enhance communication skills, improve critical thinking skills, and solve problems in a more creative manner which are all helpful to employers in any field and the world as a whole. The con brought up explains that general education classes are a waste of money and time to students who already have a major declared and could be taking classes that relate to their interests.


I completely understand both sides of the argument, and to be completely honest my stance varies depending on the specific requirement. While I agree a well-rounded education is very helpful, I think we get the basics in kindergarten through 12th grade and there are only a few general courses that should be continued. Maybe the general requirements should vary for each college within the university? For example, I am in the college of social sciences and the class I mentioned earlier is about the evolution of rocks and fossils which has absolutely no relation to any profession that a social science major might choose to pursue. Therefore, the class seems like a waste of time and money to me. However, I understand why an english or writing class would be necessary because basic writing skills could be essential for many occupations in the social science field.


Do you think it would be too complicated for the universities with general requirements to drastically change them for each college/major? If so, do you believe they should be kept for a well-rounded education or taken out because of the unnecessary money and time?

Should Attendance Matter?

By Seneca Barker


An article I read this week on usatoday.com got me thinking a lot about college attendance policies.

This article discusses how a large number of  college attendance policies seem too strict, and often times inflate grades.

When asked about this topic, Sam Artley, a senior studying social relations and policy at MSU said, "There would be no need for mandatory attendance as students seeking high grades will quickly learn that they need to attend the course regularly. Inflating grades with 10-20 percent of your score coming from attendance is a poor judgement of an individual's competency in the course."

Personally, I fell that colleges should not have an attendance policy. Or if they do, it should be something along the lines of, "you are free to miss 2-3 classes before there is a penalty."

Here at Michigan State, the average student spends about $14,880 on tuition. That's a lot of money to pay to not be able to decide if you can handle skipping a class here or there.

Now don't get me wrong, my stance on college level attendance is not because I support lazy students that just don't want to go class. My stance is because I feel that college students need more self-responsibility, and understanding of choices having consequences.

Students in college are at least 18 years old and seen as legal adults, which means its times to learn that you are responsible for yourself and the decisions you make. If a student wants to skip class week after week and ultimately fail, I think colleges should let them. They are adults, they are making that choice, and they will learn that poor decisions or habits have negative consequences. The school is still getting paid whether they show up or not, so they are only hurting themselves.

Picture Source: http://www.quotesofdaily.com

I can see why some people would be against having no attendance policy. However, having a professor lower your grade for every absence seems crazy to me. I understand that you get the most out of a course by attending regularly. However, college students shouldn't need their hands held to remind them to show up for class each week.


Osman, Rachel. "Should Class Attendance Be Mandatory? Students, Professors Say No." USA Today.        Gannett Satellite Information Network, 30 June 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Sample Budgets." Sample Budgets | Office of Financial Aid | Michigan State University. Michigan State      University, 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

It's as easy as learning your ABC's

By: Maddie Brosky

           In this video, it is clear to see that this teacher is very unintelligent when it comes to teaching her students their ABC's. But what in reality anyone could become a teacher? No degrees, no requirements, no enjoyment for teaching, no age limit, no limits at all.

           If anyone could become a teacher I think most can agree that our school system and students ability to actually learn something could become something like the video above. Although this video is very comical in the sense that she is supposed to be an educator and doesn't even know her ABC's. But the fact that the principle didn't even realize this was the person he was hiring. Could you imagine sitting in this particular classroom and repeating A-B-C multiple times and the teacher saying alright your good you know all your ABC's? Well, what about the other 23 letters? How can we possibly spell out words with only 3 letters?

        I think we often take for granted how much intelligence goes into actually becoming a teacher and being able to educate a class full of young students that have no idea if what you are telling them is even right or wrong. Kids take everything a teacher says as the truth so when we mess with that ability it can mess with the trust a student feels when they are trying to actually learn something.

       Overall watching this video it was hard not to laugh at how uneducated they made this teacher seem. I mean come on all educators should have some sense of intelligence, they are the ones supposed to be teaching our kids the base of everything for the future of their education. This video is a great representation of what some people may think about our education system, but also how much worse the education could be.

Not Just a Teacher

By: Riss Willwerth

In an article I read, Jaime Madison discusses the responses of others when you tell people you are going into teaching. The number of typical responses us teaching majors recieve, is ridiculous. The author opens the article by telling a story about a guy she knew who exclaimed, “you’re okay with being just a teacher?” to her. She responds with emotion saying, “seriously?” What does that mean? Why is it seen as a bad thing to just want to teach? How do we as a society get rid of this negative stereotype?

The stereotype that being a teacher is not a way to be successful is very degrading. The amount teachers do goes way beyond classroom work. The amount of hours spent working on IEPS and paperwork and grading and creating lesson plans far exceeds the 8-hour school day. Without education and teachers, people cannot get degrees, and therefore have trouble getting a job. We need teachers and they are very, very important part of society. It is clear that it isn’t the career with the most money, but that just shows how much teaching majors love what they are wanting to do. We wouldn’t be in this field if we didn’t want to change lives.

I think everyone going into this field has heard most of the stereotypes and is not too shocked when hearing them every so often. When someone asks me what I am going into I am proud to say that its Special Education. I know what I want to do and as annoying as the stereotypes and responses of those who don’t view things the way I do, I am not concerned because I am the one that will be teaching not them. This is what I’m meant to do and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

https://jaimemadison.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/just-a-teacher/

Murdoch's Khan Academy

Written By: Andrea Thanos

When I reminisce back to the good ol’ elementary school days I remember sitting in a cluster of four desks, surrounded by my classmates, who like I was, were all learning a lesson taught to us via an overhead projector. I am talking about one of those projectors that had a lightbulb that would reflect off onto a chalkboard (yes chalkboard, not a dry erase board). Now I have myself feeling like a eighty five year old women, but as an eighteen year old looking back on how much has changed in such a short amount of time in classroom settings just proves how many technological advances have been made in our classrooms. A major advancement that has been made and implemented in classrooms and in homes around the nation has been Rupert Murdoch’s Khan Academy.

Rupert Murdoch argues that educators must harness technology to spark students’ imaginations. Murdoch is the inventor of Khan Academy, a service that provides an online library of math videos and assessments for students to use that is individualized that motivates students with immediate feedback and rewards. Murdoch began his quest to find a way to help all types of learners when his niece asked him for math tutoring. The problem was they were about 1000 miles apart. Murdoch made a tutorial like video which quickly went viral and developed into Khan Academy.

Khan Academy is “…changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.” What Murdoch has done has transformed the way children around the country are learning and he’s using today’s technology to the fullest. With these step by step videos students morales and confidence levels boost. In a study done with a pilot classroom children showed signs that they were more motivated, and seemed to be more engaged. We can’t expect a monkey to be able to swim, or an elephant to be able to climb a tree, but what we can do is help students to learn in a way that is best for them all as individuals.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

By: Megan Ross

While in an ISS class this week, my professor played this video for the class. I am usually very tired in the class but for some reason when Steve Jobs started talking, I was enthralled. He spoke about his life experiences and how his failures helped him to blossom. It's funny how our roadblocks become doors to a new path. What really inspired me was his story.     

Steve talks about how his birth mother put him up for adoption with the regulations for the new parents being that they graduated from college. The parents set up to adopt him were really hoping for a girl, so when he was born they backed out. Steve's parents got a call in the middle of the night and even though they hadn't gone to college, they promised his birth mother that he would. Steve had a good education but after a year in college he felt like he wasn't becoming better. He was spending all of his parent's hard earned money to pass classes and not learn things he really liked. He dropped out of college and struggled to get by, but he sat through classes that truly interested him, like calligraphy.
     
When him and his friend invented the Mac a little while later, the fonts and typing styles wouldn't have been possible without Steve sitting in on that calligraphy class. He faced many hardships, one being fired from Apple, the company he created. However, this led him to create Pixar, another brilliant idea. What I learned is that great things come from the hardships.
    
I applied this to my life. I am taking classes that interest me and bettering myself so that after my college experience is over, I am ready to take the next step in my life: become a teacher. I am going to be so happy, I can just feel it. I am so passionate about the things I am learning and what I will become. Steve Jobs ended his commencement speech talking about a phrase that always stuck with him from a magazine when he was a young adult. It said "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish." I love that. Throughout my education and later career I am going to make sure I never let my setbacks get the best of me, and of course I am forever going to be hungry and foolish.

The Young People's Project

By:Jessica Lusky

For just over 20 years, a project called Young People’s Project (YPP) has been focusing on social change in the education system. They have been teaching math literacy and coding skills while embracing their past and realizing how it has prepared them for a future filled with growth and success. Eight 8th grade students from Brinkley Middle School in Jackson, Mississippi founded this program in 1996 to train, employ, and support many high school students in becoming Math Literacy Workers. In the first ten years, they accomplished this task with 1,000 students. The Math Literacy Workers that they train and support begin passing on their talents by teaching math to elementary students in their neighborhoods and becoming engaged citizens who are ready to make a difference in their own lives, then the lives of others, and eventually throughout the United States.

The efforts of these students amazed me while looking through their website, http://www.typp.org. These African American students realized they were were poor an oppressed and wanted to become a part of a society that had meaning to them. They turned right to education while figuring out how the system they are a part of can be drastically changed which is outstanding to me. The education system never receives the amount of credit it deserves, so the acknowledgment it was given by this program was very shocking and inspiring to me.

There are many ways to reduce the presence of ethnic, gender, and class discrimination, but the way they envisioned the future in terms of breaking through these barriers was very inspiring to me because of my passion for education related work. YPP focuses on using math literacy work to develop the capability of elementary through high school students to thrive in school and life in general. In doing this, the students were involved in efforts to eliminate institutional setbacks. While working on this mission they visualized a day when every individual regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or class has equal access to an education and the high quality skills needed to meet and overcome the challenges of their generation.

Really, you want to be a teacher??

By: Maddie Brosky

In college when you tell someone you are going into a specific field, they always have their opinions. The main opinion people have on teachers is the pay but there are also many truths and myths about teaching. Everyone knows that most college students do not go into teaching to become filthy rich. So what exactly are some common misconceptions about teaching in general?

In this video, it talks about the value certain professionals hold and that that value corresponds the amount of money they make. The greater the value, the larger the salary. But in the case of a teacher, for the amount of education they have to withhold in order to be in that career they are very underpaid. Teachers are one of the lowest paid job professionals for having to have a college degree and even more. In 27 states, the average teacher salary has declined about 1.3% since 1999 (NEA). To become a teacher it takes years of college and experience, but this is no longer helping them it is actually making it worse. Not only do teachers start lower than other professionals, but the more years they put into teaching, the more money they spend and the less they are going to end up making.

People say that teachers should “make less than full-time professionals.” But I do not think that people put into consideration that most teachers spend an average of 50 hours per week on instructional duties, including an average of 12 hours each week on non-compensated school-related activities (NEA) like grading papers, getting kids on correct buses, and preparing for parent teacher conferences. Educators work for the public, so they have a large number of job requirements but receive so much less in return. "Teachers receive excellent health and pension benefits" the truth to this is the benefits of other workers would not have declined as much in recent years if they had the protection of a union, collective bargaining, and an independent voice on the job like public school teachers  (NEA). And lastly “Teaching is easy, anyone can do it” this is where most people start to gather their opinions on why students choose this field, the reality is Education is also complex, demanding work that requires high levels of creativity, adaptability, thoughtful planning and resourcefulness much of which is learned from cumulative classroom experience. Teaching is not just watching kids all day like their babysitters, it requires much more time and effort than that. Teachers are the people who shape the young into their future selves.

I believe this article has shown me that no matter the field there are always going to be misrepresentations. This connects to me because of my major but this website has the truths about tons of different careers I recommend everyone takes a look. In the long run, the only thing that matters is your personal opinion on your career choice, do whatever makes you happy and don't let people's opinions that have not had the education about the field misguide you.

Sources:

Schools, NEA Public. "Myths and Facts about Educator Pay." NEA. National Education Association, 4 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

A Special Wedding (Prompt #9)

By: Riss Willwerth

"Recognizing Significance: Find a news story that reports on or demonstrates the importance of your field. Explain the significance of the work done in your discipline, using specific examples from the news story and your other blogging sources as evidence."

This article tells the story of Kinsey French’s wedding. A special education teacher from Kentucky who had her 6 students with down syndrome in her wedding as flower girls and ring bearers. This was her first and only class she’s ever had and these kids are like her family.

This article to me demonstrated the importance of special education. As a teacher you are supposed to help students learn. But you also are supposed to be a mentor and for others going into teaching I know that being an inspiration to kids is something we are striving for. This woman’s students feel so close and strongly about her and have this amazing connection that they were able to participate in her wedding. A lot of times kids with disabilities can be closed off to people they aren’t used to. As a teacher it is your job to break through that and create a connection. You are teaching students life skills as well as working on speech and movement skills, and these kid’s disabilities are something that can be sensitive to them so establishing this trust is key. That’s why I feel that this article is an example of the importance of special education because I feel it shows that connection. Some parts to being a special education teacher include teaching basic literacy skills and working with those with severe to mild cognitive, emotional, and physical disabilities. They also work on IEP’s and help kids with other classes and social life. But mostly they work to get to know their student and support them in any way they can. This is the importance of Special Education.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/weddings/amazing-teacher-invites-her-entire-special-ed-class-to-be-in-her-wedding/ar-BBwQPtT