Educational Blogging

As someone who has participated in educational blogging as well as observed others participating, I see how it can be used as an invaluable resource in the classroom. Educational blogging refers to the use of blogs as a web based tool that allows teachers to publish posts about a variety of educational topics. Educational blogging can have many purposes from keeping parents informed, raising awareness about important educational issues, and giving advice and resources to other teachers. 

Educational blogging is a great way to keep parents and students informed because it is easy to access and teachers are able to share any relevant information. Blogs make it easy for parents to see what students are doing in class and how they can get involved. Parental involvement in a child's education is an important factor for a student's success. One of my peers wrote a blog post on parental involvement that highlighted the benefits of having a parent actively involved at school. 

Close up of hands typing on a laptop.

Not only does educational blogging keep parents and students informed, it also helps teachers make meaningful change. Many teachers write blogs about movements and necessary changes in the educational world.  There are many aspects of the educational system that need improvement, and raising awareness is one of the first steps to making change. One blog about teachers salaries raises important concerns about the comparisons of the cost of a bachelors degree and an average teachers salary. The post outlines why teachers should be paid more and how they are often undervalued in society.

Lastly, educational blogs allow for experienced teachers to share advice and resources with newer teachers. For example, there are many blogs about classroom management that are good resources for new teachers. New teachers can look up a variety of topics and find helpful information from other teachers through blogs. 

Although my experience with educational blogging has not been very long, I have already seen many ways I could use it in my future classroom. I think it is a great way to express my ideas as a teacher and talk about what I'm passionate about. I also think it is a good way to get students involved, and maybe get them to participate in blogging as well. Students have to write so much in schools, but it is often impersonal writing that may not feel important to them. Blogging allows for students to write about what they care about, which is more engaging. Overall, educational blogging will definitely be a tool I use in my classroom. 

The Whole Child Approach

3 Students Looking at a Laptop in Class

 The whole child approach is an educational approach that encourages teachers to create an environment of belonging and support by acknowledging the humanity of each students. Based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this approach emphasizes the importance of long term growth in a student and focuses less on the traditional view of academic success.  When using the whole child approach, a teacher should consider the physical health, mental health, social emotional development, cognitive development, academic development, and identity development. According to the learning policy institute, this approach has far reaching implications and transformative effects on the student. 

In schools with high at-risk populations, the whole child approach helps students reach their full potential by providing them with resource they need beyond academic support. I think that if there were more schools and classrooms that effectively implemented this approach, we would see more at-risk students graduating and having positive experiences in school. In my future classroom, I want to support students in many ways, not just academically. In my previous school experiences, I had several teachers who used what I would consider a whole child approach. These teachers made me feel important as a person, not just valued for what I contributed to the class academically. When I felt appreciated and seen like this, school was a warmer and more welcoming environment that I looked forward to attending. I want to provide a community and space like this for my future students, which in my opinion will not be possible without the whole child approach. 

Growing Class Sizes

Class size is something that almost every teacher understands is important. Smaller class sizes have been proven to be more effective for direct instruction. However, class size reduction is also very costly, making it a big debate in the education world over how much it matters. It is well known that a smaller classroom allows for teachers to be more attentive in students lives. Furthermore, studies show that class size has an even bigger impact for low income and minority students. Research shows higher rates of college attendance in smaller classes, with an even bigger increase for minority students. This can be attributed to the fact that in smaller classes, teachers have a chance to connect with students and offer a sense of community. One debate surrounding classroom size is that there are other factors in the classroom that are more important than class size such as teacher salary. Some of the reasons people continue to neglect prioritizing smaller classes is because of the belief that smaller class sizes is simply not worth the price tag. 

Classroom Filled With Empty Desks

As a future teacher, I hope that the trend of larger class sizes slows down, so that I can fully give my time and attention to each student. As a math teacher, I understand how each student struggles and understands math in different ways. In a classroom environment, one on one time is crucial to help develop and foster understanding. I think the benefits of small classes are huge, including enhanced learning, community, and feedback. One thing that greatly affects my feelings about class size is my educational background. Coming from an elementary school with small class sizes, around 15, and then experiencing a bigger school later on, I understand the huge impact that it can have. I got to experience having teachers that I could trust and connect with in a small classroom environment. I hope to give my future students the same experience, which is why classroom size is so important to me. 

The Power and Pitfalls of Standardized Testing

Filled in Standardized Test
Scantron

Standardized testing has become a bigger issue in education than ever before, and it can be a very polarizing topic for teachers and administration. The actual definition of standardized testing is when all students taking a test have to answer the same set of selected questions, allowing for people to make comparisons among groups using the results. Although standardized tests have been apart of the American education system for a long time, the current idea of testing every year for all grade levels is a newer progression. The history of standardized testing in the United States has roots dating back to the 1800s, when teachers began searching for ways to formally test students. Throughout the 1900s there were computer and societal advancements that further promoted standardized testing and increased the ways it could be used. Then, in 2001, the No Child Left Behind education reform expanded the use of standardized testing even further, making it the foundation for school assessment and funding. 

I believe that standardized testing can be a very useful tool in classroom, but it is needed in moderation. In modern day classrooms, I believe that standardized testing has become the solution for all problems at the state and federal levels. While it can be a powerful tool, giving tangible and easy to understand evidence of where a student and school ranks, I think this overemphasis of testing has made the classroom a less personal and meaningful place. This is not a new idea, and several figures in history predicted that this may be a problem as standardized tests grew in popularity. One such figure was John Dewey, who observed that "“Our mechanical, industrialized civilization is concerned with averages, with percents. The mental habit which reflects this social scene subordinates education and social arrangements based on averaged gross inferiorities and superiorities.” I see this trend and overemphasis on numbers and percents even more in our education system and world today. Because of my thoughts on how standardized testing is being used in education, I think schools and the government should be thoughtful and intentional about when and how testing is used.