Talk:James Foody Portoflio

-- Janewilde 23:37, 4 October 2012 (EDT)

10/4 Nice start.

-- Janewilde 16:04, 10 October 2012 (EDT)

I'd like to see more in your needs assessment. Have you found any literature on differentiated instruction and the needs of teachers with regard to it? Be careful to do more than give information. You don't want to be completely instructivist.

Re: -- James Foody 10:43, 28 October 2012 (EDT)

Jane, I added to my needs assessment...I did some research and added an idea from expert Northey and I surveyed some social studies teachers at Colonie High where I substitute a lot.

Love this topic! -- Valerie Nobile 17:10, 22 October 2012 (EDT)

James, I am a HUGE supporter of differentiated instruction! As a student, I wish more of my teachers worked hard to reach my unique learning needs. As a teacher, I have witnessed the power differentiated instruction has for students because they really are all different. I am interested to see how you are specifically relating it solely to social studies. Social studies was never my favorite subject to learn, so I would definitely like to see what your course looks like. My only critique on your portfolio is in your sub categories, I think you could bold certain parts to make them stand out. Good luck!

Thanks Valerie,

I also really like this topic and feel it is important. I like your advice for the sub categories to be bolded.

-Jimmy

-- Maree Michaud-Sacks 22:26, 24 October 2012 (EDT)

Hi Jimmy,

I also love the topic of differentiated instruction. From looking at your portfolio, I’m wondering if you have considered using different verbs for your objectives. Many times it may be difficult to describe or measure how someone will “know” or “understand” something. If you try to add more descriptive action verbs, it may be easier for you to assess your students.

I hope this suggestion helps! Maree

Re: -- James Foody 10:57, 25 October 2012 (EDT)

Maree, that does help and is a great idea, thank you. Do you have some suggestions for good verbs to use as well?

Re: Re: -- Maree Michaud-Sacks 14:08, 25 October 2012 (EDT)

I use this resource often: http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html

The resources make suggestions for verbs based on the level of learning you are trying to reach, but also puts the verbs in terms of the nature of the learning outcomes. So to replace "Understand" you could try using: Summarize/Classify/Clarify/Predict, depending on the type of outcome you were looking for. There are also more verbs listed in the different links on the page : )

great! thanks!

-- Diana M. Cary 13:39, 27 October 2012 (EDT)

Hi Jimmy, Your needs assessment seems carefully thought out and I see you have done some research by speaking to other instructors. I will certainly be doing this with my mini-course. I will need to ask many questions from my colleagues to get this right.

I agree with Maree's suggestions for finding other verbs for your objectives. I will take a look at the link she provided as well.

This is all new to me so I am trying to capture everything I can from all of you.

-- Janewilde 13:20, 15 November 2012 (EST)

Well developed portfolio.

You identify the tpyes of learning you hope your students will gain according to Gagne's five. Good for you, not many have done this! You conducted an effective needs analysis demonstrating that you an get a lot of useful information from informal surveys of colleagues.

Your performance objectives employ ok (not great) verbs and still lack measurability As Maree points out be careful of using words like know and understand even in prerequisites becuase they are difficult to measure. How do you know someone knows or understands? If you can determine what they will DO to demonstrate their knowledge or their understanding use what ever that DOing is as your verb. Determine is not much better than know or understand unless you add to it. What will they do to show you they have determined. Determined, know and understand are things you do in your head. You are looking for a verb that describes a performance that will show their internal processes. Excellent references. Check out the curriculum maps and task analyses of your colleagues here if you need direction on those components.