Comments for The Essential Review http://drcarolwetzel.com Education Literature Synthesized Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:08:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on The Essential: Building on the Common Core by Carol Wetzel http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-building-common-core/#comment-308 Carol Wetzel Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:08:15 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=67#comment-308 Thanks, Becky! I just got back from the Council of Great City Schools conference in Boston. I purposefully sat down with Cindy Moss, Director of STEM at CMS in NC, for a two hour personal tutoring on Common Core. She explained in detail what you reference above. I am low on the learning curve and slowly climbing my way up. C Thanks, Becky! I just got back from the Council of Great City Schools conference in Boston. I purposefully sat down with Cindy Moss, Director of STEM at CMS in NC, for a two hour personal tutoring on Common Core. She explained in detail what you reference above. I am low on the learning curve and slowly climbing my way up. C

]]> Comment on The Essential FOCUS by Carol Wetzel http://drcarolwetzel.com/the-essential-focus/#comment-307 Carol Wetzel Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:58:37 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=5#comment-307 I agree with your summation in many regards. The truth is, I don't carry around a compendium called,<strong> Life and People. Everything You Need to Know about It and Them!</strong> Schmoker talks about the value of textbooks, and I agree that it should be a resource, but not THE resource. Can we just keep the old textbooks and not buy anymore? They are so expensive! The point is, that kids should read and write from a single text book as a single source of relevant information doesn't make sense anymore. We don't operate like this as adults, so why should kids be reduced to a single source of information such as a text book. Frankly, it stops kids from having to really think, which is very ironic. As adults, we are presented with tasks and challenges. We ask questions and then go out and seek information from a variety of resources. We think about what we have read, watched, and heard. We synthesize that information and finally we analyze that information to make informed conclusions and ultimately decisions, e.g. we vote. And we get this information from a whole host of sources: autobiographies, biographies, novels, magazines (love magazines of all sorts), online newsletters, tweets, blogs, the "news", I even force myself to watch FOX, although I can barely stand it but then again MSNBC is difficult to stomach too. And we take in all this information off of paper (which I do love because I interact with the text by writing in the margins, underlining, highlighting, etc) but we also have computers, Nooks, iPads, Smartphones, TV, billboards, etc. My 21st century backpack is very heavy. I bet yours is too. Anyway, the point is, Schmoker seems to want to take all teachers back to the basics where they model good reading and writing skills, have kids do a lot of quick writes, engage students in interactive lectures, the teacher continuously checks for understanding, etc... and you know, that's hard to argue with, because fundamentally, that's just good teaching. But, it's also a very teacher centric learning environment where the teacher is learning how to teach while the kids wait for the teacher to catch up to their true capacity. And Mike seems to be anti technology. It's as though he got a bad taste in his mouth some where along the line regarding what he perceives as the "bling" of technology in classrooms and he hasn't seen kids learning with technology vs from technology. He needs to follow up with another book. Maybe he could call it Refocus. Thanks for your reply! It keeps me writing. C I agree with your summation in many regards. The truth is, I don’t carry around a compendium called, Life and People. Everything You Need to Know about It and Them! Schmoker talks about the value of textbooks, and I agree that it should be a resource, but not THE resource. Can we just keep the old textbooks and not buy anymore? They are so expensive! The point is, that kids should read and write from a single text book as a single source of relevant information doesn’t make sense anymore. We don’t operate like this as adults, so why should kids be reduced to a single source of information such as a text book. Frankly, it stops kids from having to really think, which is very ironic.

As adults, we are presented with tasks and challenges. We ask questions and then go out and seek information from a variety of resources. We think about what we have read, watched, and heard. We synthesize that information and finally we analyze that information to make informed conclusions and ultimately decisions, e.g. we vote. And we get this information from a whole host of sources: autobiographies, biographies, novels, magazines (love magazines of all sorts), online newsletters, tweets, blogs, the “news”, I even force myself to watch FOX, although I can barely stand it but then again MSNBC is difficult to stomach too. And we take in all this information off of paper (which I do love because I interact with the text by writing in the margins, underlining, highlighting, etc) but we also have computers, Nooks, iPads, Smartphones, TV, billboards, etc. My 21st century backpack is very heavy. I bet yours is too.

Anyway, the point is, Schmoker seems to want to take all teachers back to the basics where they model good reading and writing skills, have kids do a lot of quick writes, engage students in interactive lectures, the teacher continuously checks for understanding, etc… and you know, that’s hard to argue with, because fundamentally, that’s just good teaching. But, it’s also a very teacher centric learning environment where the teacher is learning how to teach while the kids wait for the teacher to catch up to their true capacity. And Mike seems to be anti technology. It’s as though he got a bad taste in his mouth some where along the line regarding what he perceives as the “bling” of technology in classrooms and he hasn’t seen kids learning with technology vs from technology. He needs to follow up with another book. Maybe he could call it Refocus. Thanks for your reply! It keeps me writing. C

]]> Comment on The Essential Data-Driven and Off Course by Roxanna Elden http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-data-driven/#comment-291 Roxanna Elden Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:09:24 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=46#comment-291 Hello Dr. Wetzel, I just stumbled upon this review of my article while searching for something else. Great job - you accurately summarized my points (no small accomplishment these days) and added some excellent points of your own. I look forward to following your blog. Roxanna Elden Author "See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers" Hello Dr. Wetzel,

I just stumbled upon this review of my article while searching for something else. Great job – you accurately summarized my points (no small accomplishment these days) and added some excellent points of your own. I look forward to following your blog.

Roxanna Elden
Author
“See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers”

]]> Comment on The Essential FOCUS by Christina http://drcarolwetzel.com/the-essential-focus/#comment-282 Christina Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:52:21 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=5#comment-282 Dear Ms. Wetzel, As I read this book, I am finding it to be anti-technology in a technology rich world. I agree on a strong core foundation in curriculum, with reading, writing and talking as the essential focus; but if the outcome of all this preparation is for students' academic advancement toward college prep and to build strong professional skills for the workforce, I am afraid if schools embrace this text as their new bible, we are leading our students down a tunnel rich of content, but void of realistic global skills. I am hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel as I continue to read. If you can share any, please do. Thank you! Dear Ms. Wetzel,
As I read this book, I am finding it to be anti-technology in a technology rich world. I agree on a strong core foundation in curriculum, with reading, writing and talking as the essential focus; but if the outcome of all this preparation is for students’ academic advancement toward college prep and to build strong professional skills for the workforce, I am afraid if schools embrace this text as their new bible, we are leading our students down a tunnel rich of content, but void of realistic global skills. I am hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel as I continue to read. If you can share any, please do.
Thank you!

]]> Comment on The Essential: Building on the Common Core by Carol Wetzel http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-building-common-core/#comment-257 Carol Wetzel Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:35:16 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=67#comment-257 Excellent! Thanks for the clarification. C Excellent! Thanks for the clarification. C

]]> Comment on The Essential Review: All Together Now? by Carol Wetzel http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-review-now/#comment-256 Carol Wetzel Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:33:52 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=54#comment-256 Hi, Lisa - It sounds like your daughter is doing really well in the inclusion environment! She also benefits from having parent involvement in her education. She's a lucky girl. You asked whether inclusion of children with significant disabilities, is a losing situation for all. I believe this decision depends on the child, the parents, and the teachers that will be working with your child. The decision should be made case by case because it's situational. If your daughter joins one or more or all inclusion classes in high school, will she be well supported in those individual class environments? If so, then I would say absolutely include her, clearly she is benefiting from this environment and I think it is good for the other kids in the class as well. We need to nurture empathic skills. If students who are "different" from their peers are isolated, e.g. self contained, then how do the rest of the "normal" kids learn to help others. To provide her the extra support that she needs, her teachers may choose to employ peer-to-peer tutoring where students work with your daughter during class time on specific skills. This type of instructional strategy requires a well-organized teacher who gets the importance of this sort of strategy and knows how to manage a class. Of course, the students assisting your daughter need to be enrolled as well in terms of their desire to engage in peer-to-peer tutoring and or engaging in a "buddy" system where students sit next to her in class to help facilitate her learning. I look forward to hearing how it goes and I'll do some research over the weekend to see how schools are intentionally integrating students such as your daughter into mainstream high school courses. Thanks for reading! C Hi, Lisa – It sounds like your daughter is doing really well in the inclusion environment! She also benefits from having parent involvement in her education. She’s a lucky girl. You asked whether inclusion of children with significant disabilities, is a losing situation for all. I believe this decision depends on the child, the parents, and the teachers that will be working with your child. The decision should be made case by case because it’s situational. If your daughter joins one or more or all inclusion classes in high school, will she be well supported in those individual class environments? If so, then I would say absolutely include her, clearly she is benefiting from this environment and I think it is good for the other kids in the class as well. We need to nurture empathic skills. If students who are “different” from their peers are isolated, e.g. self contained, then how do the rest of the “normal” kids learn to help others. To provide her the extra support that she needs, her teachers may choose to employ peer-to-peer tutoring where students work with your daughter during class time on specific skills. This type of instructional strategy requires a well-organized teacher who gets the importance of this sort of strategy and knows how to manage a class. Of course, the students assisting your daughter need to be enrolled as well in terms of their desire to engage in peer-to-peer tutoring and or engaging in a “buddy” system where students sit next to her in class to help facilitate her learning. I look forward to hearing how it goes and I’ll do some research over the weekend to see how schools are intentionally integrating students such as your daughter into mainstream high school courses. Thanks for reading! C

]]> Comment on The Essential: Building on the Common Core by Becky http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-building-common-core/#comment-245 Becky Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:24:26 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=67#comment-245 Just a clarification- the literacy standards in history and social studies, science and technical subjects are for grades 6-12 so the middle level is included. Otherwise I agree with much of what both you and Conley have to say. Thanks Just a clarification- the literacy standards in history and social studies, science and technical subjects are for grades 6-12 so the middle level is included. Otherwise I agree with much of what both you and Conley have to say. Thanks

]]> Comment on The Essential Review: All Together Now? by Lisa Fluckiger http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-review-now/#comment-238 Lisa Fluckiger Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:16:23 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=54#comment-238 I am 6 months late coming to this post, but just read the article you reviewed. I think you summarized it nicely. I find myself in-between philosophies. I am an advocate of inclusion; it has made such a difference in the ability and confidence of my daughter, who has Down Syndrome. She has also benefited from one-on-one instruction in reading, and sometimes math as well. I also have three other children, who have benefitted from a tracking system that allowed them to move ahead in math courses -- a source of confidence and high interest for all three. Do you think that inclusion of children with disabilities, even if they are 6 years or more below grade level (which my daughter may be by the time high school rolls around), is a losing situation for all? I would be interested in your thoughts, as well as any research you can direct me to. Because my daughter has been fully included in her middle school courses, she recognizes blood cells and knows what they are for. She knows what the brain looks like, and that different parts of the brain work for differnt parts of the body. She understands slavery. She recognizes the Bill of Rights when she finds it in reading or in conversation. Those subjects were not available in the self-contained special education classroom. And at the same time, as I look toward inclusive education in high school, I don't know if I am asking too much. I am 6 months late coming to this post, but just read the article you reviewed. I think you summarized it nicely. I find myself in-between philosophies. I am an advocate of inclusion; it has made such a difference in the ability and confidence of my daughter, who has Down Syndrome. She has also benefited from one-on-one instruction in reading, and sometimes math as well. I also have three other children, who have benefitted from a tracking system that allowed them to move ahead in math courses — a source of confidence and high interest for all three.

Do you think that inclusion of children with disabilities, even if they are 6 years or more below grade level (which my daughter may be by the time high school rolls around), is a losing situation for all? I would be interested in your thoughts, as well as any research you can direct me to. Because my daughter has been fully included in her middle school courses, she recognizes blood cells and knows what they are for. She knows what the brain looks like, and that different parts of the brain work for differnt parts of the body. She understands slavery. She recognizes the Bill of Rights when she finds it in reading or in conversation. Those subjects were not available in the self-contained special education classroom. And at the same time, as I look toward inclusive education in high school, I don’t know if I am asking too much.

]]> Comment on The Essential: Guide to Getting the Right Work Done by Karen C. Seddon http://drcarolwetzel.com/essential-guide-work/#comment-211 Karen C. Seddon Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:23:58 +0000 http://drcarolwetzel.com/?p=110#comment-211 Love your power of simplicity. I enjoyed your daily routine - especially the 8 hours. I confess that I only get 7, but I always get 7. It's one the keys to being able to everything else on that list. Great inspiration. Love your power of simplicity. I enjoyed your daily routine – especially the 8 hours. I confess that I only get 7, but I always get 7. It’s one the keys to being able to everything else on that list. Great inspiration.

]]> Comment on About The Essential Review Blog by Carol Wetzel http://drcarolwetzel.com/about/#comment-92 Carol Wetzel Wed, 04 May 2011 18:04:35 +0000 http:/?page_id=2#comment-92 Hi, Rob! Thank you for your kind words of support. I'm glad you and your peers found it useful. Carol Hi, Rob! Thank you for your kind words of support. I’m glad you and your peers found it useful. Carol

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