In previous posts, I outlined my GAME plan for improving teaching performance in two of the areas advocated by the ISTE or International Society for Technology in Education (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx):
2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
4a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.
This week’s assignment was to monitor my progress with my GAME plan. Unfortunately, the past week at school has been very non-academic. Our focus has been on packing, moving, and unpacking…in order to prepare for next year in our brand new school building. Our high school burned down nearly three years ago, and we are finally moving into a new facility. We also just had graduation, and…we are in the middle of dealing with community-wide flooding from excessive rainfall. It has been hectic.
In an honest assessment, my GAME plan has nearly been at a standstill. Next week when school is out for the summer, I will have time to explore the GeoGebra software I downloaded to test for use in my algebra classes. I will also have time to explore other free software and Web 2.0 tools that I hope to use on our new computers. Additionally, I will be working through an online ActivInspire tutorial. ActivInspire is the software used with the Promethean board which I will have in my new classroom.
Last week I noted that I needed to speak with my colleagues at school to find out what formatting styles they require students to use when citing resources. I did accomplish that task! What I learned is that there is no consistency in what we are teaching or requiring of our students. It was agreed that we should choose one style and use it consistently. My homework for next week is to review formatting styles and choose one for recommendation to our staff next year. If anyone has suggestions for citation formatting styles to use with middle school students, I would love to hear them.
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My guess would be that the various citation techniques used in your school is a result not only of personal preferences amongst teachers, but also a reflection of the various subject matter taught in your school. A citation is really nothing more but a way to reference a source of information. Personally, I think the best citations are the ones that are least disruptive to the flow of information that is being presented. That's why I like a simple numerical citation when there are going to be lots of references used. You'll see this commonly used in detailed books that really research and expose a subject matter.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in other applications, there are other citation methods that seem more appropriate.
I can see why this is so confusing to the sudents and why you would want to see a standardized system used in your school.
If that is the goal, I would recommend you take a look at the Chicago Manual of Style. It has a lot of flexibility built into it, which is why I believe my high school adhered to it when I was in school.
Good luck!
Carri,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the recommendation! I will be checking it out.
The biggest problem we have, sadly, is that many teachers were not using any style whatsoever. They are simply telling students to cite their sources and then leaving it up to students to figure out how to do so. This is at the junior high level, so I am sure that high school teachers experience some frustration when our students reach their classes and don't know how to cite their work properly.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions,
Susan
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that you have not have a chance to work with your students directly but it is great that you got a chance to talk to your fellow teachers about the writing process. That is sad to hear though that no one is really using a style for citation with your students. You are right that things must start in the younger grades. Have you been able to get into contact with any of the younger teachers? I know that at my district we start with 2nd grade and teach them about all the parts of citation. Then as they work their way through the grade levels that students are taught by the librarians at the different levels. All of the librarians take courses over the summer and work with one another so that they are all teaching the same thing to the students. Maybe something like this would work for your district.
Erinn
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about the circumstances at your school, but glad to hear you will be able to move into a new building soon. Good luck with the move!
As you are working with your Geogebra software, may I recommend a free website that has several interactive applets for different areas of math: mathopenref.com
I would also recommend Geometer's sketchpad if your school does not already have that program. It is not free, but it is much more user friendly than Geogebra in my opinion.
Thanks,
Bryan
Erinn,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about talking with the teachers from the lower grade levels, but that's a great idea. I am sure that there is little, if any, teaching of formatting for citations at the elementary level because my daughters have never had to worry about it in any of their projects. It would be easy for me to speak with our elementary librarian and find out what her approach has been. Thanks for the suggestion!
Susan
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the free website. I will be checking it out! We don't currently have any funding for software, but Geometer Sketchpad is on my list for the next round of funding requests.
Thanks!
Susan