Podcast Reviews

One of the tasks for this course was to listen to podcast's the author of our textbook recorded in regards to each chapter. We were asked to listen to each podcast prior to reading the chapter. This gave us an insight on what the chapter would pertain and a first hand listen on what the author was trying to explain in each chapter personally rather than just reading the material and trying to understand it ourselves. I think her podcasts were a wonderful idea and I honestly wish every textbook came with this option. Listening to her podcasts were like engaging in a  personal conversation with the author herself. These were like mini cheat sheets on what to expect out of the upcoming chapter. These podcasts give you a brand new outlook on the material you are getting ready to discuss and how you interpret it. It was a personal like of mine to hear the summary rather than read it like everything else. 

Anita Woolfolk's Podcast's

Podcast 3 NCLB

                The teachers begin by having a teachers meeting that discusses the results of the previous year’s testing. They then develop staff development for the next year depending on the prior year’s testing scores. For example if the previous year’s scores showed that the students scored low in reading they will devise a plan to improve the reading scores for the upcoming year.  Students need to make adequate progress towards goals previously set. This is measured using standardized testing. The students need to meet annual progress goals, if by 2014 the goals aren’t met the school could risk being shut down. Her assumption is that by 2014 about 60% of schools will achieve the required standards. Teachers are required to get more educational certificates to prepare them to be teachers. Teachers are required to meet a number of standards before they are allowed to teach. I support this whole heartedly. One of their goals is to learn how to engage and assess students efficiently.

Podcast 5 Negative reinforcement

It is important to note that negative reinforcement is not a punishment. It is a reinforcer, which is anything that follows a behavior and causes the behavior to be maintained or to increase. There are two types of reinforcement, one is adding something after a behavior. This is called positive reinforcement. An example of this is if you study a book before a test you will receive a good grade in return. Negative reinforcement is an attempt to escape an unpleasant situation. This will encourage the behavior occurring in the future.

Podcast 4 Learning

There are 3 kinds of learning. Behavioral which understands consequences, cognitive which is attention and memory, and constructivist which makes sense of what you learn and how you understand information.  Constructivist and cognitive relate to one another because information needs to be understood and remembered.  This further relates to the behavioral aspect because you need to practice what you understand and remember. All three functions relate and intertwine with each other are important for teachers.

Podcast 1 The importance of teachers

In this podcast Anita discussed quite literally the importance of teachers, beginning with educators as a whole. She states every student needs to own a sense of belonging in one way or another. They should feel comfortable when they walk in a classroom, this can occur by teachers doing things as simple as greeting them when they arrive. Teachers should always provide a safe learning environment for their classes. School itself can be a safe haven for some students and teachers may be oblivious to things like this. Teachers can form appropriate and healthy bonds with students by earning their trust and respect. Doing thinds as simples as this can help teachers encourage their students to want to engage further in what they are being taught. It is a win, win situation.

Podcast 2 The importance of Culture

Anita Woolfolk addresses an important aspect of a classroom in this podcast, cultural diversity. Teachers can make their students feel more at home if they take time to acknowledge and welcome the different cultures of their students into the classroom. Although there are numerous different cultures and languages there is a way to encompass this into the classroom. Every student has their own cultures and this can help promote individuality and show students their teachers appreciate and respect them. There are sometimes 10 different languages in one classroom! 18% of the U.S. population currently speaks a language other than English in their homes. Anita speaks about a Colombian student. At school in Columbia it is disrespectful to address a teacher by their name. So instead they call their teachers, “teacher.” In Argentina it is considered disrespectful to look teachers in their eyes, so Argentinean students might have problems doing so. Students from Somalia either have not attended school or did not have chairs to sit in at school, so sitting in chairs for long periods of time maybe difficult for them. Students from Saudi Arabia, may not be comfortable working in groups with female students because it is an insult to work with females in their country. These are things I may have never known if I didn't listen to this podcast and could have interpreted wrong in my classroom.