Stephen George
Chapter 2 Journal
One major point that is brought up near the end of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 is the importance of the teacher’s own beliefs. In other words, theory is just as important as practice. No matter what subject is being taught to the students, the instructor’s beliefs have a largely underrated effect on their students’ success. In fact, the authors of this textbook state that “teachers act on their beliefs about what good teachers do and those beliefs are probably the most important factor in determining the success or failure of a new approach to teaching” (62). The teacher I primarily worked with last year organized his students into six different groups based on their standardized math test scores. Those who scored the highest worked on algebraic problems together whereas those who scored the lowest received extra attention from the teacher as they worked on mathematical problems considered several grades lower. Compare this more conventional style of differentiated instruction to Montessori Education, where there is a generally a three-year span of age grouping. Supporters of Montessori Education believe that three-year cycles encourage
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Before I decided to pursue a Type 09 Certificate and MAT with National-Louis, I applied for and was rejected by the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL)’s Chicago Teacher Residency program not once, but twice. AUSL gives those who have no formal training in education the opportunity to undergo a super-rigorous, one-year training program to prepare them to teach in one of AUSL’s turnaround schools. If you have a few minutes to kill, you’re more than welcome to watch one or both of my AUSL application