Video+Reflections


 * This is the page for Video Reflections... **

__**Video Reflection # 1 **__

media type="custom" key="17991454"

The video focuses on the challenge of making school relevant by getting students involved in the education process. It shows how the Ariel Community Academy on the South Side of Chicago is teaching students about finance to help them develop critical problem solving and decision making skills that will help guide them throughout life. During the video, Regina Beach, a k-5 investment teacher at the Ariel Community Academy, describes the four components of the curriculum which includes personal finance, economics, monetary policy, and the function of money. It is explained that as a result of the curriculum being taught, students at the Ariel Community Academy score higher in mathematics and reading on standardized tests.

__**Video Reflection # 2 **__

media type="custom" key="18319836"

The video discusses how standardized tests for students at Mesquite Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona revealed how low their students were ranked in the national percentile. The video goes on to show how the teachers and administrator used collaboration techniques and incorporated the concept of differentiated instruction to raise student achievement levels. Differentiated instruction is the notion that changes can be made in many different aspects of the teaching or learning process to enable diverse student learning needs to be met. It focuses on designing and delivering effective learning experiences for students, regardless of th eir unique characteristics. It is intended to allow teachers to more affectively address the learning needs and preferences of individual students. Differentiated instruction is integral to teaching diverse students and includes strategies such as learning contracts and tiered lessons.

__** Video Reflection # 3 **__

media type="custom" key="18593716"

The video explores the after-school program in Charleston, South Carolina for children known as Wings for Kids. The program was established over a decade ago for boys and girls from poor communities. It is for students from kindergarten to sixth grade and lasts for three hours a day, five days a week. The program includes a multitude of various engaging activities such as dance classes, art projects, and competitive games. The video tells us that Wings for kids is a program that is dedicated to teaching children critical, social, and emotional skills. The program’s essential teachings focus on monitoring your feelings, listening to each other, and making good choices for yourself. Overall wings is a program that prepares children with the skills they need for success in school and in life.

__** Video Reflection # 4 **__

media type="custom" key="18678110"

The video discusses how the educational system in the country of Finland is putting an emphasis on the early detection of any problems students are facing. This early intervention technique differs from that of other nation’s policies. The video claims that Finish educators believe that ninety percent of students can succeed in regular classrooms if they receive the emotional, academic, or health and medical assistance they require. The video goes on to say that students in Finland who need extra help receive what is called special education. Schools are assigned a special education teacher who helps identify students needs and provides assistance. In order to guarantee that no student is left behind, individual learning plans are created for students who require extra help. The video reveals that every school in Finland has a student welfare team comprised of the principal, special education teacher, the school nurse and psychologist, and the classroom teachers. The teams meet twice a month to discuss the progress of students who are receiving extra help.

__** Video Reflection # 5 **__

media type="custom" key="18961458"

The video focuses on the effects on budget cuts in the Little Bell school district and how they came up with a plan to save money in the classroom. Nancy Varela, a fifth grade teacher at Mesquite Elementary school in Tucson, Arizona discusses how the school cut down their copy budget by creating an online blog. Crystal Deryke, another fifth grade teacher at Mesquite Elementary, explains how the blog has helped students who misplace handed out papers which ultimately cuts copy costs. Matthew Hough, an additional fifth grade teacher at the same school informs us that the blog also allows for instant feedback from students and parents.

__** Video Reflection # 6 **__

media type="custom" key="18980636"

The video focuses on the concept of combining academic subjects to produce deeper learning and a superior understanding of the interrelationships between them. David Williamson Shaffer, an associates professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses how society must approach educational in a fundamentally different way. He explains that we must alter our focus from basic facts and skills to aspects that are going to be more significant than what we currently do in our schools right now. The video talks about the concept of integrated studies which blends various subjects and brings them into meaningful association often through projects. The video goes on to explain that integration gives students a deeper understanding that goes beyond individual subject matter knowledge.