During my student teaching, I had the opportunity to do this--and it did not turn out great. The lesson was not authentic, as students were too busy wondering why there were other people in the room. I'm not sure if it was just the way we were required to structure it, but it just kind of seemed like one of those things that worked in theory, but not in practice. However, I would love to have another shot at it, now having the experience of the previous lesson study. It seems like a really great practice, so I would be interested in trying it again.

Yes--but too often this is exactly what we see. From my limited experience, PD seems like a quick run down of everything that we could be doing, or should be doing, but never actually how to do it. It is a lot of talk, but not a lot of action.

It is great to foster trust, but I always wonder how you can build that trust. I had placements in schools that clearly did not have this type of relationship, and it definitely had a negative impact on students. How do you build that trust? Or, once it is broken, can it be fixed?

For our wicked problem, my group looked at keeping education relevant. We decided to attack the problem from the very top: standardized tests. Though technology was one route that we considered in order to keep education relevant, we soon discovered that technology is more of a tool, and not a means to an end. While technology is a fantastic tool, it is not necessarily the answer.

This is such an important thing for all teachers to recognize. I once observed in a classroom where a teacher was teaching about the Great Lakes (this is a classroom in Michigan). The teacher assumed that all students knew these were fresh bodies of water, so she asked "Would a whale go in the lake?" Many students laughed and said "NO!" but one student looked very confused. As other students began sharing their answers, all referring to fresh water, the boy raised his hand and said that he thought the answer was "no, because a whale would be too big for a lake." It dawned on me that even though the boy lived just miles from Lake Michigan, he had never seen it. It's so important to learn all that we can about our students, their experiences, and what they are specifically bringing into the classroom.

This is a great example of an authentic assessment, in my opinion. Students are using project-based learning to understand the overarching patterns and are certainly transferring the knowledge. Presenting it to an expert audience is a fantastic way to assess student understanding.

As a teacher, this response can be entirely frustrating. It is one of those things that you know you taught it, but because you are the expert, and the students are likely novices, the transfer is not there. It also goes back to the point that you have to be explicit in your instruction. The "understanding method" recognizes patterns and allows for students to see the shape in a different way, and may help expand their thinking.

I think that this is very important, and emphasizes points made in previous chapters. If students are taught by the "mile wide, inch deep" mindset, the ability to transfer will suffer. If students are purely just memorizing facts, they may be able to make near transfers, but far transfers may suffer.

I have seen this a lot in my experience. You forget that you need to teach the very basics before moving on. I have seen teachers get frustrated that they have to do this, but because we are experts, we really do forget that at one point in time, we were not.

Formative assessments are essential at any grade level. They are far more authentic and allow students to perform in a way that truly shows their abilities. This past year, I worked with second graders with spelling test anxiety. They would freeze up moments before the test and completely forget their words. Quick, informal formative assessments are a great way to better understand your students, their misconceptions and how to better focus instruction.

Many of my undergraduate courses at MSU focused on this concept. Students are not a receptacle to be filled with your knowledge, but rather the transfer of knowledge needs to travel both ways.

I really like this. So often, I felt like my own education was just instructors trying to connect the strands instead of helping me unravel and understand them. While making connections is undoubtedly important, educators should strive to help students unravel and create a new understanding.

I was lucky enough to see this first hand during my undergraduate time at Michigan State. MSU focuses greatly on giving us field experiences that demonstrate the constantly developing realm of education. During my student teaching, my students were taught that literacy was all encompassing. It was not just the ability to read and write, but it was also the ability to turn on a computer, to send an email, to vote in an election, etc. To be literate, simply means to be capable in an certain area.

As a new teacher, I am very reliant on the wisdom and experience of those around me. I value their opinions and experiences greatly, and look forward to how it will impact my own teaching.

I think this is a very exciting and important step to curriculum development. As a new teacher, I have many hopes. One in particular is that I hope to be able to teach advanced reasoning skills to my first graders. I have seen raw, natural ability to do this in my field experience and I'm very excited to see how this helps both my students and myself develop.