Chapter 1

"We must be able to state with clarity what the student should understand and be able to do as a result of any plan..."(pg. 14)
This quote stood out to me because there is a big difference between "understanding" and being able "to do". In a perfect world I'd love for my students to be able to do both, and I hope that after reading UbD I'll get closer to knowing how to make this possible.
This reminds me of the vignette (#1 page 1) where the high school teacher memorized very easily and became valedictorian. In reality he understood much less than what people thought.

Reach Observation Form

After reading the form I noticed that is was very detailed (in a good way of course). The things Reach had that I didn't include were:
1. Classroom rules posted
2.Daily schedule posted
3.Goal tracking displayed
4.Models of quality work posted
5.Scoring rubrics displayed/provided

I would add #2 to my list. #4 I'd like to add but would need some ideas. #1 I don't like posting rules because students have told me that I'm too strict and posting rules would probably over-do it. Maybe I'd consider posting things like homework procedures. #'s 3 and 5 I have absolutely no experience with, so I wouldn't include these on my list.

I wouldn't add anything to this form. Teaching is an overwhelming job as it is, and having an infinite list of expectations will burn both the teacher and observer out.

Daily List Must-Haves

1. Filing Cabinet: as students enter class they should take their folders out
(another filing cabinet for missed assignments)
2.Do Now: to start the day
3. Radio: music for when I'm not teaching a lesson
4. Calendar: to keep class updated with upcoming events
5. Portable filing folder: so I'm always ready to pass back work
6.Homework Tray:
7. Tray for hallway passes
8. Container for pencils
9. Computer with Internet
10. Area for paper, staplers, hole puncher, etc
11. Pre-Assesments
12. Textbooks
13. Homework coupons

Summary

Most of the topics in the TPEs have crossed my mind at one time or another, but I never knew they were TPEs. After reading the articles I understood them better but maybe not completely. The real life examples were right on, but I would still like to discuss these expectations a little deeper at a later time. The expectations are clear to me, but I may be wrong and that's why having a discussion would be nice.
The most natural TPE for me would probably be TPE 11. Though I'm a math teacher, it's not only about teaching math, I also strive to build positive learning environments where everybody works as a family and respects one another.
The most difficult TPE is TPE 7. This is a topic that I haven't really focused on because I figured since I speak Spanish it wouldn't be a problem. Yes I know I was wrong to think this way, and now I'm aware that ELLs represent more than just Spanish speaking students.

Ensuring That Students Learn

It was interesting reading the fifth paragraph under Big Idea #1: Ensuring That Students Learn. These thoughts have crossed my mind many times. What shall I do with my struggling students? Should they move to a lower class, should I continue with the next lesson so the whole class doesn't fall behind, etc? The list goes on and on. Eventually what I end up doing is speaking with the student and "invite" them to meet with me for tutoring. What ends up happening is--nothing.
I like how Adlai Stevenson High School requires students to attend tutoring sessions. It would be nice to have those kinds of resources.

Please Don't Pick on Me.

I loved this article. It answered many questions I had. There have been times when I have had students that misbehaved, and talking to them just wasn't cutting it. I needed more suggestions and I found a few here (i.e. contracts).
The only thing I somewhat disagree with is calling on students. Since I was slow in math, I hated it when my teacher would call on me. I'd blank out and turn red because everybody was waiting for an answer, and this is why I try not to call on students. I used to talk to my teachers afterschool and ask them not to pick on me. This is why try to only ask questions to the class and whoever wants to answer will answer (and there has been times when the "shy" students participate).
I've heard of a strategy where you can call on a student and they can pass if they feel uncomfortable, but as a student I would still feel embarrassed because it'll be obvious I don't know the answer to the question.

Knowing Our Students

This section of the article really caught my attention, "...teachers need to know something about their students' family makeup, immigration history, favorite activities, concerns, and strengths. Teachers should also be aware of their students' perceptions of the value of school knowledge, their experiences with different subject matters in everyday settings..."
The reason why this is so interesting is because last semester I thought I knew my students' backgrounds and thoughts. Wow, was I wrong. Our school offers a poetry class, and when I attended a few sessions I was blown away. I learned things about my students that would have definitely helped me when teaching them. It answered many questions as to why they couldn't make it to class on time, why they would fall asleep in class, why school was not important to them, etc. It was towards the end of the trimester when I learned all this, but I hope my schedule for next year will allow me to allocate some time for this.