A NEW APPROACH TO TEACHING LITERATURE

The New York Times recently published an article entitled “A New Assignment: Pick the Books You Like” discussing the movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. The teacher community has been divided in whether or not this new approach is beneficial for students’ development in literature and reading.

An approach known as the “reading workshop” has been catching on in schools nationwide. Students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading. In New York City many elementary schools and some middle schools already use versions of reading workshop. In September students in Seattle’s public middle schools will also begin choosing most of their own books. And in Chicago the public school district has had a pilot program in place since 2006 in 31 of its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read. Chicago officials will consider whether to expand the program once they review its results.

Applebatch.com wants to know what teachers think regarding this method. Critics of the approach say that reading the same book as a group generally leads to more meaningful insights, and they question whether teachers can really keep up with a roomful of children reading different books. Even more important, they say, is the loss of a common body of knowledge based on the literary classics — often difficult books that children are unlikely to choose for themselves.

What do you think about the reading workshop approach? Participate in our online teacher network to meet other K-12 teaching professionals and discuss important education topics such as this. It is important to stay connected to other educators and Applebatch is here to help.

LEARNING IN A COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT, ONLINE OR IN-PERSON

After conducting an extensive report on online education, SRI International for the Department of Education concluded that students who use online resources perform better than those who learn in a classroom setting. The study found that students who do some or all of their course online rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, whereas students who learn only in the classroom score in the 50th percentile. Even though it seems that students who take advantage of online resources score better, it does not mean that a classroom setting is not essential to their education. That is why, at Applebatch, our Teacher Network provides teachers with the resources they need in the classroom and online.

Online education is a helpful tool for students because it provides learning resources that are more tailored to individual students than it is possible in classrooms. It allows students to ‘learn by doing’, which helps them understand concepts better. Online education is expected to grow because of it success as well as the popularity of social networking technology. Students will continue to use online resources and be able to help and teach each other.

Philip R. Regier, dean of Arizona State University’s Online and Extended Campus program, stated that online learning communities will be created by students to enrich their education. However, learning will never be an independent, personal activity. “Learning has to occur in a community”, Mr. Regier said. Applebatch couldn’t agree more. Community is an essential part to learning and expanding knowledge. While students are forming their own online communities to help one another, Applebatch has already provided a teacher community for educators. Teachers can take advantage of the Applebatch Teacher Community to share resources, discuss education news, build their professional network, and continue to enhance their careers.

Teacher Assistants may lose their jobs

A controversy regarding teacher assistant’s compensation has spread among top Manhattan public schools. During previous years, parents have helped raise money to hire teacher assistants to help with increasing class sizes. However, Mayor Bloomberg wants to put an end to the practice, making teacher assistant positions included in the school’s official budget. The practice has weakened the city’s teachers’ union because teacher assistants, as employees of the Dept. of Education, are able to nearly double their salary. Many schools have announced that teachers may no longer have jobs in the fall or have suspended hiring new employees.

The issue affects many teachers across the country, not only in the Manhattan area. With class sizes that are continuously growing, teachers need the help of their aides to manage the students and give each pupil the individual attention they need. Applebatch understands the importance of giving students individual attention and the stress that teachers undergo. Therefore, we offer a service to help teachers and schools free of charge. Applebatch provides an online teacher community, where educators can share their resources, find current news in education, and advise and support one another. By expanding their teacher network, they can build mentoring relationships with other education professionals. Applebatch can also help these school hire aides the way Mayor Bloomberg would like to. Teachers can use our large list of teaching jobs to find one that appeals to them. Principals can post teacher and teacher aide jobs to the website as well.

Here at Applebatch, we feel it is important that teachers get the resources and help they need to further educate young minds. By offering these services free of charge, we hope to encourage teachers to enhance their careers by joining a safe and professional online teacher network.