Courtney Skemp Methods I Midterm November 12, 2011

1. A component of a lesson plan is the identification of and alignment to established standards. You have referenced NBEA and Pennsylvania State Standards and discovered that there are no specific state standards for business education. What is the benefit of aligning content to established standards? Do you believe it is critical for Pennsylvania to adopt specific standards for business education? Why/why not? Academic standards are public statements about what students should know and be able to accomplish. In essence, they establish the knowledge and skills students should acquire in specific subject areas in order to prepare them for college and the workplace. It is believed that measuring standards against a set list of expectations is a good indicator of the effectiveness of the education being taught to students, which in turn creates accountability for educators. In the example of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), tests are administered to evaluate whether standards are being met in reading, math, and science. Many proponents argue that the direct measure of these standards promotes teaching to the test, a practice becoming more popular in education. I understand the increased concerns of the dangers of teaching to the test, but I believe that there must be a standards-based system in place to hold educators accountable for what their students are learning. Established standards not only provide a framework to help guide educators in their curriculum development, but they also ensure that every child no matter where they live is exposed to the same things. I believe that it is beneficial to align the content taught in everyday lessons to these standards to ensure that students are learning the knowledge and skills set for their particular grade level. The standards should serve as a framework for what needs to be taught, as every educator should have freedom to teach in their own ways. Curriculum that is not framed by established standards runs the risk of missing crucial benchmarks or important subject matter that is critical to a students future success. Because every student learns differently, as we have discussed in class, this allows teachers to

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educate and assess their students in a variety of ways to gauge actual student learning. A pencil and paper test is only one way to evaluate learning and is not always the best measure. In the future, consideration should be given to incorporating other methods for evaluating academic standards. I believe that it would be beneficial for Pennsylvania to adopt specific standards for business education. The National Business Education Association (NBEA) has designed a thorough set of standards for each area of business education that the state could easily adopt. Without specific standards in place, business teachers are lacking the critical framework and accountability for educating their students. By adopting the NBEA standards, the state will save time and money which is especially important with the recent budget cuts in education. Although business education is not yet a required area of learning for students, it one day may be, considering continuing technological advances. For this reason, combined with a lack of curriculum framework, I believe that it is essential for the state of Pennsylvania to adopt formal business education standards. Pennsylvania has the obligation to provide a well-structured and relevant business educational experience for its students so that they have the opportunity to be successful in their adult lives. 2. You are being interviewed for a teaching position and one of the interviewers asks about teaching strategies used in the classroom. Identify at least three teaching strategies and discuss why you selected them. Interactive Lectures Because every student learns differently, making lectures more interactive allows for every student to learn in ways that suit them best. Simply reading off a PowerPoint presentation can be boring for students, as many of them feel they could have learned the same information from simply reading the textbook. Making lectures more interactive also makes class more enjoyable for students, as straight lecturing can be boring, causing students to lose interest and motivation for learning. Breaking students into small groups for discussion is one way to make class more interactive. Students will be able to express their ideas and opinions and have the opportunity to work cooperatively with their peers. Allowing students to teach a lesson as a group activity is another good example of an interactive lecture. Students will feel more involved and responsible for the information, which in turn will help them absorb the content and be excited about the content. document1

Technology Integration Technology is an essential part of todays society. Todays students are growing up in a time when constant stimulation and instant gratification in the norm. It is important to incorporate the use of technology into education because it can engage students and expose them to a wealth of information in a short amount of time. For example, students participating in a webquest are required to research a topic using the internet and create a product, like a video, brochure, or Prezi with the information that they found. This type of activity is relevant, as many students will be performing similar activities when researching topics in higher education by navigating the web effectively to find the information needed. Experimental Learning The strategy of experimental learning focuses on the idea of learning by doing, which can help students really understand something by actually doing it. For example, towards the end of the year in an Entrepreneurship class, students would actually run their own businesses during school hours, selling the products or services in the businesses that they have been learning about and planning for the entire year. The students get to take their knowledge and skills and actually translate them into action. Learning by doing is one of the best ways for students to truly absorb and then practice knowledge and skills. 3. Explain to another education major the (1) goals of business education, (2) content it covers, and (3) its purpose in the curriculum. The main goal of business education is to provide quality academic programs that help prepare students for responsible professional careers in business and related professional areas. This includes preparing students for the technology they will use and the ability to adapt to constantly evolving technological tools and applications. Business education is also focused on developing interpersonal skills, communication skills, personal financial decision-making skills, and critical thinking skills. Students should emerge with a high level of ethical standards and a basic understanding of our laws and societal responsibilities. Even if students do not end up working in a business related field in their adult life, they need to be economically literate in order to successfully navigate the worlds increasingly global marketplace. Business education covers eleven content areas. These areas include: Accounting, Business Law, Career Development, Communication, Computation, Economics and Personal Finance, Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, International Business, Management, and Marketing.

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Each area gives students a snap shot of the global marketplace and helps them gain a better understanding of the economic system. Each area is also designed to expose students to knowledge and skills that can be used in the workplace. This knowledge can also be used to help young adults grow into responsible and well informed citizens in the global economy. Business education is an important part of school curriculum because the knowledge learned in business education classes is vital in shaping the future economy of our nation. Math, Science, and English are important, but even those disciplines are forms of business in the real world. Sparking a students interest in entrepreneurship, for example, could lead to that student becoming a successful business owner and member of the global economy. Properly educating the leaders of tomorrow will give them the knowledge and skills necessary to become active, responsible citizens, which will in turn allow the economy to flourish in the future. 4. Explain the components of your BCIT certification and suggest some innovative classes that could be taught under the certification. After successfully completing the requirements for my certification, I will be able to teach Business, Computer, and Information Technology courses in grades K-12. Some examples of classes that I will be able to teach with my certification include: web design, accounting, finance, internet exploration, entrepreneurship, economics, career planning, and marketing. As advances in technology continue, new and innovative classes will need to be added to help prepare students for the real world. An example of an innovative class would be one in which students would learn how to design applications for smart phones. There is a huge market for cell phone apps that is here to stay. Phones will continue to get smarter and their capabilities will continue to increase, so allowing students to stay on the cutting edge of this technology will make them more marketable as employees in the future. Another example of an innovative class would be one that focuses on the iPad and all of its uses for work, school, and play. A primary focus of this class could be learning about the assistive technologies that are available for purchase on an iPad. Considering the ever increasing rate of children born with autism in this country, students having a knowledge of this technology, especially if they plan on going into education as adults, will have an advantage when looking for a job. As the iPad becomes more commonplace in the classroom, having a teacher who is already familiar with the technology will save time and money, because they wont need any additional training. Both of the above document1

classes could be offered in one district, the Applications course could be a prerequisite for the iPad course, and one of the big projects could be creating an assistive technology application for the iPad. The students will actually be able to use their knowledge and skills to create a new and useful product. 5. During your job interview the principal wants you to describe learning activities you could use in personal finance based on each level of Blooms Taxonomy. You really want to impress your principal so you also use the revised categories for Blooms Taxonomy when describing each of the activities. Students will participate in a personal finance lesson, where they will be required to create a hypothetical three month budget for after they graduate from high school. The students will be able to decide whether or not they plan on attending college or joining the work force. If students plan on attending college, they will hypothetically work a 20 hour per week job. Students joining the work force will have a 40 hour per week job in which they make $10 per hour. The following learning activities could be used for each level of blooms taxonomy. The first level of the revised Blooms Taxonomy is Remembering (previously Knowledge). The level of remembering requires the student to recall data or information. At this time, students will identify the expenses that they will have in the future. Basic living expenses will be introduced to the students by the teacher and they will be given reasonable numbers for their budgets. The next level of the revised Blooms Taxonomy is Understanding (previously Comprehension). The level of understanding requires the student to understand the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of instructions or problems. Students should also be able to state problems in their own words. At this time, students will have to calculate their weekly net earnings using their wage and federal tax bracket information provided for their job. Students will get a better understanding of their earnings and the effect that taxes have on those earnings. The third level of Blooms Taxonomy is Applying (previously Application). The level of applying requires the student to use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. The student learns to apply what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the workplace. At this time, students will have to prepare a rough draft of their budget based on their calculations and expenses from the previous two levels of Blooms. By preparing a document1

budget, the students will be able to better understand the basic costs of living associated with adult life. The fourth level of Blooms Taxonomy is Analyzing (previously Analysis). The level of analyzing requires the student to separate materials or concepts into component parts so that it organizational structure may be understood. The student must also distinguish between facts and inferences. At this time, students examine their current spending habits to establish their top three personal expenses and how much they spend on the expenses on a monthly basis. The students will then incorporate these into their budget along with an area for unexpected expenses, like doctor visits or vehicle maintenance costs. The fifth level of Blooms Taxonomy is Evaluating (previously Evaluation). The level of evaluating requires the student to build a structure or pattern from diverse elements. The student must put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure. At this time, students will assess their rough draft by writing a one to two page reflection paper. Students will be able to evaluate if their income covers their expenses and the things that will have to change. The final level of Blooms Taxonomy is Creating (previously Synthesis). The level of creating requires the student to make judgments about the value of ideas or materials. At this time, students will create a final personalized budget which reflects the changes they made during the assessment of their rough draft. 6. Describe how you would implement a process for revising the business education curriculum. Terms you should use in your discussion should include: high priority occupations, advisory committee, PA standards, business education standards, course of study, unit plan, and lesson plan. The rapid pace of technology stresses the importance of relevant business programs in schools. This rapid pace causes new careers and certain existing careers to become fast growing, high priority occupations. A periodical revision of business curriculum enables schools to educate and inform students about what is available to them and what competencies are needed to succeed at these occupations. Forming an advisory committee is the first step in the revision process. The community leaders who volunteer their time on this committee provide their insight into the trends in their industries and what todays employers are looking for in terms of the knowledge and skills that employees need to succeed. From here, schools can create new courses or change existing ones to meet the needs of the economy. Curriculum will be

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developed based on this information, which will include several unit plans, and many lesson plans within each unit, breaking down the content into teachable chunks. The new courses should align with PA academic standards to meet the knowledge and skills required at particular grade levels. Established NBEA standards should be modified to meet the changing needs of the work force. Although this is not the job of the school, the business education standards should be updated as new trends and technologies emerge. These standards can then provide a framework for a new particular course of study, keeping it aligned anywhere that business education is offered. 7. Explain the importance of determining learning styles and how you would incorporate the information in your teaching. Learning styles are important to a teacher because each student in their classroom will have a specific learning style. Our text defines learning styles as the classroom conditions under which a student prefers to learn. Learning styles can have a profound effect on a students achievement in the classroom. Incorporating different lessons where every learner has a chance to excel is a great way to reach all of the different learners in your classroom. The text differentiates between two main learning styles, field dependent and field independent. Field dependent learners see the world in terms of large, connected patterns. They tend to work better in groups with assistance and they also prefer help from their instructor on what exactly needs to be accomplished in the task. Field independent learners perceive things analytically. They prefer impersonal teaching situations such as lectures so they can take information and analyze it individually. These learners prefer to work alone without assistance from teachers or peers. Field independent learners are driven by competition and see grades as a type of competition between other students in the classroom. Students also vary in how they absorb the knowledge that they are presented with. The three main learning styles associated with knowledge absorption are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Students that are visual learners may understand concepts netter when they are visual aids such as PowerPoints, chalkboards, and overhead projectors in the classroom. While learning, they tend to make images in their minds to help understand the issue. Students that are auditory learners are more influenced by audio aides and voices. The learners like to work in groups to discuss exercises and cases. They tend to do better in a traditional classroom environment. Students that are kinesthetic learners tend to be male and feel that physically doing

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an activity will help them learn it faster and more accurately. To reach every student, it is important to incorporate a variety of learning activities into the classroom. Evaluating the different learning styles in your classroom can help you organize your lessons to match the more prevalent learning styles in your classroom. 8. List the components of a performance objective. Write a complete performance objective describing types of savings accounts. The components of a performance objective include: identifying a specific goal that has an observable learning outcome, state the conditions under which a learning outcome can be expected to occur, and specify the criterion level. Given a 10 question multiple-choice quiz, the student will be able to summarize the different types of savings account and their purposes with 80% accuracy.

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