Jen Hair - Writing Portfolio

As educators we know that learning does not just happen.  We spend hours planning lessons to meet district and state expected outcomes.  Sometimes we are able to integrate technology into our plans to not only meet those outcomes, but also to help students learn new “soft” skills they will need as they transition to the workforce.  In his book,  Make, Learn, Succeed: Building A Culture of Creativity in Your School, Mark Gura (2018),  shares many wonderful ways to help educators work through this integration process.  His suggestions are based on the top ten skills employers say they seek. These include collaboration, decision making, problem solving, analyzing data, communication, among others (p. 71).  Please find the below infographic which details three important processes crucial to learning, a suggestion from Gura supporting them, as well as how this suggestion meets  ISTE Standards for Students. References Gura, M. (2016). Make, learn, succeed: Building a culture of creativity in

What is the nature of Authentic Intellectual Work?   (AIW Institute 2023) Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) is characterized as work that constructs knowledge by instituting disciplined inquiries to produce products with value beyond the schoolhouse gate (Newman 2007 p. 3).  The nature of AIW is to seek skills and knowledge that students must master to be successful in the workforce.  Newman goes on to describe that AIW includes not only the rudimentary tenets of traditional instruction, math, science, language arts and social studies, but also “provides guidelines for an education that extends beyond basic skills to more complex academic work” (p 2).  AIW focuses on preparing students for real-world intellectual demands for success in society. When considering the AIW tenet, construction of knowledge, it is important to not only consider the subject matter but also the application.  Construction of knowledge must go beyond the “what” and include learning the "how". Critical

  Assignment: Pick two of the following questions and answer based on the perspectives of philosophy, and your personal understanding. Respond back to two peers:  Questions: (PICK TWO) (Noddings, 2016, p. 59-60).  1. Does teaching imply learning? 2. Does teaching consist primarily of intellectual acts?  3. Can teaching be separated from learning? Why might we want to do this?  4. Can a television teacher 'go on teaching' if the power fails?  Does teaching imply learning?  The classic definition of teaching, according to Bruce Joyce (2015),  is “creating environments to facilitate learning” (p 5).  Interestingly he does not define the teaching / learning link more definitively.  He goes on to suggest that “effective teaching is made up of a toolkit of ways to reach students and help them build their reservoir of knowledge, skills and enduring values” (p 3).  Again stopping short of directly stating that teaching implies learning or perhaps that teaching leads to learning.  As ed

Part 1: Hello! I am Jen Hair and this is one of my final two classes in the M.Ed. program. I will finish in February with a Masters of Education in Curriculum and instruction – English. I have enjoyed being in the program this past year having met and befriended many fine educators all over the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. With my favorite student, my son Ryan. I live in North Texas and work for a public charter classical academy as an inclusion and resource teacher. I specialize in grammar and literature and work with twelve students in both inclusion settings and small group class settings. I truly enjoy the time I spend each day with my inclusion and small group resource students and grow as an educator each day. They inspire and remind me that I can do hard things too. Upon completing this M.Ed. Program I’m hoping for a position teaching dual credit literature or history at my current school Originally from Northern Indiana, my husband and I have lived in North Texa