RESPOND TO THESE STUDENTS POST

Victoria post 75 words post

In 1946, scientists first discovered that DNA can be transferred between organisms. It is now known that there are several mechanisms for DNA transfer and that these occur in nature on a large scale, for example, it is a major mechanism for antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. The first genetically modified plant was produced in 1983, using an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant (Bawa, & Anilakumar, 2013). Genetically modified food organisms are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods (“GMO Facts,” 2016). Many argue that GMOs can cause environmental damage and health problems for consumers. This is because genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sickness, sterile and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.

While researching this topic, I found a lot of scientific evidence available to illustrate the effects of the health hazards caused by genetically modified food organisms. “Many scientific data indicate that animals fed by GM crops have been harmed or even died. One example reported had rats exposed to transgenic potatoes or soya had abnormal young sperm; cows, goats, buffalo, pigs and other livestock grazing on Bt-maize, GM cottonseed and certain biotech corn showed complications including early deliveries, abortions, infertility and also many died” (Maghari, & Ardekani, 2011). Another issue is that new proteins can be synthesized that can produce unpredictable allergenic effects. For example, bean plants that were genetically modified to increase cysteine and methionine content were discarded after the discovery that the expressed protein of the transgene was highly allergenic (Bawa, & Anilakumar, 2013).

Michael post 75 word post

 “Pesticides are poisons and, unfortunately, they can harm more than just the “pests” at which they are targeted.” (PAN UK, 2019). This fairly succinctly summarizes the idea. The entire purpose of a pesticide is to repel or kill species that are harmful to certain desirable plants, most of which serve as edible produce to humans. However any substance that is harmful to organic life has the potential to have negative repercussions on creatures that the pesticide is not intended to bring harm to. Like the humans who would eat the produce being protected by the pesticide. In the short term we can have various forms of irritation or minor illness, while in the long term we can have cases of Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
When it comes to alternatives to pesticides the answers are a bit tricky depending on the pest. For pests such as mosquitoes having garlic growing is a simple and natural alternative to chemicals. Pests such as ants, caterpillars, and aphids can be held at bay with insecticidal soap composed of potassium salts and fatty acids, which is a much more natural product than most chemical pesticides. 

 For Catherine and Andrea post identify at least one idea or approach that you did not use, describe how you might use it in the future, and explain what that idea or approach would add to the approaches you used yourself. Then make one suggestion that you think might help that peer in the future. 

Catherine post

The starting point for the investigation was to discover what was of true interest.  Several ideas came to mind, so it took a bit of contemplation to narrow down the topic.  Once a topic was settled on, and research began, the topic was too narrow, or rather, too detailed.  The original topic was the use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for PTSD in Veterans and First Responders.  While researching this topic, it was discovered that there were no results, meaning I had to refine the topic to being either Veterans OR First Responders.  There was much more availability on Veterans, than First Responders, so the topic was adjusted to fit the available information.  The database used was PsycArticles, as this provided the most search results.  I decided to stop looking for more articles when I realized that the number of saved articles was getting out of hand (over 20), and narrowed down the articles to use, to articles that were published within the last 8 years.  A realization that occurred while performing the research was that there is a very high correlation of PTSD and BPD symptoms, and that there is a lot of speculation regarding why the correlation is so dramatic.

The readings for this unit, from Critical Thinking in Psychology, helped in that I was able to keep in mind that there is unintentional blind obedience that happens, a bias toward thoughts and beliefs, that can alter the views of research and expectations.  One thing to keep in mind is that these personal hopes can unintentionally skew interpretation of material, research, and results.  Being able to critically think about the instructions given to you by another allows for an awareness that may not have been obvious before.

If asked to conduct a similar search in the future, the only thing that would potentially change, at this point, is to be aware of the year’s articles are published, prior to getting sucked into the meat of the articles.  While the information is helpful, useful, and interesting, some of the articles ended up being a “waste of time”, as they were eliminated from being used due to the age of the information.

Andrea post

As I reviewed the list of dissertation ideas, the effectiveness of restorative practices was considered.  The research process started by entering the “impact of restorative practices on school climate” and the results were very general but consisted of a variety of perspectives, such as peace education, justice, and educational psychology.  After briefly reviewing the articles, the search terms of school to prison pipeline, restorative practices, and learning were added to the search results. Some results were dismissed because they were program reviews or discussed theories that were not directly related to restorative practices. The research process was halted when differing perspectives, methodologies and theories were located.  

One of the surprises of the literature search was the amount and date of studies conducted overseas.  The articles that I found to be the most informative, were from the UK and New Zealand, The importance of community and the roots of restorative practice from indigenous peoples were well highlighted, particularly the Maori culture (Standing, Fearon, and Dee, 2011).  The knowledge I possessed about the roots of restorative practices came from the school to prison pipeline, there was some mention of the native American culture in my training but it was not emphasized. The article really highlighted the importance of community and it honored other Non-Western cultures. While the information was brought in as an aside to recognize them and reflect progress, at the same time is continues to reflect bias.  The lack of empirical research was a surprise. A few studies used research methodologies but most articles were case studies, program reviews, or anecdotal in nature. Also, the depth of research between the UK and New Zeland, and the US was surprising given the emphasis in education policy, 

The readings caused me to be more intentional about what I wanted to gain from the readings.  As I was reading, I made notes connecting ideas or crafted questions that were raised about the research. In addition,  I found myself questioning the researcher’s ideas or process more frequently where I would have accepted their authority before our readings (Ruscio, n.d.) For example, there was what at first skim, looked like a good article about the school to prison pipeline and the concept of restorative justice using social theory.  However, as the article progressed more loaded language was incorporated, such as “liberal agenda” and “radical critiques” (Koon, 2019). The concept of using a social network to discuss the topic is what drew me to the article but as I read, the language and bias caused me to question the conclusions drawn. Philip (2006) spoke about how ethical behavior is a growing concern with the increase in competition for funds and positions.  As I completed reading the article, the question of who was funding the research came to mind even though it was located in the American Educational Research Journal, is peer-reviewed and is listed on the top journals for Educational Psychology (Capella, 2018)  

If I were to research restorative practices again, there are several ways I would change my approach.  First I would research specific theories, such as Glasser’s reality and examine the connections between his ideas and restorative practices implementation strategies.  As I read the various articles, a connection exists but the articles selected did not lend themselves to examining the idea more critically. Also, limiting the date of publishing would be beneficial because some of the articles were written earlier than 2007 which is over 10 years.  The earlier articles did allow me to see the history and evolution of restorative practices. However, it also caused me to questions whether some of the findings were still applicable. Finally, I would limit the articles pulled to peer-reviewed journals. Some articles contained excellent practical information but would not meet the criteria of practioner-scholar (McClintock, 2004).  

Discussion 

 Are formative and summative assessments embedded withing Curriculum Based Assssment? Please briefly explain. 

 In your response to Nicole and Allison comment on what they found and any additional thoughts you have regarding the information the assessments they researched will provide. 

Nicole post

 COLLAPSE

          The curriculum based assessment that I have decided to focus on for this discussion is DIBELs. “DIBELS 8thEdition is a battery of short (one minute) fluency measures that can be used for universal screening, benchmark assessment, and progress monitoring in Kindergarten-8th grade” (dibels.uoregon.edu). The reason I would like to focus on this is because my school recently adopted the DIBELs eighth edition and I completed full day training on it yesterday. I feel comfortable on my ability to provide first-hand insight on the DIBELs test. Our school has utilized DIBELs, however, we were just trained on the newest edition of it. DIBELs is a literacy assessment. This assessment allows educators and administration to gather important literacy skills such as letter naming fluency, nonsense word fluency, and oral reading fluency, among others. There are specific subtests based on grade and the time of year (beginning, middle, and end). Each subtest is timed for one minute and follows a script to keep the test consistent.

            The strengths of this assessment is that it allows you to see how students are doing in specific areas. This also helps when grouping students based on skill level. The newest edition of this test is also created to ensure that they are becoming increasingly difficult as the year goes on to assess progress. Also, students with speech and other impairments receive the same opportunities. If a student has a speech impediment, they will still receive credit for words they may pronounce wrong with their speech pattern. They do not lose points for improper speech patterns. Some limitations of this test is that there are many different staff members that may be testing the students. They may also be tested in unfamiliar areas of the school. The benchmarks of this test are also very high which make it hard for students to reach. “Student scores are used to determine how each student is doing in relation to a benchmark goal that is predictive of later reading success” (dibels.uoregon.edu). While it is good to challenge our students, it can also be discouraging when we see our students are struggling.

Alison post

The CBA I choose to look at was the DIBLES (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). This is a series of short tests that assess children from K-6. These tests examine a students phomenic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Educators believe that giving these assessments, they will be able to identify students that may need extra assistance.

A DIBLES assessment is composed of one-minute exams looking at basic fundamentals of reading for students. The most common form of DIBLES assessment is the oral reading of a passage to assess accuracy and fluency. Students are given a brief passage to read from, and then are timed how long it takes them to complete the task.

While this form of assessment does look at accuracy and fluency of reading, there have been questions to whether this is the proper way to assess students. Asking them to rush through material to complete it first or within a limit does not always mean they are digesting the material fully. In other words, while the are demonstrating the can read the words, the students are not demonstrating they fully understand the meanings.

In your response to Kianna and Aimee comment on what in their approach to using assessments to drive instruction you find most interesting, and what you would like to know more about.

Kianna post

            Curriculum Based Assessments (CBA) can show a child’s progress or struggling in the classroom. CBAs can be seen through weekly data reports on the computer, with both parents and teachers tracking a student’s progress in reading, math, spelling, and writing. Depending on the results of the CBA, a teacher can make significant changes to a child’s curriculum or can continue their normal instruction. If a child is struggling, teachers can make accommodations for the child to be on track with their peers and other students across the nation. For accommodations, the child can receive extra time on assessments or assignments, can work additionally with a resource teacher (ESL, special education) on math or reading support, or the teacher can switch their teaching techniques (assessing individually) to help the child. If the child is thriving, the teacher can continue to teach the child the same curriculum. Also, if possible, the teacher can create challenging assessments, like having the child read a harder text to test fluency. What other ways can students be challenged by Curriculum Based Assessments?

Aimee post

 CBAs can help direct and drive instruction because they are “…a type of on-going assessment that involves periodic monitoring of a student’s daily performance in relation to what is taught…CBA is based on the skills described in the student’s curriculum, is repeated frequently throughout the year and is used as the basis for educational decision-making and student planning” (project10). This means that the teacher is always observing and adjusting based on what they see in the classroom. Instead of teaching to a test, we are teaching to student needs and progress, and not just looking at a benchmark that covers a large gap of time. 

This also can help assure that curriculum is culturally relevant for students. We can tailor our lessons to their interests, and spend more/less time on different topics depending on what individuals/class are interested in. Tailoring our instruction to our students’ interests could mean improved developmental progress, and therefore a more successful group 

Be constructive and professional in your responses to Barbara and Brittany post

Barbara post

I think reading a drama before you actually see it enhances it, the reason I say that is because you have some sense of what the drama is all about and you are looking forward to watching it a lot more than you did before. It’s like when I read a book, such as Harry Potter, there many things that are read in the book, but is missing from the movie. When you watch a drama you get to see what they left out by reading the drama before hand. I don’t think it detracts from the drama, if you read it before hand, you just have a better understanding of the drama and what it’s all about. Most dramas that we see perform, movies we watch on t.v., books we read, all have/ or most do have a happy ending, where as in the real world world, that is not always the case, some endings for us is very tragic, the event that may take place in our lives that is. We can’t just sum that up in an drama, or movie that last for an hour. But there are real life events that have played out on the screen and in movies that have taught us how to help each other, for example, ( Hotel Rwanda) this movie centers around a man trying to save his family and others from the genocide that happened in Rwanda. I believe that drama is a key factor in stimulating creativity in people who have difficulty in solving certain issues, such as shyness. It can give them a different view from their perception about people and the world around them. Drama can create an outlet for them to vent and get to know others better and themselves for that matter. I use to be a very shy person, after I joined drama in high school, I grew out of that particular habit and was able to the much better in school, and I even made some friends along the way.

Brittany post

I believe reading a drama before the live performance can detract and enhance the experience. Reading it before, you have to imagine what everyone looks like, sounds like and the setting and tone in your head. This leaves a lot of room for your own imagination to interpret the play how you vision it while reading it. It also allows for you to go back over any parts that might have been particularly hard to understand and gives you the chance to study any words or language or even a certain time period that you might not have been familiar with. Reading it before is great in the sense that you can take your time, you get to read all parts of the play, use your imagination and get to experience it as it was meant to be experienced by the writer. However, reading it first can detract from the experience of the live performance because the live performance has a director who also got to read it and use his/her own imagination which may not have been the same as yours. Their interpretation of it may be slightly different which characters probably don’t look or act how you had imagined. There may even be parts left out due to time or stage setting. This could disappoint a reader but it is great that reading a play allows everyone a chance to use their imagination in trying to capture what the writer wanted us to. In dramatic works we are connected to real life because we get to see or witness not only the words but the actions and reactions being played out for us to see to make us feel as if we are there and a part of it. Drama illustrates societal behaviors by acting it out showing us first hand the consequences and what the people feel and go through. The protagonist and antagonist of the drama fight for power and we witness it and see the behaviors that work and don’t work. Think of it as if this play happened in real life whose behavior would have the power to promote change.