Ted Warfield
Business & ComputingNewbury Park High School
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RECENT NEWS
8/23/16
This term I will be piloting the use of Google Classroom as my primary online presence.As a result, I will not be posting and updating this web site.
Students, please use your "learn.conejousd.net" accounts to join the Google Classroom. The enrollment code is 3g3qcf6.
Parents and guardians, please send me an email if you would like to be added to the notifications generated by Google Classroom.
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9/10/15
If you need a more creditable source that "college for all" is not necessarily in the best interest of our young people or our economy, how about Forbes?I really hope my generation can take a fresh look at what defines "success". The millennials are doing it and perhaps they've got this one a bit more right than us.
Please take a bit of time to read and discuss with your parents/children.
Please share your thoughts and feelings regarding this.
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8/25/15
Please take a few minutes to watch this video.I find it an extremely cogent and effective argument a more pramatic, employment-friendly approach to education.
Yes, I confess this is recycled content but I still believe the message is relevant and as, if not more, applicable.
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ContactWelcome to Mr.Warfield's Class!
Why teach? I didn't start life hoping to become a high school teacher. Like most, fame and wealth were the shiny baubles that attracted my greatest attention in my youth. Over time, I have found that success is a quieter avocation than the marketing world would like one to believe.
Project-Based Learning
I'm not a theorist. I prefer to consider myself pragmatic. Most learning studies indicate that a "doing" or project-based approach provides
the greatest percentage of a learning community the greatest chance of achievement.
I believe students will best learn to make a video, code a web site, write a program or solve a business problem by doing so. Reading about a topic will not make me competent in an activity. No matter how many excellent cook books I read, I will not become a good cook unless I actually get out my knives, pots and pans and practice preparing food.
Not only do projects provide a better learning environment, they help students develop their time-management skills. The process of preparing, planning and executing a plan is a life skill which extends far beyond academics.
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Grades
Grades are an artificial construct intended to measure academic achievement. Let me explain.
Brilliant students with strong subject backgrounds may learn very little but score well on assessments. Less gifted children or students with litte or no exposure to an academic discipline may work harder and learn more than the high-achiever but earn fewer points on an assessment.
The grading system in my courses is designed to reward student effort without penalizing those who achieve easily.
To that end, graded assignments generally fall into one of two categories:
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- classwork (guided practice in educational parlance)
- projects
Guided practice assignments are intended to give students a safe, controlled environment in which to practice a new skill.
Projects are the assessment of their ability to use that skill in a more practical, unstructured application.
Think in terms of golf. Guided practice is time at the driving range with the golf pro. Projects are actually playing a round of golf.
I strongly encourage all parties interested in a student's grade to check Zangle on a regular basis. Pay close attention to any assignments with 0 grade points. All work which shows reasonable effort earns a minimum of 60% of the possible points for the assignment. Any assignment with a 0 indicates the assignment was not turned in.