"Building Bridges" to me means building a student-teacher relationship. In order to do this, the teacher must find common interests with the students and really get them to trust him or her. The students have to feel comfortable with the teacher and feel like they can go to their teacher for help no matter what. I think that it is good for the teacher to have a relationship with the students outside of just classes; find common interests with them, such as sports, music, television shows, etc. and get them to trust them. When I was in high school, I had relationships with my teachers outside of the classroom setting and I felt very comfortable with them and knew I could go to them for help. I wasn't shy in asking for help because I knew that they were always willing to help me succeed. I also went on a trip to Italy with three of my teachers and 15 other students, which helped make my relationship grow with them. I really enjoyed getting to know them outside of the classroom where they didn't serve as just our teachers. It was interesting to see how they acted differently out of the classroom setting.
The teacher must make it known to the students that they are here to teach them and help them grow as students, that they only want the best for them and that they are willing to do whatever it takes to help them succeed. Yes, they will push you and set up many obstacles, but once you overcome those obstacles and know you can do it, you will feel much better about yourself knowing that you can do it. A teacher, you can think of, is like a coach for education. Your coaches will push you and help you become a better play, just like your teacher helps you become a better and well-rounded student. Bill Ayers gives us a few examples of what it means to "build bridges". One example, is giving the students a challenge to actually build a bridge for their class pet, a turtle. The students all work together in building a bridge for this turtle and the teacher is there for support and to help them when need be. The other example was the adult literacy class. This class empowered the adult students to change the community they live in to better their lives and the lives of others in the community. They all worked together to make this possible, just like the students did in the turtle example. The pattern, by making small changes in ourselves to benefit the class as a whole, motivates everyone to work for the common goal. It is essentially teamwork. As simple as that may sound, it is not. They all have to work together and bond in order to make something possible, which in both of the examples, they did. Just because there are more people working together doesn't mean that it will be easier to accomplish the goal. Working with other people can sometimes be very hard and frustrating. You all have to agree on what to do, but everyone has a different opinion. It is very hard to work in groups sometimes, but that is just a part of learning.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Field Blog-Cleveland Heights HS
Going into Heights High School, I wasn't quite sure what exactly to expect. I attended a very small, private high school and Heights High is much larger and it is a public high school. I was always curious and it was cool to see what this school was like because this would have been my high school if I had chosen to go public.
One thing about this school that really interested me was the R.E.A.L Early College Program. This program gives students the chance to take more advanced classes in high school and start college courses two years earlier. I've never heard of a program like this before and it was really fascinating to hear about it from one of the students who is in the process of completing the program. I think it is a great idea to have a program like this in the school systems. The students are separated from their other classmates, both academically and socially, but if they know what they are getting themselves into in the beginning, I think it would work out very nicely. It is such a great opportunity for the students to have this as an option in their high school career. If they are willing to work that much more in order to fulfill the requirements of this program, that is great and gives them an advantage. I think that a program like this should be available in more schools so the students are given the chance to start their college careers earlier and help them prepare for the challenges that life throws at us at a younger age.
While at Heights, I sat in on an advanced math class--Algebra II. It was actually being student-taught by a current senior at John Carroll. It was very interesting to see how a student-teacher taught and see what he did right and wrong. There weren't very many students in the classroom, maybe about ten or so. I think that smaller class sizes work better and are much more easily managed than a larger, more chaotic class. Mr. Oakley gave his students a few problems to complete, and while they were doing so, he walked around the classroom, making sure that the students understand the concepts and material on the worksheet. If one did not understand or had a question, he would sit down with the student and walk him or her through the problem, making sure they know what to do and how to complete the process next time. Another thing he did that I liked was give the students example problems that were incorrect. It showed them exactly what not to do and how it can get confusing and why it does. At my high school, a few of my math teachers did this and I remember that it worked well and really helped me when it came time for the exams. Along with giving examples of incorrect problems, he demonstrated a couple different ways to complete the problems. The students would then use whichever method they felt most comfortable with. Mr. Oakley did a great job teaching the students these concepts and really making sure that they have a good understanding of the material.
One thing about this school that really interested me was the R.E.A.L Early College Program. This program gives students the chance to take more advanced classes in high school and start college courses two years earlier. I've never heard of a program like this before and it was really fascinating to hear about it from one of the students who is in the process of completing the program. I think it is a great idea to have a program like this in the school systems. The students are separated from their other classmates, both academically and socially, but if they know what they are getting themselves into in the beginning, I think it would work out very nicely. It is such a great opportunity for the students to have this as an option in their high school career. If they are willing to work that much more in order to fulfill the requirements of this program, that is great and gives them an advantage. I think that a program like this should be available in more schools so the students are given the chance to start their college careers earlier and help them prepare for the challenges that life throws at us at a younger age.
While at Heights, I sat in on an advanced math class--Algebra II. It was actually being student-taught by a current senior at John Carroll. It was very interesting to see how a student-teacher taught and see what he did right and wrong. There weren't very many students in the classroom, maybe about ten or so. I think that smaller class sizes work better and are much more easily managed than a larger, more chaotic class. Mr. Oakley gave his students a few problems to complete, and while they were doing so, he walked around the classroom, making sure that the students understand the concepts and material on the worksheet. If one did not understand or had a question, he would sit down with the student and walk him or her through the problem, making sure they know what to do and how to complete the process next time. Another thing he did that I liked was give the students example problems that were incorrect. It showed them exactly what not to do and how it can get confusing and why it does. At my high school, a few of my math teachers did this and I remember that it worked well and really helped me when it came time for the exams. Along with giving examples of incorrect problems, he demonstrated a couple different ways to complete the problems. The students would then use whichever method they felt most comfortable with. Mr. Oakley did a great job teaching the students these concepts and really making sure that they have a good understanding of the material.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Blogpost 7
"Greatness in teaching…requires a serious encounter with autobiography
Greatness in teaching requires getting over the notion that its sets of techniques or methods… Lots of folks write adequate lesson plans, keep order, deliver instruction — are lousy teachers.
Greatness in teaching engages students, interacts with them, draws energy and direction from them, and offers reasons to plunge into classroom life.
-Bill Ayers, p. 97
I’m at a loss for how to approach this lesson, these readings. I want it to be meaningful and relevant to each of you and to the complex lives you bring every day. During the lesson, you should feel compelled to be fully present and engaged in the learning experience… Hmmmmm…^+#)~%@*&???
What does Ayers mean by the metaphor of building bridges? Bridges from where to where? Is there a pattern? (Yes, there is a pattern) If so, can you extend the pattern with two pertinent examples?"
"Building Bridges" to me means building a student-teacher relationship. In order to do this, the teacher must find common interests with the students and really get them to trust him or her. The students have to feel comfortable with the teacher and feel like they can go to their teacher for help no matter what. I think that it is good for the teacher to have a relationship with the students outside of just classes; find common interests with them, such as sports, music, television shows, etc. and get them to trust them. When I was in high school, I had relationships with my teachers outside of the classroom setting and I felt very comfortable with them and knew I could go to them for help. I wasn't shy in asking for help because I knew that they were always willing to help me succeed. The teacher must make it known to the students that they are here to teach them and help them grow as students, that they only want the best for them and that they are willing to do whatever it takes to help them succeed. Yes, they will push you and set up many obstacles, but once you overcome those obstacles and know you can do it, you will feel much better about yourself knowing that you can do it. Bill Ayers gives us a few examples of what it means to "build bridges". One example, is giving the students a challenge to actually build a bridge for their class pet, a turtle. The students all work together in building a bridge for this turtle and the teacher is there for support and to help them when need be. The other example was the adult literacy class. This class empowered the adult students to change the community they live in to better their lives and the lives of others in the community. They all worked together to make this possible, just like the students did in the turtle example. The pattern, by making small changes in ourselves to benefit the class as a whole, motivates everyone to work for the common goal. It is essentially teamwork. As simple as that may sound, it is not. They all have to work together and bond in order to make something possible, which in both of the examples, they did.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Blogpost 6
Capture your thoughts on postits marking the place in the book where you had your thoughts. As you are reading, please pay close attention to your thought process. Using Postit notes, mark places in the text where you become conscious of your thinking process. Examples: questions, things you wonder about, making a prediction about what is next, offer some critique and analysis, connect to other readings, connect to observations in the field, connect to current affairs in the news, relate to a lived experience and so forth. Take one or more of the annotations and develop it further into BlogPost6.
While reading Paulo Freire's "The Banking Concept of Education", it made me realize that that is how education really is today. Thinking back on my experiences as a student in grade school, I realize that I was mainly just being fed information. Freire referred to is as the teacher "making a deposit". Which, if you think about it, it's true. During the time, I didn't think anything about the way I was taught. I just thought that thats how it works and thats the way it would be. Students just memorize, not actually understand the concepts at hand. In order to be able to remember something and remember it for a decent amount of time, you have to fully understand it not just memorize the words. I know from experience that memorizing the information for the test the night before does not help in the long run. When it came time for midterms, there were some sections that I completely forgot about and were foreign to me. Students still do this, know what they need to know for a test, forget about it right after and then its not brought up again. The other method brought up in this chapter was the "problem-posing method". This method makes the students use their brains and really focus and understand what they are learning. It teaches them to take risks that they usually wouldn't even think about. The bank concept vs. the problem posing method is completely different and I think that the problem posing method needs to be used much more often.
While reading Paulo Freire's "The Banking Concept of Education", it made me realize that that is how education really is today. Thinking back on my experiences as a student in grade school, I realize that I was mainly just being fed information. Freire referred to is as the teacher "making a deposit". Which, if you think about it, it's true. During the time, I didn't think anything about the way I was taught. I just thought that thats how it works and thats the way it would be. Students just memorize, not actually understand the concepts at hand. In order to be able to remember something and remember it for a decent amount of time, you have to fully understand it not just memorize the words. I know from experience that memorizing the information for the test the night before does not help in the long run. When it came time for midterms, there were some sections that I completely forgot about and were foreign to me. Students still do this, know what they need to know for a test, forget about it right after and then its not brought up again. The other method brought up in this chapter was the "problem-posing method". This method makes the students use their brains and really focus and understand what they are learning. It teaches them to take risks that they usually wouldn't even think about. The bank concept vs. the problem posing method is completely different and I think that the problem posing method needs to be used much more often.
Field Blog-Beachwood MS
Going into Beachwood Middle School for our first field experience, I didn't really know what to expect. I have never gone to a public school before so I wasn't quite sure what it was going to be like. I have never actually sat in on a class before and observed what was going on, but I have helped teach and run a few lessons for a fourth grade class at my high school. While observing, I really tried to focus on how the teachers were teaching and how the students reacted to their style. It is very important to make sure that the students understand your teaching methods and that they are comfortable in the classroom setting.
The first classroom I was in was a history class taught by Mr. Baker. There were very few students in this classroom, but Mr. Baker made sure to point out that the class sizes are usually double or more the size of this class. The students were reviewing for a test or quiz and the main focus was on Henry Ford. Mr. Baker had made up a slideshow with information about Henry Ford, his life, and accomplishments. While reviewing, he would go through each slide and talk about it more in detail so the children would understand it. Each child had a mini whiteboard at their desk and when Mr. Baker would ask a question, each one of the students would write the answer on their whiteboard and hold it up to show the teacher. Mr. Baker would then walk around the room, looking at each white board. Using the whiteboards, Mr. Baker said, saves a lot of time because he doesn't have a bunch of hands going up and a couple kids trying to answer the question. This way, the students are participating the whole time and are forced to be engaged. I think this is a good method for reviewing because the students have to pay attention the whole time and don't have other ways to distract them. I did notice, though, during the review, that the students weren't taking any notes on the powerpoint slides or the teacher talking, they were just paying attention and writing on their whiteboards. Mr. Baker had a pretty low and monotone voice, which I'm sure can get a little boring for the students but they seemed to be doing well with focusing on the subject and keeping distractions aside.
The first classroom I was in was a history class taught by Mr. Baker. There were very few students in this classroom, but Mr. Baker made sure to point out that the class sizes are usually double or more the size of this class. The students were reviewing for a test or quiz and the main focus was on Henry Ford. Mr. Baker had made up a slideshow with information about Henry Ford, his life, and accomplishments. While reviewing, he would go through each slide and talk about it more in detail so the children would understand it. Each child had a mini whiteboard at their desk and when Mr. Baker would ask a question, each one of the students would write the answer on their whiteboard and hold it up to show the teacher. Mr. Baker would then walk around the room, looking at each white board. Using the whiteboards, Mr. Baker said, saves a lot of time because he doesn't have a bunch of hands going up and a couple kids trying to answer the question. This way, the students are participating the whole time and are forced to be engaged. I think this is a good method for reviewing because the students have to pay attention the whole time and don't have other ways to distract them. I did notice, though, during the review, that the students weren't taking any notes on the powerpoint slides or the teacher talking, they were just paying attention and writing on their whiteboards. Mr. Baker had a pretty low and monotone voice, which I'm sure can get a little boring for the students but they seemed to be doing well with focusing on the subject and keeping distractions aside.
The next classroom I observed in was a Language Arts class taught by Mrs. McCormac. For the first fifteen or so minutes of class, the students got out their computers and focused on learning a specific topic. They each had a chart online where they would work with grammar and other mechanical skills. Mrs. McCormac said that learning grammar must be repetitive in order for the students to understand it. You can't just go over it once and expect the students to understand and know what to do. In order for it to stick, you must go over it over and over until they are comfortable with the material. While some of the students were finishing up their charts, the ones who were finished read silently to themselves or just sat there quietly. There was one girl in the class who I think had a learning disability, and she sat off to the side of the class. There was another man/teacher in the class who was specifically helping her, which made it easier for Mrs. McCormac. This is Mrs. McCormac's last year teaching at Beachwood Middle School and I can kind of tell why... She didn't seem to have much patience with the students. It seemed to me like she would sometimes put them down instead of just correcting them or helping them figure out the answer. When I am a teacher, I will make sure to help the students figure out the correct answer and not just correct them and make them feel lower than you.
Going to Beachwood Middle School was a good learning experience. I had to different types of teachers with completely different styles of teaching. One class was very small and the other was larger. The students in the smaller classroom seemed to pay more attention and focus more because there were fewer distractions, less children. They were also a grade or two older so that made a big difference. The Language Arts class seemed a little out of hand at times; I noticed a few students not paying attention at all or talking to the person next to them. I think smaller class sizes are much more effective, and that is how it was in my high school and I feel that worked best for me. Every student is different and has a different learning style, so the teacher will just have to make accommodations to fit the students needs.
Going to Beachwood Middle School was a good learning experience. I had to different types of teachers with completely different styles of teaching. One class was very small and the other was larger. The students in the smaller classroom seemed to pay more attention and focus more because there were fewer distractions, less children. They were also a grade or two older so that made a big difference. The Language Arts class seemed a little out of hand at times; I noticed a few students not paying attention at all or talking to the person next to them. I think smaller class sizes are much more effective, and that is how it was in my high school and I feel that worked best for me. Every student is different and has a different learning style, so the teacher will just have to make accommodations to fit the students needs.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Blogpost 5
Rofes (2005) makes clear distinctions between liberal and radical conceptualizations of addressing homophobia and heterosexism in k-12 schools. Discuss these distinctions with examples from schools you attended. How does Rofes (2005) discuss childhood? What do the liberal and radical distinctions of addressing homophobia and heterosexism have to do with contemporary understandings of childhood? What do you believe and what is your vision for the school where you hope to be teaching in the next four years? (250 thoughtful words).
During my schooling experience, I haven't come across many times where we weren't open and accepting. Yes, there will always be a few kids that will make rude remarks, but overall as a group we were very accepting and not judgmental. I went to Hathaway Brown, an all girls school, and because it was an all girls school I think that people we're more comfortable to be themselves and come out. I didn't realize much of a difference with people coming out between my freshman and senior year. They didn't choose to hide it early on and I am glad they didn't. They weren't afraid to show who they really were and we all accepted that. A couple of times, I have seen girls holding hands walking through the halls and showing emotion with each other and I am happy that they feel that comfortable to do so. Of course, there are some people who feel uncomfortable seeing this, point people out, and make rude remarks, but no matter what, there will always be those people in life no matter who you are and what you are doing. When I am a teacher, I want the classroom to be a safe and open place for all of the children. I want them to be comfortable to be themselves and feel like it is okay to be who they are. I want everyone to know it is okay to be different and be who they are and that no one will judge them for it. Everyone is different and we just need to accept who they are, no matter what.
During my schooling experience, I haven't come across many times where we weren't open and accepting. Yes, there will always be a few kids that will make rude remarks, but overall as a group we were very accepting and not judgmental. I went to Hathaway Brown, an all girls school, and because it was an all girls school I think that people we're more comfortable to be themselves and come out. I didn't realize much of a difference with people coming out between my freshman and senior year. They didn't choose to hide it early on and I am glad they didn't. They weren't afraid to show who they really were and we all accepted that. A couple of times, I have seen girls holding hands walking through the halls and showing emotion with each other and I am happy that they feel that comfortable to do so. Of course, there are some people who feel uncomfortable seeing this, point people out, and make rude remarks, but no matter what, there will always be those people in life no matter who you are and what you are doing. When I am a teacher, I want the classroom to be a safe and open place for all of the children. I want them to be comfortable to be themselves and feel like it is okay to be who they are. I want everyone to know it is okay to be different and be who they are and that no one will judge them for it. Everyone is different and we just need to accept who they are, no matter what.
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