Blog 4
Our role in the class was not prepared well enough to make an impact. During class on Tuesday, Izzy and I came up with the plan to present our mini curriculum to the class that included mythologies, research, art projects, etc. We sent it to our teacher and were informed that they were past that portion of the class and will not be returning to that section. That unfortunately means that we must come up with a brand-new plan to fit the lesson plans present now within the class. So, when we went to the class on Thursday, we talked to our teacher and presented our idea to focus on the American mythology of our own justice system. She did not provide too much comment because we did not have a complete idea in place do to our adjustments. After this conversation she suggested we lead the second part of the discussion for today’s talk which required us to ask about stereotypes surrounding lawyers. When the discussion took place, we tried to incorporate the group think aspect of PBL and EL by allowing open discussion. That did not go as expected due to limited participation. My conclusion was, to be effective with these students, we have to first build a strong relationship by constant appearances, and one on one discussions with each child to find out how they best learn.
The best idea for a learning idea is somewhat irrelevant without first putting in the work to understand the children. In my opinion, no matter how effective our teaching methods are, no matter how creative they are, if the teachers can not take the time out to educate themselves on their students, no matter if they have 25-200, if the curriculum does not change to fit the teachers need to understand their students before even the first lesson is taught, then their will never be something creative enough to fulfill each student’s needs. Teaching can not be a “one size fits all” endeavor. It must match every student in their own way. Their can not be a S.O.L because not every student learns the same. Yes, EL and PBL have great ideas, but in order for these great ideas to come true there has to be a plan developed for each child to build a foundation that the teachers can adjust their lesson plans around. Without that, these teachers are at a disadvantage and the students are hindered even more because they cannot receive the basic knowledge needed to survive the world ahead. A world where they will not have the opportunity to rewrite, reword, or redo something before a serious punishment is handed down. My idea is this, get rid of the requirement to meet a S.O.L, have the college students studying to be teachers also become psychologist as well, and push for the student’s well-being instead of meeting a quota. These kids are not just numbers, but the future of this country.
Ty,
As you’ve explained, your classroom has presented a tricky situation with a regular teacher and a teacher in training. I was not made aware of that until we entered the classroom, and I realize that has presented a disjointed avenue for communication. It does require us to communicate often and to understand how we will be participating in the curriculum already in place, which means your “leading” day was not meant for you to present your own material, but to help lead current curriculum. Still, I respect your efforts to get up and lead the lawyer discussion–it might be that a Think Pair Share with smaller group leaders might give them more ownership before bringing ideas forward.
You are right to notice the constraints of a high school classroom not used to motivated by independent, EL learning–students are waiting for direct instruction and need time to have their individual voices heard. I appreciate your comments about the SOLs-were there specific ones you’ve earmarked for your unit in English or Mythology, Civics that you don’t think are attainable? Every good teacher must balance learning benchmarks with the learning interests and needs of its students–I would go back to the Aligning chapter in PBT and consider the student rubrics in the back of the text. How might you design a scaffolded, “think aloud” lesson that helps build rapport, student interest as well as working towards enduring understandings that align with existing SOLS?
When I introduce the remainder of your teaching portfolio assignment this week, you will now have time to develop a lesson for a virtual feed with Izzy. I’m going to communicate with Mr. Simms and Ms. Trombetta to see how we might communicate that with the high school students in his English class.
Best, MAJ Hodde
Ty,
I agree that getting to know the students is important. I think what could help both participation and getting to know the students more would be to break up the students into small groups during teaching activities. That way you can get to know them on a more individual level and they will also have more confidence and motivation to speak up and interact with you. That will help mix up the dynamics of the classroom, as suggested by PBT, and hopefully guide you towards success!
Max Gallahan