EDSS 546

Reading Response #1 

After reading the article The Digital Learning Imperative: How Technology and Teaching Meet Today's Education Challenge and listening to the SWAMP speakers, there are many aspects that have expanded my understanding of the teaching profession. "More than 1 million children drop out of school every year" because the school system is unable to meet the demands of these students. This statistic blew my mind. The United States is losing a vast chunk of the student population due to the inability to adapt. I use this term broadly of course because within the umbrella of adaptability there are a plethora of varying factors, economics and funding being the largest ones. After reading the article and listening to our guest speakers, the idea that really resonated with me seems the most basic. To be the best teacher, I also have to be the best learner. I can never stop furthering and educating myself in my profession. Teachers are underqualified and after graduating their credential programs they have already fallen behind. The only way to keep up is to keep learning. I may be confident in my analytical abilities or my usage of English grammar but I don't know everything. Carrie Targhetta said that she uses a unit that incorporates more modern pieces that appeal to her students. She decided to use an excerpt from Gruen's novel Water for Elephants because all of her female students were reading it. She adapted the material to fit the student's interests and fuel their writing. Not only are her student's learning but so is she. It seems that the mentality of the teacher needs to change too. We are not the omnipresent all knowing being that a student must worship sitting wide eyed and silent while absorbing everything that comes out of my mouth like a sponge. What a silly concept? I learn something new every day, just like my students do. The only way to move forward is to learn and use the tools that are available. The biggest tool currently is technology. The internet has not only connected the entire world but it has opened a floodgate of information. But what good is this information if you don't know how to wade through it? As a teacher, I must use technology to close the gap between the needs of my students and the needs of the working world. I must also continually strive to improve and advance in my own profession. 

Reading Response #2

I absolutely love making my students think and stretch their creative minds. Isn't that why we're here in the first place? To make them think? One of the units I created in my CP I was a unit around expectations and assumptions specifically in regards to adolescence and teenagers. I really wanted to create a unit that involved the students not only reflecting on their own misconceptions but the lens in which the rest of the world views them as well. The first part of the unit involved students having to think about their own assumptions or expectations. I separated the class into groups according to their interests and grade levels. Interest being a key factor. I noticed that even though the students may be at different levels, if they were all invested in the same things they have a higher likelihood of completing the task. There were a couple of exceptions of course that would enjoy veering their group into the opposite direction but I spread those students out accordingly. I began with a Gallerywalk activity where the students were each given a topic like "Technology," "Love," "Education," or "Family." I then had them draw two columns with the numbers 1-10 in each column. The first column was labeled "10 Things Everyone Should Know About _______" and the other "10 Things Everyone Should Learn About ________."  The students were then asked to work in their groups and come up with ten items for each column. They then had to participate in a gallery walk writing down the items they most agreed with and least agreed with. Afterwards, they had to do another reflection. Many students did not realize the assumptions that some of their peers had towards these topics. From there, I used their "Education" and "Family" poster to begin transitioning to student's expectations of themselves and their life goals versus that of their peers, parents, and the nation towards adolescence. My students really had to think about the limitations put on them by outside forces while reflecting on who they were as a person and what they wanted. It was a fantastic transition between the hopeless, "There is nothing I can do" to the, "I am who I am and no one will stand in my way." I had them think a lot about the assumptions and limitations they put on themselves and how these factors have changed their life path. I presented numerous articles that would argue that "Teenagers require guidance and need to be taken care of" versus "teenagers are doing just fine and the media is creating a false perception." I also used the late Steve Jobs as an example and pulled from his graduation speech at Harvard. The students really responded to this icon and his ability to follow his own dreams. The way I support my student's to think is through solid essential questions that open the class up for discussion. I also use a lot of self reflection to increase the affectivness of the assignment and to make them realize that they are part of this perpetuating system. I have to admit, I also really like using loaded statements to get a rise out of them. Oftentimes, the students will begin to think about the statement and start realizing the fallacies within it and they connect those fallacies to things that they have seen in their own lives. As Jim Burke states that students need to " 'embrace the contradictions' and the complexity we find everywhere in our world." From there they attempt to rationalize the opponent's argument in an attempt to find understanding in something they disagree with. The student's make the connections themselves. It's like a puzzle. I made the puzzle and broke it apart but they already know how to put it back together. 

Reading Response #3

For this reading response I have created a Googledocs form that involves students using the templates in They Say, I Say to assert their opinion while still maintaining an appropriate academic tone. This activity serves as a bridge into a unit about character. 
Please click on the link below to participate in the activity. 


Um, wait, what did you just say? 

Reading Response #4

What I want my students to be able to do by the time the year/course ends is to be able to look at any text or any situation and think critically. My goal would be to teach my students how to think critically. The best way to get my students to think critically is to, funnily enough, make them think. I can asses their critical thinking by reading their analytical analysis, their quick writes and reflections, presenting material that doesn't have a "right or wrong" answer, presenting material that introduces a multitude of perspectives and stances, having the students participate in Socratic Seminars and any activity that involves the students looking at a concept or text with a different lens other than their own while still voicing their opinions by backing up their opinions with textual evidence. The implications for these types of assessment mean two big things. First, the teacher has to do a lot of work researching an eclectic chunk of material. Second, students may have difficulty with completing the assignment because there is no "right or wrong" answer. This will translate into a final grade that is fair and meaningful by using a rubric that students will be required to adhere to while not stifling their critical thinking voice.
Activity #1- I agree that students should have the opportunity to revise any paper after I return it to them with comments. 


Who Poem



Allia Who?

Allia who laughs with satirists
and asks, "Why not?"
who is saffron and rosewater
who is curious and creative
whose imagination runs rampant
is singing and wailing in her car
who tells me, "This world is changing."
who tells me, "Pick up the pieces, make something new."

Whose imperfections scar her confidence
whose blind heart leads her brain
is fighting with her impatience
is pounding on the door
is learning to wait and waiting to learn
who wants the world to be a better place
is humbled by reality
Asking, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
               "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Dead Poets Society Movie Review

I always loved Dead Poets Society (D.P.S.) for tackling poetry and parental expectations, especially the scene where the young student commits suicide after performing his star role in Midsummer Night's Dream. For some reason, that scene always stuck in my mind because it was so sad that the family dismissed their son and the son felt that life was no longer worth living if he couldn't be himself. I decided to view D.P.S. because it deals with the Anglo-Saxon projection, masculinity and expected gender roles, and a higher socioeconomic status.

The first aspect that must be established are the characters. In D.P.S. John Keating, Neil Perry, and Todd Anderson are the main focus of the film but, the main protagonist of the film is Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is a compassionate, understanding, and enthusiastic leader. The culture of D.P.S. is one of Anglo-Saxon traditionalism. Welton Academy is a preparatory school full of boys from the ages of 14-18 all from well off families. Promising the best education, Welton Academy practices a rigid curriculum full of canonized writers and materials. The primary conflict from the film actually arises from the teacher Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating, a fellow Welton alumni, arrives at the school and immediately attempts to instill passion and critical thinking. Instead of sticking to the stuffiness of lectures and rote memorization, Mr. Keating, by Welton standards, is unconventional.

Mr. Keating incorporates culturally relevant teaching by utilizing cultural competence. Because Mr. Keating attended Welton Academy, he is already familiar with the culture of the school and is able to incorporate a different lens in which to view poetry. As Nieto states, “effective schooling relies almost entirely on creative and passionate teachers” and Mr. Keating fits this description perfectly (82). One of my favorite scenes is when Mr. Keating is discussing with another teacher about helping their students develop as free thinkers. The other teacher retorts that it is dangerous for him to teach them to be artists while Mr. Keating replies, “not artists George, free thinkers.” I absolutely loved this response. I myself am an advocate “Many students are alienated, uninvolved, and discouraged by school...schools are not organized to encourage active student involvement ” and this scene best demonstrates the conflicting pedagogues of these two teacher (Nieto 141). Mr. Keating involves his students by nurturing their individual voices and perspectives. While the other teacher emphasizes rote learning and memorization. “Institutional discrimination generally refers to how people are excluded or deprived of rights or opportunities as a result of the normal operations of the institution” (Nieto 68). With the case of the D.P.S. boys, they are unable to develop critical thinking skills or their own voice because of the rigidity of Welton Academy's curriculum and teachers. Mr. Keating continually reiterates the importance of the individual by making them stand on his desk to get a different perspective of the world and when he says that “the longer you wait to find your voice the less your chance of finding it.” Even Todd Anderson's parents buy him yet another desk set unbeknownst that their son has no interest in it at all. This also ties into the most important topic we've discussed, know your students. Mr. Keating clearly knows Anderson's fear of speaking in front of his class but he embraces it and helps him get through it. Mr. Keating knows his student's fears and is able to incorporate his own unique teaching style to fuel his students to become strong critical thinkers. His effect on his students is best seen in the final scene when the boys stand up on their desks and address him as “O' Captain, My Captain.”

This film was truly inspiring. It was amazing to see a teacher that was able to work within the confines of rigidity to advocate critical thinking or, as Mr. Keating calls it, “free thinking.” Mr. Keating and I would get along very well. This film has impacted my own practice because I too advocate and instill the same values in my classroom as Mr. Keating. The message of the film provides hope for teachers that feel they are stuck in the rigidity of the curriculum and emphasizes the value of critical thinking and creativity. If you truly value your students opinions and their unique perspectives they will follow you anywhere. They will be inspired to learn from you. Teaching isn't about rote memorization. Teaching isn't about being the all knowing omnipresent being. It is about guiding a student down their path and learning along the way. In the credential program, they frequently discuss the value of collaborative teaching but I choose to utilize the value of collaborative learning. I may be an educator, but I am and always will be a learner.