EDSS 531

Reflection Paper

This semester has been one to put behind me. Everything that should have gone smoothly seemed to go drastically impeded in ways that I could have never predicted. Between enrollment issues, problems getting full access to class information, problems coordinating projects, misunderstanding guidelines for TPAs, and trying to correct all of these things with a sane mind, this semester is one to simply just put behind me.

But one very positive teaching lesson came out of it: No matter how hard things are outside of your high school classroom (and, for sure, they could have been worse), everything will go better if you just act like it is all fine for the time you are in the classroom. If I acted like the confused, frustrated stress-case that I was on a daily basis, my students would have a lot of trouble accepting me as their teacher for a couple months. I made sure to (ironically) keep my education completely separate from by educating.

This idea of professionalism is very important in the classroom. While many of us are focused on being approachable and understanding with our students, there is a level of professionalism that needs to be maintained by showing up and treating the day like it is new for every student involved. While this is a lesson that CSUSM probably did not plan on teaching me, I guess it happened to work out in a very odd way. Nonetheless, I feel like I learned something very important that I will use for a long time.

Model Integration Paper

Models to teach by can be tricky. Some are very idealistic, and others are a lot more work than can run smoothly in a classroom the first time. But I must stress the first time. Things can go poorly that first time you try it in a classroom, just like anything else. The first time I paddled out on a surfboard . . . well, I’d rather not even think about how goofy I once looked on a surfboard. Point is, sometimes we must try these models once, twice, many, many times to make sure that we are getting them right and improving them. More than this, these models take student adjustment and testing for them to be successful. Again, this means trying it over and over.

All this being said, one model I really like is scientific inquiry. Even in literature, I love giving students problems related to the text, like, “Would you give your friend up to the police if you knew it was for the better of all other friends,” and I ask them to use scientific inquiry to look at it from all possible angles and examine which ways influence their opinions. In the same vein, I can ask them to think of big social problems completely objectively, like poverty. Looking at them objectively, they can see that some times the scientific approach can leave out a lot of the empathy that is built into us as humans. Then I can ask them to break down the problem solving involved. It is seeing the thinking that makes me happy in these critical problems they approach.

Another model that I think is very effective in my teaching is a writing to learn model. I ask students some beginning questions to “get them in the mood” for what we are about to read. This could be something as simple as, “Are you superstitious? What things are you superstitious about, and why?” for a section of Julius Caesar. They write down the answer and then have the chance to share what they wrote in a dialogue. This gets all types of learning and language involved, while also making sure that each student is taking full responsibility for his or her learning while also sharing each other’s knowledge.

These types of models had to be tried out by me multiple times before the students and myself had a solid grasp on how to approach it effectively. Both of them are still a work in progress, but with each try, the models seem to create a much better and more efficient learning environment.

Teaching Children of Today and Re-teaching Teachers, the Students of Yesterday

“What I Know and What I Believe About the Development and Learning Needs of Adolescents”

By: Bobby Oliver

“Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog.”


– Mark Twain

Introduction


In high school, I had a lot of distractions — I mean a whole lot. Between music, sports, relationships and full-time jobs, there was rarely a dull moment, and even less, a moment I wanted to dedicate to school.

But I got it done. I earned more-than-decent grades and went to a university straight out of high school. I had a little extra help, however. I didn’t go to your average high school. It was a magnet school with very progressive teachers who put their students’ needs first. I found time to be successful because of relationships I developed with the teachers. Simply, they tried their best and depended on me to activate my potential. It was the first time I realized that good teachers made good students. Inevitably, students still failed, but I saw that some teachers had the power to use their personalities, strategies and empathy to encourage the best characteristics of their students.

This is how I feel about educating in high school, and it is what the remainder of this paper will break down: my plan for success in making my students successful.


Learning Environment


A lot of students, hopefully not most, but many are brought up in environments in which things are not safe. This could mean a range of things; maybe their creativity isn’t safe, their well-being, their health, etc. I believe that the most essential part of a learning environment is creating a safe place for the students to learn and express themselves.

There are a lot of ways to approach this idea. Sometimes, we need to change the physical environment to increase a feeling of safety within our classrooms. A hard thing for many teachers to understand is that we (as the teachers) can be the source of an “unsafe” feeling in our students. A teacher behind a big desk, peering at students from the front of the class can have this negative effect. While it does increase a feeling of superiority, there is also a feeling of separation and lack of community. From this approach, no safe feeling can be created for the students.

Instead the teacher should make sure to roam the classroom and set the students up in a way that seems equal and communal (Griffin, 68). Giving students this type of arrangement will encourage them to trust each other and the teacher. With emphasis on environmental equality, the teacher will create a safe environment in which the students can share their thoughts and feelings in the educational process.

On top of this, a safe environment will be encouraged through the classroom conduct and expectation of respect. Letting students know that they will be respected and/or protected at all times encourages the same safe environment that is conducive to learning and discussion. Students should be protected by the teacher from any hurtful language, whether it reflect prejudice or misplaced negativity, which is always contagious. Helping students to feel safe from these things builds a learning environment that will be happier and more efficient.


The Personal Needs of Student: Physical, Social, and Emotional


Classrooms have always had a wide range of students with different needs. There is an attitude of “In today’s classroom, things are like this,” and “These days education needs to be different.” I feel that this ignores many of the errors and insensitivities that educations has created in its past. Classrooms have always needed the things we are calling for today. The children are not as different as we let ourselves think they are. Past generations had their problems, and the children of those generations carried those problems with them through their schooling experiences. Largely, however, these problems were unrecognized and/or ignored. So it is not so much that our students have changed, as it is that our knowledge has changed.

With this in mind, I try to keep some of the things that affected me in high school, and use them to understand teenagers. While each student’s situation is drastically different from my experience, I feel that putting myself in this position can help me to understand the priorities of a teenager.

As a teenager, I feel there is a lot more emphasis on social and emotional life (and not always social and emotional health). These can be huge distractions if they are in danger of being disturbed. For instance, in a teacher’s class who expects students to always have his or her class in first priority, there may be a rebellion or backlash in participation or general respect. To many students, this “wouldn’t be fair.” And so many times, all these adolescents want is fairness. In this case, social health may be threatened for the student, which should never be an issue because of school.

On the other hand, emotions and stability can play a very large part in the day-to-day life of an adolescent. What Fannin calls “emotional intelligence,” an overall handle of one’s emotional prioritizing, can fluctuate greatly between adolescents (Fannin, 62). This means that a teacher must understand mood swings in students. Not only should a teacher understand these, but the teacher should also empathize with the importance of the issues in regards to the student. What may seem unimportant to an adult could mean the world to an adolescent. Keeping this in mind is crucial to a mutual teacher/student respect.


Expectations

I believe that expectations of a student should be arrived at after considering the above needs of a student. Expecting a student to dedicate his or herself completely to your class is unreasonable, unfair, and will be ultimately unsuccessful. There is no doubt that all teachers must realize and cherish the value of his or her subject and class, but there has to be a reasonable expectation of the students time dedication.

In addition to this, there has to be a conclusion of the expectations per student. How will the teacher grade? If a student who works at a lower level produces work that is extraordinary for his or her level, but below average for another’s level, does he or she get an A or a C-? Coming to this sort of conclusion (and sticking to it) is essential to the success of the student and the teacher (Stipek, 218)

In my philosophy, I will expect my students to excel above their levels, but I will not penalize them for being at different levels. If a student applies him or herself wholly in a piece of work, there will be a reward. If that same student was underserved in the past, it would be wrong for me to continue underserving the student by punishing a good effort.


Classroom Management


Classroom management is something that scares me up until the moment I am in front of the class. Everyone seems to be so scared of their students getting out of control that it influences me to assume the worst. I waste time thinking about what I would do or am going to do when a student turns on me — when a class turns on me. Then, it is my turn to get in front of the classroom and begin talking. And it all just happens smoothly, until one student begins to talk over me or over another student. I just look at him or her, and that’s really it.

It’s crazy to me that classroom management has been easy for me thus far. Inevitably, there will be that moment that breaks the cycle of ease I have had so far. But it seems to me that the relationship I have with my students, the relationship I develop from the beginning with, “Hi, my name is Mr. Oliver,” convinces the students that I respect them and that I expect it to be mutual. This type of symbiotic respect in a classroom can help it to run without a presence of any authoritarian, which usually can run a classroom into the ground (Kariuki, 6)

Meeting the Needs of All Students


Meeting the needs of the students can range from and to all parts of this paper. The classroom safety is a need. The empathy for a student is a need. All of these things are deep needs that help a classroom evolve into a center for learning. But sometimes there are different situations in which students have very specific needs, whether it being language differences or capability differences. With this in mind, there are a variety of ways to approach these students and situations.

I feel that it is never a good idea to act like something isn’t happening. Ignoring a difference in a student is, in part, ignoring the student. Calling attention to something that he or she may be sensitive about is different than letting the student know that you are aware and ready to approach their learning with a similar sensitivity. My philosophy is to help the student honestly and with integrity and to never act like “it’s not happening.” There is a type of insult in ignoring something that is different, and I feel like we are approaching a new era in which those differences are being slowly embraced. With my teaching, I hope to bring an awareness and an appreciative attitude toward these students with different needs. In this way, there will be a product of a cooperative and understanding room of colleagues and classmates.


Conclusion


I feel that there is an element of malleable energy in every classroom. Sometimes there is an abundance of energy, while at other times it needs to be created. In both cases, the energy needs to be maintained and directed towards something educationally and intellectually productive. This is not a hard thing to pull off, in my mind. With the right strategies and enough integrity, it is something I believe can come almost naturally, then being perfected by experience. Simply, these students need a teacher who can show a human, empathetic and responsible side. In this era, there is constant concern of different jobs being taken by computers. With the traditional, robotic approach to education, our jobs are open to replacement, and our students will be underserved. If an educator really needs incentive to teach more effectively, see it as job protection with a bonus of safer, happier, and smarter children.

Bibliography

Fannin, B. E. (2002). The contributions of emotional intelligence to academic achievement and production. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62, 12-A.

Griffin, Pat (1997). Introductory module for the single issue courses. In Teaching for diversity and social justice: A sourcebook , Adams, Maurianne, Bell , Lee Ann, and Griffin , Pat, eds. New York : Routledge, pp. 61-81.

Kariuki, C. (2009). Professional development for 21st century teachers: Effective classroom management. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED505988).

Stipek,D. (2002). Motivation to Learn: Integrating Theory and Practice, Allyn & Bacon, New York. p. 216-221.

Reading Response 3

The (Lack of) Generational Gap

I wear a tie every day to Orange Glen High. My "big boy" shoes, some slacks and a tie pin fasten my difference from the students. While I cannot grow a full beard, I still appear older than these students, tie or not. But the formality of my dress helps me separate myself as an authority instead of a young helper in the classroom.

But there is reason to why this would happen: Simply, I am not that much older. I am only five-to-six years older than some of my seniors this year, which creates a generational understanding between us, mostly because it is the same generation.

Many of the classes I took in my undergrad and am taking now gear my teaching and lifestyle toward a technological dependency. As dangerous as this can be, it helps me to understand where my students need to be in the future. The "I'm not into that computer stuff" attitude is no longer a feasible option by today's standards. Nonetheless, many teachers are resistent to new technologies and approaches in their classrooms.

I feel that I am very on track to keep my students prepared for the 21st century and its commands of a student and a professional. While many older teachers are making the efforts and having success with new technologies, in my generation, it is like an inherent language that the entire generation speaks and future generations will speak.

Reading Response 2

Quote from the text/video

1. "Kids who haven't responded to natural consequences don't need more consequences." Kids Do, 166

2. "Today, we're moving into an era in which R-Directed Thinking will increasingly determine who gets ahead." Abundance, Asia, pg. 30

3. "The modern economy requires workers with higher skills than in the past." Jobs of the Future, pg. 9

4. "Creativity now is as important in education as literacy." Ken Robinson

5. "There isn't an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday the way we teach them mathematics. Why? Why not?" Ken Robinson


What it means

If a student has already shown no response to consequences, there is no need to pile them on.

People that tend to think from the right side of their brains are going to be more successful in the future market.

Compared to past decades and centuries, today's economy seeks a worker who has a broader skill set.

Our allowance of creativity in the classroom needs to grow to the level of the core subjects.

There are no K-12 schools that are expressing the same urgency for the arts as they are for the core subjects.


Deeper thinking

Teachers need to reevaluate their processing of students who don't respond. They call for a more intricate discipline.

Creativity is going to play a bigger role in the future than it is currently. We need to teach our children to embrace their creativity.

These skill sets go past degrees and computers; students need to embrace a new type of thinking on different media.

Teachers need to give students the opportunity to express their creativity in their schooling.

The education system has kept itself to extremely rigid standards, which reject creativity completely and teach students to think very literally and overly-methodically.

Reading Response 1

A Student's Reflection on Mr. Oliver's Class . . . (by Mr. Oliver)

As I sit here reading silently in Mr. Oliver's English 11 class, I am anxious for class to begin. Because of the block schedule, most teachers, including Mr. Oliver, have Silent Sustained Reading at the beginning of class. As the others read (I am too distracted to do so), Mr. Oliver looks excited, like he has something important to tell us.

Whoops! We just made eye contact. He doesn't need to say much to us to keep us on task. Sometimes it's just a smirk that says, "I know, but just a few more minutes." We do it; there aren't any reasons to buck a teacher when he reciprocates respect and is never cranky.

"Alright everybody, put your books away. Thank you for staying quiet and on-task. So, anything crazy and fun happen this weekend?" he finally says.

A few hands shoot up.

"School appropriate," he adds with a smile.

A couple hands go back down, and the remaining student talks about the football game that Orange Glen lost. The other students chuckle a little and joke about how bad the team is. Mr. Oliver laughs a little and says, "Next time, eh? Alright, let's get down to business. Take out your Huck Finn books if you don't already have them out. Today we are comparing the racism and slavery in this book to modern workers who are poorly paid for field work."

Mr. Oliver tends to do this. A lot of the literature that seems boring and lame is tied to something most of us identify with - sometimes things that he couldn't even identify with. But the efforts are made, most of us seem to appreciate it, and they are usually successful.

"Ruby? You with us?"

I slouch in my seat.

"Sorry, what was that Mr. Oliver?" I answer.

"No worries, haha. What is Jim's attitude about his family in the book?" he asks.

Not many of the girls in the class speak up. I am one of them. We are rarely encouraged to, and the boys usually take the floor, puffing their chests. Mr. Oliver tries to pull our perspectives. Sometimes it's successful, but other times, the girls are just too shy to answer up.

"He loves his family and will do anything for them. He's putting his life in danger for them," I finally respond.

"You guys get that? He is doing everything he can to save a family that he loves. He values his family as much as white people value theirs, right? Thank you, Ruby. Awesome."