Learning Letter

This has been such an enjoyable class, but even more than that, I have learned so much from it. The content we studied, beginning with "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" was very rich with information that can be applied in education, but was also something I could relate to for other classes such as Government. I found the theories discussed in the chapters we read fell in line with oppressive situations of groups, as well as individual oppression. The handout "Discussion as a Way of Teaching" was full of information I will use in the classroom. It is my sincere hope and desire to create a classroom where students feel comfortable in discussions and know their opinions and questions are heard and valued. I will readily admit I didn't really know how to do that, and I still don't, but at least I've learned something of it and what to shoot for. I got so much valuable information from the book talks. In fact, I now have many of those books listed as my summer reading. It was great to get the handouts that went along with them and will be a good reference in the future. My own book was A Long Way Gone and it was a very powerful read for me. I remember hearing about these boys at the time and it was something I couldn't even imagine. I plan to collect all of these books and have them on hand in the classroom. Preparing for the mini-lesson was kind of nerve wracking for me. Presenting in front a professor and a room full of education students was definitely intimidating. It was very helpful that Dr. Agriss had told us from the beginning of the class that teaching is a collaborative effort and we'd find much information on-line to help us. My lesson was on Night by Elie Wiesel and I chose to focus on the systematic discrimination and persecution of the Jews, as well as the grooming of the general German population to accept the treatment of the Jews, by the Nazi party in the 1930's before the outbreak of World War II. It was very helpful to find the site where I gleaned much of my information, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. When I gave my presentation the classroom was very cooperative and very supportive, but the feedback for what went well and what needed improvement was especially valuable to me. It was actually a really fun experience and confirmed my choice for my future career. I also must say I so enjoyed the other student's mini-lessons. It was very helpful for me to see all the different methods the others used to teach their lessons. Some of the students were so competent at leading a discussion, for example, and very successful at applying some of the things we learned in our handout "Discussion as a Way of Teaching". Others used group work in ways I hadn't heard of before and I found that very interesting. For instance "jigsaw" group work is something I was not familiar with. Finally our three-week unit plan, that required so much of our time and effort this quarter was an enormous learning experience. At the beginning of the quarter I'd never heard of the Common Core Standards and by the time I had written all fifteen TPA's I had become fairly familiar with it. I attempted to incorporate some of the techniques mentioned in Tovani's I Read It, But I Don't Get It. I have a lot to learn about creating a really good TPA, but I came a long way in this lesson. In fact the entire unit plan I put together is something I really look forward to doing. I don't know, as I said in my self-evaluation, if my timing is right or off and I'm sure quite a few other things will need to be changed as my education continues, but I am so glad I was given the opportunity to tackle it now. It was a lot of work, but it was great!

American Born Chinese

This is one of the first graphic novels I have read, and I enjoyed it. It was very interesting to follow the characters and plot through pictures as well as through text. I feel sure there is a place for graphic novels in the classroom. Some students will find a more accessible connection, and may find it easier to follow the story, as they follow the story visually as well as through the words. The story itself was great for showing the struggle of characters who are different from others or are new to a culture. There were also some great points for dealing with prejudice, shame, and the difficulty of making friends. I am one of those readers who rarely looks ahead and is often happily surprised by twists in story lines, so I was really pleased at the way the three story lines combined at the end. I can't help compare it to the Sherman Alexie story we just read, and American Born Chinese comes up a bit short there. But truly, comparing the works is unfair and this book has a place with possibly different students. Also, the themes are important and bare repeating in different ways. I will be looking at other graphic novels with the idea of including them in my classroom library.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time" Indian by Sherman Alexie

First of all, I cannot believe that I've never read this book. I can't believe I've never read any Sherman Alexie books before now. I loved this book. I mean, I really loved this book. I wanted to not even put it down before beginning to read this book for the second time. I am very much looking forward to reading his other books during our winter break. Okay...that's out. This is an excellent book to have available for adolescent readers. Some of the issues which I feel would be most valuable for high school students to read about is the feelings of isolation and lonliness Junior deals with. Also another issue Junior deals with, aside from obviously being an outsider, is his poverty and the shame he feels regarding his poverty. The scene with his new friends, Roger and Penolope, after the school dance was particularly poignant and uplifting. Generally, the humor in the book and the candid way Alexie approaches the occurances of the protagonists life made this book such an enjoyable read. The story of Junior's fears, tragedies, triumphs, and renewal of lost relationships were told in such a way, I believe any adolescent could relate to and grow and learn from.

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe gives a vivid and candid view of a world and culture so different from our own. After the chapters and layers of the everyday lives of the characters, especially the lion-like, larger-than-life main character of Okonkwo, I would never have guessed at the events revealed at the end of the book. Achebe slowly weaves the story, showing us the vast differences of characters, situations, customs, attitudes, all within the silken beauty of his well chosen words. This would be an invaluable book to introduce to young readers. Though there is violence, it is not graphically depicted. As the events unfold in the third part of the book, the reader has become immersed in this native culture. I have not found many books which have so successfully normalized a culture outside my own. Even the parts which were strange, brutal, or just plain distasteful, were revealed in a way in which the reader can at least make sense of it. By then end of the story, it gives the readers a clear idea of the way in which a usurping, oppressive, culture may look to native peoples who are in danger of loosing their own identity through the colonization process.

Washington Teaching Performance Assessment

After reading the handout on the Washington Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA), I could see how it would be a valuable tool when creating a lesson unit. I have had no experience in the classroom, as of yet, and am only working on my first unit plan, but I think a rookie or a veteran teacher could benefit from this as a guide and a kind of check-list to be sure the new unit is well thought out. In our small group discussion during the last class meeting, we touched on the importance of learning about your students, reading their files, etc., that is valuable but sometimes overlooked. With the demands on teacher's time and resources I can understand how this may happen, but it is still a factor of available information for teachers to consider. This is just one of the points listed on the TPA which will be a good reminder as we plan our lessons. Also great considerations are the linguistic and vocabulary considerations, as well as evaluation methods. I can easily see myself getting hit with a lightning bolt of inspiration for a new way of teaching something, and possibly not thinking of it from all relevant angles to insure the lesson is complete, and for everyone. I think the TPA is suited for just that purpose and will be very helpful.

Differentiated Instruction in a Language Arts Classroom

To help myself understand what Differentiated Instruction will mean in a secondary English Literature or Language Arts class, I read an article written by Rebecca Adler, "Defining Differentiated Instruction".  She touched on the reality of students with, at times, vastly different educational needs in a single classroom and how teachers face the challenge of meeting those different needs.  

For the last ten to fifteen years, kids that would have once been in a special education class have been mainstreamed into the general population of classrooms.  Although this certainly presents an additional level of challenges for the teachers, the result may benefit the special needs students as well as the other students in the classroom -- but only if all of the students are having their educational needs met.  One of the first steps Adler suggests is simply reading each student's file.  Finding out the history of their education, their home life, their interests, etc., will provide the teacher with needed information when forming appropriate individual learning for a student.  

As a classroom example Adler describes a secondary English class during a unit of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.  Adler assigns most of the students in the class a short essay on their predictions of what a character will do next, including textural references to back up their predictions.  However she assigns for a student who reads below grade level, to list five adjectives describing the character and to provide one quote from the character to demonstrate the characteristic of one of the adjectives she has listed.  There may also be something additional or more in depth for more advanced learners. 

The idea of different assignments for different students is fairly overwhelming.  Adler makes the suggestion to have on file, different levels of assignments or evaluations for different level of learners.  Not only that, there will be students who may simply have a different style of learning and, again, being prepared with various material for instruction or evaluation would be extremely helpful.  

As I stated, this sounds a bit overwhelming right now.  However, with a lot of foresight, obviously a lot of work, and the experience I will eventually have, I feel confident I will rise to the challenge.  We will have rooms full of various styles and levels of learners in our classrooms.  It will be up to us to teach all of them.  Any suggestions of how to accomplish this is highly valuable and worth trying.     

"I Read It, But I Don't Get It" by Chris Tovani - Chapters 6-9 & Access Tools Activity

Coding for Visualizing

Name:  Reading first Chapter of The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane. 

*  Highlight five words or phrases that help you get a picture in your head.
1.  "The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting."
2.  "Smoke drifted lazily from a multitude of quaint chimneys."
3.  "His busy mind had drawn for him large pictures extravagant in colour, lurid with breathless deeds."
4.  "...but there was another and darker girl whom he had gazed at steadfastly, and he thought she grew demure and sad at sight of his blue and brass." 
5. "It had suddenly appeared to him that perhaps in a battle he might run." 


*  Write three questions you have about the piece.  Begin each question with the words "I wonder".
1.  (In the first page) I wonder who the main character is and what he will be like?
2.  (The youth compares battles to stories of Homer.)  I wonder how much education he has had?
3.  I wonder how I'd react to my son or daughter going off to fight in a war? 
  


*  On the back of this sheet, write what you think happened in the piece. 
This is set in the civil war, in a union army camp.  I know this because they are wearing blue uniforms instead of grey.  They have been waiting for some time and are bored and perhaps restless.  The main character is Henry.  He is very young and comes from a farm, though he's had some education.  He's dreamed of being heroic in war, but now that it comes to the possibility of fighting, he's wondering if he will be able to do it.  Will he run?  He asks the older soldiers if anyone will run and they make it sound like it's always a possibility that someone will run when the fighting starts.  He is comforted that he is not the only one who has considered it.