Friday, October 30, 2015

Shaker Heights High School

The first class I observed at Shaker Heights High School was an Environmental Science class.  The class had a mix of 11th and 12th graders.  I did not recognize the teacher when I first walked into the classroom.  She was wearing a hoodie and jeans and had her hair thrown back in a ponytail.  She was sitting in one of the student's desks.  The students were watching a film on positive human impact.  I was surprised at how well behaved the students were.  The students seemed to be engrossed in the film.  I enjoyed the film, as well.  Most of the time, we hear about things that we could be doing better at in the world: recycling, saving water, not buying as much stuff, etc.  It was nice to hear about the good things people are doing to better the world.  The video showed an invention called a rain maker, which cleans dirty water.  The video focused on water, energy and health.  There was also a machine that was invented to treat wellness and to help circulation.  The teacher would make comments to her students, about the video, throughout the film.  She had a large classroom with an area of desks facing the front of the class and another area where there were groups of tables.  The classroom had a bird cage in it, empty fish tanks, kits, jars and sinks.  There was an onion and a potato on a tray, on the table, as if they just completed an experiment.  The movie ended a couple minutes before I was about to leave for my next class, so I did not really get to see the teacher in action.  Once the film was complete, the teacher went to the front of the classroom and was talking to the students about the film and asked questions. 

The second class I observed was a stage craft class.  This looked like a really fun class; one that I would have liked to take in high school.  There were posters all over the wall with words like, "knowledge, caring, reflective, risk-takers, principles and communication."  Audition posters surrounded the walls, as well.  There were four long tables that were all pushed together to form one very large table.  Everyone sits together.  I really liked this layout.  I felt like the layout allowed the students to really be involved with each other and the teacher.  There were only about 8 students in this class.  We eventually left the classroom to go to the auditorium.  The group split up into even smaller groups and worked on props for the Romeo and Juliet play that would be playing soon.  The teacher was very fun and laid back.  I could tell the students really liked him and felt comfortable with him.  They almost acted like friends.  The teacher and students joked with each other and came up with ideas together.  The students were painting signs and displays.  I liked that the class was all about creative play and interaction.  This class almost reminded me of the Summerhill school we read about in "Educational Foundations."  The students were creative and played all class period.  The teacher was one of the students.  There was no direction or instruction.  The teacher and student were equal. 

Friday, October 23, 2015

Blog Post 8

    In Chapter 4, Ayers discusses the importance of teaching and bridge-building.  Bridge-building for teachers means: the teacher has knowledge and experience with a topic and incorporates it with the student's interest.  Bridges are being built from a child's outside world to the classroom.  Building bridges allows children to be interactive and engaged in the learning process, which will broaden their horizon and help students have a better understanding of the topic being taught.  I am going to plan a learning/teaching experience about building a cardboard house.  Early Childhood Education is my major, so I believe children of all races/ages/genders would enjoy doing this project.  I am currently doing service at St. Adalbert and the kids like to play "house," where they take on different family member roles and pretend to do things, like cook and play basketball.  I also remember doing this with my friends as a child.  Building a cardboard house is fun, interactive and let's children use their imagination.  It teaches the children problem solving and working together in a team and individually.  Plus the students could play with the cardboard house when it is completed.   To prepare for this project, I would ensure the supplies and directions are available.  The students would be broken up into groups, have their own set of directions and would work together to complete their home.  They would have to do a blueprint first and then design it.
     I think Freire would approve of this project because the teacher/narrating subject is not just talking to the students/listening objects/receptacles.  The students are not memorizing and recording.  The project involves creativity, transformation and knowledge.  The teacher is allowing their students to think critically and build.  Freire would like that the students are investigating in dialogue with the teacher.  There are new understandings, new challenges and students have become committed because they're having fun.  In fact, the student may have so much fun that they do not realize that they're learning.  This way reminds me of how Ohanian taught.  Her students did not like to read, so they worked on science experiments instead.  Just like Ohanian's students, my students are so busy measuring, gluing, painting and creating that they do not realize that they're actually reading, experimenting or doing math problems.  DiGiulio thinks great teaching is putting the learner's needs and interests first.  Test scores cannot show a teacher's enthusiasm or how they care for or believe in their students.  Projects like this, however, could.  I would walk around to make sure my student's are on the right track, offer ideas and assist them. Being skillful and enthusiastic helps the student be energetic.  DiGiulio is a firm believer in letting the kids participate, perform, create, practice, design, produce, carry out an experiment or complete an assignment.  We are not just building a cardboard house, we are building bridges.  Ayers agrees that teachers must find ways to build bridges with their students, through the student's interest, to encourage learning and communication.   
     



Monday, October 12, 2015

Blog Post 6

     While I was reading "The Banking Concept of Education," my thoughts started to wander.  Freire explains how students are required to memorize things, but do not understand the true meaning behind the words their memorizing.  Unfortunately, there were several classes, where I memorized what I had to, in order to pass the tests.  The teachers just threw so much information at the students all at once, that there almost was not enough time to process and learn it all.  Some of these teachers were also so focused on finishing up one chapter and going to the next, that the students are just talked to.  Freire states that teachers are the depositors and the students are the depositories.  The teacher deposits the material and the student receives, memorizes and repeats; rather than being actively engaged in the learning process.
     Freire says, "The problem-posing educator constantly re-forms his reflections in the reflection of the students."  I wonder how this is done exactly.  This quote reminds me of Ayers, making connections with his students by paying attention to their interests.  To me, it sounds like the problem-posing teacher needs to pay attention to the student's thoughts to make a connection.  Problem-posing education is filled with unfinished work - people becoming.  It seems like a good idea for students and teachers to reflect at the same time to establish form of thought and action.  The teacher and student in "Teaching in Comics" work and think together to build a ramp for their class turtle, Bingo.  During my observation at Mayfield School, I also saw a teacher and student thinking of songs together for a project and then downloading them.  Education is an ongoing activity for both the teacher and student.

Blog Post 5

      I do believe there was a LGBT club at my high school; however, looking back, I do not know of many people that actually came out as LGBT.  I had two gay best friends.  Growing up, both of my friends had more in common with girls.  Like Rofes, people thought my friends wanting to play with the girls meant that they wanted to be girls.  According to liberal views, my friends were not adhering to socially appropriate behavior for boys.  As a result, they both came out after they completed high school.  They did not come out sooner, in fear of not being accepted.  There was also a transgender that started high school with me.  She was going through her transition during ninth grade.  In the beginning of the year, she was still a boy, but in the middle of the year, I remember she came to school in a skirt and with a wig on.  Unfortunately, she never came back to school after ninth grade, due to bullying.
     Rofes suggested, instead of teachers and parents taking the liberal path to prevent slurs, they can instead take the radical path and provide the LGBT with legal rights and resources to protect themselves as they continue to transform.   His radical view encourages people to see the LGBT as daring, powerful, rebellious survivors; rather than vulnerable and fragile beings. He believes children should participate in their own childhood, instead of having adults shape it for them like most liberals do now.  Rofes thinks children are mistreated.  Adults treat children like they're stupid and incompetent pieces of property, instead of smart and powerful individuals.  Rofes wants children to be educated on their rights, resources, self-defense, lawyers, courts and have a healthy life, where they feel safe and supported.
     I agree with many of Rofes' thoughts.  I think each child should be required to attend a class about bullying.  In this class, teachers should discuss the consequences for those who bully, the legal action for those who are tormented and discuss ways to ensure each student feels safe in their environment.  There should be more resources for the LGBT community, who face issues with coming out and learning how to cope with it.  These subjects should be discussed more open and freely.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Mayfield Middle School

 I really enjoyed our class visit to Mayfield Middle School.  I could really relate to the Mayfield principal that we met.  He knew from high school that he wanted to be a principal.  After high school, I was not sure if I wanted to be a court reporter or a principal.  I decided to pursue my court reporting degree, as it would be a shorter amount of schooling and less money owed in loans.  I loved court reporting and still work as one, to this day.  However, not only is the court reporting profession unpredictable, I felt like I was still missing something.  People spend so much of their day and so much of their life working, that I felt like I needed to go back to school to fulfill my original dream of becoming a principal, a rewarding job that -- like teaching -- will make a difference.  In order to become a principal, I understand that I have to be in the field of teaching.  Not only did I obtain good tips from the Mayfield principal for my future principal-self, but I also observed how different subject's are taught.

I observed a few different classrooms and subjects at our stay.  First, I observed a science class.  There were not too many students in this class.  They were all working on an experiment together at a table.  They were discussing ideas and completing a worksheet.  When you walk into the classroom, you expect a majority of the work to be group work, as there were not any desks in the classroom, just tables.  I did not see the science teacher actually teach while I was there.  He walked around and answered student's questions. 

The assistant principal took me to a digital communication class next.  This class was very interesting.  Although there were at least 20 students in this classroom, the classroom was silent.  All of the students were lined up against the walls, on their computer, with their headphones on.  The teacher let me in on the assignment they were working on.  Each student fills out a questionnaire template, titled, "I Am."  The student is supposed to describe what they are, what they hear, what they see.  It is a poem.  The student reads their poem out loud, while the song of their choice plays in the background of their poem.  She played one student's file for me.  The student was an athlete.  He is scared to mess up.  The athlete sees the ball coming towards him.  He hears the crowd screaming.  In the background, we hear buzzers and a radio announcer, followed by music.  The teacher let the students express themselves, be creative and showed an interest in her student's interests with this assignment.  As we have learned from the text, these things are very important for a teacher and a student.

The third teacher I observed, also incorporated her student's interests into her classroom.  The students walked into the classroom, opened their books and read for the first fifteen minutes of class.  The books they opened varied, based on the child's interest.  One girl was reading a book about make-up and another girl was reading a scary novel.  While the children read, the teacher passed out papers.  The teacher passed out worksheets and went over PowerPoint presentations during my stay.  The classroom setting was very inviting.  Instead of desks, children sat at tables lined up next to each other.  This was perfect for group activity, which they ended up doing towards the end of my stay.  The walls were filled with encouraging words, such as: peace, vision, destiny, discovery, imagination, laughter, beauty and adventure.  There were posters with quotes on the wall and shelves filled with books.  The teacher did a great job connecting with her students.  She walked around and talked to many of them individually. 

As mentioned earlier, teaching is required for me to become a principal.  The area of teaching I chose to go into was Early Childhood Education.  After observing Mayfield Middle School, that may change.  I am considering taking a few extra classes, to teach beyond third grade.  I really enjoyed the fifth and sixth graders.