Thursday, October 23, 2014

Field Blog Cleveland Heights High

   Visiting Cleveland Heights High School really opened up my mind to what other high schools are like. I only have personal experience in one private high school and that is Notre Dame - Cathedral Latin high school. When I was walking through the halls of Cleveland Heights however, it brought me right back to my high school days. They were some of the best times with some of the best people I will ever know. The teachers at Cleveland Heights were also similar to the teachers that I had at NDCL in the fact that they were all very welcoming and patient with their students. While observing my first class, I noticed that once the students walked in they were given a question that they had to fill out using their notes from the previous class. They were all given 5 minutes to come up with the correct answer and received points if they had the correct answer, I thought this was a great way to start class because this allowed the students to freshen up their minds about what they had been learning the day before and show that they had been taking adequate notes. The next thing the teacher did was ask a problem posing question. The question was about the difference between speed and velocity. Then, after calling on several students, she wrote the definition of the two on the smart board.
   The next class I observed was a physical science class. The students were being asked questions about elements, compounds, heterogeneous mixtures, and homogeneous mixtures. The teacher had a unique style of asking the questions. She did this by showing pictures of things such as fruit salad to show an example of heterogeneous mixtures. I thought this was a very creative way of showing visual learners how to remember the difference between a homogeneous mixture and heterogeneous mixture. Another technique the teacher used was allowing each student to have a white board and draw examples of what compounds and elements look like at the molecular level.
   Visiting CHHS made me very excited about the profession that I have chosen. I am really looking forward to changing the lives of students in a positive manner, as well as continuing to learn more about myself. I firmly believe that no one is ever to old to stop learning and should always try to pass along knowledge to others.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Blog post 7

   A bridge between the teacher and his/her students is essential for any positive learning to take place. This bridge is not just built overnight however. It requires constant effort from teacher and student. Trust, comfort, and consistency are a few of the key elements that need to be in place for a positive teacher-student relationship. In the book, Ayers has the children physically build a bridge which allows the class pet turtle to get to his food. By having the children perform this activity, they are able to see that a little work by each individual can ultimately help everyone in achieving a common goal. Personally, I think this is the most important aspect of education and being a "good teacher". In order for an entire class to make gains and become more educated in the class that they are in, they need to work hard to make themselves better before they can help others. The same goes for the teacher as well.
   The adult literacy class example in the book shows empowered students changing the community in which they live to better their own personal lives and the lives of those in their community. This example is very similar to the turtle example in the fact that the teacher/students are making small changes in their own selves to benefit the class as a whole. This also means that everyone is motivated to work for a common goal. Even though the pattern of these two examples are not the same, they are very similar.
    Let's say I'm going to teach my class about organelles and how they contribute to the cell. Each of the students will be given an organelle and asked to complete a task around the room that corresponds to the organelles function. After some time, I am going to have tell some of the students to stop doing their job. This is going to upset the students who are still working and picking up the slack of the students who do not have to work. This cell organelle example is a perfect for showing that in order for the class to reach its ultimate goal, everyone needs to do their job and work together.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Field Blog Beachwood middle school

 Visiting Beachwood Middle School was a great opportunity to see how what we have been learning in ED 100 is translated into practice by other professionals. The first class I sat in was a 6th grade science class. The topic of the class was plate tectonics, which in my opinion is not one of the most enjoyable things to teach about. However, the teacher was able to keep the attention of his students with constant problem-posing questions. He would pose question after question to the class and look for responses from a number of his students. Once the teacher had decided that the correct answer had been found, he told them to fill the answer in the space provided on their laptops. Each student had their own individual laptops with the exact same notes that were being projected onto the screen. I really liked how the teacher provided all of his students with the same material that he was looking at, rather than having his own set of notes that he kept at his desk. Therefore the class was able to feel unified and there could be no discrepancy on the notes. The teacher also did a great job of using YouTube videos as examples to keep the attention of the class. I even noticed that when the teacher put on the video, a student who had been trying to sleep watched the entire video and started participating more than he had before once the video was over. Another thing I really liked about this class was that each student had their own colored in map and could see exactly where the different plates were pushing into one another. This allowed all the students to see what the result of these plates coming together (or pulling apart) was doing to the landscape.
   The second class I sat in on was also a science class. However, this class was for the advanced students. The teacher in this class was very professional as well, but talked to his students in a much more serious tone. This was probably due to the fact that these students were working on finding scientific research articles that they could use for their own science experiments. Once the teacher was done talking and told the students to start looking for articles with their partners, they did just that. The students were able to explore freely using their own laptops and could ask questions whenever they felt the needed help.
   The reoccurring theme that kept popping into my head throughout the two classes was that now a days, technology is so important in the classroom. When used correctly a student has a seemingly endless amount of information right at their fingertips. Even when the teachers were not using laptops and powerpoints, they were providing their students with tools such as maps to allow the student to see how what they were learning effects the world.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

blog post 6

After reading chapter 8 and learning about the banking concept of education, several things really stuck out to me. The first of which is the idea that teachers are "filling" their students brains with material that they have to know. To me, this sounds like students are forced to learn and if they do not actually comprehend what is being taught to them, it is their fault. In order for students to learn and comprehend to the best of their ability, they need the teacher to be passionate about what the student needs to learn. Personally, when I have to learn extensive material, I've found that I learn much better when I focus on piece by piece. When a teacher just throws a bunch of handouts in my face and makes me watch hours of power points and then tells me we have a test in a few days, I stress out and it makes learning the material much harder. However, when I feel as though my teacher is working with me rather than against me, I learn the material much better and I do not have to set aside hours and hours outside of class to try and absorb the load of information crammed in a short class period. The second topic in this chapter that really stuck out to me was problem-posing education. I really like the idea of thinking critically in "the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves." To me, this means that before a student can learn about all that is around them in the world, they need to understand why they are learning the material they are and how this information translates into their everyday life. It also allows students to think of their future and how the information will help them down the road.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Blog post 5

   Rofes starts out by explaining that there are two ways to see LBGT youth. He says that we can see the youth as "outsiders, vulnerable, or fragile but also see them as powerful, daring, and rebellious. We can see them as survivors of repeated traumas, or we can see LGBT youth as engaged in a lengthy effort to undermine gender roles. Or, we can see both." I think Rofes does a really nice job here of exploiting a problem with so many people today and that is how people see things. He encourages us to think more positively than negatively and I've always thought that if people see the good in situations rather than the bad, then the world would be a much better place. This way of thinking was definitely present where I went to high school. I went to Notre Dame - Cathedral Latin High School and there were two openly gay/bisexual boys who were older than me. Instead of these two boys being bullied and neglected by others, they were accepted for who they were and got along well with almost everyone in the school. Even though there was no GSA in my high school or anything of that nature, they were still able to have their own friend groups. Also, the teachers were always very respectful of their thoughts and beliefs and treated them like any other straight student. Personally, I want to be a teacher who straight and gay students feel comfortable with. I do not want any student to feel as an outcast in my classroom. Like I mentioned earlier, I truly believe that there is good in each and every person. Sexual orientation should play no part in finding good in another individual. Everyone is different and is entitled to live their own life. All we need to do is think positively of others who have a different sexual orientation instead of negatively, then the world will be a much better place.

Friday, October 3, 2014

blog post 4

   As a teacher, getting to know your students on a personal level is very important. Not only does this break down the barrier between the student and teacher, but it allows the teacher to understand things about the student that others may  not know. In doing so, the student then is able to feel comfortable with the teacher and will be more willing to take chances in the classroom. Since everyone has their own story and home life, teachers need to be able to adapt to those differences in the classroom. A students home life has a lot to do with how students behave/learn at school. For example, a student with a healthy home life and nurturing environment at home will most likely come to school up beat and happy. On the other hand, a student who comes from a rough background with almost no sense of a family will most likely come to school quiet and with a bad attitude. The way a student talks or behaves in school should never be judged by a teacher. From my experiences in the classroom, I've learned that a positive and upbeat atmosphere is the best environment to learn in. The most important thing however is that students should never feel judged by their professors. Especially for the way they talk.