Social justice is a pretty new term for me. Obviously there is the meaning that is right on the surface, but then researching into the topic there is a multitude of meanings with papers, books, and surveys that accompany the meaning for that text or data.
One article said it's hard for teachers to teach the curriculum, along with social justice. This teacher ended up focusing on only one aspect or the other. My thought is to integrate both together. Neither aspect of the student's education should be looked over. Social justice isn't just about making everyone equal. It should be about seeing people's differences and accepting them. I loved the part in the article I read that teachers should be careful not to oppress the students, because we are trying to treat them as equal. Not all humans are the same, they are different, but they shouldn't be treated unfairly.
Creating an environment where the students feel safe to express their opinions is extremely important and social justice can have a part in this crucial element. If students feel like there is a hierarchy they can feel intimidated and not want to talk in class. It is hard within schools to get rid of the high class and the low class. In my high school it was very apparent who was high, middle, and low. This can take away from the value of the class. No student is better than the other, and letting them know that can improve the class discussions because everyone will feel equal to one another.
I found it was interesting that in almost every article I read Paulo Friere's name was dropped at least once. No other people who do the same type of writing it was always Friere. I am glad we read some of his ideas before so I had an idea of who he was as I read through the articles.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom
For some reason this article didn't resonate with me as much as the other articles we have read. In any case, this article still talked about some good points that I agree with.
I really like the point about people being able to communicate professionally, especially in academic advancement and professional employment. If a potential employee can't use Standard English correctly with their employer that shows a sign of unprofessionalism and could potentially loose that person a job. To succeed in the world that we are living in now it is tough to get a job without a college degree. Also, employers want their employees to be literate and professional. By teaching our students critical literacy we can prepare our students for the professional world that is unforgiving when they aren't literate.
I agree that focusing on academic literacy shouldn't compromise the other pieces of an English class. I think students learning grows the most when they can develop their own opinions about the material they are learning. When students think about the material they are learning, instead of just taking it in then regurgitating it when the test on that material rolls around, they learn it more thoroughly.
The poetry lesson that includes hip hop music is genius. At the first sign of poetry high school students, and even college students to some degree, turn the opposite way and run. If teachers related poetry to hip hop they would be more inclined to relate to the lesson, especially if they got to use their favorite hip hop song as a reference. When it's the first day of class students are uncomfortable with each other. Having the students recite one of their own poems that they wrote at the end of a semester or quarter is much better than placing it in the second week of school. Like the article said the poems the students shared later in the class "were often some of the personally revealing and moving moments in the class." The students would learn so much, not just about poetry, but about themselves during the unit. That is why I think it's a very powerful lesson to teach the students.
I really like the point about people being able to communicate professionally, especially in academic advancement and professional employment. If a potential employee can't use Standard English correctly with their employer that shows a sign of unprofessionalism and could potentially loose that person a job. To succeed in the world that we are living in now it is tough to get a job without a college degree. Also, employers want their employees to be literate and professional. By teaching our students critical literacy we can prepare our students for the professional world that is unforgiving when they aren't literate.
I agree that focusing on academic literacy shouldn't compromise the other pieces of an English class. I think students learning grows the most when they can develop their own opinions about the material they are learning. When students think about the material they are learning, instead of just taking it in then regurgitating it when the test on that material rolls around, they learn it more thoroughly.
The poetry lesson that includes hip hop music is genius. At the first sign of poetry high school students, and even college students to some degree, turn the opposite way and run. If teachers related poetry to hip hop they would be more inclined to relate to the lesson, especially if they got to use their favorite hip hop song as a reference. When it's the first day of class students are uncomfortable with each other. Having the students recite one of their own poems that they wrote at the end of a semester or quarter is much better than placing it in the second week of school. Like the article said the poems the students shared later in the class "were often some of the personally revealing and moving moments in the class." The students would learn so much, not just about poetry, but about themselves during the unit. That is why I think it's a very powerful lesson to teach the students.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Critical Pedagogy Reader
Reading all of this pedagogy is something pretty new to me. I love to read the teaching practices of other people. This article was no different.
When the students are shown a broad world view they are being given the knowledge to make their own opinions. So many times I have heard students, even my college level friends, answer a question on why their opinion is what it is with, "because my parents think that." As a teacher we should enable them to make their own opinions and not just go with the flow on what ever they hear. Many times students don't have opinions about certain topics, because they have been taught about them. If teachers taught their students about a certain topic, then discussed it in a classroom discussion, the students develop their own opinions making those students more well rounded individuals.
I agree with the part in the discourse section about not only preparing the students for the business world, but showing the students about the other issues that are in the world. That part in the reading reminded me of a lesson my master teacher was teaching with her cooperating teacher last week. These two teachers had been teaching about the rights that Americans are born with, and how there are still people in America who have those rights taken away, in human trafficking. After this lesson the students were visibly shocked by the information they were learning. It was amazing how many students were moved by this lesson, students even wanted to create a club that went to classrooms and taught their peers about the human trafficking that is still occurring in America. If teachers only prepared their students for a world of business there wouldn't be the students who are so moved to go on after high school to take action and help end the human trafficking that is occurring.
"School knowledge should help create the conditions productive for student self-determination in the larger society." I think this quote really takes it home. Students shouldn't be robots that are pre-programmed to type numbers into a calculator. Our students should have an education that gives them things to think about and that they are determined to do something about.
When the students are shown a broad world view they are being given the knowledge to make their own opinions. So many times I have heard students, even my college level friends, answer a question on why their opinion is what it is with, "because my parents think that." As a teacher we should enable them to make their own opinions and not just go with the flow on what ever they hear. Many times students don't have opinions about certain topics, because they have been taught about them. If teachers taught their students about a certain topic, then discussed it in a classroom discussion, the students develop their own opinions making those students more well rounded individuals.
I agree with the part in the discourse section about not only preparing the students for the business world, but showing the students about the other issues that are in the world. That part in the reading reminded me of a lesson my master teacher was teaching with her cooperating teacher last week. These two teachers had been teaching about the rights that Americans are born with, and how there are still people in America who have those rights taken away, in human trafficking. After this lesson the students were visibly shocked by the information they were learning. It was amazing how many students were moved by this lesson, students even wanted to create a club that went to classrooms and taught their peers about the human trafficking that is still occurring in America. If teachers only prepared their students for a world of business there wouldn't be the students who are so moved to go on after high school to take action and help end the human trafficking that is occurring.
"School knowledge should help create the conditions productive for student self-determination in the larger society." I think this quote really takes it home. Students shouldn't be robots that are pre-programmed to type numbers into a calculator. Our students should have an education that gives them things to think about and that they are determined to do something about.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Paulo Freire: Chapter 2 Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Chapter two of Pedagogy of the Oppressed" was very dense. Most of the sentences, I ended up reading at least two, more times, to actually understand what Freire was saying. After I read each sentence multiple times, I ended up enjoying this piece and taking a lot away from it.
Teachers sometimes teach without taking into account if their students are actively listening, the students might look attentive, when, in reality, they are sitting there passively listening, not really taking in each piece of information and thinking about it for themselves. Students should have to think about the information for themselves and not be hand feed their teachers opinions.
The teacher should be equals with the student. I have had discussions where the students don't fully voice their opinions, because they are afraid they are wrong and they don't want to be wrong in front of the teacher. When the teacher makes it clear that everyone is equals, instead of making the teacher the head dictator of the class the students will be more willing to participate fully in discussions.
Students shouldn't just be trash receptacles for the teachers to throw their opinions in. "The more completely they accept the passive role imposed on them, the more they tend simply to adapt to the world as it is." The teachers shouldn't be oppressors that make their students take a passive role in their education. This is why discussions are so imperative to use in the classroom. Students can take an active role in their education. They can form their own thoughts about certain topics, instead of regurgitating facts that were taught by the instructor.
Teachers sometimes teach without taking into account if their students are actively listening, the students might look attentive, when, in reality, they are sitting there passively listening, not really taking in each piece of information and thinking about it for themselves. Students should have to think about the information for themselves and not be hand feed their teachers opinions.
The teacher should be equals with the student. I have had discussions where the students don't fully voice their opinions, because they are afraid they are wrong and they don't want to be wrong in front of the teacher. When the teacher makes it clear that everyone is equals, instead of making the teacher the head dictator of the class the students will be more willing to participate fully in discussions.
Students shouldn't just be trash receptacles for the teachers to throw their opinions in. "The more completely they accept the passive role imposed on them, the more they tend simply to adapt to the world as it is." The teachers shouldn't be oppressors that make their students take a passive role in their education. This is why discussions are so imperative to use in the classroom. Students can take an active role in their education. They can form their own thoughts about certain topics, instead of regurgitating facts that were taught by the instructor.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
The CCSS are pretty straight forward. I like that they didn't make each standard wordy. What the students need to know is easily accessible and not tied up in pointless jibber jabber. I remember looking at the EALRs for the first time and I got extremely confused. I am glad the Common Core State Standards are used now. I think they are much less confusing, and easy to work with.
As I was reading through the standards I thought it was interesting that the standard from grade level to grade level had another detail added to them. Instead of having the standard being completely different from year to year, another level of difficulty is added on to the previous grade's standard. When teachers are starting a new school year they might wonder what was taught to their new students in the past year. The CCSS can help teachers figure out what the students should know , so they have some where to start when the school year starts. The CCSS gives teachers a framework for what they should be teaching and what the students should be able to do by the end of their given grade level.
CCSS can be helpful to avoid students having gaps in their learning. Each grade level has skills that a built upon so teachers of a certain grade level won't miss a key piece of information that should be taught to the students.
The CCSS specify which skills should be taught, but are broad enough for other skills to be learned along with the standard that is being met in lesson. For example a lesson can cover how to pick out a word in, lets say The Scarlet Letter, and they can describe how that word is being used in reference to the text the students are reading. The students are learning about vocabulary words within a text and they are also being exposed to new thoughts in a text.
As I was reading through the standards I thought it was interesting that the standard from grade level to grade level had another detail added to them. Instead of having the standard being completely different from year to year, another level of difficulty is added on to the previous grade's standard. When teachers are starting a new school year they might wonder what was taught to their new students in the past year. The CCSS can help teachers figure out what the students should know , so they have some where to start when the school year starts. The CCSS gives teachers a framework for what they should be teaching and what the students should be able to do by the end of their given grade level.
CCSS can be helpful to avoid students having gaps in their learning. Each grade level has skills that a built upon so teachers of a certain grade level won't miss a key piece of information that should be taught to the students.
The CCSS specify which skills should be taught, but are broad enough for other skills to be learned along with the standard that is being met in lesson. For example a lesson can cover how to pick out a word in, lets say The Scarlet Letter, and they can describe how that word is being used in reference to the text the students are reading. The students are learning about vocabulary words within a text and they are also being exposed to new thoughts in a text.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Discussion as a Way of Teaching
The two chapters we read were very informative and filled with pieces of useful information that would be important for the teacher, as well as the students, to know before they took part in a class discussion. One thing that I thought was useful, and not something that I had put a lot of thought into before, was how discussions shouldn't be aggressive. Every student should able to express their whole opinion within the discussion without being interrupted by another student. I was thinking through past discussions that I have been a part of in my classes and many times students who were speaking got cut off in the middle of what they were saying by another student who was trying to express their opinion. The students should know not to cut other classmate mates off, but instead they should politely listen to what their peer is saying then respond to that with their opinion or a response to what their classmate just said. I see a lot of potential in classroom discussions if students know how to act while another student is talking and how to respond after a classmate has finished voicing their opinion about the topic we are talking about.
Another piece from the text that I thought would be very valuable to use in the classroom was utilizing small group discussions. When I was in high school I had a fear of talking in large groups, especially when it came to speaking my own opinion in front of the class. Utilizing small group discussions can give the students that don't like to speak in large groups a chance to voice their opinions to their small group.
When teachers have the students participate in whole classroom discussions this lets students explore a diverse amount of perspectives. Many students have only been exposed to limited opinions on certain topics. So hearing their peers opinions can broaden their view points and give them a more well rounded view of what the class was discussing. I feel that this is a very important part of the student's education. Showing the students that different view points, other than theirs, are out there gives the students more chances to refine their opinion on the topic the class is discussing. Also, when students voice their ideas about a certain topic that gives other students ideas for what they can add to the topic the class is discussing about.
Another piece from the text that I thought would be very valuable to use in the classroom was utilizing small group discussions. When I was in high school I had a fear of talking in large groups, especially when it came to speaking my own opinion in front of the class. Utilizing small group discussions can give the students that don't like to speak in large groups a chance to voice their opinions to their small group.
When teachers have the students participate in whole classroom discussions this lets students explore a diverse amount of perspectives. Many students have only been exposed to limited opinions on certain topics. So hearing their peers opinions can broaden their view points and give them a more well rounded view of what the class was discussing. I feel that this is a very important part of the student's education. Showing the students that different view points, other than theirs, are out there gives the students more chances to refine their opinion on the topic the class is discussing. Also, when students voice their ideas about a certain topic that gives other students ideas for what they can add to the topic the class is discussing about.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Introductory Letter Assignment
As a student in this course I am a motivated learner that wants to do learn all I can so I can give my future students a better education. As a teacher candidate I am in a class with 54 students. 54 students can at times be hard to connect with each student. So it's a learning process each day about how I can learn more about the students during class. Each day I learn more about who I am as a teacher and what my style of teaching is.
Currently, I am observing at Mead High School, in a Junior Honor Humanities class. This class has 54 students and has two cooperating teachers. This makes for a very interesting and informational practicum situation. This is my master teacher's first time teaching this class, so it is a very positive environment to do my practicum in.
As a potential teacher one of strengths is my organization. An unorganized teacher can make the students learning environment stressful and uptight. by being organized the students will have a relaxed space to learn instead of it being. Another one of my strengths as a teacher is my creativity. When I was a student I didn't enjoy when I just sat in class like a drone and listened to the teacher lecture. I always preferred doing an activity that engaged me and made me think. As I teacher I will provide my students with opportunities to be creative and use their creativity to understand the material within the lesson.
One of my weaknesses as a potential teacher is getting caught up on the minuet details during class time. In certain situations I get caught up in teaching smaller pieces pertaining to the lesson that are not really pertinent to the lesson the students are learning. After time once I have been teaching for a longer period of time I will have a better grasp on when the smaller pieces would be beneficial to the students and when they could wait until another time.
One of the goals for this class is to create a working three week lesson. I have never done one of these before and thinking about creating longer lessons sort of intimidates me. So getting the practice in making a longer lesson will be a positive project for me to work on doing really well at.
Currently, I am observing at Mead High School, in a Junior Honor Humanities class. This class has 54 students and has two cooperating teachers. This makes for a very interesting and informational practicum situation. This is my master teacher's first time teaching this class, so it is a very positive environment to do my practicum in.
As a potential teacher one of strengths is my organization. An unorganized teacher can make the students learning environment stressful and uptight. by being organized the students will have a relaxed space to learn instead of it being. Another one of my strengths as a teacher is my creativity. When I was a student I didn't enjoy when I just sat in class like a drone and listened to the teacher lecture. I always preferred doing an activity that engaged me and made me think. As I teacher I will provide my students with opportunities to be creative and use their creativity to understand the material within the lesson.
One of my weaknesses as a potential teacher is getting caught up on the minuet details during class time. In certain situations I get caught up in teaching smaller pieces pertaining to the lesson that are not really pertinent to the lesson the students are learning. After time once I have been teaching for a longer period of time I will have a better grasp on when the smaller pieces would be beneficial to the students and when they could wait until another time.
One of the goals for this class is to create a working three week lesson. I have never done one of these before and thinking about creating longer lessons sort of intimidates me. So getting the practice in making a longer lesson will be a positive project for me to work on doing really well at.
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