Each group took a risk in putting together presentations with new literacy practices. I am sure each one of us felt a little uneasy and unsure that the presentations were going to be successful. I am so very proud of being a part of a group that is willing to feel that uneasiness. My challenge to the cohort is to embrace that risk taking each and every day as they teach. Steve Jobs said it best….
“Let’s make a dent in the universe.”
— Steve Jobs
And lastly….
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” again…Steve Jobs
Throughout the course we’ve read several interesting articles. I’ve had several “ah-ha” moments but I haven’t taken the time to stop and reflect. So often in teaching this is the case which is too bad because this is what we as teachers really need to do in order to become better at teaching. In my opinion, anyways. I see this with students, too. We talked about this in class…metacognition. It’s a piece that is often underutilized. I can see why due to it being difficult to incorporate into lessons at the start. This is because it requires a teacher to know how to time a lesson just right…a skill that takes time to develop and it requires time for students to learn. That’s right students need time to learn how to ‘think about their thinking’. It is time well spent though. I use it as often as I can and I see great benefits each time that I do.
Our last reading had me thinking about the ELL students in my classes. I could not think deeply about Western vs. Eastern science as many of my classmates did. Instead all I could think about was how I struggle each year to find ways to include my ELL students in science. I want every student to participate. But how do I include a student who I am not sure understands the safety rules as the only words he knows in English are ‘hello’ and ‘good bye’? We do make posters of the safety rules using pictures. However, I have the kids write the rules in a postive way and so thus the pictures are positive. I feel that I want posters up all year showing what to do not what not to do. But, does this help the non-English speaker to understand that we are working with dangerous chemicals and not colorful, fun liquids that won’t hurt anyone? I also struggle with how to find out the background knowledge of ELL students. I know each one brings a vast amount of knowledge from his/her experiences and education in his/her home country. How do I tap that and bring it to myself and the other students? And then there is the content that we are working with in the classroom. I have scoured library shelves to find picture books for the content to have the ELL students utilize hoping that the pictures, diagrams and charts allows access to some of the curriculum. I have struggled with having assessments translated into the student’s own language. I used to advocate strongly for this but numerous ELL teachers have told me it’s not the right thing to do. Exposure to English across the board is most important…speak it, expose them to the text, have them use it verbally and don’t worry about the written. It will come in time and don’t worry about the content. These students will work hard to obtain the knowledge. I know they will. I’ve seen them do it. But is this best we as an educational system can do for them? Is the best that I can do? I wonder. So with these thoughts swirling in my head I had little room for thoughts about Western and Eastern science such as my classmates. I have to say I was a little bit jealous that their brains are free of the swirling thoughts and are thus able to ponder such deep thinking.
My last article reflection is that I was so glad to hear Kim comment that the one article took so much time and effort to get something out of it that it wasn’t really worth all the work. Okay, she put it in better words than that but that’s the gist of what she said. That’s exactly how I felt and it was great to hear her, someone who is much more knowledgeable about science and science issues than I, say it!
Going to the beach to collect samples was quite exciting. When you look at the pictures you’ll notice that Theresa and I are not the ones out doing the collecting. This might make you wonder, “why?” Well, the answer is simple…socks! I wore sandals to the beach that day and there was no way I was going to put on hip waters with barefeet. This made me realize that sometimes the lack of participation of girls in science might have to do with the lack of preparation of girls in science! The thought for me as a teacher is, “Do I think of how to prepare science for girls?” “Do I make the ‘messiness’ of science attractive to the them by providing them with the necessary materials?” Definitely something I’ll now be considering after my trip to the beach!
I wanted to share this video with everyone and I thought the blog was the best place to do this. It is long as it is a whole presentation. However, you can watch it in chunks as it has natural places to stop watching and then restart again.
I think the presenter does a good job of explaining the types of kids that are coming to us or will be coming to us in the future. I was really overwhelmed by the implications for literacy.
Here is also the link to a blog post about the video which includes other links that may be of interest to you if you liked the presentation…
You may want to watch the video after reading the blog post. It just posted better first (not sure why?). I found the last class quite interesting as we were looking at text book bias. Something I haven’t done since my undergrad years…just a few years ago. Since then there have been changes quite big ones in fact toward the positive. However, you never would know it according to our discussion. I do wonder what we might have found if had been looking through a positive lense instead of through the negative. We can’t refute that we did found several sources of bias. However the sources of bias we were looking for were more intensive than what I remember looking for just a few short years ago. So I am thinking that the textbook companies have changed, they just haven’t changed fast enough to keep up with the times. I also wonder though if schools aren’t behind the times by using textbooks. There is a plethora of knowledge out there especially for science that is more kid friendly, up to date, and with less bias that is easily accessible through our media outlets.
My partner for the activity was Ben. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. He has a keen eye for social/political issues. I also found the comments of Tyler interesting. I could write a blog post based on each of their insightful comments and although I probably should I am instead going to offer a glimpse of how I thought I could apply an observation that Ben and I made of our textbook. We realized that our book did not have much, if any, pictures of people actually doing science. This made me think about how much I expose my students to real scientists. This year I attempted to Skype a Scientist each month. I ran into a few snags and as such we’ve Skype’d only 3. These were rich experiences but I’m not sure how much they connected to the lives of the students. I do expose them to scientists in other ways but how can I really connect them to their lives?? The answer may be right on my classroom wall!! A few weeks ago I had them do an activity called, “What’s your sentence?” It basically involved the above video and writing with each student writing his/her own sentence for his/her own life. The students were really involved in this. I then posted their statements on the wall. That’s where it ended. But, what if I had then had them use their sentence as the middle of a concept web where types of scientists who do jobs that involve their sentence were on the outside of the web? I think this would help draw home the connection to them. Any thoughts? I’ll post a few of their sentences below so you can get a feel for what they’d be working with to make their concept webs.
Our first assignment was to reflect upon the type of teacher we want to be or are and to describe our interest in science. Well, I skipped over this assignment. This unfortunately is not unlike me. I am a big idea person and thus owning the details is difficult. I often skip over details as I find myself drawn to the big picture. So, now I’ll take a step back and get to the details…
I grew up in a very small rural area. My family was very close and protective. This had a huge impact on me while growing up. I loved asking questions and discovering the answers. I enjoyed trying new things, completing puzzles and anything that involved creativity. I also wanted to help children. I was about 10 when I saw an advertisement for Doctors without Borders on television. I was enthralled. Here were children who were poor, needy and forgotten by others. I expressed my desire to be a pediatrician and work for Doctors without Borders to my parents. I don’t remember the words that were spoken but I do remember the message…..you don’t dream big dreams, you set goals that you can reach. I was crushed but at 10, I felt I understood. I knew afterall that my parents wanted what was best for me. As a high school senior I knew I wanted to go to college but I couldn’t decide on a major. My guidance counselor suggested psychology so I went with it. I graduated, married and moved to Germany with my husband (he was in the Air Force). We later moved to Colorado. It was there that I realized I could use my creativity and desire to help children by teaching special education students. I did this and discovered that the students I worked with at the elementary level could not receive special education minutes in science. I thought this was disgraceful. It meant that science was not accessible to them. So I felt I could help my special education students more by being a general ed teacher. I switched to general ed and eventually to sixth grade where I was luckily put in science.
As a sixth grade science teacher I strongly believe in constructivist theory. I believe children learn by manipulating information. I believe in building the intrinsic motivation of children by having them set goals and by not using rewards. I welcome creativity in the classroom. I focus everyday on building the self-discipline and integrity of my students.
Through my experiences I have discovered the impact of effective teaching on students. It is phenomenal. I have also realized that effective teachers need supportive administrators. Teachers have a great capacity to create change that is only limited by the principal with whom they work. Thus I am working on earning my administrative degree so I can be that source of support. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work on my doctorate at Warner within science as I am interested in building my knowledge of digital equity, the professional development practices of teachers using digital sources, and inclusive practices in science.
My biggest hope is that no matter what road I travel down I am able to let children know that they should dream big dreams.
During tonight’s class, Joanne pointed out that she was modeling best practices. She pointed out several best practices that she included however she left one very important one out….co-teaching. Joanne and Kim co-taught the class in what seemed like an effortless manner. I hope that everyone in the class realize what an amazing feat this is and are able to see the value of this strategy for their students. Co-teaching is one of the fastest growing inclusive practices in our schools. It is one that is difficult to measure impact on student achievement and yet it is a practice that is prevalent. It is also one that many teachers are unfamiliar with at the time that they are asked to do it. Tonight’s class was a great example of what co-teaching is and what it is not. For example it was not one teacher teaching and the other teacher being an onlooker. It was not one teacher teaching and the other teacher preparing materials. IT was evident that both teachers had planned together. It was evident that both teachers shared responsibility for student learning. Trust and communication were evident. Both of these are excellent qualitites to model for aspiring teachers who will most likely be co-teachers at some point in their careers. So, bravo, to Kim and Joanne for taking on the challenge of co-teaching and for sharing this strategy with all of us.
Upon reading the title, E=MC2, I was intrigued. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by a whole novel written about an equation? Okay, I’ll admit there are probably at least two people in the world that would not. To be perfectly honest, I was a little intimidated by the title until I read further and saw, ‘A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation’. Perfect! A biography! I’ve not only read biographies but I’ve had students write both math and science biographies. So, no need to be intimidated, I can handle this. This was my pep talk before opening the book. Luckily, it worked. I greatly appreciated that the author presented the structure of the book right at the beginning. This helped me to form a purpose for reading.
Albert Einstein, received average grades in school, irritated his teachers and had difficulty obtaining a job. Wow! Does this mean I can stop staying up nights worrying about the kids in my classes? Of course not, but I think it does mean that I, my students and their parents can breathe. We can all step back and take a big breath. All will be okay. The world has a way of working things out…of keeping everything equal. Does this mean that I will stop having high expectations and being the best teacher that I can be, of course not. Perspective is everything! The beginning chapters of E=MC2 prove this.
I hate to admit that as soon as I saw the name Michael Faraday I was more than intrigued…I was thrilled. Afterall, I just said goodbye to Faraday on LOST and I’ve been a little lost without him! So I was excited to get to learn about the real Faraday. I was disheartened to learn that he had such a bad experience with his mentor. It made me realize how many mentors I have in my life. My father would be my first mentor. I’ve learned so much from him and I’ll never be able to repay him. The best thing is he’s my dad and doesn’t expect repayment! Another mentor would be the Asst Superintendent of Instruction that granted me tenure. It was a harrowing experience having to meet with her. She was not known for being gracious. This made it all the sweeter when she gave me the greatest compliment I’ve ever received in regards to my teaching. Her words were so powerful to me that I’ve never shared them with anyone. I treasure them that much. My current principal is an amazing mentor for me. I truly enjoy spending time with him and he consistently reminds me that I don’t work for him but with him. You don’t often find administrators that raise you up…he does and I am grateful. Another mentor of mine would be Eleanor Roosevelt. Her words and actions me strength. She reminds me that women can be vital, strong, independent, caring and simply amazing. The quote I love most, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” I strongly believe in the strength of mentors. I see the value of having three levels of mentors: mentors to look up to, mentors that are your peers and being a mentor to others. Keeping these three levels of mentors in your life keeps an important balance. E=MC2’s discussion of Faraday is a great reminder of the value of mentors.
I look forward to completing the rest of the book…I’m about half way and I am sure I’ll find many more treasures as I continue to read.
Andre Malraux 
Since then there have been changes quite big ones in fact toward the positive. However, you never would know it according to our discussion. I do wonder what we might have found if had been looking through a positive lense instead of through the negative. We can’t refute that we did found several sources of bias. However the sources of bias we were looking for were more intensive than what I remember looking for just a few short years ago. 
So I was excited to get to learn about the real Faraday. I was disheartened to learn that he had such a bad experience with his mentor. It made me realize how many mentors I have in my life. My father would be my first mentor. I’ve learned so much from him and I’ll never be able to repay him. The best thing is he’s my dad and doesn’t expect repayment! Another mentor would be the Asst Superintendent of Instruction that granted me tenure. It was a harrowing experience having to meet with her. She was not known for being gracious. This made it all the sweeter when she gave me the greatest compliment I’ve ever received in regards to my teaching. Her words were so powerful to me that I’ve never shared them with anyone. I treasure them that much. My current principal is an amazing mentor for me. I truly enjoy spending time with him and he consistently reminds me that I don’t work for him but with him. You don’t often find administrators that raise you up…he does and I am grateful. Another mentor of mine would be Eleanor Roosevelt. 