I-Movies

Rather than completing a traditional book report, we were required to create an I-movie based on a book our group read related to education. My group read the book Stand for the Best: What I Learned after Leaving My Job as CEO of H&R Block to Become a Teacher and Founder of an Inner-City Charter School by Thomas Bloch. Thomas was a CEO at H and R Bloch, the tax firm founded by his father. Thomas chose to leave his position and go back to college to become a teacher. He was not satisfied with his job and felt the need to do something different with his life. He also went on to found a charter school to help inner city students succeed and be on a college bound track. I was inspired by his story and amazed at how much he gave up to help these students succeed.
Creating an I-movie is definitely a more exciting assignment than writing a traditional book report. However, I don't feel that I learned more through this assignment than I would have with a book report. Our group didn't have a clear direction with our film and it turned out to take a lot of time for those members in our group who knew how to work the I-movie software. I can see myself using Imovies in my classroom in the future and I think it could be used very effectively and the students would be actively involved in the learning process if executed correctly.

Senior Presentation: "The Politics of Genocide, Peace, and Reconciliation in Rwanda”

I attended a senior presentation by Fabrice Musoni entitled "The Politics of Genocide, Peace, and Reconciliation in Rwanda”. It was an incredibly informative presentation about the horrific genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis of Rwanda that occurred in 1994. I am currently taking the class History of Modern Africa and we have been discussing the Rwanda genocide, so hearing this lecture provided me with a broader understanding of everything that occurred in Rwanda during this tragic time period. The presentation contained information about the history of the Hutus and Tutsis leading up to this horrific time period as well as information about the role of the U.S. government and the U.N. The thing that I found most difficult for me to understand was the fact that the people involved in this genocide were regular civilians who killed their neighbors, friends, and sometimes even their family. The fact that the U.S. failed to take any action in assisting the Rwandans and putting an end to these brutal murders is devastating.
Fabrice had an excellent presentation and is a very good public speaker. He had a very effective power point which he used to provide an outline and main points of his presentation. He also had links to video clips from the movie Ghosts of Rwanda, a Frontline report on the politics and first hand accounts of the Rwanda genocide. He also had links to Youtube clips further exploring the events of the genocide. The variety he incorporated into his power point along with his effective public speaking skills made the presentation very interesting and helped further our understanding of everything that occurred in Rwanda. Effective public speaking is a crucial skill to possess as future teachers in order for us to be prepared to express our opinions and present our ideas clearly to other teachers, administration, and parents. I learned a lot about the genocide in Rwanda because Fabrice was able to present his detailed information clearly and effectively, while appealing to the emotional aspect of this tragedy through video clips, quotes and pictures.

Brain Development Presentation

What did the hippocampus say during it's retirement speech? Thanks for the memories!

I recently attended a presentation titled Adolescent Brain and Alcohol: A Costly Mix, presented by Karen Williams. The focus of the presentation was on the crucial stages of brain development, particularly during the middle school years. There are two crucial times in one's life when the brain has peaks of plasticity, from birth to six years old and from twelve to eighteen years old. During these times, the brain is learning new basic information and creating new crucial neural connections. It is imperative that children and adolescents develop certain skills during these peak times of brain development. As teachers, understanding the way the brain develops is important as it can provide insight into why certain students may be behind in certain areas as they may not have been exposed to certain things during these crucial times of development. Middle school teachers play a critical role in helping students develop independence, make good decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions. If middle school teachers presented this information to their students, I believe many students would better understand why they act certain ways as well as understand the extreme consequences of using alcohol or other substances.
I have never seen an in-depth presentation on brain development until this one and was surprised at how much I didn't know. If students are aware of how big of an impact their actions can have on their brain development, and therefore their future, they will be more likely to make better, safer decisions. Furthermore, knowing that their brain can be changed and 'reworked' can provide them with the motivation to work harder and learn new skills that they didn't think they could ever master. I found this presentation inspiring for students, parents, and future educators and think similar presentations need to be incorporated into schools everywhere to better inform everyone about the importance of brain development.

...and action!

Monday night in our usual Ed Psych class we held a mock meeting about a new proposal for creating high stakes community schools in the district. There were many interesting questions raised and at times a fairly heated debate took place over the variety of changes proposed by Superintendent, Dr. Langholz, and the director of Curriculum, Dr. Knick. This plan would essentially revamp the entire school system and hold students and teachers responsible for students achieving scores at or above grade level on standardized tests.
This was a very beneficial lesson which allowed us to participate and really become engaged in the learning. Rather than hearing a lecture on what changes a school might make to improve education, we were able to become part of a 'real' situation and formulate thoughtful questions and opinions about the issues raised in the proposal regarding high stakes testing. This method of teaching and learning was very beneficial to me and forced me to assess my own opinions about the situation based on the comments and discussion that occurred during the mock meeting. Although I see many benefits of this lesson, I also understand the extra work Dr. Langholz had to put in to preparing the proposal and the role playing scenarios. As a teacher, it is important to understand different ways in which to engage students in the learning process and give them opportunities to think critically. Even though this may take some extra planning and patience on our part, if the lesson is effectively executed, the learning that takes place will be beneficial and meaningful to the students and worth the extra effort.

So Savvy

I browsed through the Edutopia website and found many interesting articles relevant to education today. I was particularly interested in ways technology is being incorportated into today's classrooms. The article titled "Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom-
21st-century schools need 21st-century technology" by Marc Prenksy adressed many important issues faced when incorporating the vast amount of technology available to teachers into curriculum. Although technology has advanced dramatically for the 21st century classroom, it is not being used effectively; there is so much potential to incorporate technology into classrooms that teachers and administration must realize in order help students learn and be prepared for the high-tech, computer savvy future they face.
The first point the article addressed was the fact that old technology is being used in old ways. Information has always been recorded and passed around. Now this is being done through email and text messaging. One benefit however, is that students are turning in better and more detailed typed papers. The next point is using technology to do old things in new ways. Through technology, students are now able to learn about subjects through digital, virtual media. Programs, such as school tycoon, allow students to become creators, problem solvers, and innovators. Using interactive technology, students are better able to become engaged in the learning process.
The main point of the article focused around using technology in new ways. For this digital age, schools systems need to be completely revamped including making new curicula, developing new ways to assess students, provide new training for teachers, and new administration. The author suggests that change and experimentation is what is needed and what school will soon demand in the changing age.
This article is very applicable as I enter into the education profession. As a new teacher preparing students for 21st century careers, I need to incorporate technology into my classroom and be open to and aware of new technology and ways to adapt my teaching styles to advancing technological methods.

Chalk and Wire

After learning about the Chalk and Wire online portfolio, I feel fairly confident in how it works. Having an electronic portfolio will be very beneficial to me as I begin the application process and I am glad the Luther education department uses this program. As I continue through the education department courses, this will make it easy for me to see my progress and keep everything organized. I have begun putting things into my portfolio and I think I am getting the hang of how it works! I could use a little clarification about writing rationals but am sure I will have plenty of practice as I continue taking education classes.

Guest Speaker from Vietnam

I felt very priveleged to have Mr. Doan Van Dieu speak to our class about the Vietnamese culture in relation to student's and parents views of important values and traditions. I was amazed with the sense of community the Vietnamese people have and how important it is for young people to show respect for their elders. The Vietnamese culture has many strong core values that help them to become better people and the idea of having these similar communal interests seems like a very positive aspect of their culture, allowing them to have a sense of purpose and belonging within their society. The fact that education is so important to them was especially interesting to me. In the US, the importance of education is undermined and money and power seem to take over. In several of my education classes, as well as in the Santrock text, we have stressed the importance of family involvement in students' lives. In the Vietnamese culture, parents expect their children to do well in school and place strong emphasis on recieving a good education. If students' have this strong family support, they will be more likely to work hard at school and have a better chance at becoming successful adults. If we could adopt this attitude of education being a crucial part of everyones life, I believe we would be more successful at providing more opportunities for students, teaching lessons applicable to real world situations, training teachers effectively, and promoting and challenging student learning in and out of the classroom. Teachers need the support of the entire community in order to prepare students to take on the new challenges of the world today.

Chalk

I enjoyed the film Chalk as it was both entertaining and provided insight into the importance of classroom management, student-teacher relationships, and teachers interactions with colleagues. Although the teachers all seemed to fit into the extreme ends of the spectrum, it is true that there are teachers in todays schools that exhibit similar characteristics. I had a teacher in high school very similar to the teacher who was obsessed with becoming teacher of the year. This teacher had little concern or interest for the content area he was teaching; most of his lessons plans contained telling the students to take notes out of the book and then talking to the students about the latest basketball game statistics. He was clearly a favorite among the students but I highly doubt if anyone learned anything from his classes.
This movie made me realize how crucial lesson planning and classroom management is to becoming a successful teacher and running a productive classroom. In instructional strategies, we are talking about the importance of writing clear objectives with detailed lesson plans. This task is a bit overwhelming to me and I can easily understand how teachers could become lazy about writing out these detailed, in depth layouts of their plans. However, it is clear that students will be more likely to succeed if lesson plans are prepared ahead of time and clear assessment strategies are implemented. Classroom management covers a huge variety of topics and can also be very overwhelming for beginning teachers. I think the most important aspect of classroom management is to set clear, concise classroom expectations, rules, and goals. If the students are aware of what is expected of them, there will be a solid foundation for students to build a relationship with their teacher and the teacher will be able to focus on academic material rather than wasting class time dealing with behavioral issues.

Seek Opportunities

The discussion with Mr. Steve Chambliss was very informative as well as inspiring. I have recently began to pursue an elementary education major and have since pictured myself in a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom. After listening to the vast variety of positions Mr. Chambliss has pursued in his 41 year career, I have realized there are many opportunities to expand my career options and advance my position while increasing my influence on childrens' education. Mr. Chambliss emphasized the importance of advancing one's education in order to obtain influential positions such as superintendant. I have never pictured myself pursuing such positions but now have an interest in exploring areas beyond the classroom as well as keeping an open mind as far as what grades I will be teaching. Teaching a variety of grades and switching grades often ensures that teachers continue to develop their teaching styles, stay updated on current curriculum, and remain engaged in educating children rather than falling into an unchanging routine.

New Teacher Panel

I really enjoyed attending the teacher panel and listening to the experiences of these new teachers beginning their careers. I found this very helpful in informing me of what to expect as I enter the teaching profession. I grew up in a small town in Southwestern Minnesota and have had many similar experiences attending a small rural school like the ones around Decorah. However, my town is extremely diverse with many hispanic families moving into the area, especially in the last fifteen years. Now that I am getting into the education program and taking classes like Diverse and Exceptional learner, I am learning how privileged I was to grow up in such a diverse community. After listening to the teacher panel, I began to think about where I see myself teaching in a few years. There is a great difference between teaching at a small, predominantly white rural town as opposed to a large, urban area where diversity is a huge aspect of the classroom makeup. Having grown up in a diverse community, I feel I have had many valuable experiences that will benefit me whether I end up teaching in a small town or a large city.

Paper Clips

Watching the film Paper Clips provided a great opportunity for me to observe a classroom using a primarily constructive approach to learn about the Holocaust. Rather than teaching the class facts, dates, figures, and other historical information to teach the students about the holocaust, the teachers used a variety of interactive activities and scenarios. The teachers also encouraged the students to apply the knowledge they were learning about racism and stereotyping during the Holocaust to their own lives and situations in modern day Tennessee.

By relating the extreme racism that occurred during the Holocaust to the racism and stereotyping that exists in America today, this project became real and relevant for these children. Furthermore, bringing Holocaust survivors into their classrooms to talk about their experiences made learning more than memorizing facts and reading out of textbooks. The Holocaust came to life for these children and, in my opinion, made more of an impact on them than listening to lectures and reading books ever could have.

There are times when the more traditional direct instruction approach may be an effective way to teach a lesson. I do not feel, however, that this is possible to do when teaching about the Holocaust. This is obviously an extremely powerful, intense, overwhelming topic to discuss and the only way to grasp the horrors of this time in history is to understand the important dates, names, etc. and then go beyond that and get into the emotion and reality of this event. On the other hand, there are topics that could successfully be taught using the constructivist approach that are not as intense. I feel as a teacher is important to use both forms of teaching and to know when it is best to use which type. It is also important to focus on the needs of the class, what is appropriate at each grade level, and to adapt accordingly to the students responses and learning styles.