STL Reflection

Link to my teaching video, along with my reflections.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B481IyPLCKh0RjlCOUNTTndsbVE/view?usp=sharing

HS Visit 2

I was significantly less impressed with the second HS teacher I observed. His class was a video editing/broadcasting class that was in charge of the school bulletin. I feel that there were many things about his teaching style that work great in theory, but failed to deliver in practice.

For instance, he wanted his students to work on the things they enjoyed doing most. This is full of merit, but I feel he failed to deliver-- while the students who liked editing got to do video editing, and the students who wanted to news anchor did so, there were many students who sat around and watched youtube videos the whole class period. It seemed to me that the teacher didn't push his students out of their comfort zone in the slightest, or even to do a good job with the jobs they were in charge of. As long as they appeared to be working, he was happy to be completely hands off.

It also appeared as though he was doing a very large portion of the work during the broadcasts, despite many of his students appearing to have nothing to do. There was very little instruction, and what instruction there was seemed to be of poor quality.

While I feel that his philosophy on allowing students to do the work they enjoy most is one that can be successful in a classroom, I was disappointed to see him implement it to such poor effect. Students' boundaries and comfort zones should be pushed, allowing them to learn and grow. 

High School First Visit

The classroom I visited was part of Project Lead the Way, but was at a learning center instead of a high school. Students are pulled from high schools all around the valley for classes.

I found the classroom ambiance to be very relaxed, allowing students to work at their own pace. While working at computers, they were also allowed to wear headphones to listen their own music. However, students weren't distracted and worked diligently at their tasks. The teacher provided them with the tools they needed to accomplish their work, and then floated around the classroom helping them as needed.

I would really enjoy teaching in a classroom like this. There were only about 10 students, so it was easy help them on an individual basis. They also seemed to really enjoy the work they were doing.

What do you make?

Taylor Mali-- What do you make?

He says the problem with teachers is
What’s a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life
was to become a teacher?
He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true
what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests
that it’s also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite conversation.

I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor.
Be honest. What do you make?

And I wish he hadn’t done that— asked me to be honest—
because, you see, I have this policy about honesty and ass-­‐kicking:
if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor
and an A-­‐ feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time
with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won’t I let you go to the bathroom?
Because you’re bored.
And you don’t really have to go to the bathroom, do you?
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
Hi. This is Mr. Mali. I hope I haven’t called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something your son said today.
To the biggest bully in the grade, he said,
“Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?
It’s no big deal.”
And that was noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math
and hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you’ve got this,
then you follow this,
and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this.

Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
Teachers make a goddamn difference! Now what about you?

I really enjoy Taylor Mali's view on teaching. While the emphasis of the poem discusses the money teachers make and why it's irrelevant to their success as an individual, the aspect I enjoy most is how he shows the amount of effort that goes into being a good teacher and helping students to reach their full potential. I appreciate all the work that goes into being a good teacher, despite the low amount of appreciation one often receives.

Gestalt Psychology

We've all heard it before: "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts." Mathematically speaking this isn't possible, of course, but the principle is easily observed outside of mathematical principle.

One can easily see the non-existent images formed in empty space by the black shapes.

I personally find that there is greater significance yet, as we see this principle frequently at play in human interaction. For example, a sports team can accomplish more than a group acting as individuals ever could.

I believe this principle holds true in the classroom as well. If a classroom can be a cohesive unit, where students work together to aid one another, more learning will be accomplished on the whole than would have been if the students (and teacher) had acted as individuals.

Reflection 1

I'm a visual/hands on learner. This shouldn't be any sort of surprise seeing as I fled from Civil Engineering into TEE. My entire school career (with a few exceptions), however, has been based on direct instruction--lecture and reading assignments. I've learned to accommodate this teaching style, but it's far from my ideal.

It seems to me that this is the norm in most high school teaching environments--the majority of required classes are taught through lecture and reading. While not necessarily a major problem, this leaves students like me at a disadvantage.

I want to teach in a way that cater to all learning styles.