Week 14-Final Reflection

There are so many things I will take away from this course; a better understanding of lesson planning, PBL, how to assess both students in a formative and summative way along with assessing rubrics and knowing how to create my own rubric, different and fun ways to present history, how to present a virtual field trip, having valuable feedback and intellectual conversations with my peers about the subject matter,  and I am sure many more I will remember later.

For me, the most valuable piece is having both the insight and conversations with my peers about the subject at hand.  It is very easy (the habitual creatures we are), to sit at the same table every week and talk to those same people every week.  When we do that we only get the insight of those peers that sit at our table.  You all (the professors) forced us to intermingle amongst each other which brought a greater understanding to the subject as a whole.  In many of my classes I sometimes walk away never even knowing some of my classmates’ names.  That is partly my fault of course, but I can say I definitely know everyone’s name in our social studies class and value their opinions.  The virtual presentations were a great way to end class because it showed the diversity of the students and their outlooks on teaching.  I picked up a few things I will definitely use in my classroom in the future.

The last question I will leave with is this…What would our program look like if more, or not all of our classes forced us as students to intermingle more?  My prediction would be that we would have an even stronger education program because we would be building on each others’ feedback and input, like the saying goes, 2 heads (or 17 in our case) are better than one.

Week 13-Difficult Topics

As a future educator I know I will deal with difficult topics in my classroom.  The scariest part is not knowing which ones, and will I be prepared enough to handle it.  I think it is important that we as educators stay on top of culturally sensitive topics since we never know when they will make their way into our classrooms.

This past Tuesday I appreciated Professor Bland’s advice on sticking to the facts, and asking for help when needed.  I am the type of person that has a hard time asking for help, but I know this is something I will need to overcome for the sake of my student’s welfare.

I am wondering if schools hold workshops in the summer for teachers that help equip them for difficult topics, especially ones that seem to pop up in their school?  I think this would be helpful.

Week 12-Massive Resistance

I did not realize what massive resistance was until I looked it up.  At a first glance, I thought it was a positive thing, like the civil rights movement.  Although it was not defined in class last night, it still sparked my interest enough to make me want to research it on my own.  I did not grow up in Virginia, so it constantly amazes me how much history happened right here, both good and bad.  It also boggles my mind as to the ignorance of public figures that fought to prevent racial desegregation not too long ago.

How do you teach your students that it is ok to stand up to people like Senator Byrd when they are taught to respect adults and those older than themselves?  I wonder if it would be crossing the line to hold a mock protest in my classroom?  I would love to have my students dive deeper into the subject and do some projects to increase their knowledge and hopefully get them more interested in history, especially the history that happened right here in Virginia.

Week 11-Visual Arts

I am very encouraged that both the book and our professors endorse using the arts when teaching social studies.  I definitely believe in incorporating music and the arts into all areas of study.  The book pointed out in Chapter 8 that it is essential to integrate the arts into classroom curriculum whenever possible.  It encouraged using music, drama, paintings, and photos.

I wonder why the arts are not used more?  It is such a great way to connect students to the material and help them retain information.  I can count on one hand teachers that incorporated the arts into our curriculum while growing up.  And I can honestly say I still remember some of the things I was taught.

Week 10-Biographies

Biographies and autobiographies are my favorite text to read!  I was excited when I saw we would be discussing it in class, and although we didn’t really get the chance to, I am excited to be able to write a lesson plan based on it.  So much can be learned by every person’s life story!

The children’s literature books we looked at were very surprising.  I have seen some of them before in Reading 1 and Diverse Learners, but never ones based on historical figures written in such poor taste.  How do these books get published?  Is this a form of freedom of press?  Why are there not limitations on what can be published?  Is there no screening process?

Week #9-Jamestown

I took the most from the sticky note predictor last night.  This is a great strategy to use to activate prior knowledge and stir up interest in a subject.  I personally learned so much from the 4 pictures I looked at. As a teacher I know I could build off of that, even creating a lesson from each picture, since there is a story behind each one.

I wonder what it would look like to ask students to write a short story just based on what they see and notice from a primary source? Then after they learn the historical facts have them go back and make factual changes without changing too much of their story.  I wonder if this would confuse them or would it help them grasp the material better?

Week 8-Project Based Learning/Rubrics

Having the 2 teachers come and discuss rubrics along with their project based learning showed me just how important the rubrics are.  I was previously thinking they were much more work than they are worth, but I now see it is a way to be fair to everyone, along with keeping the grading consistent.

Their first-hand experience with both the PBL and rubrics were very eye-opening.  It is extremely helpful to see the strategies we are learning  put to use in a real-life classroom.

I definitely plan to use PBL in my classroom, and will be sure to use a rubric in order to keep it fair for all students.  I wonder what the difference is when you do not use a rubric? What are the guidelines for grading?  Is the teacher just being subjective?  I don’t remember ever having rubrics presented to me while growing up.  I wonder how my teachers measured what grade I earned?

Week 7-Field Trips

I enjoyed the museum field trip and the different ways we can expose our students to art and history. I really love the connection between the two, and the many ways we can approach lessons because of it.  When I saw the Rhythm of Art section of the museum, something inside me stirred!  I was so excited to see music acknowledged as art, and how it is linked to history since the beginning of time.

I also love the activity “What’s in Your Pocket” from our textbook.  I think this is a really fun way to not only pick up on historical facts, but learn about the individual whose pockets the items are in (like Abraham Lincoln), the example they use in the book.  It teaches students how to analyze, make educational guesses, and finally discover the facts.

I see so many ways you can connect art to different subjects.  I wonder if you could take one piece and span it over multiple subjects like Language Arts, History, and Science.  I think one day someone will create a teaching strategy that does just this.

Week 6-Assessments

The thought of performance based assessments sounded delightful to me until I saw the suggested rubric.  I am definitely more of a hands-on, visual person, so I feel like my students would retain the information better that way as well.  For instance, the theater boxes from the video we watched; the students were forced to be mentally and physically involved in the process.  They learned everything about the segment they were performing from occupations to the furniture people had in their house during the era they were studying.  I also think a great way for students to retain the information would be to have them act out the historical scene, compiling their own costumes and scenery.

In regards to rubrics, I understand there needs to be a guide that helps the students understand how they are going to be graded.  But why does there need to be so MANY components/guidelines?  It tends to take the fun out of performance based assessments.

I wonder how many performance based assessments are too many in a year?  When is it best to assign them?

Week 5-Activating Background Knowledge

One thing that made an impression on me last night and this past week with our readings was the importance of NOT reteaching students material they should have already learned in previous grades.  Instead, the book suggests activating prior knowledge in other ways. For example,  broadening beyond the classroom by using geographical or economic context.  I feel like every teacher will be put in this position at some point, and what does one do?  Are there resources and websites that help teachers expand beyond the classroom in this way?  From an outsiders’ perspective this seems like a very difficult thing to do if resources are limited.