Fall+Semester+2011

Reflection #12 When first viewing this map, it is extremely ornate and detailed. (Here is the link http://mitchtestone.blogspot.com/2010_05_16_archive.html) This is a map of the world by German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. The map was created in 1507 and as far as I can tell is written in English. Through this map, it is obvious how much time and energy was spent on Europe/Asia/Africa; however, as with many maps at this time, America appears to be an afterthought on the map. In addition to this, the detail of Europe/Asia/Africa, in terms of geography, place names, etc. is great, whereas the Americas appear completely blank. This map is distorted mostly due to a lack of information. Europe had its hands in both Asia and Africa, and were just beginning to examine the possibilities of the Americas. I do not believe that it is purposely distorted, as a means to advance any political objective.

Reflection #11 Civil Rights Movement a. Kinetic Activity: I would have students simulate a protest from the Civil Rights Movement. Possibly, a skit involving a sit-in protest or actions of the freedom riders. b. This slideshow presents what is seen as a "modern day" Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/11/13/opinion/20111113_EDITORIAL_DOWNES.html?scp=5&sq=civil%20rights&st=cse And this is an accompanying article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/opinion/on-the-rise-in-alabama.html c. Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday (probably would only use for a high school class) This song was performed by Billie Holiday much before the boom of the CRM, however, it definitely portrays the emotion that went into it d. Just as a side note. In the future I hope to focus on much more than just the African American CRM, but also other minorities that were vastly discriminated against, such as people with disabilities, which is very null curriculum. So therefore for this section, I chose Dr. Frank Bowe who was an activist that got Section 504 of the Rehab Act and the eventual ADA on the board.

Reflection #10

Intrinsic Motivation is when a person is inspired within themselves to achieve a goal, whereas extrinsic motivation is when they are doing it for some sort of external reward, i.e. money. In terms of the classroom, intrinsic motivation is when a student is extremely interested in a topic and is learning it for their own benefit, whereas extrinsic is when they are doing if for a grade. In terms of Ben's classroom, it appears that students are intrinsically motivated. He just seems so interested in the information and wants to portray that to his students. Even I was completely intrigued because of the stories that he shared. Multicultural education involves presenting information to students that is typically "null" or unsaid. Even if your classroom is not diverse it is EXTREMELY important to present this type of information. Students need to understand that there are differences in our entire culture and to ignore it is saying so much more than to acknowledge. Differentiated instruction involves teaching to each individual learning style. Whether it is for auditory learners, visual learners, etc. a teacher cannot simply lecture and expect all of their students to understand. Each person is different, so its obvious that each of their learning styles are different as well. The multiple intelligence theory explains differentiated instruction in terms of how to cater to those different intelligences. There is not definition of intelligent! To narrow down what it means and who it applies to would be a disservice to an entire generation of students.

Reflection #9
==== 1. Objectively describing a controversy means to, in all fairness, describe an event of situation: What happened, whom it happened to, and what its effects were. You are not necessarily saying whether it is right or wrong, but rather that it happened and this is how it happened. In terms of engaging subjectively in a controversy conversation means that you are not masking your true feelings but rather are using your feelings to express what occurred. ====

==== 2. When a teacher is impartial, it allows students to comfortably share their ideas on an issue. If a teacher, who is in a leadership position, shows a definite opinion on an issue, some of his/her students that feel differently may no longer want to participate. In this instance, a teacher has created an uninviting atmosphere for ideas, and what is a classroom if not a place to promote critical thinking and explanations? ====

3. It is imperative for teachers to maintain an impartial tone for, as stated above, if a teacher creates an impartial environment, it can silence some students. If it is an atmosphere where the teacher openly states this is wrong and this is right, you can automatically expect some students to tune out and not engage. In terms of teaching during the upcoming 2012 election, controversy will become a part of my classroom. To be honest, as of now, I am not exactly sure how to deal with it. However, at the beginning of the year there will be set rules in terms of how discussions will run in the classroom and how to respect fellow classmates; therefore, any sort of disrespect will not be tolerated. As long as my students have a productive conversation, I have no problem discussing the politics of the 2012 election.

Reflection #8
==== Controversy is often avoided plain and simply because it is messy and the line between what is appropriate and what is not is very thin. Therefore, often times, teachers stay completely to the “safe” side of things. Not only this, but as Werner states, social studies not only has interdisciplinary content but also teachers who present this information in a variety of ways. This therefore brings about the idea of bias. When controversy comes about in a classroom, teachers must be very careful not to impress their opinions upon their students. ==== ==== Werner states that controversy is worth teaching in the classroom. He explains the down sides and up sides to such information. The down side being that political beliefs/personal costs are at stake; the upside being that controversy can hit a lesson home for students. Social studies is messy, as I previously stated; however, maybe it is supposed to be. There is no right or easy way to teach it, but to ignore it all together does more harm than good. Werner believes that controversy connects the real world to the classroom. This is exactly right, because the real world is not cookie-cutter, and to teach your students in such a way would be leaving out an entire aspect of teaching. ==== ====I hope to use controversy in the correct manner in my classroom. I definitely believe that there is a time and a place to address it. As much as I welcome this concept, I am extremely nervous about it. I never want to make my students feel uncomfortable about a particular topic or situation. However, I also do not want to ignore a topic and make it extremely "null" in my classroom. I think through this class and over time I am beginning to understand what should be addressed and what should be purposely ignored.====

Reflection #7

My temperament type is the Guardian (SJ). This personality type is organized and likes to have set plans. They like to supervise but also are able to work as part of a team. They do not necessarily enjoy change, but understand its benefits. Some famous examples of Guardians are George Washington and Sandra Day O’Connor. I suppose I do not necessarily relate to these people, however, I do enjoy supervising and having control and both of these people were very well known leaders. I see that in terms of occupations, a guardian, as stated previously, likes to supervise and provide for others, which both would be very helpful in the education field; however, we also are hesitant in terms of flexibility, and teachers need to be flexible!

My coordinates on the political spectrum are -3.88 and -2.92. According to the 2008 primary, I am closest to Dennis Kucinich. This is surprising to me because I know very, very little about him. He was a democratic candidate, but relatively close to the moderate line, which I believe describes me pretty well. Historically, I identify best with Gandhi and internationally, with either Nelson Mandela or The Dalai Lama. Obviously these are very powerful people! I do not believe my political beliefs are nearly as strong as theirs were/are. This exam allows someone to not only see there place on the political spectrum, in terms of left and right, but also are they more libertarian or authoritarian and their stance on the social scale and economic scale. Due to the fact that there are so many factors to this, it shows how diverse people’s beliefs can be. You can have 2 people in the same room on complete opposite sides of the spectrum, which can create a lot of conflict. However, it is the hope of many (maybe unrealistically) that we can somehow meet in the middle.

Reflection #6

I think the concept of Columbus is important to discuss but not necessarily to celebrate. I for one had the experience in elementary school that Columbus could do no wrong and was this wonderful person who discovered the Americas. Obviously, to put someone on a pedestal that does not deserve it not only teaches students nothing, but puts up a false front. Students should know the truth. Even though history is typically written by the "winners," I want to teach all aspects of an event, not just one. I do not believe Columbus day should be "celebrated," I simply believe that Columbus, his impacts, and his interactions should be discussed, critiqued, and understood.

http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/a000db49bf43e9fd186fd1d998e26452

Reflection #5
Say I am teaching a unit on WWII and this week we are focusing on the Holocaust... 1. Formal Curriculum: Textbook chapters/information 2. Delivered Curriculum: A student sharing their experience at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. It is completely relevant to the topic, but obviously was not planned out in the formal curriculum 3. Learned Curriculum: Students discuss the lesson the next day before class begins, they go home and discuss the topic with their parents 4. Hidden Curriculum: Showing respect by listening to their peers and teachers opinions/statements 5. Null Curriculum: What does this say about human nature? What does this say about discrimination/racism against minorities?

Clearly, the teacher does not have the greatest influence on curriculum, even though they are the ones directly involved in the classroom. This seems to be typical to many aspects of society however, for the state/government to have the greatest control. Obviously funding has a lot to do with this, because whoever is providing the most money is allotted the most input. This means it is very important to get their voices and concerns heard because they have direct influence on the students, who are indirectly influenced by the state/government.

Reflection #4
To be honest, I do not know much about the Modern Middle East. Being an IDS major, my interests are more directed toward sociology and psychology, even though history/geography/economics are still of interest as well. The Middle East today is a topic of discussion every day on the news and in political life. The discussion can range from oil to war, whether people are in support of America's involvement in such aspects of Middle Eastern life, and what our purpose is there in the first place. I would like to know a great deal about the Middle East, however, not so much people's opinions as actual facts. Everyone is bombarded with others opinions on the Middle East on a daily basis, but I would really like to know more about the reality of it. Off the top of my head, modern is simply what is going on now, what is known/popular and how it is different from what previously occurred. The Middle East is composed of many countries/territories that are located in both Asia and Africa. So basically, the Modern Middle East is a term referring to what is going on in this territory now and how it is affecting the Middle Eastern people and the rest of the world. It is important for the United States to study this topic because you cannot go ANYWHERE without reading about it, seeing it, hearing someone talk about it, etc. And I believe that if it that prominent in daily life, then students have the right to understand WHY. As I stated in my last reflection, students need to know the who, what, when, where, why and how. So how did it come about that the Middle East is discussed so greatly in American culture and why is that?

Reflection #3
A. Units should be developed around a central theme, so that each lesson adds to the main idea and by the end of the unit, the lesson has come full circle. Not only this, but a unit organizes a large set of ideas, and allows a teacher to break it down into small daily lessons, so all of the information is not given at once (which would be very overwhelming). With every lesson, a teacher reaches a new objective and can then transition to the next lesson. B. Teachers have to think long and hard about units because they need to teach the information that is most significant, and choose the big points that they want their students to remember. Also, when planning units it seems to me that to think about the 5 W's is important. So, who is it that you are teaching, what are you teaching, at what point are you teaching it, where are all of these events occurring, and why is it important? Why is an extremely significant question. For students to remain engaged, they need to know why they are learning what they are and why it is helpful to them. C. A carefully planned unit has many practical benefits. First, it organizes information into small chunks, so that the students can get the main points from each individual lesson. Also, if done correctly, each lesson will connect and broaden the context of the entire unit. Once connections are being made across lessons, the students can question and predict what information will come next. D. A teaching philosophy portray different goals, attitudes, purposes, etc. of individual teachers. Not only should a well planned unit portray these philosophies, but so should each day in your classroom. The entire purpose of a unit is for students to achieve certain goals of understanding, and the way in which you go about teaching them this information is all part of your teaching philosophy. Also, what type of classroom do you run? Are the students going to be up and moving about, do you take control during lecture, or is it a combination of many different types? A good unit would appear to combine multiple learning styles to benefit all of the students.

Response: I definitely agree with Lauren's response to part B. How you present the information definitely is dependent upon your students. Are they mature enough to handle getting up and moving around? Also, some of the best laid plans fail, because you never truly know how it will work out until you are actually in the classroom. Also, I agree with Jim's response to part D of the question. A teaching philosophy definitely should guide how you go about teaching your unit, because this philosophy encompasses your entire teaching style. Students will only be interested if you present the material in a relevant and productive manner.

Reflection #2
To me, a lesson plan is a rough set of guidelines to follow for a particular lesson. It can contain different activities, ideas, questions to pose, etc. to present to the students. The chances that a lesson will go exactly as planned are pretty slim, so a good lesson plan allows for alterations and alternatives. However, I do believe that they are very useful if you understand that to plan each and every moment of a class is impossible! To go in with some idea as to how you want this class to go and what points you would like to get across is important. Not only this, but it is also important to run an organized classroom, and to have a rough draft for your day will only make your job easier.

With the chaos of controlling a classroom, teachers need lesson plans in order to remember the main points of their lesson and be sure to hit all of the important topics. Also, it will give some sort of structure to your day and allow for planning and preparation. Lesson plans can also be saved and edited from year to year. If you do an activity that goes really smoothly and the students produced positive feedback, it would be an excellent tool for the following year. However, if you remember that a particular lesson did not go so well, you can alter the portions to make it more enjoyable or start from scratch.

In response to another students' post, I definitely agree with what KWellman1 (I apologize it doesn't say your first name :/ ). I agree that if a teacher attempts to rush and fit everything into a lesson or simply attempt to control every moment, it will turn out terribly! Also the fact that a lesson plan allows the teacher to remain in control and not lose their place in a lesson.

Reflection #1
==== I truly, truly enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson’s take on modern education. I have watched it two more times since our class and still my favorite line is when Robinson states that we should be waking our kids up, and making them feel alive, rather than prescribing them drugs and disorienting them. Also when I was searching the class wiki, I looked on Mr. Detmer’s page and would recommend everyone to watch the video by Taylor Mali. ====

==== A) My favorite social studies memory is from freshman year of high school. My teacher was extremely involved and passionate about U.S. History, and it made everyone in the class want to get involved. Specifically, I remember him creating different stations, which at first glance seems a bit “elementary” but it kept the class interested. He would often times do this as a review, but also to present us with supplemental material to remember interesting facts. For example, if our unit was the on the Civil War, at one station we would read a statement, speech, poem, etc. from an author at the time, at another we would watch a video, another we would look at pictures, etc. etc. The point of the entire lesson was to soak up as much information as possible on the topic, move around, promote conversation amongst classmates, and provide students with more material than just a textbook. This type of lesson truly stuck in my mind because it was not simply memorization, but rather becoming involved and observing history through many different outlets. ==== ==== B) My worst memory from a social studies course occurred throughout an entire semester of economics. Granted, economics is not necessarily my forte, however, my teacher made no effort to make the material relevant or interesting. I suppose in order for me to understand a lesson, it has to be relevant in someway, and I need to walk away from it knowing more about a topic than when I came in. I truly did not understand that class, because it was simply read the book, do the problems, and get out of the course as quickly as possible. ==== ==== C) I want to teach social studies because it creates well-rounded individuals, and provides society with future leaders and educated children, young adults, and adults. Not only this, but social studies combines a multitude of disciplines, so as an educator you can provide your students with many different outlets with which to learn the material. To teach social studies in schools is not only relevant but also necessary. If we want our society to have educated individuals making educated decisions, knowledge of history, geography, psychology, etc. etc. is extremely important for our future. ====