Brandon+Wheeler

Week 2 The best assessment for the cooperative learning activity we are doing would involve some sort of jigsaw activity. Essentially, everyone would be divided into groups and assigned a candidate to study in greater detail and report their findings back to the group. While one student reports, the other students will take notes and give a grade of some sort, possibly on a 4.0 scale, on how well they feel they understand the candidate after the presentation is over. The presenter will then receive this rating as their grade. Then after they had presented their original candidates, they would be assigned another candidate to also present. Each person's grade would be the average of their two presentations.

Week 1 1. How specifically does the text establish the significance of Media?

====The text speaks to the fact that students are exposed to media through a variety of mediums from which they learn through entertainment. Furthermore it talks about the importance of teachers using media as a learning tool in the classroom. The text states that "Though some teachers and scholars frown upon movies and television, sometimes films open a student’s eyes to a chapter in history." with which I could not agree more. My own high school history and social studies teachers used media in several instances to give visual aid, albeit lacking in historical accuracy in some instances, which I found helpful in my learning experience.====

2. Develop an idea to share of a lesson you would like to teach that uses/presents a film (of any genre) to explain (a) a time period; (b) a cultural/social/political point; (c) a biography; or (d) an idea or concept.

I would show either the movie //Valkyrie// or //Defiance// as they are two of my favorite historical films. The purpose I would use these films for would be to offer alternative perspectives of World War II. For instance, not all Germans or even Nazi's for that matter supported Hitler and in fact fought his regime from within. Similarly, the film //Defiance// depicts Jews in a way that breaks what I would consider a stereotypical idea of the Jewish experience during World War II (ie..."The Diary of Anne Frank" or the holocaust in general). = = =__SPRING RESPONSES ^__=

__Week 12__ This post isn’t intended to be intensive but rather a helpful way to practice what you’re learning in a convenient way (that you might use in the future). Using what you have read and experienced in instruction as a model/food for thought write short summaries for procedures for A-D. Feel free to use hyperlinks to direct us (as applicable) to articles, songs, lyrics, videos, and etc.

A. Pick one of the following units: **Prohibition**

B. Propose a lesson, activity, or what-have-you that addresses the following mode of learning:

a. Kinetic Activity I would ban the use of white paper for the week, and have their be some sort of punishment for using it. Hopefully at least one of the students would find a plentiful source of some other source of paper that the students would borrow from. I would relate this to gangsters and the illegal manufacturing of alcohol. http://www.rhapsody.com/album/Alb.275490

b. Solo-Reading: A non-textbook article or relevant current event  (Use something like the NY Times/NPR/PBS/Hippocampus) http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/al-capone

c. Music: song or musical activity  (Either from the Era or relating to the era/sentiments of subject; must be **__relevant__**)

d. Interpersonal: Design something that will get students “in the head of” of someone (generally like a Prohibitionist or specifically like LBJ or MLK) from your unit. I would have the students give presentations on major terms, legislative acts, and prominent figures on both sides of the subject. I would ask them to explain the purpose of each term or act and the ideology behind them. The students giving presentations on prominent figures would give their presentation in character and argue the person's ideology and explain why they felt the way they did.

=
Intrinsic motivation refers to an individual's interest and/or enjoyment of the task itself rather than any external pressure. Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation outside the individual such as grades, money, coercion or threat of punishment that are more important to the individual than the task itself. Extrinsic motivation are the most common of the two in the classroom in the sense that students do not enjoy the majority of tasks that they are asked to do, yet the tasks are completed because grades, diplomas, threat of punishment, etc. Specifically, offering the reward of a pizza party or other sort of treat in exchange for good behavior for a substitute teacher. Intrinsic motivation in the classroom could be a game that students enjoy but are still learning from at the same time or allowing students to pick their own subject when writing a research paper. =====

=
b. Explain what type of motivation was most pronounced in Ben Pineda’s teaching at Haslett Middle School on 11/16/11; be specific and justify your answer. In my eyes, extrinsic motivation seemed most pronounced in Ben's classroom and most classrooms. What struck me was the mention of the importance of education to the parents of his students (threat of punishment, parental approval, being rewarded, etc. are all possible reasons for students performance). However, motivation is neither extrinsic or intrinsic alone, rather a combination of the two. Ben's teaching style of using stories to relate information and give them relevancy was also good motivation for the students to learn about the bill of rights. =====

=
 2. a. What is a multicultural education? Refers to  providing students of all social, racial, ethnic, gender, and other experiences with a fair and representative education. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">b. How do you plan to employ a multicultural education in your future practice … even if you don’t have a “diverse” classroom? Teaching diversity in a social studies classroom is one of the biggest responsibilities and most important aspects of teaching the social studies. Making sure that students are exposed to different or contrasting viewpoints, exploring different countries' and cultures' customs, and/or by having classroom discussion about race. =====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">a. So, what is differentiated instruction and what function does it serve in the classroom?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Differentiated instruction refers to using different strategies to maximize learning of the entire classroom despite disparities in individual abilities and skill sets.

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">b. Also, consider figure 4.1 in the text – what component(s) of the //Learning Cycle In Differentiated Instruction// do you feel needs the most consideration in your own practice? (This answer can be short) =====

Pre-assessment. because I feel that accurately gauging students abilities is extremely important when planning lesson/unit plans that will challenge the students as opposed to being too easy.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">4. a. According to the //multiple intelligence theory//, what intelligences do you feel are most pronounced in yourself?
Linguistic/verbal intelligence and interpersonal intelligence. I like expressing myself through writing as well as speech. Also, interpersonal intelligence is extremely prevalent in my person and I have been aware of that for some time now. I really enjoy working and communicating with people. I especially enjoy attempting to understanding their personalities/train of thought/reasoning/etc

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">b. What intelligences, in your opinion, are underrepresented and thus in need affirmation in Secondary Education?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">In my opinion, intrapersonal intelligence is highly undervalued. By having a greater understanding of yourself and a more self-reflective attitude you are able to grow as a person. You have a much clearer view of your own goals, your strengths and weaknesses, etc. that make you much more in control of your personal situation.

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">1. What is the difference between (objectively) **describing** a controversy and (subjectively) **engaging in** one? Describe and define in contrasting terms, in your words. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">Objectively describing a controversy requires the writer/speaker to first use a tone that is neither aggressive or persuasive on either side of the debate, rather it is very neutral. Secondly, the writer/speaker is tactful and careful to describe both sides of the controversy equally while backing up each viewpoint with facts. Contrastingly, addressing a topic subjectively entails that the writer/speaker has some sort of opinion on the matter. This becomes clear either through tone and language, or the writer/speaker makes it apparent which side of the argument they are on by only presenting that side. The difficulty lies in the fact that each person will always have an opinion on any given topic which makes being objective difficult when engaged in a controversy. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">2. How does a teacher’s ability to maintain an impartial tone help students engage in critical thinking and productive interaction? How does loaded language prevent social and education progress in classroom? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">By being objective and using an impartial tone as a teacher, it allows for students to formulate their own thoughts and opinions due to the fact that the teacher is not presenting a topic in such a way that would sway students one way or the other. Furthermore, loaded language evokes emotion which can further aid in swaying an audience's opinion. It is important to be mindful of our language and tone in the classroom so as to allow for independent thinking and foster critical thought in our students. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">3. a. Explain why it is imperative that educators are able to maintain impartial tones and objective dispositions within the class room. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">b. Give a positive example (either based off of something real or hypothetical) of how you as teacher could handle controversy as it pertains to the upcoming 2012 election (you will be teaching in an election year, wink). E.g. One student yells at another OR students claims, nihilistically, that studying politics is a waste of time… got? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">a. As mentioned above, the importance of maintaining an impartial and objective stance on controversial topics in a classroom lies in the students ability to think critically and formulate their own thoughts and ideas. Contrast that with a teacher who uses emotionally evocative language and subjective stances on a subject which makes it very easy for students to simply adopt the teacher's line of thinking or be persuaded away from what they previously thought. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium;">b. The idea of discussing an election is something that I do not feel I have a handle on at this point and am hoping we will discuss it in class. In the instance of a student yelling at another, I feel that this is a classroom management scenario in which discipline is not necessary (obviously dependent on the severity and language used) and can be used as a teachable moment to reiterate the definition of objectivity as well as the classroom rules on debate that had been established earlier. If a student is vocal about their dislike for studying politics, I would most likely calmly explain to them that they are entitled to their opinion (so as not to interrupt what we were doing and keep the rest of the students on task) but that the rest of the class was going to continue with the lesson as planned and then come back another day with a lesson showing the connection of politics and the students' everyday lives. One student vocalized it, but there's a good chance there are a few others that share that same opinion which might warrant lesson, in this instance I think it does. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Teaching controversial topics have many hurdles for teachers one of which is being afraid to show personal bias. This is something that I personally want to work on prior to stepping into the classroom as I am afraid of showing my own personal biases. School culture is another that is often hard to change, especially if it is a diverse classroom. Lack of funding also presents a problem. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Controversy is definitely worth addressing and used as a legitimate teaching technique. While it is difficult to use due to the obstacles listed above, it is definitely better to be used to some extent as opposed to not at all. Especially in a social studies classroom that will cover controversial topics both politically and socially. Furthermore, as a general life lesson it is essential for students to debate and disagree and be able to establish cognitive independence as the world is full of controversy that they will need to be able to handle effectively. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I "envision" using it in certain situations where I feel it will be effective. By this I mean where students will be able to argue it objectively and I will still be able to keep classroom control. I also don't mind admitting that while I feel that controversy is an important technique for teaching, I am somewhat hesitant about using it. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I think it could be summarized in a sentence as "Dependable, practical and trustworthy with the temperament capable of safe-guarding our social institutions." =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I was very happy to see George Washington was of the similar personality type as he has always been a personal hero of mine. However, I highly doubt I am of the same caliber. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">d. Searching the page, locate where the Keirsey site suggests ideal jobs for you; how well does education match these suggestions - if not at all, what job(s) fit best? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Based on the trustworthy, dependable, and practical characteristics that the survey lists, I feel that these are critical characteristics of a teacher. Able to do what is asked of them yet have the common sense to make changes where necessary. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__POLITICAL Q's:__ *(This can be kept to yourself, but be sure to answer these in electronic writing to show your instructor that you have done this.) =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I'm closest to Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich (I do not know that is). I guess it's not surprising as I was never fully in support of any of the major candidates, more or less "choosing the evil that I had not yet tried." =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">c. Click [|this link]to find the analysis of the vertical and horizontal spectrum test ... who historically and internationally do you best identify with? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama. I don't feel I identify with any of those 3 but if I had to pick I would have to say Nelson Mandela. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">d. In a paragraph, how does this relatively simple (but better than most other tests) exercise illustrate the diversity of belief and reality of compromise in our political system? Further, how can our (essentially) 2-party system function in a healthy manner? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">As I have always believed, political parties are a business and a financier for campaign purposes only and that most members are fairly interchangeable in terms of their political "party." It really doesn't as it provokes unnecessary disruption of government processes based on party alignment whereas a one party system would eliminate the majority of this and shorten political processes considerably. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In terms of "celebrating" Columbus Day, my answer would be a definitive no. However, I do feel that it is important to understand Columbus and his landing in North America. Columbus should be studied and understood, and in this understanding students should be able to see that the "celebrated discoverer of North America" is in fact a fallacy yet an important part of history nonetheless. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Delivered Curriculum: leading a class discussion on the Great Depression and a students shares a personal story of their grandmother's experience. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Null Curriculum: "history is written by the victors" i.e.... teaching the other side of a conflict such as a lesson on the British economy during the American Revolution. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The teacher is at the very bottom of this "food chain" if you will. With politics and funding primarily dictating what is to be taught. However, despite being at the bottom the curriculum is very general which gives the teacher a great deal of flexibility and direct control over what is taught within the scope that has been set. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Post on a) what you know & want to know about the 'Modern Middle East' (e.g. Histories, worldviews, economies, geography & etc.) b) what do the terms, "Modern" & "Middle East" mean? c) Why is this subject important for citizens of the United States to study? =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A.) I know far less than I would like about the Middle East. I understand enough to keep up with current events but I feel that a deeper historical understanding on my part would give me a much richer understanding of "why" things are happening as opposed to simply knowing "what" is happening. However, outside of a superficial understanding of it's religious and cultural aspects, I only have what the news stations air on television. To me, this is the most frustrating part, as I'm quite critical of modern media and would like to be able to form my own opinions about whether the United States should be involved, to what extent, and whether the reasons for involvement have merit. The only way to do this is to have a much better personal understanding of the region and not be forced to simply accept what I'm told due to ignorance. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">B.) "Modern," in terms of regions, is a word that I feel refers to the post-World War II era due to the fact that the world underwent many drastic changes. This includes boundaries of countries, struggle for military and economic power. "Middle East" is a term that I've always simply accepted without having a definite answer for if asked "what is it?" So in lieu of this question being asked, I can only define it in terms of geography: northeast of Africa, west of India, and south of Turkey. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">C.) The importance of studying this subject is visible every time you turn on the news. We are involved in a war in two countries there, and is the primary source of consistence violence in the world. Furthermore, being a region so very rich in oil it is of extreme economical interest/importance. From a religious standpoint, it has been a "hotspot" for conflict for thousands of years. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A.)The article discusses the importance, as well as the differences in application of, scope and sequence. It begins with the state's model, which vary state to state, outlining what broad topics are to be covered and in what order based on grade level. Scope refers to the topic to be covered, which is generally quite broad. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Example: world history I (8000 BCE-600 CE), U.S. history (1776-1791), world geography, contemporary world problems, etc.The sequence, then obviously refers to the order they should be covered in. Example: Grade 6: world history I (8000 BCE-600 CE) Grade 7: world history II (600-1600) and Washington state history Grade 8: U.S. history (1776--1870) Grade 9: world geography Grade 10: world history III (1600-present) Grade 11: U.S. history (1776--1791 and 1877-present) Grade 12: contemporary world problems. After these requirements are met, the school district has the freedom to add any other information they deem pertinent to include, as well its application which can vary greatly. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">B.) “You might teach in a district in which you are expected to teach just these topics [referencing a list in the above text], and to teach them in this order. If that is the case, your yearlong scope and sequence is predetermined. You still have opportunities to determine how to promote student learning as you select instructional strategies, but the overall content of the course must meet these expectations. Just as likely, however, you might teach in a district that allows you to add to these topics, and does not specify the sequence in which students learn them. In this latter situation you will need to determine the instructional strategies and the overall topics for the school year.” =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">C & D.) This section includes both advantages/disadvantages for each scenario as I feel they coincide: In response to this situation I see both advantages and disadvantages for a school district. Whether it is positive or negative is entirely dependent on several variables, the most important and the inconsistent variiable being each teachers' individual ability. For instance, having a predetermined curriculum will ensure that students are receiving a fair education even if they have a teacher with lower ability, while perhaps not delivered with the same amount of ability at least the same topics are being covered. While at the same time it severely limits very creative and passionate teachers. Similarly, within a district with the flexibility to add topics without specifying the sequence. This gives teachers the ability to create a learning experience that it is individual to each teacher. In my own experiences, I have had classmates who have had completely different U.S. history classes despite being in my same grade level. Either they or I had a more rewarding, or less rewarding learning experience as a result based on the teacher and their determination of the topics to be covered and when to cover them. More specifically, in my sophomore year of high school we were supposed to cover U.S. history from the beginning of the Revolutionary War to the end of the Civil War but our class never made it to the beginning of the Civil War while my classmates with a different teacher did cover all the material. Personally, I feel that I had a lesser learning experience due to the teacher's lack of organization and teaching strategy. Both predetermined and flexible curriculum's have their merits and disadvantages and many things including the culture of the teachers should be taken into account when deciding which to use. For example: classroom size, gifted program if applicable, student demographic, new teachers, burned out teachers, teachers who have been put into classrooms outside of their areas of expertise to accommodate budget cuts, along with general ability on the part of the teachers, etc. As a new teacher I would be in favor of predetermined curriculum until I felt that I had a good handle on the information to be presented as well as gauging my own ability. However, I would also enjoy a degree of flexibility to include other information as well to give my students the fullest and best possible learning experience. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A lesson plan is an extremely useful tool for teachers. However, the idea that a lesson can be planned based on time is ridiculous as there are too many variables that can/will occur throughout the duration of a lesson such as the students' ability to grasp the lesson, the teacher's ability to present the lesson, a teacher accidentally speaking too much, class discussion direction and length, media failures, unforeseen outside interruptions, etc. The list is infinite and no teacher double majored as a psychic reader. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A lesson plan should be a structured outline that covers all of the main points, ideas, and concepts that a teacher wants to cover in a specific order allowing for flexibility and the unforeseen circumstances. Often these unforeseen instances are the result of learning taking place, such as positive yet lengthy class discussion. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I found the video to be extremely interesting and eye opening. Furthermore, based on my own personal bias against the mass medication of students who are deemed to be ADHD. While I agree with the video in the sense that there is in fact a learning disability labeled as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, I do not believe that it exists in the amount of students that current vague diagnosis' suggest. I myself have often wondered if I was in fact, ADHD, based on the seemingly paper thin basis upon which it is diagnosed. Trying to keep with the video and not allowing myself to go on a tangent...I also find it interesting that seeing the increase of ADHD cases from east to west on a map was also enlightening...as well as comical. I loved this video and the view taken on all of these aspects, not just ADHD, but the need for a renovation and a "second enlightenment" of the educational system. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A.) My favorite memory of a social studies class was in Mr. Meunier's 8th grade social studies class. We were given a week to treat the classroom as a country and devise a way in which it should be governed. This was the extent of our directions aside from the final project which was to be a constitution to be turned in at the end of the week. We would be graded on the constitution's effectiveness and implication. Mr. Meunier answered no questions and was almost completely silent throughout the week and simply observed us as well as made sure that nothing got out of hand. I would love to expound on specific experiences but in general I felt that this was an exceptional teaching tool that worked well within the semester's focus of the Revolutionary War and the foundation of the United States. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">B.) My worst social studies experience has been here at MSU. In general, I have found professors who fit the outdated/current model of the educational system shown in the video. I have been assigned readings, been preached to in lecture, and asked to write about topics that are completely uninteresting even for a person (such as myself) who has a great passion for history/social studies. More specifically, I had a class entitled "Medieval Europe" which sounded interesting and very easily could have been. However, the professor had a passion for historical documents which we were meant to read, analyze, and write a paper about. There was no sense of structure to his methods, simply "listen and do as I say" without any type of end goal or overall purpose for doing so. In conclusion, I feel that most history professors I have had fit this model. The majority of them are not "teachers," rather simply well-read, intelligent people asked to impart their knowledge on students. =====

=
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">C.) I cannot wait to be a social studies teacher. History, economics, geography, etc. in my eyes are the most important subjects in terms of educating and furthering a SOCIETY. Interestingly enough though, too many students view these subjects as the most un-interesting of all. In my opinion, it is not the subjects but rather how they are taught that makes them un-interesting. History, specifically, is a subject that should be taught as "living" and not as names, dates, and places to be memorized from events that seem to have occurred to long ago to be relevant. Interactive, intensive activities should be used in the classroom to capture students and should be paired with how and why it is relevant to the students today, much like Mr. Meunier's constitution activity. It truly upsets me when I think about how I was taught social studies in high school, when I can see how much better it could have been given a little extra effort and creativity on the part of my teachers. I intend to do the opposite. =====