Monday, May 2, 2011
My Future Classroom! Scary thought!
Working at the PLC and learning through the book discussions has given me many ideas about how I would like to run my own classroom one day. I learned what to do and what not to do. I want to be able to give fair opportunities without regard to economic situations at home and I want to be able to really pull in students to the beauty of reading. I want to show students "the light" so to speak that reading and literacy can provide if given the opportunity. I will do this through relating material to the students and bringing in the media, technology, and pop culture. With technology such a big influence already in schools, I can only imagine the growth it will see between now and when I am actually the head of a classroom. It saddens me to see that students are reading less and less when I find such joy and contentment in books. If in any way I can improve literacy levels and help students read more, I will do all that is in my power to do so. I think that the PLC and the book clubs have taught me the importance of reading as well as the importance of doing all within your power to help your students succeed. The book clubs related numerous cases of unfit teachers and failing students that I hope to be able to eliminate. They were very helpful at alerting me to current issues within the school system and problems that I may face alone one day. With the knowledge from my time at the PLC and from the discussions, I feel much more ready to step in front of others and teach. The variety of topics in the discussions helped me feel more at ease that whatever problem that arises, no matter its nature, I can handle and overcome.
Conclusion!
With work at the PLC done and the semester coming to a close, I reflect back on all the PLC experience has allowed me. First of all, it showed me a completely new approach to teaching. It blew my mind the first day to see the entire course on a website and the teacher minimally interacting with her students. It granted me experience working with a new technology that may one day find its way to my own personal classroom. The website course taught me various tutoring techniques as I worked with different students and explored different techniques to the learning. I tweaked and adjusted my methods to fit the individuals and the material and soon it became easier to work through their work with them. I also learned what it was like to work with students of completely different backgrounds from myself. The students I worked with live an entirely different life compared to mine and it was at first, hard to relate to them on a personal level. After a while however, I was welcomed into their world and accepted as an aid. Working with the different backgrounds I learned how to relate the work to their lives, how to make it relevant and important, and how to motivate each student separately. There is no one winning strategy to helping the students at the PLC because no two are alike. I learned to adapt and accommodate to certain needs and characteristics. The PLC also taught me the importance of literacy. It showed me that I was lucky to be given such an opening to the literary world and made me want to open the students to it also. Personally, I love to read and wanted the students to gain the same adoration in literacy instead of simply view it as a hassle or meaningless assignment. The PLC made me want to show others what reading can actually do for you and what its benefits are beyond the gradebook and diploma.
Relevance to Book 3
Our third book discussion was based on a book called, "Teaching with Poverty in Mind" by Eric Jensen. It described the adverse effects poverty has on the education of students and how schools can lessen the negative outcomes it creates. Jensen talked about the numerous ways that poverty effects the minds of young students and how they have the potential to succeed with or without poverty. Students can have a variety of results from their economic hardships and teachers need to addresses how they can be approached and helped. Poverty in students comes in 6 different forms and needs to be handled accordingly. There are 4 risk factors to take into consideration and various models to use to overcome the difficulties. The main conflict deals with how a teacher can help a impoverished student succeed without favoring or privileging that student as opposed to other students who do not necessarily need to the same help. Jensen asks the question: What can you do to decrease the negative effects poverty creates in your students in your classroom? He does not provide a final solution because each model varies in effectiveness and appropriateness depending on the situations present. He draws attention to the fact that it is unfair that students suffer because of their economic conditions at home and that as teachers, we need to do all that is in our power to help our students succeed.
At the PLC, poverty is a part of numerous students' lives. It is evident through not only their physical appearance but also in their approach to schooling. Many students go without notebooks and other materials simply because they cannot afford them. Many of the students I personally worked with would speak of paying bills for their parents, working double shifts, and dealing with very adult financial matters to better their own lives. Some of my students would have forced absences because of conflicting work schedules and lack of transportation to the school. The first girl I worked with mentioned how difficult it is to attend school simply because of the bus system, bus stamps, and the lack of bus stops near her house. She realized the necessity of money over English because her water was turned off and her cell phone bill was not paid. Each hardship with money seemed unfair to me coming from a very supportive family both financially and otherwise. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to pay bills FOR my mom instead of the other way around as I am accustomed to. The students at the PLC are doing the best they can with what they are given. They acknowledge both the importance of school and obtaining a high school diploma but also realize that realistically at school they are not making any money or bettering their own financial situation that surrounds them outside of the PLC walls. At very young ages, too young of ages, the students are forced to be adults and decide if school is a priority after all. If they cannot afford notebooks, what is a diploma going to do for them? If they are not able to get to the school that day, what good is going the next day? Being in poverty effects them both mentally and physically. I admire the students at the PLC experiencing economic hardships and still attending class. I desperately hope that in the end, each and every students I worked with will succeed and live the life they deserve.
At the PLC, poverty is a part of numerous students' lives. It is evident through not only their physical appearance but also in their approach to schooling. Many students go without notebooks and other materials simply because they cannot afford them. Many of the students I personally worked with would speak of paying bills for their parents, working double shifts, and dealing with very adult financial matters to better their own lives. Some of my students would have forced absences because of conflicting work schedules and lack of transportation to the school. The first girl I worked with mentioned how difficult it is to attend school simply because of the bus system, bus stamps, and the lack of bus stops near her house. She realized the necessity of money over English because her water was turned off and her cell phone bill was not paid. Each hardship with money seemed unfair to me coming from a very supportive family both financially and otherwise. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to pay bills FOR my mom instead of the other way around as I am accustomed to. The students at the PLC are doing the best they can with what they are given. They acknowledge both the importance of school and obtaining a high school diploma but also realize that realistically at school they are not making any money or bettering their own financial situation that surrounds them outside of the PLC walls. At very young ages, too young of ages, the students are forced to be adults and decide if school is a priority after all. If they cannot afford notebooks, what is a diploma going to do for them? If they are not able to get to the school that day, what good is going the next day? Being in poverty effects them both mentally and physically. I admire the students at the PLC experiencing economic hardships and still attending class. I desperately hope that in the end, each and every students I worked with will succeed and live the life they deserve.
Relevance to Book 2
Our second book discussion was on a book called, "Bring it to Class, Unpacking Pop Culture in Literacy Learning" by Margaret Hagood. This book dealt with the usage of pop culture in classrooms and the amount of usage students give technology and the media. The main claim was that students are increasingly using and relating to pop culture and technology, including their cell phones, computers, Ipods, and TV. A great deal of their day is spent on these items and less is spent on actual books. If teachers can harness the power of these items into their lessons, students are more apt to complete their work and actually take interest in the assignments. A variety of techniques can bring pop culture and electronics into the classroom benefitting the students including, movies, music, lyrics, internet assignments, and cyber working. By bringing in outside influences, the students will be drawn into the work more and more likely to complete the task. Lyrics and musical influences will allow students to not only see things in a written, literacy sense but allow them to bring their own personalities and likes into the picture. By allowing music and movies that relate to literary pieces, the students can get a break from the mundane reading and essays. The pop culture can serve as enforcers of lessons or as rewards as appropriate.
The use of pop culture and technology at the PLC is clearly evident. Not only is the entire course electronic but they are allowed to listen to music throughout the period. E2020 is the website that holds all of the lessons, assignments, quizzes, and literary pieces. The teacher is more of a backup than a necessity because even the lectures are on the computer screen. The student can plug into the website at the beginning of the class time and never leave the screen while completing a variety of courses and projects. The majority of students also listen to music while they work. They are allowed their own headphones or some may be given to them if they find music helps them focus or work better. I think in this aspect the music takes away from the learning going on because of the fact that the entire course is computerized. The fact that it IS all computerized I also think is less than beneficial because the students are tech savvy and find ways around assignments and grades. They can easily look up summaries to literary pieces instead of reading the actual piece and they can google definitions of words instead of figuring them out for themselves. I think the teachers should be more involved instead of the computer program. I do think some students come to the PLC simply for the ability to work solely on the internet. Due to the fact that it is an alternative school, the freedom on the web is appropriate but I think only to an extent. I think the use of pop culture in other high schools could be more beneficial because the students are more willing to branch out and try new things. The students at the PLC are looking to complete their work and move on as opposed to exploring creative outreaches and testing new ways of learning.
The use of pop culture and technology at the PLC is clearly evident. Not only is the entire course electronic but they are allowed to listen to music throughout the period. E2020 is the website that holds all of the lessons, assignments, quizzes, and literary pieces. The teacher is more of a backup than a necessity because even the lectures are on the computer screen. The student can plug into the website at the beginning of the class time and never leave the screen while completing a variety of courses and projects. The majority of students also listen to music while they work. They are allowed their own headphones or some may be given to them if they find music helps them focus or work better. I think in this aspect the music takes away from the learning going on because of the fact that the entire course is computerized. The fact that it IS all computerized I also think is less than beneficial because the students are tech savvy and find ways around assignments and grades. They can easily look up summaries to literary pieces instead of reading the actual piece and they can google definitions of words instead of figuring them out for themselves. I think the teachers should be more involved instead of the computer program. I do think some students come to the PLC simply for the ability to work solely on the internet. Due to the fact that it is an alternative school, the freedom on the web is appropriate but I think only to an extent. I think the use of pop culture in other high schools could be more beneficial because the students are more willing to branch out and try new things. The students at the PLC are looking to complete their work and move on as opposed to exploring creative outreaches and testing new ways of learning.
Relevance to Book 1
Our first book discussion was based on "Reading Don't Fix No Chevy's: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men" by Michael Smith. It dealt with the unfortunate fact that boys fail to read as much as girls both in and out of school. The prevalence of boys in upper-level English classes compared to girls is drastically different as well as their overall negative connotation towards reading. Girls tend to not only like to read more but acknowledge its overall importance in their lives. Boys view literacy as an unwelcome aspect of school and life in general because as they see it, there is no purpose behind most literary works. Boys favor the instruction manuel and how-to side of reading due to the actual tangible outcome such pieces provide whereas girls will read "for fun" disregarding a need for achievement afterwards.
This is undoubtedly seen at the PLC. My first time stepping into the classroom, I noticed the lack of gender differences in the English class I was placed in. I could count on one hand the number of boys in the room whereas the girls occupied most of the seats. I noticed this around the school itself also, waiting outside, wandering the halls, girls greatly outnumbered the boys. The girls in the class were easily motivated and willing to work whereas I could overhear other tutors and the teachers struggle to complete work with the boys. Although girls I worked with acknowledged the lack of purpose of the poetry or short story, they attempted it without hassle or fuss. The girls I worked with knew that by completing the seemingly unimportant tasks they would be one step closer to their overall goal of finishing the course and therefore graduating and finishing school. I worked with a boy named "Jesse" one day who would not read any of the pieces and would simply skip to the questions. He would answer wrong because he lacked the information from the piece and his grade showed this lack of understanding accordingly. As the semester continued, the number of boys dropped even lower while the girls continued to attend. At the end, only one boy remained in the class full of girls. The PLC students correctly showed Michael Smith's point regarding both boys approach to reading and learning and their drive to complete seemingly useless tasks. The boys who dropped out or simply stopped working did not see the underlying purpose to learning poetry or reading Romeo and Juliet and it was therefore more difficult for them to stay on task and struggle through the assignments.
This is undoubtedly seen at the PLC. My first time stepping into the classroom, I noticed the lack of gender differences in the English class I was placed in. I could count on one hand the number of boys in the room whereas the girls occupied most of the seats. I noticed this around the school itself also, waiting outside, wandering the halls, girls greatly outnumbered the boys. The girls in the class were easily motivated and willing to work whereas I could overhear other tutors and the teachers struggle to complete work with the boys. Although girls I worked with acknowledged the lack of purpose of the poetry or short story, they attempted it without hassle or fuss. The girls I worked with knew that by completing the seemingly unimportant tasks they would be one step closer to their overall goal of finishing the course and therefore graduating and finishing school. I worked with a boy named "Jesse" one day who would not read any of the pieces and would simply skip to the questions. He would answer wrong because he lacked the information from the piece and his grade showed this lack of understanding accordingly. As the semester continued, the number of boys dropped even lower while the girls continued to attend. At the end, only one boy remained in the class full of girls. The PLC students correctly showed Michael Smith's point regarding both boys approach to reading and learning and their drive to complete seemingly useless tasks. The boys who dropped out or simply stopped working did not see the underlying purpose to learning poetry or reading Romeo and Juliet and it was therefore more difficult for them to stay on task and struggle through the assignments.
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