Back to School Night

I really like the idea of a back to school night (hats off to the person who came up with it). But to be honest, I don't think as many parents take advantage of it as they should. The back to school night is a good opportunity for parents to get to know their child's teachers better and to understand what they are going to be doing during the year. Then, ultimately the parents are more aware of what the child is working on and where she might need their help. --- Well, I won't  linger on this subject for too long because I don't think I'm in any sort of position to say how involved or not parents should be in the academic lives of their children, so I'll move on...

Most of the parents that walked into our room were either parents of students new to the school or parents of freshmen. The meetings I sat in on were generally short and concise. Bill would introduce the subject of the course (either history or academic leadership) and give a brief overview of how the child has been going in class in the past week. The parents were mostly fine with that and they would then ask a question or two, but they were mostly satisfied with what was said. 

The conference that I sat in (and acted mostly as a translator) was with a family that was new to the school. They were skeptical on the use of technology (specifically iPads) in class and were worried as to whether their child would adapt easily to the new workflow. I don't think there was anything wrong with that, in fact, I was impressed with how aware they were of their high school child's strengths and limitations with technology. I was pleased that they expressed their concern and allowed for us to explain that there are many levels of support (both for content and for technology) available during instruction time, through peer tutoring and with appointments with teachers. 

However, that conference got me questioning how productive it is to have these sorts of meetings with the children involved. I feel it's important to include the child in the discussing because, ultimately, it is her current and future skills and knowledge that are being addressed. And she should have the right to be present at the meeting. But I was wondering, if parents express themselves in that manner: "so-and-so is not very tech savvy", in front of their children, won't they begin to believe that? What I mean is, if parents express a fixed mindset to the teacher in front of the student, isn't it possible that the student assimilates that point of view and begins to believe that they will "never be tech savvy"?

Again, I don't mean to criticize the parents or anything. I don't want to give advice on parenting or things of the sort. I just wonder how productive a meeting of this sort is (with the presence of the student) in comparison to - for example - a student-led conference.

Semester Reflection and Future Plans

Now that we're starting a new year here at ISC, Tolley felt - and so did I - that it would be a good time to write a reflection about last semester's internship. Since I'm going to be doing a few things differently this semester as well, I think I should explain that a little as well.


I wanted to start with a review of the things I did last semester at ISC:

• Co-directed Alice in Wonderland
• IB Exam Prep (Seniors)
• Algerian Independence (Juniors)
• Vietnam War Choices Program (Juniors)
• Belgian Congo Choices Program (Sophomores)
• Thesis Paragraphs Coaching (Freshmen and Sophomores)
• Unit sites (Juniors and Seniors)

Last year, I also did a lot of in class observation - especially in the 9th and 10th grades - to look at classroom management, mostly. Many of last year's blog posts reflect that, actually. I really enjoyed those observation periods, but this semester I'm going to be more involved with coaching (because of the flipped class model) and leading activities. Some of the activities we're already looking into are:

Agit Prop Performance	Totalitarianism Unit - Juniors
One Hundred Years of Solitude - based analysis	USFP II: 1810-1945 - Seniors
Spanish Civil War - Guernica	WotW I: WWI and the Spanish Civil War - Juniors

I will also continue with the blog posts this semester, but I will post - probably - only one or two a week depending on the classes during that time. I will  be assisting Ms. Terrell with the Drama elective as well, which will be a lot of fun and a great experience because it is directly linked to what I was studying at Central.

When I was rereading last school year's posts, I noticed a lot of growth in the perspective I had regarding teaching in general. Early on, I was really hesitant and nervous when I was entrusted with a task or unit, but now I feel like I embrace the opportunity rather than run away from it. Of course I'm still a little scared (like when I was asked to elaborate the Mexico Revolution unit); however, now I'm a lot more comfortable with the situation because I know I'm going to make mistakes, but I'm better prepared to correct and learn from them.

There are still many "problems" I had last year that I could still use work on - such as time management. Many of the lessons I had were too ambitious in relation to time, because I was trying to get too much done in a period. I feel like I could still use a lot of work in that area (which I thought I would get over soon). But there are also new challenges this year that I know I'm going to have to face:

• Elaborating a whole unit by myself (assigning reading, quizzes, activities, etc...).
• Working with new technology (iPad, apps, unit websites, etc...).
• Helping create a drama syllabus.

I'm really looking forward to this coming semester and continuing my work as a student-teacher at ISC.

Dead Poets Society in the History Class

I was pretty amazed at Bill's ability to join the content of what the Freshmen had been doing earlier that day in English class to their lesson in History. During the preceding period, the 9th grade was watching the Dead Poets Society and they came into the classroom really fired up about the movie. 


What Bill had them do was discuss the movie in the context of Revolutions, which was their content for History today. The original essential questions for the day were:

• What are the causes and effects of revolution?
• Were these wars of independence or civil revolutions?
• What were the limits of revolutionary ideals?

I think it was a really effective choice to make because the students were at first, answering the questions using the movie. There were a lot of different opinions and perspectives coming from the students, which brings into view the contradiction and complexity of "revolutions", which was ultimately one of the objectives of the lesson.

Bill also asked the students if they thought they could handle an "instantaneous autonomy from their parents". And if so, what would the effects be on their life. They then compared it to if the students in Dead Poets Society gained "instantaneous autonomy". A couple of questions that the students raised were:

• Was it worth giving up their life-style for a principle? 
• Did they have something worth fighting for?
• Do we have something worth fighting for?
• What are the things we fight for?
• How superficial are those things?
• How do they compare to the things the boys in Dead Poets Society fight for?

The excited Freshmen then went into lecture mode on background information on Post-Enlightenment Revolutions (Atlantic Revolutions). Even though their conversation earlier in the period was not directly referenced, they were already warmed-up for the lecture and they could directly identify with the content of the unit on several different levels.

Senior Review Periods

Early on, the Seniors didn't really take the review seriously. When I started with the activity of the POs on the boards at each of the groups, their work was sub-standard (except maybe Bia). The POs they turned in and shared with each other were better, but the biggest improvement took place after they took their first (paper 3) mock. I decided, after that mock, that the POs would be more beneficial to them if - instead working on them in class - they finished their POs before the period and present them to their peers during class time.


I felt that - because of the large amount of POs - my Senior class did not read the POs created by everyone. And, since people weren't using them, my classmates had a reason to slack off. But this year, by having the Seniors present to each other, I feel like I'm making them more accountable for their studying (and that of their peers as well). Also, by watching the presentations, students will learn how to construct more effective POs - include everything they have to, elaborate on analysis and historiography, and incorporate sufficient detail - which will hopefully increase their essay scores. And, finally, the individuals cover more content with the presentations because they are being given more exposure than they would have if they were to do, simply, a response to one prompt for each unit.

Time Management

Ai! I was really frustrated yesterday morning for my first lesson with the Seniors. I was told I was being "too ambitious", trying to fit too many things in a 50-minute period. I guess it's not such a bad problem (although I am glad Tolley pointed that out) because I think it's something I can adjust relatively fast. 


I was looking over my plans with the Juniors, and I still think I'm not being too ambitious (time-wise). =) But I still really want to get a second opinion on it - just in case. With the Juniors, though, I'm not as worried as I am with the Seniors. I feel really responsible for their results on the IB... I don't want any of the review periods to go badly because they're so time pressured!


I feel sometimes - when I'm frustrated like this - that I focus on the problem too much rather than figuring out a solution. I know I don't do it as much as others do, but I do recognize that it's something I should work on.


But again, like I said, this isn't something that I'm freaking out about (time management). I think I'll get the hang of it soon enough. I just thought it's something meaningful to write about because it frustrated me yesterday (even if only temporarily) and I could've probably handled it better.

Monday Morning - Class Dynamics

I don't know if it's because I'm really tired as well (so I notice it more), but I just noticed how hard it is to lead a lesson on Monday morning. Even though Tolley's original lesson was a power-point lecture, a lot of time was spent having students discuss among each other and respond to guiding questions. It looks like everyone, 30 minutes into the lesson, was a lot more awake, which put them in a much better position to watch the lecture. Therefore, even though the lecture time was cut short by discussion, the rest of the time spent with them wasn't "wasted" because they weren't paying attention. 


The link that Tolley created between imperialism and multinationals because it was a much clearer and concrete example for the sophomores to understand. It was a good stepping stone for the lecture because (I think) all the students were thinking critically, which was stimulating. =)


I thought it was really interesting that Tolley was impressed with himself after those two periods. I was amazed at how energetic he was, which totally contrasted with how I was feeling. And I sympathised with him when he "died" during third period.


It's really interesting to watch these lessons as an outside observer (who knows Tolley) because it's truly amazing how important it is for the teacher to be able to "forget" the outside world and focus on the lesson. I found it really inspiring that, despite his weariness outside the class, when he's teaching he's able to motivate students and pull them along. =D

Sophomore Thesis Paragraphs

I know most of the class didn't finish. In fact, only 7 girls turned in "Julia approved" paragraphs by the end of the day. But I really feel that all the students did improve since they started on Monday.


Some of them didn't start working really until the last day they had in class. Two of the boys only had a paragraph to show this Wednesday - even if they were given even if they were given two class periods prior to this one to work on it. So, up to the deadline (and even after the deadline), the two of them were pestering me about it. I found it really annoying that, in the morning they turned it in, they asked for help and revision, but when they turned it in they had barely made any of the improvements. ¬¬


I was really proud of one of the girl's improvement. I think it's partially because I heard other teachers saying that she wasn't ready or that she wasn't going to be able to "do it". Such that when I saw a glimpse of her potential in class, it meant a lot to me. =) I know she still needs a lot of guidance, which is hard because we need to move on to the next unit. I hope that whatever she is doing now will carry on with her for the next time.

Feedback & Response to Substituting - Films

The Junior girls were around when I was writing my entry on the class I was helping out in. So I asked them for feedback!

Both of them didn't have much to say about the class. I had a block with them and we watched "Tae Guk Gi". They said I stopped at appropriate times so as to spur on more discussion. I think it might have been good, actually, that they don't have much to say about the class anyway because my objective wasn't to draw attention to myself, but to the movie. =D


However, I feel that if I had watched the movie ahead of time I could have asked better guiding questions and have assisted them more during. I think that's why I felt the lesson with the Seniors was more productive.


I was impressed with myself when, in the middle of X, I remembered the questions that Bill had asked us last year - when we were Seniors. I stopped at 4 key moments during the movie: (1) after Malcolm X's speech when he refers to MLK; (2) after a white girl asks what she can do to help his cause; (3) when X realizes the betrayal and changes his opinion toward MLK; and (4) after he changes his opinion on the help of white Americans.


I felt it was important that I asked these questions because some Seniors weren't taking notes... and the questions made them write something down so they could study from later.

Follow-up on thesis paragraphs

Today there was another period in sophomore history designated to writing thesis paragraphs. The students were, in general, a lot more productive this time around. All of them had at least something down on paper, and many students already have working drafts.


Many of the students improved from last class, but because they are having such difficulty they seem to be frustrated and dismotivated. One girl specifically had great improvement, but she was frustrated because she had to incorporate historiography into the paragraph. =(

Student Opinion vs. Teacher Opinion

I think I may have done something wrong last week... During the Kony 2012 video discussion, I think I may have shared my opinion with the students a little too soon. But by the time I had realized what I had done, it was already too late.


When I was watching the video I was surprised by the overwhelming positive reaction the students had. It's not that I don`t agree with the cause, but I was shocked at how moved the freshmen and sophomores were. I was troubled by the fact that they (I actually can't be excluded from this statement) felt compelled to help children in Africa, when there are millions of "invisible children" in out cities here in Brazil.


When the students were told to talk in groups to discuss their reactions to the video, I joined one of the groups. I was feeling very strongly about my position - and, when one of the girls began saying something similar to what I was thinking but with some difficulty - and I jumped into her argument. I really regret this because she reported to the class later on exactly what I had said (because I had told them I didn't feel comfortable being the one to expose the groups ideas). I don`t know if she really did feel the same way or if - in my interruption - I sort of "put words into her mouth" and sort of robber her of her opinion.


I wonder if I should talk to her about it or if I should just let it be. I don't think I'm overreacting because she is usually so passionate. I will ask Bill for advice sometime tomorrow. 

Learning Disabilities and Differentiation

Because the 10th grade, as a whole, did poorly on their essay exam, this week was designed for work on thesis paragraphs. Our argument for doing that was if there is no thesis statement, there is no way that an essay can support a claim.


At the beginning of the period, Bill was criticizing the entire group's introductions from the earlier week. I felt like the whole class needed work and could use improvement. Only later did we go into individual work to elaborate a new, "perfect" paragraph. I felt that, at that point, it was ideal because even though the class was having trouble, each one had slightly different concerns.


Again, today, I was working with the same girl I mentioned earlier. She was having trouble simply understanding the "parts" of a thesis paragraph and what each part "was for". This time around I still tried to ask as many "guiding questions" as possible. Sometimes I found myself explaining one thing for too long and I would have her summarize my main points - just to be sure she was still following. I think - I hope - she understood and will retain what I was saying, Tomorrow, in class I'll ask her to recap a few key concepts.


I don't fully understand how a teacher can accommodate a lesson to fit both fast and slow learners. Iteration, of many kinds, and discussion might do the trick for the slower learners, but then the others might get bored...

Planning Lessons vs. Improvisation

I don’t know how flexible and capable I’d be to change my lesson plan completely on the spot. I found it just as great when Bill changed the controversial issue to be debated from “science” to Kony 2012. I understand that a lesson won’t always go as planned and that it is important to learn to adapt to different circumstances. But I’d find it really hard to change my plans on the spot.

I found the Kony 2012 debate also a good opportunity to learn about current events and to do relevant research; because it was such a “hot topic” the change was particularly interesting and worthwhile.

I didn’t know that the change was going to take place beforehand, but it felt life Bill did it very efficiently and organically. It looked like the only thing that “gave it away” was that, on the powerpoint for the lesson, it stated that the debate was on “science vs. scepticism” instead of the Kony debate.

During the debate, time was running out, such that by the end, not everyone would have the opportunity to share their own, personal opinion, so instead of raising their hands and telling the class, they discussed in pairs what their views were on the issue and why.

Grading Essays

This was a perfect example of how I am, in general, "afraid of failure" - or that the work I do is not adequate/appropriate. I was really hesitant to accept the challenge because I was worried that the grading I would give the students would be drastically different to Bill's.


Despite my worries, my grades actually turned out to be quite similar to his! I feel that this experience gave me a lot more confidence and motivation...


I wonder where most of this hesitance comes from, though. I usually consider myself to be a rather confident person. And I've worked with rubrics a thousand times before! There really shouldn't be a reason for my nervousness, especially because I knew the content and I knew the grade I would be giving the essays weren't final...


But I can't help but feel doubtful about my own ability. I guess it's normal since I'm entering a new "stage in life" and my opinion now carries different value. I hope I can get a better sense of my potential and skill, though!

Positive and Negative Reinforcement & Differentiation for Engagement

At the end of a lecture with the sophomores, Bill asked me a couple of questions. I copied them down (and elaborated on them) below:

• How was positive and negative reinforcement used?
• The class seemed kind of slow to answer questions; it felt like they were guessing at the answers rather than answering from what they knew. When they answered incorrectly, Bill would sometimes ignore their guess and others he would explain why their answer was wrong. But at times when the class should have known the answer, the class was "scolded" as a group.
• One of the student's answers, even though it was wrong, was praised because it was "on the right track". (He said it was Haiti that gained independence in 1776). 
• Directly after class, students that stood out in the lecture were also praised. 

• To what extent was there differentiation to create engagement in the lesson?
• It didn't really feel like there was much differentiation for engagement. It felt like everyone was "on the same boat"; some students knew some things and others knew other things, but in general the whole class was having trouble and benefited from placing events in context.

Differentiation I

Today, in the lesson (E-Day procedures) with the sophomores I was asked the same question twice. I was helping the students with "critical/analytical annotations" and a student asks me the difference between "revisionist perspective" and "conventional perspective". I explained what it meant and I pointed out its relevance in the context. Even though he said he understood, I showed him another reading (from one of the junior decolonization packets) and how the words were used in that context as well.


A couple of minutes later, another student calls me over and asks the same question. But, the way I went about answering her was very different to my approach to the first student. I felt that if I simply "answered" her question, it would go straight over her head. So, instead, I asked her questions based on the content of the reading to try and "push her" to answer her own questions.


I think this experience was valuable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I had not planned any of it, yet it came to me naturally. This really encouraged me because I was - to some extent - feeling that differentiating on a student-by-student for an entire class was impossible! But, in fact, it isn't the "monster" I was expecting it to be at all. Also, I feel I learned a lot simply from being aware that was differentiating. If I were to have had this experience a month ago, I might not have taken as much from it, because I would not have been conscious of what I was doing and why my reaction to each student's question was different. Because of my previous conversations and readings, I felt my brief experience turned out to be a meaningful moment in my early teaching experiences.

The Scientific Method in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Summary of the Lesson
In this lesson, students were asked to watch scenes from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. They would first identify the discovery/invention made by Rosencrantz, then state the original inventor and finally explain why the character in the movie "failed". 


Aims of the Lesson

• To connect Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to themes of innovation and tradition, respectively. 
• To identify reasons why Rosencrantz failed:
• abbreviated form of the Scientific Method,
• reluctance to change the status quo, and
• fear of being ridiculed.

Overall, I felt like the lesson was really effective. The class was not only actively engaged and participating, but they could also make the link from the story portrayed in the movie to the content of the Scientific Revolution that they were learning in History.

Introduction

I thought it was a wonderful idea to begin a journal to track my experiences as a student-teacher in the History Department at the International School of Curitiba. The journal quickly became a core part of my internship because it was an easy and practical way to maintain a log on my growth and experience as a teacher. 


I really wish I had started this sooner because now I feel I need to catch up on a few things. What I will do, especially in the beginning, is toggle back and forth from daily notes and notes on previous lessons.


Note: This journal entry has been modified on 05 June 2012, when the journal was first being rewritten to an electronic format. Other journal entries to come will also be modified, merged, or deleted.