Nakkula: Chapters 4 & 5

This week, I read read Chapter 4 and 5 in Understanding Youth. Chapter 4, "Flow and Possibility Development," explained the concept of optimal development for youth. In my own words, this is characterized by the gratitude or sense of accomplishment one feels when he/she masters a task that required time and practice to achieve. This is the opposite of small tasks where we seek instant gratification. I found it interesting that the chapter compared this concept to helping students master skills within their interests.

For example, the antidote about Lorena taught us that helping students master a skills that inspires them, such as rowing, will then help build confidence, "The more confident and competent we feel, the more likely we are to venture into new learning activities" (71). This shows us why Lorena was then able to start applying this newly found confidence to other subjects in school, including English class.

This chapter led me to think about my own students, specifically the student I am using for my upcoming paper. He does have a specific interest outside of school, but as the chapter points out, to a degree, it seems to have a negative impact on his academics, "Some will organize their adolescent experiences so thoroughly around athletic pursuits and related social experiences that their academic and career possibilities will be compromised" (73). Since he spends all the time he could be doing homework, focusing on this one sport, I am worried this may be the case for him. I'm hoping going forward in my project I will discover strategies to help this student in particular turn his interest into a supporting factor in his educational pursuit.

To Teach: Part Two

This week, I read the second half of Ayers and Alexander-Tanner's comic book, To Teach. There were many sections of the text that resonated with me. One in particular was on page 70, "I want children to explore the world in order to take meaning from it and to make sense of it. I'm not interested in their feeding on predigested materials; I want them to get right up next to what they're studying, to touch it and smell it." This description led me to ponder about the importance of making authentic learning experiences for students. Rather than having students read statistics about a war in a textbook, students could read a memoir from a survivor or analyze a film. If possible, students could even hear from a veteran guest speaker. Students are far more likely to remember the war in this case and even question whether or not war is the right answer after seeing the repercussions.

Another good point that resonated with me this week was the importance of knowing your students and challenging the status quo. In Chapter 6, the teacher is torn between following the small-group procedures and allowing his students to work together. Despite being told to keep students separate, the teacher still decided to "shake things up" (92). This reminded me of my current experience at school since I have classes that are grouped based on ability. I also have tiered group that were arranged based on reading level. I am supposed to use the same grouping frequently in class, but I myself see the benefit of working together as a whole-group and using heterogeneous grouping within the classroom. I also fear that labels will lead students down the path of self-fulfilling prophecy.

To Teach

This week I read William Ayers' book, To Teach, the journey, in comics. One central argument of the text that stood out to me was in chapter 2, "Seeing the Student." Ayers reminds us that students are often labeled, which is currently an epidemic in our country. He explains that these labels can have serious unattended consequence for children. Children begin to fixate on their limitations, rather than their potential. This idea reminded me of the truths behind self-fulfilling prophecies. This reminded me of my own experiences as a student when I moved from Pawtucket to Foster in third grade. I went from being the top in my class to being labeled as "behind" in Foster. I remember feeling devastated and I begged my mother to take me back to Pawtucket so I could be smart again. Labels can certainly make someone question their own intelligence and push him/ her down the path of low self-esteem.


Ayer also gives an example of his own son Chesa, whom he anticipated as being a challenging student. Ayer was taken back when Mr. Sweeney mentioned Chesa's talents and capabilities before noting that at times he was a challenging student. I found myself agreeing with Ayers' thoughts on this topic. Reflecting on my own teaching, I think there have been times in my career when I have been too fixated on a student's downfalls or problematic behavior rather than his/ her potential. This year, I have tried using more positive reinforcement and community building within my classroom to build stronger connections with my students. I am hopeful that this will help me work better with students who demonstrate problematic behavior through restorative justice practices.

Lastly, in chapter 4, "Building Bridges," I enjoyed reading about the teacher, Avi, who witnessed an uneasy exchange in class about a racial situation that escalated. When the white student made an ignorant comment about people of color, Avi allowed another student in class to challenge her remarks in a confrontational manner. Avi then questioned whether or not he made the right choice within the class. This reminded me of my own experiences when teaching privilege and institutional racism within the classroom. These topics can be uncomfortable for me and probably many students, but the conversations matter. Tapping agains the glass is the only way to push back on injustice, and I agree with Ayers when he explains that these conversations won't solve racism, but they are still important.

Autobiography of a Learner

I started off my schooling in Pawtucket, RI at Varieur Elementary School. In second grade I moved to Providence and spent one year switching schools a total of three times. I was also homeschooled for several weeks during this year. In third grade, I moved to Foster and attended Captain Isaac Paine School. I went from getting straight As to being told I was “behind.” This seriously damaged my self-esteem. I remember asking my parents to please move back to Pawtucket so that I could be smart again.  Going forward, I was never the person who could get straight A’s. I begin struggling in school with test taking and oral speaking. I also was not enrolled as an honor student, while my siblings were, which made me feel inadequate.

In high school, I had a wonderful English teacher for three consecutive years. She motivated me to do well in school and she doubled as my “mentor.” She was a great teacher who offered a hands-on learning approach to engage all students. She helped me realize that I wanted to become a teacher just like her. This dream formed during my sophomore year of high school and I have been chasing it ever since. I knew that RIC was a good school for educators and it was within my price range so I was able to apply and start there as a freshman.  In college, I overcame my school troubles by working very hard to maintain a 3.5 GPA.

Theories of Teaching & Learning

In Smith's article, "What's Going on Here," I found myself comparing Smith's theory on learning with my own education. The "official view" of learning is often found throughout the country's education system, and Smith makes it clear that this view can be dangerous. As Smith notes, "The official theory became an unquestioned part of most of us because it permeates the broad educational culture in which we have grown up" (5). From my own experiences as a learner, I can agree that the most emphasis in my education has been placed on grades and scores instead of learning. Our society tends to associate grades and scores with effort and educational gains, but as educators, we have all seen our struggling students who do exert effort. It's important to realize that learning does happen everyday, and learning is often a social act. Therefore, students should have the time to learn from each other and collaborate together in order to advance their knowledge, rather than segregating learners.

Smith's article also helped me reflect on my practice as a teacher. At my new job this year, my school uses a competency based learning model to ensure that students reach mastery level of a subject in order to advance to the next grade. This means, teachers give students the opportunity to revise their work until they reach the master level. Although I can foresee certain challenges this may create for teachers and learners, I do think the message relates to Smith's view on the classic view of learning. Learning is continuous, and giving students multiple chances to revise could help them even improve their own confidence since they will eventually meet the mastery level.

As I continue my journey in this new year, I found Dodd's article, "Learning to Read the Classroom: The Stages Leading to Teacher Self-Actualization," helpful. Personally, I feel that I still fall in step three since I am turning to research to best help me create curriculum for a new year. Going into my fourth year as an educator, I found it insightful and even comical at times to read through the first stages of teaching. I am happy to know that there are stages of teaching which are not expected to transition year-to-year. There have been moments where I doubt myself as a teacher because I have felt that I should be more confident in my teaching practices since I have been doing this several years already. This article helped me come back to reality in terms of teachers being life-long learners who should continue to reflect on their practices, "students learn best when their teachers are always engaged in the process of 'becoming better teachers'" (249).

Narrative

Since I was a young girl, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.  At the time, my idea of teaching involved putting students in rows and forcing them to work. As the oldest child, this appealed to me, and I often had my younger siblings pretend to be my students. I would give them papers and pencils and make them write. This profession continued to appeal as I grew older, for different reasons of course. I had such wonderful teachers, especially in high school. My teachers made me feel important, and capable, and I wanted to pass on this feeling to students of my own.

With the idea of teaching in my future, I attended RIC and majoring in education. I graduated from RIC in 2015, and I have returned to RIC this year to complete my Masters Degree in the ASTL program. My goal in this program is to improve my practice and grow as an educator, and this course has given me plenty of think about. In August, I will be a 25 year old teacher, about to experience my fourth year as an educator. I have been teaching English at Saint Raphael Academy for the past three years. I’ve had wonderful students and colleagues, and I’ve learned so much about teaching, but I’ve always felt that I could be doing more to help my students. This course has helped me get there.

Thinking back to my journey and how I got this far, during my senior year of high school, I made the decision to major in education. When sharing my decision with others, I received negative pushback, even from teachers at my school. I remember one teacher, who I admired, telling me to “stay away” from the profession. I was told that there were no jobs or money in teaching. Just like Moana, I felt discouraged and heartbroken. I felt so discouraged at one point, that I changed my major during my freshman year to nursing just because I was convinced to do so by others. After signing up for science courses, a trip to the campus bookstore revealed that I was going to be responsible for dissecting a fetal pig. I was horrified at the idea of having to look at the inside of a creature. I can’t even watch horror movies, never mind cut open an animal. I immediately switched back to education, and never considered changing majors again.

I realize now that I was quick to internalize the opinions of others around me because I did not spend time discovering my “why.” As Sinek teaches us, the golden circle starts with “why.” I knew I wanted to be a teacher,  I liked the idea of it, and I had great teachers, but what did I really believe about education and student learning? After taking this course, there are many “whys” that are going to lead my practice. In a technological world, it is easy to fall into the trap of putting the tool before the rational. This is something I will avoid going forward.

 Prensky would consider both myself and my students digital natives. When I think back to my own upbringing, I do consider myself a digital native. I rarely used computers during my elementary schooling, and I didn’t get my first smart phone until college. I do remember using PowerPoint in Word seldom when my class took a trip to the computer lab once a month in elementary school. As I got older, most classrooms had a couple of computers in the back of the room. The world of teaching with technology today is much different. Students are starting to use technology in their education as early as Pre-K. As teachers, I believe we need to embrace this reality, but we need to remember our why behind the technology that we use. Additionally, I held that assumption that many students were technologically literate, since they are always plugged in, but Boyd reminds us that students are rarely taught how to grapple with the information they consume on the web. As teachers, we need to spend the time teaching reliable sources, fake news, algorithms, credibility, etc.

Reflecting on my teaching today, I realize that I have not spent enough time helping students become critical analyzers of media. When my school switched to computers, I jumped aboard and abandoned the physical textbooks and some of my former teaching methods. I am a techno-traditionalist, I often used Microsoft OneNote to upload assignments online. I also take notes on Google Docs. I realize now I was letting the tool drive my decisions, instead of reflecting on my beliefs about student learning. Again, it all comes back to the why. Going into my fourth year as an educator, I will continue my journey starting the school year in August as an English teacher at Highlander Charter High School. I recently learned that part of my job description includes becoming an advisor in a daily 9^th grade advisory.

For my project, I decided to create an advisory curriculum that would align with my core beliefs about student learning. As Wesch would agree, I believe in creating a space that allows students to feel empowered and actively engaged in their own learning.  This safe- space includes collaboration, support, and companionship within the classroom. Although I did include technology within the curriculum, this time around, I saw this as the how and the what to reach my why. As Turkle would argue, face to face conversations are being lost due to technology, but conversations matter. I wanted to include a curriculum that could balance technology and interpersonal skills.

I decided to embed many features offered by Google into my curriculum, including Google Docs, Forms, Classroom, and Blogger. Similarly to what we did in this class, my advisory will co-author a blog so that students will have the power to create their own threads and read each other’s work. Students will have the power to collaborate and support one other, with this student- centered approach. My goal within this advisory is to have all members work together towards supporting each other social, emotional, and academic growth.  This will be a safe place for members to support each other, work towards their goals, and to “let go” off any stressors that are negatively impacting their lives. As Wesch reminds us, collaboration is vital and students need to see the significance within their own education. Therefore, this curriculum is student-centered. Students will use Google Docs and Blogger to suggest topics of interest, and offer links to videos to watch weekly, including Ted Talks.

I’ve come to realize that I believe that educators need to help students develop empathy and understanding for others. This close collaboration amongst peers and community building, will help develop this empathy. I believe that SCWAAMPing with my students and having these face-to-face conversations will help them become aware of the injustices and privileges that exist. Helping students identify dominant ideologies will in turn help students reevaluate their own beliefs, and develop empathy for others.

This critical lens will also being applied to the media. Boyd and Christenson would agree that teachers need to be the ones to help develop students’ critical consciousness to develop media literacy skills. Part of the curriculum will include evaluating sources that are not credible and therefore cannot be trusted.

Overall, Google and the internet will serve as the what, but I will continue to develop this curriculum throughout the year by focusing on the why. We cannot underestimate the ability of our youth, and we as educators we need to give students voice and choice within the classroom. Communication, collaboration, support, community, and a student-centered approach will help increase student engagement, and create an atmosphere conducive to learning. As an advisor, I want to serve as a positive role model and mentor for my students, not just an information distributor.

To conclude, it is important to remember to operate from your beliefs. Go against the grain, and swim against the current if that means making a positive change. Sometimes being different than the majority is the only way to make gains. So take the road less traveled and watch how you will incite change.

Presentation

Pecha Kucka