D+Z 5+8

Chapter five of Subjects Matter is by far the most important of the book. Clearly Smokey D and Zemelman agree since it is highlighted almost entirely in dark grey. I earmarked about 10 of the 28 reading comprehension methods they named and am evening toying with using it this semester at North Providence High.

I was pretty impressed with most of the methods they mentioned. This and other learnings over the past year are completely helping shape the type of classroom "ecosystem" I hope to create. I'm really leaning towards lessons that are focused primarily in using different mediums to construct the past. For example, I'd really like to use the "frontloading with images" idea to begin a class period, follow with a lecture, pause for reflective tweeting on the lecture and end with a student presentation about current events.

I've really "drank the kool aid", I know.

But I really do see this multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-level learning structure as a beneficial and intense way for students to interact with history.

Anyway like I was saying, I'd really like to use one of these methods from chapter 5 at North Providence...I'm really not sure if I'm an experienced enough teacher though...I'm pretty nervous already and I know I'll be even more nervous and sweaty (eww) the day of.

Another one of my favorite reading methods was the "written conversation" one...anyone think this is a good idea to try cold turkey? Do you think it would be inappropriate to use since we (students and I) are so new to each other?

Help me. Wahh.

Moving on...

Chapter eight was an informative chapter too. I would love to set up some workshop reading in my classroom. I'm not even sure I would require books; I think I would be ok with any written source that is more than a given number of pages. Also, I don't think I'd require logging the material to set up student/ teacher contracts...I might just have them talk about it briefly with a classmate...Sometimes for me logging sets up a "work" relationship instead of a "hobby" relationship.

I know they briefly mentioned that teachers consistently ask...what about time? where do I fit this into the 45 min of class time? So I thought maybe it could be a weekly workshop...but how long would you give out of class time? Can students read enough material in 15 min; I mean if so how long might it take them to finish one book? And would it be truly workshop or should it be content material they're reading?

I don't know yet....just questions that are in my head right now.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/550/three-miles  <---  really good listenin'

Strong Chapter 6

Just wanted to write that above since I'll be referring to it in this post and don't want to forget what it stands for.

So yeah, I think this method will be helpful for developing meaningful writing assignments. It was hard for me though because at the beginning of the chapter some of the token "boring" assignments actually sounded really interesting to me.

The ten design principles seem pretty solid to me as well although I do find a lot of them to be subjective to the teacher's personality and tastes. For example, topics that may be purposeful, inventive and meaningful to one may have little relevance in another's world. As I stated before, some of the first assignments had meaning to me whereas Strong saw them as uninspired.

I do like the design principle number four which is about assigning questions that elicit specific, immediate responses. It really is a good thing to keep in mind. It's important to be cautionary about assignments which don't focus on at least one specific question. It could create challenges to students in their reading comprehension and writing.

I also like the idea about give choices of writing assignments too; this helps empower students as well as give a level of differentiation to students.

In the list of sample assignments featuring the RAFT/CRAFT method, my heart pretty much melted at the R-square root A-whole number F-love letter T-explain our relationship....sooo adorable and almost made me want to teach math for a milli-second.

The case studies that followed were helpful...I like the propaganda assignment and thought it was really creative to format it as a obituary.

Lots of good stuff in this chapter about CRAFT...

D and Z 3+4

 Smokey D and Zemelman certainly made their point in these two chapters. I'm glad that they feel so vehemently against the use of textbooks alone in the classroom. I'm also happy to see that they have outlined some of the hardships which serve as de-incentives to using other sources besides a textbook.

While reading these chapters, I too was brainstorming about what ways I would try to bring extra reading sources into my classroom and ran into some of the same issues Smokey D and Zemelman brought up. Firstly, sometimes there is no budgeting for supportive reading materials making buying your own costly. Secondly, there has to either be student accountability for the returning and condition of borrowed books or some sort of library system where books are checked in and out.

Honestly, I usually agree with the authors of Subjects Matter about many of their philosophies but I think their classroom library idea isn't one of the best.

Just because there are books in the classroom, it doesn't mean kids will want to read them. Also, it's hard to keep books up to date with the newest bestseller lists etc. In turn, it gives students less control over what they're reading...I'd prefer there to be classroom reading and then personal reading that they pick independently. Basically, I think the classroom library idea is dated. A better tool would be to form an online classroom library which students could access through the teacher's kindle account. This way, students could pick from a variety of books which are mostly less expensive...and not have to worry about what condition they are returned in. I'm sure I could develop this idea further if I had more time.

Otherwise I really appreciate what this book is trying to accomplish. I think they're really trying to push the envelope about what it means to be a good teacher.

UBD Chap. 1

The concept of working "backwards" will really help me build successful lesson plans. Last semester I really struggled with trying to figure out answers to questions like: what do I want the students to learn? And where should I find the guideline of materials to use? I actually planned on buying some old textbooks to help guide me in the right direction. Luckily, I'm a procrastinator and never did this and now I'm glad I didn't.

I think the "backwards" method really inspires the notion of not opening a textbook and letting it guide your lessons. Oppositely, I think there is a great creative sense to "backward" which explores one's own beliefs and goals and how they can interact with one's teaching goals.

The curricular priorities in figure 1.2 will probably be part of a print out I use for myself over the next decade.

I genuinely think prioritizing is a sign of good planning as well as a reinforcement of teaching objectives.

I also really appreciate their projections in how this play out in assessment in figure 1.5. It is accurate that "enduring understanding" is likely not to be found in traditional forms of assessment.

One thing I have noticed and am unsure about with the method is that, to get the enduring understanding" one is striving for, more depth has to be placed on each topic. Keeping this in mind brings up a quintessential question: is it better to focus deeper on less topics or do more superficial work on a larger variety of topics?

Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am not sure I know a good answer to this question and I'd like some feedback.

Anyway, in honor of Jon Stewart (he announced his retirement this week), I leave you with a link to my favorite podcast series and my, "moment of zen."

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/545/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say-say-it-in-all-caps     

D and Z 1+2 (SED407)

http://www.harveydaniels.com/bio.html

http://www.heinemann.com/authors/760.aspx


Just in case anyone's interested, here's a little about the authors of Subjects Matter.

Honestly, I have to say I like these guys and I like this book. Not only do they pretty much align with my values and concerns, they are good writers. And since they're not interested in teaching through mid-century content textbooks, I appreciate the creativity upon which they've layered their chapters.

So McDonald's story was great....obviously inspiring and super positive...and compared to poor "Steve" the boring Science teacher it was obviously a way better option...but I'm wondering and maybe it's because I'm super cynical...but what subject was the unit on fast food in America? English? I don't know, I love it! I've been a pescetarian for years (oops I've been eating chicken lately though) ...but I do think it was a little too much cheer-leading for the ultra-progressive school district which most of us probably won't find ourselves in.

With that said, Smokey D and Zemelman have some great criticisms of Common Core; I thought these were super honest and they showed me some issues I should expect to have while using them. Thanks guys!

 So this as an excerpt from page ten. I found it to be true for me. And also a little cheesy. I like how Smokey D and Zemelman get at this though...most of us got into teaching to inspire those who we teach...and sometimes we need help to find the right ways to do this.

Moving on to chapter two, there is some great info in this chapter. I absolutely love the concept that, "prior knowledge is the main determinant of comprehension." I don't think I realized how much more I am doing other than just reading words on a page. I'm glad this book is teaching this concept and I also really appreciate the following tips in teaching others to read effectively. I have long since been a believer that reading is one of the most important lifelong skills to acquire.

Overall, great start Smokey D and Zemelman!

And.... to get our week off to a great start...here's an awesome cat picture! His name is Ra and he's so smart and big and handsome!

Wilhelm 1+2 (sed407)

Poor Nate. I think he represents a piece of all of us pre-first year teachers. We're taking the classes and making the lesson plans- and we're aligning all of these with our content standards (curriculum). That is what we're taught to do.

But thank you Wilhelm for challenging that. I have to say it might not ever have occurred to me that while teaching History, I might have to address the question, "but what will they know how to do when they're done?" I guess I need to figure that out.

In regards to Wilhelm's theory of teaching as a science, I also agree. For too long teaching has had gender biases as well as professional biases. The truth is closer to what Wilhelm says, teaching needs to be looked at scientifically and considered based on the cognitive development we understand in children.

I'm soo uninspired with this entry....

I'm giving up for this week but I'll see ya'll next week.

Bar...Tending? (literacy profile sed 407)

How did I become literate at bartending? I made mistakes....I made a lot of mistakes. And not just small mistakes like what the difference between soda water and tonic was...I mean big, massive and embarrassing mistakes. I've served drunk people only to have to dump their drinks and kicked them out a minute later. I've forgotten how to make a French Martini and ran into the back to look it up on my phone. I've lied about what's in a drink or what's not just because I'm so busy that I don't have time to remake it. I've left an entire cooler completely open overnight in August. In case you don't know, that equals twenty bottles of skunked white wine the next day. I've messed up food orders, poured red wine down someone's crisp white button down shirt, gave my number to a complete stranger in hopes he'd leave me a better tip and absolutely forgotten to lock the door when I left for the night.

But let me start by how I even became a bartender. I've been working in restaurants since I hit puberty, if there is one thing I know better than myself, its restaurants. They have raised me, made me angry and showed me that food is something to be coveted. However, in all the restaurants I've worked in, I've always been a server. Now I knew how to pour wine, make a Cosmo and fill in for the bartender while he was out on a smoke break but I have never...I mean never, stood behind a bar for ten hours, four nights a week.

So I was hiking in Utah about two and a half years ago when I got an email from an old colleague at a previous restaurant. She had built up a place with herself, the owner and a small staff. They were looking to fill a bartending/ waiting position and she wanted to know if I knew anyone? Well I did. Me, of course. Since she knew I was a good server and fast she hired me...on the spot. For my first few weeks I couldn't stop shaking. I had to keep saying to myself: I love to be challenged, I love to reinvent myself, I can do this, this is just pouring drinking and talking to people.

Well they didn't tell me about how hard service bar was? That is, making drinks for an entire restaurant while simultaneously serving a full bar. And they didn't tell me I'd have to memorize prices of every drink and tally them in my head for faster service. And no one, I mean no one told me that it wasn't just pouring drinks and talking to people. The first year was hard. Most of the big mistakes I made were made then, in those desperate minutes between putting the ice in a drink, talking to a regular, adding the liquor and shaking.

But then one day I became literate. I realized that as long as you keep talking to everyone, they don't care how long it takes for you to get their drinks. I realized that most people come to a bar to feel connected to something. They want attention and affection and they want to tell you their boring stories because no one else they know would in their right mind listen. It was like an epiphany. I just had to make eye contact, keep communication open and they'd let me make service bar drinks, or tell me, “no rush,” or simply just wait until I came back. By using this technique, I was able to redistribute myself into all different areas where I was needed; my time management flourished. And my relationships with those I served solidified.

I still go into the weeds. I still forget how to make drinks and have to run into the back and look it up on my phone, but it’s okay. The relationships I've built and the careful dance I do between glass, ice, liquor, shake gives me time to think. Shake, think, shake....okay, breathe Emily. And...go!

Whether I stay a bartender for much longer or leave when I begin teaching, I know this skill will follow me wherever I go. Bartending has showed me that the key to mastery is making a million mistakes beforehand. And most importantly, bartending has shown me that although the odds are not probable the task must be completed. Make ten martinis, put so and so’s food order in and change a keg….and do this all right now. Impossible! But what better preparation for life could there be? Or for adversity? A how else better can I serve a community than by preparing to beat seemingly impossible odds?