For decades, there has been a distinct,
dominant paradigm in schools. This pattern is focused on technology. Even before the days of the internet, it has been a focus to teach students to use the latest technology because technology is our future. However, because this focus has been on using technology and the ever so boring "drill and kill" is getting old, this dominant paradigm is showing signs of wear. Think about it, once things have been done the same way for years and years, if time and things change, but instruction methods don't, there is a big problem!
Project-Based learning supports student learning better than traditional learning because students are active in their learning. This type of learning includes students working on a project, a common goal, and in the end, they present it or demonstrate it. It " aims to take learning one step further by enabling students to transfer their learning
to new kinds of situations and problems and to use knowledge more proficiently in performance situations"(p. 4) In my opinion, one of the most promising ways to find out if someone knows their stuff is to see if they can teach it.
Problem-Based learning is a lot like Project-Based learning, but they are given a problem to which a solution must be found. These problems are meaningful which draws students into wanting to find a solution, and working in groups in this type of setting gets students to work collaboratively.A great example of this type of learning is with medical students- the instructor gives them a patient case file with symptoms and they must work together to find out what is wrong with that patient. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer; the medical students will likely come up with a variety of possible illnesses or diseases that the patient could have. But the point about this learning is that it is real life, meaningful, and they will use it later. (p. 4)
Reading about Learning By Design reminds me of one of Bloom's Taxonomy levels: Synthesis. In this level of learning, students create something new! So, when learning by design, they design something new! When my sister was in middle school, her class put on an invention fair to which they all made up an invention and displayed it in the gymnasium for people to see. My sister's invention was a recycling gadget that separates your different recyclables for you. What's sad, yet funny, her teacher said that her invention was too extreme unreasonable... my sister is an adult now and a few weeks ago she found a picture on Pinterest of the same concept as her invention from Middle school!
These three approaches are very similar yet very different. Project- Based learning is doing a project, Problem-Based is solving a problem, and Learning by Design is creating something new. The most important benefit to all three types of learning approaches is they can all be individualized. Though the same question, or problem, students are able to work through to find a solution in their own way with no single right answer. This is what makes learning engaging for students.
The quote I really liked from this passage "Reverance..." was "Respect is given, not earned". Usually people say this the other way around, you don't just GIVE respect, you have to earn it. However, I like the thought to the twist of this quote. It's outwardly focused. It is saying to focus on being respectful rather than how to earn it to make yourself feel/be better. At first this confused me and it made me think: respect must be earned, it's not just automatic. Then I realized that it was reversing the typical way of thinking. Often, too many times, people focus on ME. What will get ME ahead, "I" deserve respect, MY idea is best; however, this isn't the way it should be. One will in turn receive respect and honor if they are respectable and honorable.
Reverent listening is supported by culturally responsive teaching because you are simply showing respect to others. This is shown when someone is talking by using whole body listening, and asking specific questions regarding the subject of discussion. The opposite of being a reverent listener is being an authoritarian type teacher. All the teachers I had growing up were great! But once I reached college, I came upon the "my way or the highway" types. One particular professor had me so upset all the time; I'm a good student, but when I had an idea, if it wasn't the way SHE saw it, my thoughts were in turn wrong. She would even interrupt my explanation of my ideas to tell me how wrong I was and how it should be done differently. What's worse, is when I did it the way she wanted, it was still not right because no matter how much I tried to see it her way, my brain just isn't wired the way hers is and I just didn't think of things the way she thought of them. I constantly felt very disrespected by her and belittled.
Having a laundry list of value ethics can be very NON-culturally responsive. If there is a set list of ethics in a classroom, that is imposing ONE set of values for everyone. As we have talked about in class, some cultures believe it to be disrespectful for children to look adults in the eye... if eye contact is on this list of ethics, it would be very awkward for the student at hand to make eye contact with his/her teacher. I don't think I have any prior experiences with situation as everyone that I went to school with was basically the same religion and had the same ideas of ethical values.
I had a high school math teacher that was a reverent teacher. It was a remedial math class, but she didn't make us feel stupid. A few times I was almost in tears because I just didn't understand and she got down on my level and told me to say my thoughts out loud about what I did understand to the point of what I did not understand. She broke things down for me to understand them with so much patience and not once did I fell less than her. When students spoke, she listened and always made a comment about it. This teacher also knew most of our parents, so it was (at least seemed) easy for her to make it all personal. When I would walk into class she'd say "Hi, I saw your mom this weekend at the pharmacy, is she feeling better...... I got to go to the football game and you guys [the band] sounded great!" Even still, when I see her out somewhere, she smiles and waves and asks how I am doing and about Chloe, etc. It has always made me feel good knowing that she seemed so interested in my life and her smile has always been contagious which helps.
A toxic school is one where culture is irrelevant and listening no longer occurs. Other factors include behaviors such as authoritarian type teachers, classrooms where respect is not a focus for daily behavior, and many times when a leader is set in his or her own ways and does not like to take constructive criticism and will shut out others' ideas.
A quote from this article that verifies some of my philosophies is as follows:
"Joan, a third grade teacher in Indiana, has many pet animals in her classroom.
The children learn responsibility through taking care of these companion animals,
and Joan integrates these pets into her teaching. "
This is something that I have planned to do for quite some time, now. I have these little animals called sugar gliders that I would love to incorporate into my classroom and the curriculum. Already in some of my lesson plans, I have included a book about a sugar glider called "Kimi Sue" and a nutrition lesson about natural sugars versus man made sugars- sugar gliders eat natural sugars in the wild. Also, sugar gliders are native to Australia and they are nocturnal marsupials, there is SO much to teach right there! Not to mention, I can bring the sugar gliders into the classroom every once in a while and let the students feed them meal worms, crickets and yoggies. They are animals most people have never heard about and they are something I am very passionate about. My passion will rub off onto my students and they will also get excited about learning with themes dedicated to gliders.
I would love to show this in my future classroom. Too many times teachers make sure the students know what is expected of them... but what about what the students expect of the teacher? Both parties deserve to give and get respect. I also like a few of the slides that state "different kinds of smart" and the one that says "staring at me will not cure my autism". All people learn in different ways, but ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN.
Resources
deirpg1. (2011). 403 - respect group presentation[Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3PFkGDMRL4 RUD, A. G., & Garrison, J. (2010, November).Reverence and listening in teaching and leading. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lNdCbUdjDIvAFO7LhRAQqe9fJc-YReeKH7qGTWlxy4/edit
Something I have learned about the relationship between language, literacy and power is that they all share a direct relationship. If you speak Standard English and are literate, you will be more powerful. Uneducated or/and illiterate people are typically at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak. This is why it is so important to teach students in the Appalachian region this relationship. Many of the students in my future classes will be from a lower socioeconomic status and therefore not necessarily understand why they need school. If they understand this relationship, they will be more likely to break the cycle of living at a low income status. We don't want our future students going to job interviews and having to worry about someone saying "I knew she was ignorant as soon as she opened her mouth", as was the instance in Purcel-Gates's article "As soon as she opened her mouth". Even if these students, who grow into well rounded adults, still speak with their Appalachian dialect, others will realize these West Virginians can carry on an intelligent conversation and are worth being given a job. When a teacher understands this and follows through for the sake of their students, they, in turn, overcome the cultural deficit perspectives of their students. When realizing the cultural capitol in your students, a whole world of benefits are opened to you as a teacher. This reminds me of Louis Moll's article "Hidden Family Resources"; a teacher realized her Latino students all grew up around construction workers, so she built her lesson around that and included family participation. Here is what was said:
"Ina called the experience "a total success." She pointed out that her students learned "the vocabulary of construction, names of tools, economic concerns, and the importance of knowing mathematics in construction." Hilda also commented that "it was interesting to see how each student learned something different." Moll asserts that the project"created new instructional routines... that helped the teacher and students exceed the curriculum, stretch the limits of writing, and expand the knowledge that formed lessons." (Moll 1992)
I wasn't surprised at the success! The teacher overcame the cultural deficits and, rather, celebrated where the students came from and what they knew.
Too often, classroom instruction is teacher centered, meaning the teacher talks and students listen. This is part of the reason teachers contribute to poor literacy in students. Another reason, is that some teachers have a cultural deficit perspective and think that some kids just can't learn because of where they are from and their home life. However, I have stated many times before that "ALL children CAN learn"! Teachers need to tap into their students knowledge base and use these funds of knowledge to enhance, enrich, and better the learning environment; besides, if students are reading about and learning about things they have an interest in, or that is relevant to them, they are more willing to make the connections between school and home and life in general.
Doing the "Where I am from" project was a great way to support culturally responsive teaching. It builds a bridge between home and school because I have realized that others in my class have much in common with me and the instructor can better understand where we are from so she can relate to us and our experiences. It has brought importance to our heritages and we have learned that everyone has a story and it SHOULD fit into the curriculum and will help rid of prejudices in the classroom. Because we watched each others videos and made comments, we were able to get to know our classmates better and understand the varied perspectives each of us have. I'd love to do something like this in my future classroom. Elementary school students could make a couple scrapbook pages, or a video like these with the help of an adult. I will always celebrate the cultural capitol that my students have and encourage them to share what they know and their stories; I will, in turn, do my best to gear curriculum towards things these students know as to help guide their connections between home, school, and life beyond elementary school. Resources:
Moll, L. (1992). Funds of Knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to
connect homes and classrooms. (1992). Theory into Practice, 31(2), 132-
41.
Purcell-Gates, V. (2002). “...As soon as she opened her mouth!” In L. Delpit & J.K. Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.
To be an effective teacher, you must first understand the language of your students. It is important NOT to say "you're saying that wrong, THIS is the right way of saying it..."; however, the situation should be approached by saying "that is right, and the way we say that in Standard English is like this...". It's about the way you approach it as to not turn students against you or learning and to get them to understand that they (and their parents) are not wrong the way they talk, but there is another way they can communicate in a more standard way that's more universal. Literacy is most strongly developed when it can be related to something familiar. As I previously stated, a teacher could relate how the students speak in their native dialect to the Standard English way of saying it. Students better understand when subject matter is approached in a language they already know and teaching them how to tweak it for different results outside of their dialect. It is OK to allow yourself and students to talk, and sometimes write, in the local dialect. Writing how you talk isn't typically done in the classroom and this would be a great way to understand how students think and how they see their own language on paper. It might also be beneficial to have them write the same thing in Standard English so they can see the similarities and differences between Appalachian English and Standard English. Neither is right or wrong, they are simply different. This method of teaching certainly helps to build bridges between home and school. When the teacher understands every student's individuality, the class as a whole becomes more united and less intimidating. Being able to freely speak the way that comes naturally is a huge relief for kids in a learning environment. Talking and writing in Appalachian English and being able to "code switch" is a huge feat to accomplish. To achieve this "code switch" you must teach students to know and praise their own and each others' cultural heritage. This reminds me of a famous quote I grew up hearing "before you can love another, you must first love yourself". Likewise, before you can learn another dialect/language, you must first understand and appreciate your own. In my own schooling, I don't remember having distinct culturally diverse lessons. West Virginia History class stands out the most to me because it was a whole class dedicated to where I am from and things I know and see every day. We even did a leaf collection and identified them. Nothing else specific stands out in my mind. We learned about other cultures, but it wasn't part of a thematic unit or anything, it was what we learned in Social Studies class and that was about it. The following is a video about a couple strategies for teaching diverse students. It touches on making connections between home and school and using different ways to have students illustrate what they have learned besides writing; this encompasses teaching different learning styles as well.
Resources
Epstein P., H. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655 somewhatfunny. (2009). Strategies for teaching diverse learners edpsych 154 [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZvrPSdxU9w&feature=related
I am from antique cars and hit and miss engines, from bicycle riding in the
summer and Campbell’s Chicken
noodle Soup.
I am from sticking my feet under the space heater in the winter, and
walking under the sheet covering the doorway in the summer to keep the cool air
in the living room.
I am from fresh corn and potatoes out of the garden, and drinking
water from the old well
I am from hand crank homemade ice cream and petite stature, from Velma, Roberta and Gladys .
I am from the slow to anger and Mom… patient as Job.
From doing something right the first time so it doesn’t have to
be done twice and “kill ‘em with kindness”.
I am from a fully dunked baptism… Vacation Bible School, youth
outings, and church camp
I'm from Jane Lew and Pickle Street, Grandma Salad and Easter ham.
From getting engaged at Ft. Bragg prior to my high school
sweetheart’s deployment… From the natural labor and delivery of my beautiful daughter with my
sister standing there and shouting “BREATHE” in my face, and the first set of
stitches I had to endure watching because my toddler got bit by our dog…...
they are still best friends.
I am from sled riding
down the hill, slumber parties with friends, and learning to roller skate on
the uneven, carpeted floors. From Hunting and Fishing with Dad, not just for
the kill, but to watch the sun rise over the rolling hills From Halloween
costumes Mom sewed to the first Jack-o-lantern I ever carved being with my
husband and daughter.
I am from McCanns Run, the fifth house on the left.
