"Educators of adolescents must go beyond merely transmitting curricula if they hope to influence their students' thinking more deeply; they must share how they themselves think about or make sense of this content. In short, there must be a meeting of the minds if educators are to play an influential role in the development of their adolescent students. This meeting can occur around formal academic content as well as less formal social interactions, depending on the goals for the 'meeting'. The key is that the educators' thinking be made as transparent as possible..."
This is Nakkula and Toshalis' intro (bottom of page 8) to Vygotsky's interpsychological development (bottom of page 9).
What would __________say about this?
Ayers: During meetings (of the mind, or otherwise) some form of a relationship gets built--especially if the meeting is face to face. Ayers repeatedly stressed his message that teachers need to get to know their students in order to effectively teach each one, so I think he would encourage the meeting of the minds interaction between them. N and T also mention "transparency" quite a bit in reference to the educators way of thinking----if a student can clearly see how the teacher thinks, there is a higher chance of learning because the student may take certain helpful cues from the teacher--"dispositions of mind" as Ayers called them. So in a way the teacher has to make obvious her thought process, which is difficult to do because of the familiarity with the subject matter, social norms, etc. Ayers would then cite the teacher he wrote about who had her class study something different each year (something new to her students and to her), so they could learn alongside one another. In this way the teachers thoughts may be made much more transparent to the student. But I think N and T are also implying that teachers display a bit of vulnerability here as well. If a teacher meets a student (in a mental meeting room) and they embark on the journey toward learning together, it might emphasize that they both need one another in order to succeed. This would only strengthen their relationship, and the cycle would become a positive feedback loop (in biology, where a stimulus enhances particular response)
Smith: I think Smith would agree emphatically with N and T's transparency bit. Don't know if this makes sense but if an educator is explicit and subtle at the same time (what?), the student may be able to readily "absorb" her thought process. I guess I mean "strongly hint" without giving anything away to the student. This can be in the form of problem solving methods or some other type of critical thinking--and the student can pick up and internalize the cues subconsciously.
Kolb: I also think Kolb would be a fan of the meeting of the minds idea. If an educator displays different ways to take in and experience concepts, students expand their potential to learn. Subject matter aside, I think that the push and pull of building on existing mental scaffolding should require an educator to touch on each phase of the learning cycle, which would in turn afford students the opportunity to test boundaries and construct themselves and the world they inhabit.
A final takeaway from N and T is that in all of this, as the educator is guiding the adolescent student, he is also constructing his own life. The idea of the educator coauthoring the student's life is important, but equally poignant is the awareness of the student as coauthor of the educators life.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Keep getting to know your students--Ayers 2
Something occurred to me a couple of pages into the second half of Ayers...everyone in the book is white. I know for sure that Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (both left white by the artist) were black, and I'm pretty sure there are more than a few others in the book who are "supposed to be" black...the slaves on page 70 seem to be black and I remember seeing a black arm and fist somewhere in there...but the rest is conspicuously "colorless". Anybody else notice this? I thought of a few reasons this might be the case...
a. maybe ayers is saying that we shouldn't see/recognize color in the classroom (or anywhere really, as this applies to more than just the children). But this doesn't seem like it would be the case because Ayers seems like the type of guy who would embrace diversity and it would be impossible to teach each individual without that recognition.
b. maybe they are all white because he is saying that teachers should teach all their students how to succeed in the culture of power, and provide them with the cultural capital they will need in their adult lives. So in a way it's the teachers job to "make them white" so they have a better future. could be?
c. maybe the point is that the classroom he writes about is in Anywhereville, and drawing all the people the same color is supposed to emphasize this? but why white?
d. or maybe it's just easier to see the various facial expressions of the characters in the book (basically, I'm way over-thinking this).
Any input here?
Anyway, regarding Chapter 5...I feel like Bill on the bottom of page 73 pretty much all the time.
He's trying so hard to redefine the curriculum, and get away from the misconception that temporarily memorizing and vomiting back tid bits of information is learning. I totally feel this way and agree that the curriculum should be more about what is most worthwhile for each student to learn. Big picture, conceptual knowledge and skills seem to me to be most important, but teachers are constantly bombarding students with discreet packets of information that they need to know to pass standardized tests. Consumption of knowledge in this way leads to "intellectual claustrophobia" as Ayers puts it. It's like going food shopping and either picking things at random off of the shelves, or choosing items with a meal in mind. There must be some connection, some coherence, some over-arching theme that the students take away from all their hard work.
I like that Ayers put in the parts about "discovery and surprise" on page 70. As we read Zoom the first day of class, we were thrown off a bit as each page was turned. Reconciling the disequilibrium we felt took a little thought, and it's during this struggle to regain our balance that connections could be formed in our brains. If the students can observe something in a classroom that surprises them, or is weird or unusual, then the door opens wide for intrinsic motivation to enter into the learning process.
On page 71, Ayers also condemns busy work in the classroom. Not much to add except that it's important to always have an answer to the question, "why are we doing this?". And it better be a good answer. I never want a student to say that my class is just busy work...I've heard them say it about other teachers and it makes me sad.
In Chapter 6 Ayers writes that teachers need to get away from using standard assessments to "sort" students and move towards focusing on what each student has to offer. We all know that different students have different ways of expressing what they know, my only criticism of Ayers here is that he seems to advocate open-ended projects which I inevitably find really hard to grade... I try to make rubrics or give the students guidelines, but this can be stifling. I wish he gave a more clear explanation (unless he did and i'm forgetting something) of how to give grades while letting students find their "own voices" and make their "own choices".
There are two panels that really like in the last part of the book:
1. On page 95, after Bill has just successfully helped one student with her subtraction, he asks if anyone else needs some help. Another student raises his hand and Bill confidently struts over snapping his fingers like a big shot. His attempt at helping this student fails miserably. It goes to show that what works for one student might not work for another, and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-emphasizes Ayers' overall point that teachers must know each individual student and how she learns best.
2. On the bottom of page 99, Bill thinks regarding lesson planning, "the struggle is not to stockpile ideas, but to find the core values that define classroom life." in the first two panels under "Balance and Clarity" Bill is seemingly overwhelmed by ideas (represented by all those symbols) and in the third they fade away into the background as he sees an eager student standing before him. Just kind of like that.
Good to see that Quinn became a teacher in the end. I don't remember my kindergarten teacher at all, but she/he probably had something to do with me becoming a teacher. Or did she/he?
a. maybe ayers is saying that we shouldn't see/recognize color in the classroom (or anywhere really, as this applies to more than just the children). But this doesn't seem like it would be the case because Ayers seems like the type of guy who would embrace diversity and it would be impossible to teach each individual without that recognition.
b. maybe they are all white because he is saying that teachers should teach all their students how to succeed in the culture of power, and provide them with the cultural capital they will need in their adult lives. So in a way it's the teachers job to "make them white" so they have a better future. could be?
c. maybe the point is that the classroom he writes about is in Anywhereville, and drawing all the people the same color is supposed to emphasize this? but why white?
d. or maybe it's just easier to see the various facial expressions of the characters in the book (basically, I'm way over-thinking this).
Any input here?
Anyway, regarding Chapter 5...I feel like Bill on the bottom of page 73 pretty much all the time.
He's trying so hard to redefine the curriculum, and get away from the misconception that temporarily memorizing and vomiting back tid bits of information is learning. I totally feel this way and agree that the curriculum should be more about what is most worthwhile for each student to learn. Big picture, conceptual knowledge and skills seem to me to be most important, but teachers are constantly bombarding students with discreet packets of information that they need to know to pass standardized tests. Consumption of knowledge in this way leads to "intellectual claustrophobia" as Ayers puts it. It's like going food shopping and either picking things at random off of the shelves, or choosing items with a meal in mind. There must be some connection, some coherence, some over-arching theme that the students take away from all their hard work.
I like that Ayers put in the parts about "discovery and surprise" on page 70. As we read Zoom the first day of class, we were thrown off a bit as each page was turned. Reconciling the disequilibrium we felt took a little thought, and it's during this struggle to regain our balance that connections could be formed in our brains. If the students can observe something in a classroom that surprises them, or is weird or unusual, then the door opens wide for intrinsic motivation to enter into the learning process.
On page 71, Ayers also condemns busy work in the classroom. Not much to add except that it's important to always have an answer to the question, "why are we doing this?". And it better be a good answer. I never want a student to say that my class is just busy work...I've heard them say it about other teachers and it makes me sad.
In Chapter 6 Ayers writes that teachers need to get away from using standard assessments to "sort" students and move towards focusing on what each student has to offer. We all know that different students have different ways of expressing what they know, my only criticism of Ayers here is that he seems to advocate open-ended projects which I inevitably find really hard to grade... I try to make rubrics or give the students guidelines, but this can be stifling. I wish he gave a more clear explanation (unless he did and i'm forgetting something) of how to give grades while letting students find their "own voices" and make their "own choices".
There are two panels that really like in the last part of the book:
1. On page 95, after Bill has just successfully helped one student with her subtraction, he asks if anyone else needs some help. Another student raises his hand and Bill confidently struts over snapping his fingers like a big shot. His attempt at helping this student fails miserably. It goes to show that what works for one student might not work for another, and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-emphasizes Ayers' overall point that teachers must know each individual student and how she learns best.
2. On the bottom of page 99, Bill thinks regarding lesson planning, "the struggle is not to stockpile ideas, but to find the core values that define classroom life." in the first two panels under "Balance and Clarity" Bill is seemingly overwhelmed by ideas (represented by all those symbols) and in the third they fade away into the background as he sees an eager student standing before him. Just kind of like that.
Good to see that Quinn became a teacher in the end. I don't remember my kindergarten teacher at all, but she/he probably had something to do with me becoming a teacher. Or did she/he?
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Get to know your students--Ayers 1
First off, I really like the graphic novel as a medium (NOT a genre!), because of the implied content in the blank spaces between panels. My favorite is on page 17, where Mr. Bricker is unseen but apparently struggling with his task of cutting apples with a plastic knife, while Ms. Asile and Bill are discussing Quinn. Bill aptly states in response to Ms. Asile's comment that she is concerned about Quinn's ability to sit still and learn, "but he is learning--he's learning all the time. He's just putting things together in his own way." The scene ends with the plastic knife snapping in Mr. Bricker's hands. Should Mr. Bricker be labeled F.C.D (fruit chopping deficient) because he couldn't slice the apple? Should Quinn be labeled with a learning disability because he has a lot of energy and learns differently? On the top of page 27, Ayers states, "WHile working together, we need to learn to see each other as fully as possible". He then goes on to write about all the positive things he sees in Quinn--"enthusiastic participant in activities", "easy rapport with almost everyone", industrious, considerate...etc. The takeaway for me is that too often we jump to conclusions and think that we know what's wrong with our students before putting in the effort to learn about what's right with them.
I like and agree with most of the things Ayers writes about. I figured I'd comment on a few of my favorite quotes from the text.
1. Page 8: "projecting silver screen myths onto our students obscures the path to discovery". To the left, Bill is seen sitting with a bucket of popcorn at the movies; to the right there is a film reel that depicts cheering students as Bill rescues them from two guys in masks. I really think that too many teachers think that their jobs are actually about them, and that they need to be the center of attention. They need to be the experts who save the students from ignorance. But a teacher-centered approach deemphasizes learning and in a way, lets students off the hook.
2. Page 12: "goodbye to easy, unsatisfying answers", "welcome to learning as an act of construction and reconstruction". Too often (I think because most curricula require more breadth than depth), students are only exposed to the surfaces of many concepts. They are required to memorize a few things about a hundred different topics and then take a big multiple choice test at the end of the year that will measure what they "know". The problem is that they haven't learned anything of real value concerning the subject matter. But the student's (due to no fault of their own) think that they have in fact learned. Learning can really occur in classrooms where students can work to access those deeper layers of the onion. This may mean that they have to tear down what they think they have learned, and reconstruct a deeper, stronger version of a topic.
I have a few 9th grade biology classes this year. The students come to me not ever having done any real science. But they think they have. They have learned isolated tidbits about various areas of science, but they haven't ever been exposed to real scientific inquiry where they ask questions they are curious about and design ways to answer those questions. That's what science is, and to many of the students, this is a shocking revelation. On page 40, Ayers asks, "what would it mean to learn from the world and not just about the world?"
3. This last quote is related to the one above...on page 45 "I want to build spaces where (students) will develop the dispositions of mind that will allow them to shape and reshape the world." I completely agree with Ayers here. It's important that students are not given solutions to problems, but rather given the tools, and the time and space to practice working with those tools, which will allow them to find the solutions to the problems they encounter in their lives after high school. This will allow them to be self-sufficient and able to pursue knowledge in the future.
Look forward to the class discussion. see you later. Geoff
I like and agree with most of the things Ayers writes about. I figured I'd comment on a few of my favorite quotes from the text.
1. Page 8: "projecting silver screen myths onto our students obscures the path to discovery". To the left, Bill is seen sitting with a bucket of popcorn at the movies; to the right there is a film reel that depicts cheering students as Bill rescues them from two guys in masks. I really think that too many teachers think that their jobs are actually about them, and that they need to be the center of attention. They need to be the experts who save the students from ignorance. But a teacher-centered approach deemphasizes learning and in a way, lets students off the hook.
2. Page 12: "goodbye to easy, unsatisfying answers", "welcome to learning as an act of construction and reconstruction". Too often (I think because most curricula require more breadth than depth), students are only exposed to the surfaces of many concepts. They are required to memorize a few things about a hundred different topics and then take a big multiple choice test at the end of the year that will measure what they "know". The problem is that they haven't learned anything of real value concerning the subject matter. But the student's (due to no fault of their own) think that they have in fact learned. Learning can really occur in classrooms where students can work to access those deeper layers of the onion. This may mean that they have to tear down what they think they have learned, and reconstruct a deeper, stronger version of a topic.
I have a few 9th grade biology classes this year. The students come to me not ever having done any real science. But they think they have. They have learned isolated tidbits about various areas of science, but they haven't ever been exposed to real scientific inquiry where they ask questions they are curious about and design ways to answer those questions. That's what science is, and to many of the students, this is a shocking revelation. On page 40, Ayers asks, "what would it mean to learn from the world and not just about the world?"
3. This last quote is related to the one above...on page 45 "I want to build spaces where (students) will develop the dispositions of mind that will allow them to shape and reshape the world." I completely agree with Ayers here. It's important that students are not given solutions to problems, but rather given the tools, and the time and space to practice working with those tools, which will allow them to find the solutions to the problems they encounter in their lives after high school. This will allow them to be self-sufficient and able to pursue knowledge in the future.
Look forward to the class discussion. see you later. Geoff
Saturday, September 7, 2013
to clarify...
...by no means am I saying this program is useless...in fact I feel it's just the opposite. I just think it's ironic and frustrating that I have to go back to my classroom and be told that even though all my students passed MCAS, not enough scored in the "advanced" and "proficient" range, and my goal for this year should be to increase open response scores from an average of 2.1 to 2.5 ... what?
Yes it's horrible, just remember cheese, lettuce, THEN special sauce
I was reading chapter 2 of Ayers and on page 15 Mr. Bricker and Ms. Asile from central office enter the story. I began thinking about we what do in this graduate program, my professional teaching license, standardized testing, and people in suits with clipboards.
I wonder if McDonald's executives require their employees to attend courses on sustainable farming?
I wonder if McDonald's executives require their employees to attend courses on sustainable farming?
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