Discussion 5

How do we push our teaching in new directions? How do we make sure to address the bigger, more profound issues in our work? Read
Beyond Heroes-Lessons for Classrooms for Math and/or Science and Geography (or
for English).
 
We can push
teaching in new directions and address bigger and more profound issues in our
work while at the same time teaching the required math content.  One way to do this is by having the lessons
revolve around multicultural and social justice education.  In Beyond
Heroes, one of the math lessons had the students graph the wages that men and women
were paid for performing the same work.  They could see the disparity.  They discussed
this disparity.  They were engaged in the lesson.  And, they
learned the math content: graphing.  In other words, adding the social
justice activities to the lesson did not take away from the students learning
the content.  If anything, it helped the students learn the content by
getting them to be more engaged in the lesson and the material.  
 
I can see that
we, as teachers, can both emphasize multicultural and social justice education
while at the same time teaching our content.  At first, when I started
this credential/masters program, I was worried that combining social justice
issues with pure math content may take away from the math.  In other
words, I was worried it would impede the instruction by taking time away from
the math to talk about other issues.  Part of my concern was based on my
own experiences as a student: I was never taught mathematics with simultaneous
embedding of social action or other content.  I was always taught each
subject in isolation. But, after taking theoretical education courses at CSULA
and simultaneously working with my students in the residency, I can see that
teaching the math concepts while simultaneously embedding social issues in to
them, makes the content more relevant and, therefore, more engaging to them.
 This, in turn, results in a higher level of learning in my classroom.  

Throughout the school year, I have heard comments from
experienced teachers such as "kids these are not like they used to"
or "what's with kids these days? The nerve of these kids". The
reality is that kids are not like they used to and it makes no sense to keep
trying to teach them like 'back' in the days. We need to push our teaching to
new directions by learning how our students learn best. "If a child can't
learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn".
(Estrada) Albert Einstein explains how the definition of insanity is “doing the
same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. As such, it is
absurd to continue conducting business as usual and expect different results.
We need to continue to build relationships with our students and learn from our
students. Students are not like they used to and tomorrows students will
definitely NOT learn in the same way as today's.
In the beginning of the school year I did not know how to
address the bigger, more profound issues in our work. I was never taught math
in connection to bigger issues. Thanks to my mentor teacher I am now able to
see how to simultaneously incorporating the math content and more profound
issues in the math classroom and in turn makes the lesson (content) more
meaningful.  In an attempt to close the
achievement gap, my mentor made use of culturally relevant pedagogy to address
more profound issues such as immigration in order to discuss ratios,
percentages, and fractions.
I leave you with a very interesting video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoHWI32Mz6w
All bias aside, I guarantee it will be worth your time.
-enjoy
-Geo

There
is always more we can do as teachers. 
That’s what I have found this year.  In order to push our teaching in new directions, we must
continue to learn about what interests our students, our society and
ourselves.  What happens around the
world, around the country, around the state, city and neighborhood all affect
the climate in which we live and teach. 
We are preparing our students for positions that don’t even exist today,
and it will be important to help our students develop strategies of
adaptation.  We need to make note
of them, and we need to have our students be in tune with how the world changes
and what role they play in it. 
From a mathematical standpoint, we can always have our students look at
data, analyzed and make conjectures about their findings. 
 
“Empowerment
begins by asking questions that arise out of the everyday living conditions of
people, and by refusing to accept answers and explanations as true without
investigation.  Critical
questioning involves asking not only ‘Is this true?’ but also ‘Who says so?’
‘Who benefits most when people believe it is true?’ ‘How are we taught to
accept that it is true?’ and ‘what alternative ways of looking at the problem
we can see?” (Grant and Sleeter, page 261)
 
One
message that will always be present is that our students’ voices and
perspectives are important and should be heard beyond just the classroom.  Our students should be allowed to think
about the sorts of things they face within their community. By inviting
community members into the classroom for group discussion and forum, students
can have their voices be heard, and their ideas can change what is happening in
their community.  

To push our teaching in new directions, teachers must have the
will to create change. Change can be scary and isn’t always easy, but change is
good as long as it’s in the right direction. Change is a risk and it can feel
uncomfortable, but I learn this year that I need to get comfortable with the
uncomfortable. It’s okay to struggle. We grow the most in the struggle and I
often like to say, “No pain, no growth. No struggle, no worth.”
From my two years at a charter school and a year in the
residency, I learn new things with each year. It is important that I keep an
open mind and have the drive to want to grow. Feedback can sometimes be
difficult to hear, but an outside perspective is always great to have.  As teachers, we must communicate and
share ideas with one another for our professional development. Teachers should
also educate themselves of the different learning styles and what ways can
teachers teach their students best. By talking to one another, teachers are
able to bounce off strategies and methods that worked or didn’t. Teachers will
also have the same students in different classes, hence, understanding students’
learning styles in every class can help teachers modify their teaching in their
own class.
We must be up to date with the current events around the
community, nation, and world. Being aware with the current issues, we can bring
these topics in our own classroom. Having community event and/or inviting people from the community into our classroom. If not directly, we can incorporate it in
our curriculum. Creating culturally relevant lessons brings meaning to our students learning. Connection is key. It is crucial for students to be able to see the learning in the classroom and connect it to their own lives. Then, there is a purpose.

“Social issues become more real and meaningful to students when they are encourage to examine them from a personal viewpoint, and students are more likely to act on issues that have meaning than on distant abstract issues” (Grant & Sleeter, page 263).

To push our teaching in new directions, we have to give the
students opportunities to make connections between content in our subjects and
the greater issues that currently exist in our society.  “We must remember that we are conditioned to
observe precisely those features and that our ability to distinguish
individuals as opposed to types is in an artifact of our upbringing” (Lee et
al., pg. 317).  In a similar way we recognize
race and phenotype expression through exposure in our upbringing, people
develop the ability to recognize issues through experience and meaningful exposure.   In a
sense we should condition students to recognize the greater issues through our
teaching and without this exposure they do not have a means of comparison or
knowledge to approach the more profound issues. 
My content passion is in biochemistry and the related implications of
the greater issues in our society affect the healthcare field and the food
industry.  In my teaching, I would like
to incorporate health issues of our society into a unit the biochemistry and
organic chemistry unit of my class by planning lessons that address the
composition of foods, fertilizers and nitrates, and the relationship between
food and medicine in our bodies.  There
are many foods and medicines that my students are exposed to in their everyday
lives that they do not have the background knowledge to make informed decisions
about.  Our nation is experiencing a
healthcare crisis which has correlations with the drug and food industry.  By using my content as the foundation, I can
push students to think critically and examine these connections that in an explicit,
content-specific, and data-driven manner. 
By providing my students with the foundational supports and enabling
them to use those supports to draw observation and conclusions about society,
the students will develop scientific literacy skills that will serve as a
vehicle for addressing these issues in their home and our community. 

The only thing constant is change. This quote is very applicable to education. As teachers, we have to realize that over time there are a lot of things changing and that what worked when we were students probably doesn't now when we are teachers. In a decade there have been many developments and strategies developed to make teaching more effective and efficient, and as teachers we have to adapt to the new methods. At the same time, the student population constantly shifts and the students that were taught a decade ago are in many ways different from the newer generation of students. Many factors like culture, tech skills, experiences and schools impact students and their learning. It is important to learn about your students and which strategies and methods work best for them in comprehending the content. So one of the new directions that teaching is heading into is the technological, higher level thinking, authentic project based learning approach in the school i am co-teaching in. It is important to see the best strategies and adaptations to your own school and the students in your classroom. As changes occur in education, we have to constantly change our instruction to make it more innovative and effective for the different groups of students that come into our classes year after year. Teachers must always reflect on their lessons and see what ways they can improve it. Another helpful strategy for teachers is to attend workshops and proffesional development in order to learn more about the craft of teaching and to collaborate with fellow educators.

I believe this
issue raises the question of what we define social justice to be… I had never
heard a clearer definition of what social justice was until I heard the Biology
teacher at Mendez give his definition. Its providing students with the same opportunities
and education they need to succeed regardless of class, race, and culture. I
truly believe in this statement, and the sooner we start treating our kids like
they are just as capable as other kids in “better” schools, the sooner they
will start believing it too.
I started
rebelling in Junior High, and I remember one of my “punishments” was to help
the janitor clean the campus up. I can recall waiting for my mom to come and
pick me up after school a few days after I had helped the janitor clean. While
I was waiting for my mom, I saw Ms. Stefanof (the principal at my school). I
smiled and tried making conversing with her, I remember very clearly what she
wore that day, and how much I had admired her up until that point… In our
conversation she told me she had heard great reports from the janitor and that at
least she now knew I would be able to hold a position cleaning when I got
older. I was so angry at her comment, but as a little 11 year old what do you
say to someone you believe is the superior?
I only mention
this story because in class today Emmanuel talked about Wilson having a similar
policy. I’ve always known I would have ended up with a respectable career, and
that would go to college and get my degree. I knew I could be successful, but
that was only because I had great parents who always told me I could achieve
anything. I consider myself lucky, had I been like many of our students, I
would have probably started believing adults like Ms. Stefanof.
 

“In all cases in which parents pushed their children to
achieve, it was done with those children who were considered to have natural
ability but who had not yet learned to use that ability well.” – Guadalupe
Valdes, Con Respeto, p. 135
 
The section we read in our book group this week discussed
family dynamics and their implications on schoolwork and learning. Our book
explained that in the Hispanic community they studied, doing well in school did
not necessarily correlate to success. They felt some students worked hard
memorizing material but did not necessarily understand what they were learning,
and would not be able to apply that knowledge in a meaningful way later in
life. The book discussed how parents labeled their children and adjusted their
expectations for their children according to those labels. Parents pushed
children when they believe their child had a natural ability but was not
applying him or herself. Parents would not push a child if they felt the child
had a mind that resisted learning or had trouble acquiring new information.
Only those who were achieving below their ability would be pushed to do more.
 
 “In their own subtle
way, each of the families let us know that maybe we were a bit misguided, that maybe it was our priorities that
weren’t straight.” – Guadalupe Valdes, Con Respeto, p. 135
 
In the section of the book that explains families’
perspectives on education, it becomes clear parents have accepted a broad view
of success for their children. For some of their children, doing well in school
is the way they will be successful. For others, they might find success in
cooking, sales, mechanics, or a number of other fields. These parents
understand their children have different natural talents. Their belief is their
children will be happy and successful if they discover their talents at a young
age, and then perfect those abilities. Being successful does not mean becoming
a doctor or a lawyer; being successful means doing something you are good at. I agree with this way of thinking. Success is in
the eye of the beholder. 

I push my teaching in new directions based on the
feedback I receive from my students, their needs and interests, my professional
development, and methods and strategies I accumulate through observation and
readings from NCTM and other resources.   My students ultimately determine how I
teach.  If I am not maximizing my
students’ learning based on formative and summative assessment data, then I
need to change something in my instruction or obtain feedback from my students
on what I can do to support their learning. 
For me, it is important to put my pride aside when teaching.  When I first began teaching my Geometry
classes on my own, I created handouts in which students will determine the rule
for special right triangles by studying the patterns in the side lengths of
several triangles and filling in the side lengths based on the pattern they
deduce.  Several students were able to
figure out the pattern and fill in the missing side lengths, however they had
difficulty describing and formulating the rule. 
In addition, despite having reviewed the actual definition of each type
of special right triangle, students were unable to apply the skill and concept
to new problems.  I was
disheartened.  I spent hours creating
handouts for this lesson that in the end, my students did not fully grasp the
concept.  After spending some time
reflecting back on how my students learn and from their prior experiences with
my mentor, I integrated my own style of teaching into methods that students
responded most to, which was the smartboard and lots of visual displays.  From this experience, I learned that in order
to really push myself and become an effective educator, I need to constantly
assess my practice by reviewing the data from student assessments.  Lastly, I find that I am learning A LOT of
new and effective practices from NCTM.  I
primarily research journals that will help me improve instruction for the
students I am currently teaching.  This
has really pushed my teaching since I am able to see results immediately after
implementation.  What comes to mind when I
think about my students is a quote from Beyond the Heroes about closing the
achievement gap: “Good teaching closes the gap. 
All teachers can learn and become better teachers.”  As a prospective urban teacher, one of my
goals is to close the achievement gap and I need to remember that it is my job
to continually improve and reflect upon my practice to become a better teacher.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

In order to change the more profound issues at work such
as the achievement gap, racism, and other social inequalities, I need to start
with myself and in the classroom.  I need
to ensure that I am modeling respect and practicing equality for my
students.  I need to ensure that I
provide my students with an education equitable to an education that students in
schools from higher socioeconomic brackets receive.  I should also teach students to study the
social issues that affect them.  In Grant
& Sleeter one particular quote comes to mind that “Although it is very important
to encourage young people to aspire to become anything they wish, it is also
important to help them learn to think systemically about oppression and justice
as it plays out in their own lives.”  If
I can teach students to think about oppression and the obstacles that they must
overcome, then students can work towards making a change. 

Kathleen

One dogma that Ms. Sork has recited from time to time is: "It can be better."  There is always something you can improve on in your lesson, no matter how many times or how long you've worked on it.  Ms. Sork believes in this creed so much so that, should a teacher no longer shows signs of improvement, she believes that that's the time he should quit the profession.  Although such a statement may be an exagerration, the importance for teachers to continually self-reflect and hone their instruction cannot be overemphasized.  
As teachers we must be, as Mr. Clay would put it, "reflective and effective."  There will always be something in our lessons that we can do better, whether it be adding a reflection at the end of class, using manipulatives instead of a power point, or adding that extra bit of instruction to avert confusion during lab work.  To an outsider, it all looks like painstaking work; but to us, it is a matter of life and death.  We know who our students are competing with.  They are competing with other studnets who have more experienced teachers, who have private tutoring after school, who don't have to worry about their basic needs being met.  It is our hope that, by pouring our hearts into every detail of instruction, we may level out the playing field a bit.
Yet, perhaps more important than the actual leveling of the field, is the need for our students to be aware that the field is skewed to begin with.  I have great doubts on whether or not our students know how dire the working world is out there.  Especially in Lincoln, there seems to be a lack of urgency for education in the part of the students.  I can't tell you how many times Ms. Sork and Mr. Cox has expressed total bewilderment as to why some students refuse to turn in work, or drop out of class without even having gone for tutoring.  
As urban educators, I believe it is out job to educate students about the socioeconomic climate that surrounds them.  I have to admit it is almost nonsensical that we teachers must work so hard to push our students toward success, often times being resisted by the students themselves!  It should be the students that are running full-stern ahead: the teacher's aid being a supplement, instead of a detractor, of their momentum towards success.  I strongly believe that it is only then that true social justice can be achieved in society.   

As a reflective practitioner, it’s important to continually
modify lessons to meet the demands of our multicultural students and the
changing times.  Being a teacher
also means being a student, we are always learning, we learn from our students,
our peers, our mentors, and ourselves. 
Knowing that trends come and they go, we have to be ready for the
changes that we have no control over. 
The way we adapt to these changes is by being involved in the global
teaching community.  Constantly
reading articles from researchers, break-through teaching strategies, attending
personal development meetings, conferences, and community events will all considerately
guide teachers in new directions. 
Multicultural education should be an anti-racist education
that is firmly related to student learning and permeates all areas of
schooling.  Because of this we have
to be familiar with what it means to be anti-racist, and how we can teach
anti-racism to our students, not in an aggressive violent way, but in a
peaceful educational way.  People
in general do not know they are being racist at times, they are ignorant or
feel their behavioral is normal to what society constitutes as “racist”. 
Moral purpose is a social responsibility to others and the
environment. School leaders with moral purpose seek to make a difference in the
lives of students. They are concerned about closing the gap between
high-performing and lower-performing schools and raising the achievement of -
and closing the gap between - high-performing and lower-performing students.
All teachers should act with the intention of making a positive difference in
their own schools as well as improving the environment in other district schools.  Moral purpose addresses the big picture
of the inequalities that exist throughout schools.  

First off, congratulations to all of you for completing a reflection the same week TPA was due. After the TPA I was all reflected-out ... but after the extra day I think I'm ready to reflect again.
I agree with the overall discussion that teachers should always continue to be students. I think thats what has made this year so rewarding that I have been able to teach students while at the same time continuinig to learn myself. I've really enjoyed being able to share my plans with others and getting feedback. I've enjoyed hearing about other people's ideas and thinking about how I might modify them for my own classroom. I agree that we should all be Student-Teachers all the time because as others have mentioned we should always be looking to grow.
I'm actually very surprised at how much this is lacking. Frankly, its been quiet a rollercoaster to learn the ins and outs of an urban school. Previously, as an outsider, I would not have imagined to what extent the disorder existed. Fortunately, I don't think its because anyone is purposely trying to take advantage of the sytem. I think everyone is working very diligently in trying to give  their students the best experience, but everyone is working in complete isolation .... reinventing the wheel over and over and over again. If I were king of the universe, I would figure out a way to systematically provide teachers with more time for collaboration and profressional development. The way the system stands now, there is not enough time to do this meaninfully. Again, there is the question of resources but if I were king of the universe that would not be an issue.  

How do we push our teaching in
new directions?
How do we make sure to address the bigger, more profound issues in our work?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

To
push my teaching in a new direction, I first have to see what direction I’m
going in.  As a reflective practitioner
in education, I’ve been instilled the belief that only through retrospection
and analysis of my lessons will I become a more effective and affective
teacher.  Specifically, the more I learn
about new and ingenious ways of delivering content-rich inquiry-based
instruction to my science classrooms the better my students will be for
it.  This entails improving my craft by
educating myself through professional development courses, attending seminars
and webinars, and searching online for any available resources that can enhance
and improve my lessons.  Our professor,
Dr. Adenika, introduced us to perhaps the most elite and expansive collection
of resources and journals available to science and math educators.  I’ve become almost addicted to the wealth of
information that these websites have to offer. 
From a science perspective, I’ve developed lessons directly from
articles in the journals.  The articles
in the NSTA, and NCTM, offer intricate lessons with adaptations for ELLs and
special needs students.

In
the realm of social justice, of which we now belong to, it is crucial that we
address the issue of poverty and decline of the middle class in our classrooms
and in our staff meetings.  So many times
I’ve heard veteran teachers state that the parents don’t care or that they are
culture doesn’t promote education. 
Although on the surface these blanket statements seem accurate, further examination
of each student on an individual bases will tell you that deep down all
students what to learn, and that all students have the capacity to learn.  It all depends on, again, pushing my teaching
in a new direction, but also, letting the students know what’s at stake.  It’s not just about them getting a good grade
in science or math or ELA or history.  It’s
about their survival in a changing world. 
I opened up a discussion for about 30 minutes in my class about space
exploration.  We discussed NASA and how
we are now piggybacking on Russian and European space shuttles because we’re losing
funding for our space program.  They
asked if we still had astronauts and I replied “yes, but they are not in the US
anymore.” The discussion lead to the allocation of my and how our military and
prisons consume the national debt while education and technology-based jobs
were going overseas.  I don’t know how
much of my ranting was accurate, but I got to my students.  The more I said, the more they asked, and
that went on for a little over a half hour. 
Ultimately, we have to reach the children and prey that the adults follow
suit.

How do we push our teaching in
new directions?
How do we make sure to address the bigger, more profound issues in our work?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

To
push my teaching in a new direction, I first have to see what direction I’m
going in.  As a reflective practitioner
in education, I’ve been instilled the belief that only through retrospection
and analysis of my lessons will I become a more effective and affective
teacher.  Specifically, the more I learn
about new and ingenious ways of delivering content-rich inquiry-based
instruction to my science classrooms the better my students will be for
it.  This entails improving my craft by
educating myself through professional development courses, attending seminars
and webinars, and searching online for any available resources that can enhance
and improve my lessons.  Our professor,
Dr. Adenika, introduced us to perhaps the most elite and expansive collection
of resources and journals available to science and math educators.  I’ve become almost addicted to the wealth of
information that these websites have to offer. 
From a science perspective, I’ve developed lessons directly from
articles in the journals.  The articles
in the NSTA, and NCTM, offer intricate lessons with adaptations for ELLs and
special needs students.

In
the realm of social justice, of which we now belong to, it is crucial that we
address the issue of poverty and decline of the middle class in our classrooms
and in our staff meetings.  So many times
I’ve heard veteran teachers state that the parents don’t care or that they are
culture doesn’t promote education. 
Although on the surface these blanket statements seem accurate, further examination
of each student on an individual bases will tell you that deep down all
students what to learn, and that all students have the capacity to learn.  It all depends on, again, pushing my teaching
in a new direction, but also, letting the students know what’s at stake.  It’s not just about them getting a good grade
in science or math or ELA or history.  It’s
about their survival in a changing world. 
I opened up a discussion for about 30 minutes in my class about space
exploration.  We discussed NASA and how
we are now piggybacking on Russian and European space shuttles because we’re losing
funding for our space program.  They
asked if we still had astronauts and I replied “yes, but they are not in the US
anymore.” The discussion lead to the allocation of my and how our military and
prisons consume the national debt while education and technology-based jobs
were going overseas.  I don’t know how
much of my ranting was accurate, but I got to my students.  The more I said, the more they asked, and
that went on for a little over a half hour. 
Ultimately, we have to reach the children and prey that the adults follow
suit.

For us to first be able to push our
teaching into new directions, we must first establish what course our
teaching is on. The current direction that my teaching is on is one
that has been pre-established. I am here to educate the youth on
Physics. That is my assignment and that is where my teaching is
going. The new direction I see myself going is one that is best
expressed by a quote on a mural of Roosevelt High School.

 
“The current condition of our people
does not permanently define our people. In order to change our
present colonization condition, we need to be taught the true and
completely Pre-European history of our people in a positive
constructive manner.”

 
The direction I want my teaching to go
is to help teach the value of the culture that was lost, trampled,
and to this day ridiculed. I see my culture being exposed as
something of a horse laugh. I see my culture being portrayed as
savage and left to collect dust in the minds, libraries, and museums.
I want to revive that which may have been forgotten, but still has a
heart beat.