An Interesting Week

November 13th, 2007 by

     I had some very positive experiences last week in “Four Freedoms Week.”  I enjoyed the movie on the 1964 Rochester Race Riots and the Brave new Poetry.   I also saw various other events for other classes. 

    I never thought an uprising would occur in such a local area.  I am from Buffalo; race uprising occurred downsouth as far as I was concerned.  This movie was so articulate.  I will show it in my social studies classes. It is not only a great civil rights source, it is local and extremely well made.  I enjoyed the discussion amongst the crowd after the viewing.  It is really enjoyable to see so many care so much about civil rights.  That is how we all should be.  This source would be so valid to an social studies class!

     Brave New Poetry gave some 3-D look into creative writing.  The poems recited by the woman were discriptive and interactive in the case of the doughnut!  The painting done by the students were incredible.  Such an activity deeply implements ideas and lessons learned.  They learn a subject they creativly explore it and expand upon it in artwork.  I thought it was interesting how the students were.  They seemed to be deeply connected to their paintings and exited about such school work.  It reflects some of the positive elements of school without walls.

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The Weird Watsons

October 23rd, 2007 by

     I love The Watsons.  The book was so entertaining.  I grew very attached to the characters especially Kenny and Joetta.  I believe that was intentional by the author.  The reader grows connected with the family especially Joey and Ken; then the bombing of the church in Birmingham becomes more impacting.  Reading a scholarly explanation of such an event would become less personal and illustrative than putting a face and a personality behind the tragedy.  I know I felt the suspense as I read and sensed the worst part was coming. 

     Fictional stories have their value.  I would argue their value can be at the least equal to non-fiction stories.  Events of any type are not always understood by students if their is not emotion.  Emotion creates a connection to anyone.  Students imagine and think “What if it was me? or my sister? or my friend?.” The bombing in The Watsons just happens to be negative.  Positive emotion can be just as effective.  Simply Fictional stories with historical accuracy can put a picture on a distant and confusing subject.   

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Tough Decisions

October 15th, 2007 by

     I just watched the “Tour of The Forgotten State.”  I can say I am honestly moved by it.  It was not a pleasant video to watch.  It was simple and powerful.  The style that the video was done in was very impacting.  Every image and word had multiple meanings.  The animation and music complemented the mood even more. 

     Animation such as the letters falling away out of the screen put the image of someones life falling apart out of reach.  Pictures of people in a struggle to hold on, even with only one arm while trying to hold an infant, created a hint of the struggle the 1 in 8 Americans go through.  Each cost deducted from the total of $19, 971 felt like a punch or a hit.  I kept thinking ”What could the next hit possibly be?” 

     I believe this video is an excellent use of literacy.  Could you imagine tying this video into some type of economics lesson with other resources (like a text book) and teaching it to an inner city classroom?  You can’t get a more impacting lesson.  Every student in the class would be zoned in on the video and what you have to say. It is a shame that 37 Americans should live like this.  I hope I can improve the opportunities of youth as a teacher in the near future.   

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Teacher Man

October 11th, 2007 by

     This book is exciting to read. (You can tell I’m excited by the way I am writing too)  My immediate reactions range from laughing to wondering what struggle I have ahead for me as a teacher (I can’t wait to take it on!) I am reading about this teacher Mr. McCourt, an Irish-American immigrant.  I am just so entertained by the varieties of dialogue and description that evolve from him.  Mr McCourt has been put in varieties of situations with varieties of people; I am a mixture of worry, joy, and anger as I discover what happens.  I want to jump right in the story and say do this, no don’t do that.  I am thinking constantly “What would I do in that situation?”

          What Would I do in that situation? I better find out cause I am going to be in it soon!  I want to be hired in the City of Buffalo, that is my dream job.  I have a passionate interest in helping out its citizens.  I think I can do best as a teacher.  I am white and happen to be of Irish Decent like Mr. McCourt; I am relating to the story.  Each situation is like a test in my mind.  Reading the book really gets me interested in what I want to and don’t want to do as a future teacher.

     I was especially critical of the section when Mr. McCourt has a class of 29 Black 15 year old girls and two Puerto Rican boys.  How would I get attention and form connections with such a class? I have minimal common ground!  I dug back in my mind and remembered all I have learned in Education so far.  I have to learn, discover, and embrace their culture.  I have to teach to it, through it, in it.  Teaching is about the students; not about yourself.

      Needless to say I am excited about what we will talk about in class tomorrow.    

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Social Learning

October 2nd, 2007 by

     Subjects Matter Chapter 7 “Building a Community of Learners,” was great.  It went into detail of all the ways I as a future teacher can form a learning community in my classroom.  Learning communities provide aspects of education that could not be formed in “old-school” teaching. 

     The year is 2015.  I have been teaching Global History for a few years at South Park High school in Buffalo.  What does my classroom look like? Feel like?  I hope it will emulate the ones described in Chapter 7.  Students support themselves and work as a unit to arise to higher levels.  I am a classroom and educational tool, not a lecturer.  I work individually with each child yet I encourage the group to mingle and discuss.  I will look for and appreciate feedback from each student.  I will push along the weaker students and let the stronger ones lead by example.  I will delegate responsibilities.  Students will be a working gear in the class machine; versus being individuals in a stagnant audiance.

     I have first hand witnessed community building activites in my college courses and do become involved in them in my tutoring for my service scholarship.  Building communial trust and relationship allows for more effecient learning and development.

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Specific Contents, One Strategy

September 25th, 2007 by

     In “Parrallel Experiences: Tapping the Motherload,” I was pleased to read about the literacy of multiple subject.  The reading was concise, clear, and supported by examples and real-life events.  The article proved to me that literacyimproving curriculum is possible and should occur in varieties of subjects.  If it can be related to Industrial technology, it can be related to anything.  I am gradually trying new and exciting ideas for reading strategy into my future plans as a social studies teacher.  I think it is going to be a challenge, but will have endless positive effects on the students if each teacher supports literacy teaching in every subject.   

     Throughout the reading I noticed the reactions of teachers and students to the new implecation of reading in classes.  I think it would be excellant if some type of reading evaluation was performed in every class.  Teachers and administrators have a better grasp on their students progress as a learner rather than just a history student, math student, or a tech student.  I say learner because learning relates directly to your literacy skill.  If you have high literacy skills you have a great skill in learning whatever you wish.  Literacy and learning have a direct correlation in what I’ve learned so far.

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A New Sparked Interest

September 19th, 2007 by

Literacy has suddenly become an interest of mine.  I have never studied the actual topic of literacy until this course.  The short time we have spent together as a class and spent reading Subject Matter & Teaching and Learning Multiliteracieshas already impacted my whole teaching theory and vision.  I am excited to continue the learning.  I found the topic of urban education extremely fascinating last year, Literacy has so far tied in well with my interest.      I have gained from our class activities that literacy expands beyond the realm of reading a book.  It goes beyond education.  It extends into social and practical realms as well.  Literacy is speaking, writing, reading, and hearing.  It is communication.  Needless to say, communication is the glue of society.  This means that a society’s literacy ability allows or restricts what it can do. 

     In Teaching and Learning Multiliteracies, he diversity of literacy is concentrated.  That is the heart of multiliteracy.  Literacy beyond reading a paragraph.  Literacy for practical use daily.  The change in literacy was strained as well.  Literacy has changed with the expansion of technology through the decades.  The use of Internet is arguably the largest change in literacy technology in recent years. What will be next? That is a challenge in the realm of literacy.

   I was most attracted to the chapters in Subjects Matter.  The new teaching processes mentioned with the fast food unit excite me.  I can relate to the standard content reading with little relation to practical use.  I hope that this course will be teaching me the new ways of involving reading into my future history classes.  I do not want to be the same patterned teacher.  read a chapter a week, quiz on Friday.  Reflection, discussion, and relation to real life is optimal.  The intense involvement of students into the fast food scandal was outstanding.  i want to get students fired up enough that they will go telling everyone about history.

     I was interested in the facts about the differences in urban testing scores and suburban testing scores.  I learned a great deal about that topic last semester.  I wish to continue learning about literacy in urban settings as it is my dream to be a city school teacher.  I believe I can do more good teaching there; just as long as I lean the arts of literacy through this class.

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The Mechanics of Literacy

September 19th, 2007 by

     I am the type of person who loves to know how things work. I love to be involved with ground-up types of explinations and operations. “The National Reading Panel…” was an excellant article. I have never been exposed to the mechaniques of reading from an objective point of view. I obviously learned with this five components at a young age, but was oblivious to their existence. The division of our language or any language into componants allows for a increasingly efficient way or teaching and learning literacy. I understand how literacy is so complex even down to the simplest words. Phenomic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Text Comprehension are the 5 componants that are invovled in every word and every passage. the way these componants are utilized has an effect on the learner.

     I think it has most effect on english language learner. In urban education this is very important. The United states is changing with a sharp increase in the amount of Latino-American citizens. The teaching of language will be crucial. I was interested in the study explained in Phonics, Whole Processes Determine reading Speed. It sparked in my mind the debate I learned about last semester over weather language should be taught with focus on the phonics or the mechanics of the word; or the option of whole language. I think the study shows that a combination is needed. Word mechanical understanding will allow for quicker reading and more efficient reading. I know I will keep an open mind for these aspects of literacy in the future. these readings have been another step in opening my horizons on education.

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Introduction

September 4th, 2007 by

Hello

    I am Mick Barr.  I am excitied to get back into the school year with another great set of education classes.  Last semester I learned quite a bit of valuable and interesting education ideas.  I will be striving to do the same this semester.  I am interested in History and Government.  I plan on teaching in the same areas. 

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