Week 5

Chapters 5 & 6, “Reflective Teaching” Chapter 5 Marzano.

 

The different traditions were interesting to read through, I found myself sometimes identifying with parts of a tradition, or remember how a teach I have had seem to have this tradition about their teaching, and I also found myself disgusted by some parts of certain traditions.
As I think about what kind of a teacher I am and what tradition do I most identify with I would have to say I identify with a more progressive tradition, but I also think that my feet are in the pond of the spiritual-contemplative tradition, just slowing wading in the more I teach and learn.

I feel I am more on the progressive tradition side due to how I was personally raised and the kind of learning environment I experienced as a child. When I sit down to create lessons I have my student in mind first thing, and then the other important factors required of course. I hope as I watch my video I see the evidence of putting my students and their learning/creativity first and foremost.

I feel that this tried and true way of teaching does have it's faults, which explains my slow movement over to the side of spiritual-contemplative tradition, I am just starting to experience these moment in the classroom, moments that I feel are the kind of moments that Kathy, Amy, and Hyatt talk about! the ah-ha moments for students, those truly meaningful experiences that can shape and change a students life... that's what I'm working towards. 

 

2. How would you describe your teaching self?   still mulling this one over, not exactly sure how to accurately explain this without talking in circles... until more comes.

 

Metaphor

Sorry I'm late on the metaphor, I misunderstood our due date :(   Now that my glue is finally dry I wanted share!

 

 

After much thought and revision of thought, I finally settled on the idea that our little art community is a lot like Marry Poppins bag... We fit neatly inside our doors, but when you open us up, you can continually keep pulling out the art fun.

 

I have tried to make our art community feel homier, so that my students feel comfortable to experiment, learn, take risks and have fun. The quote on the wall reads, "Life is about using the whole box of crayons" which seems to be our way, we are trying anything and everything when it comes to our creation. My role is there to provide support, guidance and resources for their learning. And well the book and the child hanging from the ceiling is how our room can be, a little crazy and exciting.

Week 4 Read & React

Chapters 3- Personal experience, transmitted knowledge, and values all play a large role in who and what we are as teachers. I found it interesting that it was pointed out, how we are more driven by values, because those values shape how we experience something as well as how we perceive information/knowledge. As I was looking back and considering these three factors I feel that values effect my teaching most, then my personal experiences ( I seem to hang on to some things and cannot let them go... be it good or bad) and last then is transmitted knowledge. I do however feel that the more I teach and learn, I think the transmitted knowledge will start to pull into second place and have even more of an effect on my teaching. Chapter 4-Emotion behind teaching... "Teachers create emotional relationships with their students, and Connell maintains that managing these relationships 'is a large part of her [the teacher's] labour process." p38  The amount of emotion involved in teaching, well at least for  me, is hard to put a size on. Especially in the elementary level, I personally am very emotionally involved in my work, but my students also have more than enough emotions to go around :)  Best student emotion of all... the excitement created by discovery and pride! The idea of the metaphor of teaching is difficult for me to describe. "Thus images are part of our past, called forth by situations in which we act in the present, and are guides to our future, Images as they are embodied in us entail emotion, morality and aesthetics" (Connelly  Clandinin, 1998, p 60) This ending to the paragraph struck me as I was reading. I am trying to figure out what images do I have that are floating around in my brain that I emulate or that keep me from making certain choices as a teacher... I was sad to come up with more negative images than positive images. I suppose that those who I did not find as great educators, who did something so "bad" as a teacher, that it stuck with me, has changed how I approach students or certain teaching moments- falling back in with those "personal experiences" that have changed my teaching ideas.

 “What motivates the impulse to teach?”
The first thing to that came to mind as I was thinking about this idea of why teach? was "why not?" For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher. There is only one defining moment when I remember making the switch in my brain to say I will be a teacher. It was in middle school. But I have to be honest I just kept hearing the same answer... I have always felt that teaching in some way or another was my calling. Even as a young girl I recall children being oddly okay with me- toddlers I had just me wanting me to hold them, or being every one's babysitter and playing with the children for hours.... A thought comes to me just now that I wonder if it has any relevance to my need to teach... Some of you know that  I am an only child, and this was a topic that I started exploring in Hyatt's studio class this summer. Basically I have always wanted and longed for a sibling... I wonder if teaching is my way of getting that "fix" for nurturing, playing and friendship. Hmmm interesting-Going to need to chew on that one for a few days.
I know a big reason I still feel the impulse to teach is that I thoroughly enjoy the look on a child's face as they learn something new, or work really hard and finally get it figured out. It is a self centered reason I suppose, I like to be involved in other people's success, I want to help others along that journey and support them as they go, not just stand back and watch.

Week 3 R&R

*disclaimer, this is by no means in order of our assignment, however it is in the order in which it came to my mind, because as I looked at some things, other things/questions/ideas began to come to light :)

Well so far, I'm totally loving this text! So much to chew on from chapter 2 alone.
Chapter 1 was interesting for the simple fact that I never really thought about myself as a teacher not being considered knowledgeable enjoy to do things like curriculum writing, or making important educational decisions... for a very simple reason, I have been fortunate enough to be teaching with a  generation of people who have proven that teachers can make these important changes in education, and for that I am so grateful! I always appreciate the movers and shakers that came before to help pave the way for the next generation :)  It seems offensive to me that teachers would not be used as a knowledgeable resource to make these changes, but then again, I'm not a politician, so I believe that those who make the decisions should mainly be those who have to carry out the actions and deal with the consequences.
Chapter 2 Dewey's three attitudes made me reexamine something... Am I really as open-minded as I think I am... well, no, in fact according to Mill's types of believers I would be somewhere between a sophisticated believer and a critical believer. Based on the simple fact that there are times when I don't want to hear differently or simply feel my way/thought is correct (oh, I'm sounding a bit like my father). So in terms of the educational standpoint, I feel that this program here at MU has very much been helping me to be more open-minded. This I feel like is going to be one of my goals- being truly open-minded, requiring me to not only look around my beliefs, but also within them and answering the hard questions about why I hold these beliefs to be important and true? As for the attitude of responsibility, I would give myself a B+ here, I'm pretty good at considering the repercussions of my actions and teachings on all areas, if fact that guides much of the decision making. And the attitude of wholeheartedness, well I need to work more on open-mindedness, which in part make my wholeheartedness more... wholehearted.

There where a few phrases that have stuck with me that I feel for me are important for me to chew on in one way another. So documenting them here is more for me than for you, but hey, maybe these things are true for you as well:
"that because of teachers' direct involvement in the classroom, they bring a perspective to understanding the complexities of teaching that cannot be matched by external researchers no matter what methods of study they employ." (p5)
A Reflective Teacher:
"1. examines, frames, and attempts to solve the dilemmas of classroom practice; 2. is aware of and questions the assumptions and values he or she brings to teaching; 3. is attentive to the institutional and cultural contexts in which he or she teaches; 4. takes part in curriculum development and is involved in school changes efforts; and 5. takes responsibility for his or her own professional development." (p6-7)
"Reflective teachers are simply and unabashedly committed to the education of all their students and to their own education as teachers. When they make mistakes... they move on." (p13)
Finally I found another thing that I was thinking would be my goal of each and every lesson I plan and idea I teach... to answer the following:
"Reflective teachers evaluate their teachings by asking the broader questions, Are the results good? For whom? and in what ways?- not merely Have my objectives been met?" (p12)---Reading this was like a light bulb going off... sometimes I get a bit too set in my ways or not as motivated as I should be and I feel these questions can keep me on the straight and narrow.

Questions to chew on:
P16 "What are some of the things that you do automatically in the classroom without consciously thing about them?   If a student comes to you angry with another student or crying and upset, what is your first reaction? What other reactions might you have? Do you ever react differently to students ( or their parents) depending upon their gender, race, or social class background?

The questions above are things that I have been diving into with the thought of how I can be a  mentor to my student teacher. I have been trying to become more aware of the decisions I am making and why I'm making them, and explaining them to my ST.-It is amazing to me how many things we seem to do without even thinking about them... some things have always been that way and others have become that way due to practice and some experience. For example the question about how we react to the above situation... I started thinking about how I make decisions when there is a problem with a student(s). We are by no means a melting pot, and majority of my students come from families where one if not both parents make a substantial amount of money... and there is where I caught myself, I change the way I handle situations with certain students based on their social background. With this I had to ask myself.... is that fair? Boy that was a loaded question  hehe, challenge excepted!  Here is where I feel that this is okay, some of my students come from a home where it is okay to act rudely and they only know the things they know because it is how they are taught to survive. So if child A knows better and child B simply has not been taught what is or is not appropriate, can we hand these children differently? Yes, I say. In this way: When I have to intervene in a situation it is done so, one on one, and with the personal knowledge of that child's history. My job to help that child understand what has occurred and what is acceptable behavior, ALSO to have that child take responsibility for their actions, especially if they know better... With that said, I feel this is one of the strongest aspects of my classroom management that holds each of my students to a high expectation and that I feel they begin to hold for themselves as well. It is a nice comfort that majority of my fellow teachers run this way. Well I hope this made sense. I feel it is something I can chew on and continue to evaluate as a practice... and Question if I am correct in my thoughts.

P20 "Can you think of an example in your own experience where participating in a discussion caused you to rethink and then change your position on an issue? Conversely can you think of a time when a group discussion made you feel uncomfortable and caused you to stop examining your beliefs or ideas? Can you begin to describe features or elements of either of these experiences that might help you to understand the enabling and dis enabling features of those sort of "critical" conversations?  In your own experience as a teacher or prospective teacher, how important has the group context been in helping you to clarify and develop your beliefs?

These questions I'm hoping others are considering as well, because I believe I have been on both sides of the fence, where I felt comfortable learning another view and allowing it to influence my view     and   I have also felt very uncomfortable about conversations and what those conversations are asking me to reconsider about my personal beliefs.... But that is what we call growing up and find "ourselves" is it not?  I'm more interested in the idea of what are these features or elements that are enabling or dis enabling these conversations... So that brings me to a few things that have been helpful with my change of decision:  comfort ability in the need for idea change, comfort ability with those who are addressing me, as well as respectability for those who addressing this with me.  On the other side I feel there are a few things that are dis enabling me from being open-minded:  Sometimes the person presenting the information, how the information is presented (meaning weather it's a take it or leave it attitude... or my way or the highway attitude), core personal values that I was brought up in believing are correct (hard to really reconsider something that you and your family have believed for so long to be true, when in fact it may not be- I would say this is hard for everyone).   In terms of working in a group, and how these group contexts have been able to help me clarify and develop my beliefs, I feel that there is no bigger example with this than that of MU art ed program... Being with this group of diverse thinkers and learners, and this open forum of thought has changed my ideas about education for the better. They are definitely different than many of those I was first trained on, but I feel that this group has shown me a much better way of thought. AND every time I am stuck or have a lame excuse for why it won't work... There is an educated thought from a colleague in our group that helps me to see the light and be more open. "Because of the deeply ingrained nature of our behavioral patterns, it is sometimes difficult to develop a critical perspective on our own behavior. For that reason alone, analysis occurring in a collaborative and cooperative environment is likely to lead to greater learning. (Osterman &Kottkamp, 1993, p25)" Well stated!

and finally...
Do you know wrote your curriculum? yes, a few of my colleagues sat down and did it. it was supposed to be our whole team of 13 elementary teachers, it ended up being about 4 (gladly I was included, but mostly as a listener and a few suggestions here and there being it was my first year). The rest sat around and chatted, excuses were made like, they are too hard to get along with, or they are retiring in a few years, so basically their opinion is not necessary. Terrible example to see
When was it last changed? It was changed three years ago, and sadly, yes it was changed to be much better than before, but still not totally for the better, more with the intentions of: what will please the Supers? and what do we already do that fills this need?
How is it different from(or the same as) your own schooling experiences? I'm not sure how to answer this question, because we made a very "idealistic" kind of curriculum in college... now I kind of laugh when I look at it and think- I had so much to understand and learn.

Week 2 Read&Reflect

For Marzano’s Teacher Scales for Reflection, I found myself rated exactly where I would expect to be, 2-3 developing and applying these strategies, yet recognizing that I need to make changes as needed to continue growing with my students. The whole time I kept thinking how cool this would be to take every few years before, during and at the end of your teaching career- with complete and total honesty, something you would only see. This would be a great way to see how you’ve grown and maybe what areas you still need to be working on or are avoiding. I was a bit overwhelmed by the Marzano chapter and reflection, because it immediately made me think, “Oh, how could I have let this lax, I need to work on this.” But I also felt overwhelmed by the fact that as I’m reading I was thinking… Only 50 minutes a week, how in the world can we cram all of this in…? Wait we can but it means being so amazingly prepared for everything, and several years of a foundation of students brought up in my manner of teaching that know the practices and how we run it.   And not constantly changing my mind about every little thing~ if it’s hard for me to keep up, it’s hard for them to keep up.
The theme that kept emerging to me when I look back between my qualities and reflection scales was my thought process when rating myself. I frequently had the thought of, well sometimes we do this, and then some days this seems less important or less of a focus. I feel like when I really look back on my teaching, it’s a bit of a roller coaster for me and my students. I am always dead on and consistent when it comes to my love for my students and teaching, and classroom management. But when I look at assessment, or other areas, I think I’m probably doing it always, but I’m not always present in my mind to be specifically thinking about each and every one of these things… Hopefully I’m not the only one who feels this day. My mental focus of what I am trying to do better can fluctuate daily, and for simple reasons, like last week’s assignment, or the staff meeting this morning, or something another teacher said yesterday. Even though I feel a bit all of the place with these things I always find that I come back and hit on them multiple times, almost as a refresher.
As for objectivism- well part of me feels like a lot of my childhood education was spent memorizing and listening and then regurgitation of what I learned and then forgetting it. To an extent we need to be able to memorize certain things and I do ask this of my students, but I try to find more ways for them to explore and learn these important things through experimentation in the art room. I feel that if I can make it fun and they can make these discoveries as learners they will hang on to that information longer.