Lehman Alternative Community School

The world 'alternative' is defined as "employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment." Certainly, the experience I encountered at the Lehman Alternative Community School followed this notion.

By first glance, the exterior of the school is different than most. There is no large drop off area for buses or parents' cars. The front is a bit grungier than, say, Cortland JSHS. When I walked into the school, I first encountered students outside playing hacky-sack. I thought that school must be out since the students were not inside the building.

Inside, the school is also massively different. Students are roaming everywhere, I cannot tell who is a big kid or a teacher, and then I am greeted by a teenage girl introducing herself and asking, "Are you the Cortland students?" Why, yes I am!

We were taken into the All School Meeting. Never before had I seen such an event. Students and teachers sat together on chairs inside the smallest gymnasium I had ever seen. A student stood in the center with an overhead projector, trying his best to lead the meeting. The students and faculty were discussing issues within the school through democratic means: An issue was brought up, read on the overhead, discussion ensued, and voting occurred.

I found that the event was quite disorganized, yet it seemed as if no one was bothered by it, as if it happens all the time. Some students had their iPODS playing in their ears, teachers eating lunch on the chairs, students chatting with each other, and some paying attention.

Then we were given a tour of the school. Since it was previously used as an elementary school, the building was quite small. Luckily, the school had gotten money and was going to be adding a library, new gymnasium, and other additions onto the building.

The weirdest part was the "graffiti room." A room at the bottom end of the building was sectioned off as an area where students can paint anything (within reason and with rules applied) on the walls. The hope is that by doing this, students will not graffiti the bathrooms, lockers, desks, etc.

I am not so sure I like this idea, however. I think the graffiti room does not get to the source of the problem, which is discipline. Students are not taught to control themselves; they are just given a different place to write on.

Overall, the school was very much something different for me to experience. I would probably not have been a good candidate at the school. I enjoyed structure, more formal interaction, and I was motivated by intrinsic things, but also by grades. So, this situation would not have been for me.

It was definitely a wild trip, though, and I am very thankful I went.

NCTE -- Students, Teachers, and Parents Speak Out About Technology Integration in Schools

In this recent article from NCTE, students (especially) want to see more integration of technology in math and science. The teachers, parents, and students all feel that learning through real-life problems in these subjects, as well as talking with people in the field and visiting places (such as a green house for science) are better than sitting in the classroom with abstract ideas.

Well...excuse my language...but "Duh!"

We all knew that a long time ago. I guess administrators are just figuring this "constructivist" idea out. Well good! A little late than never.

Students also feel that cell phones should be allowed in school for emergencies and for staying in contact with parents. 97% of students wanted cell phones, but only half of the teachers. I can see both perspectives. Students see it as a means of communication and entertainment, and teachers see it as a distraction.

I would recommend reading the article. It is quite enlightening. Finally, parents are taking more control over their children's education and speaking out, constructively!

source: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6951

My Honor's Thesis

For my Honors Program requirement, I have to do a thesis on a topic of my choice. I went through a long planning period. At first I wanted to do a paper on censorship because Dr. Stearns had influenced me with her own experiences, as well as given me a lot of ideas in ENG374. My second idea was to do a paper on multiculturalism because I was seeing the expansion of new cultures, especially Spanish, into classrooms. Then I moved onto poetry in the classroom, since so many teachers fail at doing this topic well. Finally, I landed on my thesis topic, and I was mostly influenced by AED308, where Dr. Sarver talked about the theory of constructivism. I thought that the theory truly pinpointed my philosophy of teaching. So I decided I would focus on the positive attributes of constructivism in the classroom, with specific interest in three different areas. However, I only got through one of the areas, critical thinking, before seeing my thesis was done with 23 pages. So, I did not need to delve into more. I had underestimated the power of critical thinking!

My writing process went as such: Over the December break, I did a lot of research on constructivism and critical thinking. Dr. Sarver was instrumental in lending me books on both topics, which provided to be invaluable. Also, I had learned a lot in her AED308 class as well as in my PSY332 class. Most of my research came from Paula Bobrowski's work on critical thinking, in specificity the Bellevue University Rubric for Critical Thinking. This rubric outlines critical thinking much like Bloom's Taxonomy. It lists the type of thinkers we become as we grow from the basic phase, the Egocentric Thinker, to the top phase, the Master Thinker.

Other parts of my thesis concentrate on the explanation of the different phases of the rubric, as well as how constructivism looks in the classroom, to the motivation styles constructivist teachers should use to get students to think critically.

One of my friends recently asked me if I enjoyed writing the thesis. I was ambivalent at first, because all I thought about was the hours at the computer and the desk typing and writing tirelessly. But when I thought about it, I really did enjoy the process. I learned a lot from the research I read, and the information I present will be valuable to me in my classroom. Also, I love writing, so the writing aspect was never a burden.

The hardest part of the thesis was deciding what to put in it. I did not want to be to general because the thesis was supposed to cite specific research, and a generalized paper is not informational. I am also at the difficult phase now of revision, but I am finding it to be less of a hassle than I thought.

Overall, I am relieved it is finally over, but I am glad I learned from it. :)

My observations + Friedman

In my classroom observations of high school students, most teachers do not employ the strategies Friedman says is crucial for future job opportunities. In the classrooms I see, most students are not shown to be collaborative, but rather are pushed to do individual work and have their work be conceptualized as an individual product. Friedman would say to give students more opportunities to collaborate with other students, to bounce ideas off of each other, and to get connected to other students globally.

Also, students in classes are not taught to explain themselves. The explanation part that Friedman refers to is also a part of critical thinking because if one is to explain the complexity of something, then one needs to understand all of its parts against the larger backdrop. Friedman would want students to have to reflect on their actions, to justify themselves so that they can otherwise explain why they did something and how they did it.

I believe students are not being challenged enough in schools today. I may not fully believe in all of Friedman's ideas, but I do believe that education needs to be reformed. Students need to be more critical thinkers, explainers, and adapters.

Friedman and YouTube

In Friedman's chapters 5 and 6, the jobs by which future employees will be in was discussed. Here is a quick outline:

Fungible refers to "work that can be easily digitized, automated, or transferred abroad is fungible" (278). The jobs that we hear of as being outsourced are fungible.

Untouchables are "people whose jobs cannot be outsourced, digitized, or automated" (278). These jobs include the following:

1) Great collaborators and orchestrators
people who are masters of collaborating "within and between companies."
ie sales, marketing, maintenance, and management
people who are good with working for global companies, not just in the local region, and "translating its services for the local market"

2) Great synthesizers
new business of "mash-ups," which is just mashing together two different web-based tools
ie merging google.com and craiglist.org

3) Great Explainers
People who can explain the complexities of certain topics (ie how to work a digital camera)
ie "The pure backroom technical person, who does not have good people skills, might be mess in demand. And the good people person, who might just be one chapter ahead of the clients in terms of understanding digital photography, becomes more valuable -- because he or she is a really good explainer."

4) Great Leveragers
People who can design computer programs that allow others to work smarter and faster
**This subtopic is the one I had the most trouble understanding**

5) Great Adapters
"employees who are more adaptable and versatile."
capable of "not only constantly adapting but also of constantly learning and growing."
be able to switch jobs rapidly and continuously

6) The Green People
People who deal with "renewable energies and environmentally sustainable systems."
agriculturally (hence 'green') based jobs

7) Passionate Personalizers
People who entertain others
exhibits "pure passion, sometimes it is pure entertainment, sometimes it is a creative touch that no one else thought of adding, but what it always does is take a routine task and upgrade it into a new middle job."
ie generous employee at a local coffee shop or the man at Yankee stadium that blows up balloon bats for fans

8) Great Localizers
People who are involved in small and medium-sized businesses



The YouTube movie was similar. The makers showed that just because we are "American" does not make us stand out anymore because the world has become so globalized that other countries are becoming more competitive.

I must say that the concluding lines that said "by 2049 a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the human race." That line is extremely scary, and I truly hope it DOES NOT happen. I do not want a computer chip thinking for me, let alone me plus the entire human race. That is why we are humans...because we are individuals. If we take away our individuality, what do we have left? Nothing. The difference between us and plants is that we can think for ourselves...but if this prior line comes true, there really is no difference.

iMovie Experience

After completing our iMovie group project, I am relieved to be finished and proud of the finished project. Savanna, Nichole, and I enjoyed the process, even though it was surely time consuming. All three of us were able to sign out cameras, and we had our storyboard completed before the shooting. Getting the interviews was exciting, especially when we get footage that really helped develop our topic of "campus parking issues."

Here are my recommendations for other groups:

- try to sign out as many cameras in your group as you can...they seem to be more flexible than they appear!
- plan out exactly how you want the movie to go...if you have a storyboard, then you do not have to question what you shoot
- plan to take the time to upload all of your footage...the amount of footage you take = the amount of time to upload (ie 40 minutes of footage = 40 minutes to upload)
- before you upload, watch all of your footage, then make notes on which parts you want to upload (then you don't waste time)
- crop, crop, crop...sometimes more is not the best...short, cut, choppy footage can sometimes enhance a project depending on the topic

Good luck with your projects when you do it...consult the Macintosh iLife 06' textbook, and feel free to ask me! :)

Teaching at the Middle Level

In the internet article titled "Trying to Find Solutions in Chaotic Middle Schools," I found it disheartening that so many schools are having difficulty reaching their middle school students, but also englightening that the problem is being recognized, and attempts are being made to try to ameliorate the issues.

Many of the students at the middle level just do not seem to care about the role that school plays in their lives. They are much more concerned about their personal lives. For example, girls want to keep up with the latest clothing and accessory fashion, while boys want to listen to music on their ipod.

I think one of the ways to hook the students is to find some way to appeal to them; connect the curriculum to their lives. Every ounce of school curriculum, especially in English, can be applied to their lives and current concerns.

Want to improve writing skills? Have students apply for jobs.
Want to learn critical reading skills? Read books such as Speak and other YA lit that address similar concerns.

There are certainly ways to hook the students. In ENG307 and other courses I have taken (AED441, AED408, AED341, AED308), we have discussed how to make English Language Arts meaningful to students. The context of the topics needs to relate to the students. I am not huge for technology, but certain modes can be used (PowerPoint, imovie, website design, iTunes, etc).

Chapter 7: Adolescents in the Digital Age

In the second portion of the article, I found that the authors made some interesting claims regarding student and teacher roles. We are constantly hearing in ENG307 and other courses the question of 'what are our roles as English teachers?'

In order to be effective teachers, we need to ask ourselves two questions:
how do we see our students?
how do we view ourselves as teachers?

For the first question, we must examine how we think of our students. Do we see them as mere imitators, or as authentic producers? Do we see them as hormonal adolescents defined by biologically bounded habits, or as creative explorers of a novel world?

For the second question, we must look at how we perceive our role as the teacher. Are we in charge of the student production, or do we act as guiders? Do we relinquish total control to the students, or do we choose times to give freedom and seize control? Do we want our students to view us as their friends, their authority, or both?

I believe these questions are vital to ask ourselves as we explore our classes. I personally do not view all adolescents by biologically defined parameters. Not every student is going to act according to a scale and change based on their birthdays. Students are unique individuals who need to be treated as such, with fragility and understanding, since age is merely a construction, not a standard by which to set all expectations.

Chapter 3: Adolescents in the Digital Age

In chapter 3 of the article, I found some issues presented to be noteworthy (while I also disagreed with others). I will highlight the parts I agreed with.

Firstly, King and O'Brien state that many schools have a basic curriculum "with enriching real-life learning activities taking place in private, pay-as-you-go spaces and oportunities" (45), meaning that if students want to participate in a worthwhile, life changing event, they are going to have to pay money because the school environment gives students only the basic skills for competency.

I believe this idea is generally a true trend in today's schools, but not always. For example, many schools allow students to participate in clubs or sports activities, but if a student has to work after school in order to help his parents pay their bills, then he is at a disadvantage.

The writers also note that schools sometimes label themselves as "educationally disadvantaged," "at risk," or "struggling" in order to take the blame off of the schools for a lack of student competency. However, the real culpable unit is the schools themselves. The students are merely producing what the school asks of them, and the studentss economic abilities or inabilities cannot be held accountable.

As an establishment, schools must require students to perform at a certain level and provide the resources in order to get there. The excuse that the student body is predominantly from a certain social or economic background is not legitimate. Therefore, schools need standards by which they expect and help students achieve success.

Writing Workshop

For all of those people who do not get the English Journal, which is a great perk if you join NCTE and pay the $10.00 or so for the entire year subscription, I read a great article about the writing workshop. Many of my peers who are in AED408 this semester have been talking about the writing workshop since the beginning of the semester. Some others may know it as the "Atwell classroom." For those who are still confused, the writing workshop is basically this: students work individually and collaboratively with various writing assignments while keeping their own portfolios and involving themselves in hard-core revision and editing processes in order to create authentic work. Nancy Atwell is one of the leading teachers who use a writing workshop. At the DATE conference, one of the afternoon presentations was about the writing workshop.

In the English Journal, the article I read focused on the "literacy café." Basically, the idea is that at the end of a genre study or when students have reached a particular milestone or goal in their writing, the teacher will give students the opportunity to publish their work. The teacher sets aside a day for students to reflect on and share their work. Tables are set up with tablecloths, possibly a flower arrangement for the center, chairs around the tables, each student's work spread on one of the tables, and a refreshments table with various drinks and goodies. Other faculty (from the principal/administration to other teachers), parents, and other students can share in the event.

I truly like this idea. I am a believer in the benefits of the writing workshop, and I think the literacy café would peak the students interest and allow them to showcase their work. Plus. bringing in parents/faculty/other students allows for community involvement.

I thought the café can even be bumped up a notch by holding the event during an evening or night time, so parents can all attend and more time can be allotted. Maybe the event can become a monthly or bimonthly gathering!

Overall, what is better than student reflection, authentic work, and community involvement? Ooh, do you smell that? Aah, yes! It is the smell of social justice! Authentic learning! Individual identities! Reflection and empathy! Bloom's Taxonomy, here I come! Woo hoo!

Trying to Teach May Just Get You Fired!

In a recent article sent out by NCTE titled "Lesson in poetry gets a teacher in trouble," a Florida teacher has been put on leave from her high school teaching position after parents called the principal and argued that she was writing and speaking about derogotory terms in her classroom.

Melody Irizarry, 40, a second-year language arts teacher at Chiefland High School, was doing a poetry study in her classroom, showing her students how "in poetry [words are used] to describe or label other people and how the significance of those words have changed over time."

Some students went home and told their parents about the lesson, and outraged parents sought the administration. Some parents went to the teacher's defense, though:

"Cheryl Hopper's son Greg has been in Irizarry's class for two years. Hopper said Greg had the same poetry lesson last year in Irizarry's class.She said her son was no teacher's pet - that he had been written up earlier in the year and otherwise disciplined by Irizarry.But Hopper said she and her son respected the lesson Irizarry presented."What she taught in that class was more than just about words. It was also about the influence of words and that calling someone a name at any level will not only influence their life but it will also influence your life," Hopper said. "It helped my son to understand that he should respect everyone."

Personally, I find the parents that went against the teacher to be terrible examples for their children. Do the parents expect the students to sit idle in class and not be exposed to the problems in their society? Irizarry was trying to show her students the relevance of stereotypes and labels in poetry and how they affect a person's perception of others...a wonderful idea!

I guess as teachers we have to worry about trying to show our students anything worthwhile...how sad!

source: http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070308/LOCAL/703080349/-1/news

DATE conference -- Session 2

The second technology session I attended was Georgia Peach's "Addicted to Dickens." I introduced Georgia, and I was interested in the way she used the internet in her Dickens book curriculum.

Georgia's school was fed up with the traditional approach to teaching Dickens (worksheets, vocab books, quizzes, etc.) So she decided to take the historical approach, just like Dickens did, and serialize the chapters.

She set up a web site so that every week the students received a new serialized installment of the novel. The students were able to view the chapter on the web, and they were given assignments based on the reading.

The Dickens novels, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, are more appealing to students when they can read them in serialization, since the novels themselves are typically very long and laborious for students to digest all at one time.

When Georgia posts the chapters to the web site, she puts notes in the margins for difficult words or historical references the students may not know about.

Overall, Georgia uses the internet instead of giving out the novels like she traditionally did so that she can grab the students attention as well as involve the community. Since the internet is available to all people, anyone in the community can receive the installment chapters. Also, the parents get involved since the assignments are through the internet, and Georgia has had parents contact her regarding the assignments if she has not posted it yet on a Friday afternooon (everyone seems so excited about it that they can't wait for the chapter to be put up).

The novels are done from September through May, with every Friday devoted to Dickens.

DATE conference -- Session 1

The first technology session I attended for the DATE conference was Shade Gomez's "Incoporating Technology in the Classroom." All I have to say is...WOW!

Shade spoke about the ways in which teachers can use PowerPoint effectively in the classroom. Some tips are to keep text brief (two sentences at the max for each slide), use bullets, and know your audience.

Shade then showed us student work from various years. His class was "project based," and he used Shakespeare for his influence, so the students were able to make their own assignments. Students came up with a variety of ideas:
woodworking, tee shirts, hats, bead work, metal work, audio files, movie files, etc.

One of the best student work I saw was a "discovery channel" type of video. The students role played in the characters in Hamlet, and made it a modern day twist by using interviews like the Discovery Channel does today.

Students even made their own music, sang or played, and converted it to an audio file.

I was most amazed at the length the students went to do the assignments. They got so into their work, so it just shows us that if students are inspired and interesting enough, then they can make amazing products.