Thinking About the Thought Organ

A friend from school sent me this article on the brain and adults ability to learn new information. It is interesting and made me think…
Retention is something that plagues me with my school work. I just can’t seem to memorize facts the way I used to. I often resort to creating elaborate stories to relate information I am learning to things that are a part of my everyday life so that a person, object or event in my daily life will repeatedly make me recall something I am learning and hopefully help me internalize by test time. And along the same line, where the article states that adult brains rely on “similarity of sounds” in order to recall information, such as names, reminds me a lot of my own method of going through each letter of the alphabet mentally to recall a name. For some reason, if I focus on a particular letter and its sound, with the intention of trying to figure out a word or name I have forgotten, it helps me to remember what it starts with, then eventually I remember what it is I am trying to recall.
I have always been intrigued by the human brain. It truely is like a giant sponge, able to absorb massive amounts of information and hold it within. We know that children, especially in their earliest years are capable of absorbing and retaining even the most complex information. We also know that it seems the younger the brain that is absorbing information, the greater the retention, recall and affect that the information has. When we get older, our brain sponges are so full and heavy that information may begin to simply try to find free space where it can be stored. Maybe this is part of the problem- with limited free space left information is not able to order itself in meaningful ways; organize information according to type and use.
Several images appear when I think of this theory. The first is walking into an almost full movie theater, where available seats are scattered between groups of people because people tend to leave one or two seats between their group and others. People who arrive late often can’t find a group of seats together. Another image that conjures up is a computer that needs its files de-fragmented. The computer does not operate at an optimal speed of information recall when files are not compressed and organized efficiently, but spread out and saved only where there is free space.
Much the same as a computer, or a sponge, or the movie theater with several groups randomly spread, our brain sometimes need to be re-organized, useless info needs to be squeezed out to make space for more important things.
I think this is why journaling is such a useful tool. It allows for the brain to rid itself of things that are not important for long term retention, so that the brain can make room for important things. I notice that schools are utilizing journaling a lot these days- definitely more than it was used when I was in my primary and secondary school. I wonder if it is intentionally for this purpose- a result of research- or if it is simply a useful side effect to something that is used mostly as a literacy tool.
The psychological impact of journal writing was something that was greatly stressed when I worked in holistic health care. It was a great tool for helping people overcome somatic patterns. I also found it a useful suggestion for people with memory issues, trauma recall and emotional instability. I basically would recommend it anytime I sensed someone was not grounded.
I find it extremely interesting when I can draw correlations between my former career and teaching. Its amazing to discover how tools used for educational purpose can transcend academics and become valuable to other levels of the human experience. It’s another level of education to consider.

Breaking Bad Habits

Every now and then I like to take a look at articles which cover potential questions a teacher may encounter during a job interview. It gives me an opportunity to think about where I am at right now and how I might begin to formulate the answers to certain common questions as I move along in my education.
One of the questions that often show up in the articles is variations of the question “What is your behavior management plan?” I’ve mentioned, probably several times, that I often think about, stress, and otherwise try to prepare myself for managing a classroom full of children. I’ve picked up lots of good ideas as I’ve read more and more about this topic but I have also learned that there is no one size fits all approach to managing the classroom and child behavior.
This combined with my impending child and educational psychology classes has had me thinking about how to create a strong classroom community. I have decided that at this point, I am starting to build a foundation for my teaching philosophy which also happens to be the base layer for how I plan on managing my classroom someday. This most basic level is building an accepting, functional, tight knit classroom community. I really want my classroom to be a place where students enjoy coming to. I want it to be a place where each person feels that they contribute something valuable and that they feel respected and valued. I have been a member of a classroom community where I did not feel safe and comfortable before and it has stuck with me for many years. I never want any one of my students to feel out of place or afraid. I don’t have an complete behavior management plan yet, as it is much too early, but I know for sure that the first step in avoiding problems that require behavior intervention is to achieve an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.
That being said, I have been reading about the psychological effect of our words and how the way in which we phrase something can have a strong impact psychologically. This is something I have learned about before but it is also one of those things that I often don’t think about on a daily basis. At some point we fall into habits which are hard to break.
As part of preparing myself for the responsibility of working with impressionable children, and also as a bit of a New Years resolution for myself, I have decided to really make a habit of thinking about how I phrase things. Some important points I need to remember are:

1. Stating the positive side, rather than the negative of a statement. Instead of saying “I don’t want…” I would state what I do want. Instead of saying what I don’t like, I should say what I do like. My hope is that it will turn into a habit to always state the positive angle of my point. As a teacher I think it will help to make my guidance appear as a new way of doing something or a different approach rather than a critique of what a student has done or a statement of wrong doing.

2. Spend more time complimenting good qualities rather than pointing out undesirable ones. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a lot easier to voice one’s opinion about something that upsets us than to randomly compliment something we like about another person. It’s really not a good way to go through life, but another one of those habits we pick up. I think that as a teacher, this is a good behavior to model so that students will learn the positive effects of boosting another’s self esteem by focusing on their best qualities.

Thinking About Politics: Schools vs Media

I currently work in an office where some people express strong political opinions which are highly offensive to others in the office. In the spirit of diplomacy, I suggested to my boss that there be some sort of policy set in place about having those types of discussions in public areas, where people have to hear very offensive things about themselves and their beliefs.
My suggestion was shot down because “placing any limitations on what discussions can go on in the office would be an infringement of freedom of speech.” Well that is true, but shouldn’t, in all technicality, conversations in the office be about work related topics?
Of course I began to question how I can use this in teaching. Elementary school is where children get the earliest foundations for their political perspectives. It is where they learn about the origins of our country, presidents, different parties and view points. It’s all very basic and un-controversial at this level. It is simply facts and history. So where are the seeds that bloom into strong political opinions coming from?
As a person who really tries to keep a flexible political position, I tend to look at everything from an objective standpoint. I believe that even if we don’t agree with something, we should always respect the fact that other people have their own opinions and be mindful of that. Taking a position of extreme resistance does not foster positive change, germane debates or the team work that is needed to prosper as a country. The major flaw, in my mind, is our inability to listen to one another, work together for the common good and be respectful of each other.
Children are so impressionable at a young age that I fear the damage that might be occurring in their sponge-like brains with the massive opposition that is present in the political realm these days. In many cases, this is what they are witnessing in the media and in their personal lives.
I see an opportunity here for teachers to have a strong influence on setting the stage for more diplomatic thinking in future generations.
I know that many teachers probably already use techniques to teach respect and effective communication in several areas of the curriculum and classroom culture and I have read about and seen some really great uses of diplomacy by teachers. I do believe that there is a benefit to tying this concept specifically to the curriculum which discusses politics, since the impact of media when it comes to political issues is so overpowering. I have seen people who are good and kind turn into a completely different person during a political debate. The topic is heated and people often unconsciously throw all reverence out the window in the midst of it. By tying the two ideas together at a young age, a neurological connection can be made so that when the topic of politics comes up, a natural response would be to listen with consideration and have effective discussions, rather than trigger feelings of defense, opposition and anger.
It may sound strange to suggest that our responses to politics are deeply rooted into our nervous system, but if you stop for a moment to think about your natural reaction to anything political related, you might find that it mirrors some early memories of parents, teachers, community members or other influential people and occurences in your life.
I just wonder if the way we teach politics in schools today directly influence how tomorrows’ politicians will interact with one another, how citizens will vote, and the reputation and direction of our country as a whole. Are we letting the media have more of an impact than schools when it comes to learning how to address opposing viewpoints? I tend to think that media perpetuates the cycle of resistance and opposition to each other when, in reality, what we need is more cohesiveness. It’s something to think about…

Teachers as Dream Enablers

I just read a very inspiring post by blogger Marnee Brick about teaching children to set achievable goals towards their aspirations.
I don’t think there is a person out there that goes into teaching because they love paperwork. I don’t think they do it expecting daily respect and professional recognition. And I definitely don’t think anyone does it for the money. I think people go into teaching because they really want to do something that will have a positive impact and that they want to impart the knowledge they have acquired so that someone just starting out in the world will be a little wiser, a little more prepared for the road ahead.
Even though I am not yet a teacher, I can already tell that it is going to be hard to stay focused on the real reasons I wanted to go into this profession.
In her post, Brick stated,

We need to encourage children to believe that there is a place out there beyond their reality and that they hold the power within them to be the change.

This touched something within me. It really makes you stop and think about what we teach through our attitudes and responses.
I believe that some of our responses are so completely engraved within us that unconsciously we perpetuate self defeating behaviors. It’s a cycle, passed down from generation to generation, it infiltrates the messages we receive from all around, in life, in the media, in literature. We learned from observation, as did our parents, and their parents and so forth that there are limitations, that certain things are hard or impossible. We learn what to expect from life, what we deserve and don’t and how to blame others or consequence for things that, in reality, are in our control. We make excuses, blame, complain and give in all the time without giving it any second thought. This is self defeating behavior and the cycle has to break somewhere. Just think of all the positive changes that could be accomplished, on a global scale, if all people were proactive, took responsibility for their own actions, set personal goals and stopped making excuses or trying to place blame.
On a small scale, teachers have the opportunity to impart this change one student at a time. It comes from exactly what Marnee Brick’s post was all about: Teaching students that they can make their dreams come true and giving them the tools to close the gap between a wish and reality.
Its really worth some consideration to think about how, as a teacher, we can incorporate these tools into daily curricular activities so that they become second nature to students; because, in reality, we don’t know if they will get the necessary reinforcement from other people in their life, we don’t know what kinds of behaviors are being modeled for them and we don’t know if their future teachers are going to reinforce the concept of setting big goals and making them reality one step at a time.
I love every time I hear a story about someone who worked hard to become successful and followed their dreams, despite growing up in poverty, or having a disability, or any other limiting circumstance. When I hear those stories I know that there was someone in their life who was encouraging and modeling positive behaviors throughout their childhood.
It’s one of the most important things we can teach children, that they can be anything and that their dreams are achievable, but they have to know that it’s a process, and it involves proactive effort, that no body is going to make it happen for them.
Thanks to Marnee Brick for writing this, I have been in a bit of a slump lately and this really helped me to consider some of my own big dreams and the steps necessary to make them happen.

A Place in the Tribe

I am currently in a literature course which is a study of various pieces of literature by or about Native Americans. I have always had a deep curiosity in the cultures of Native American people, and I think that most elementary age children also find learning about those cultures interesting.
While reading some of the material for the class, I started to really focus on the traditional/ historical descriptions of the tribe community. I think there is a lot that can be learned from it, such as the idea of having a purpose, or responsibility within the community. An example is evident in the following quote from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes

“Crazy Heart was a shirt-wearer, which was a great honor. He wore a yellow-and-blue shirt fringed with locks of human hair. He was listened to in our councils and the people sought his advice on all matters of importance. Good Fox, too, was respected for his wisdom.”

In our own society, respect is dictated by things such as wealth, status and power. In modern day, these forms of respect beget each other. Think about teachers, for instance, who work tirelessly to support children in the learning process so that they may grow up and have opportunity in the world; yet do this for little pay, and little respect within the society in general. I don’t know how many times I have heard people refer to teaching as "easy work", and complain that teachers make "too much money for what they do." Yet someone who is nearly criminal in their business life will make multiple millions of dollars and have unwavering respect.
In historical accounts of Native American tribe cultures, a job was dictated by your natural talents and skills, not your level of education. Respect was always given for your contribution to the community, regardless of job. Status was not about what position you held or what you owned, it came from sharing your wisdom.
Imagine if our own society treated people in this manner, if everyone had an opportunity to contribute based on their abilities and be respected for their contribution. Imagine how uplifting it would be to be honored and respected for the wisdom you could offer, even if that wisdom came from street smarts rather than an Ivy League education, or higher education.
We may not be able to change the way the world operates, but at least teachers have the opportunity to create a more welcoming community within their own classroom. This reminds me that every child has something to contribute to the classroom community and I think it’s important to find the good aspects of behavior and build its strength, rather than focusing on the negative end and treating it as a problem- this could be an approach to behavior management. For instance, if there is a child who is constantly disrupting class by talking or passing notes, this child could be recognized as a natural communicator (something that may be a disruption at times in school, but is actually a great attribute in the "real world") and given the job of reading class announcements, writing things on the board, delivering messages, or other things that utilize the skill of communication. There might be other students who would shy away from some of those classroom jobs because their talents lie elsewhere.
Since I don’t have any practical experience to apply this to yet, this is just an example off the top of my head. But I would like to remember what I learned from Native American tribe communities- to seek to find a role for everyone based on their strengths and to honor and respect all strengths (even when they appear at first as negative qualities) and help to guide them in a positive direction within the community.

An Abstraction of "Paragraph"

"I didn't have the vocabulary to say "paragraph," but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words. The words inside a paragraph worked together for a common purpose. They had some specific reason for being inside the same fence. This knowledge delighted me. I began to think of everything in terms of paragraphs. Our reservation was a small paragraph within the United States. My family's house was a paragraph …. Inside our house, each family member existed as a separate paragraph but still had genetics and common experiences to link us. Now, using this logic, I can see my changed family as an essay of seven paragraphs: mother, father, older brother, the deceased sister, my younger twin sisters and our adopted little brother."

This quote was taken from Superman and Me, an essay by Sherman Alexie,which was published in the Los Angeles Times, April 19 1998.

I just loved the way Alexie built upon his concept of a paragraph. As adults, it is hard to put ourselves in the mind of a child. It’s hard to imagine what those first moments of understanding a word, a sentence a paragraph and an entire work of literature feel like. It’s difficult to remember a time when we first put it all together and it became something meaningful.
The exploration of reading by Alexie, who grew up on a Reservation in Spokane, WA, was self lead and built on genuine curiosity in the meaning of the strange lines that covered the pages of his father’s books. I love the abstract thought that went into associating a paragraph with other meaningful groupings in his life. I think this is an excellent example of the kind of thought process I want to aspire to instill in students.

Inspiration is Any Where You Want it to Be

I’ll admit that I am strangely intrigued by ghosts. I watch every supernatural, ghost hunting show I can find. But recently, I found one that has taught me something about teaching- I can and do find educational opportunity in the strangest places!
I was at the library and came across a DVD of a show called Psychic Kids. Basically, the show is about parents who contact a famous psychic/medium and his psychologist associate because their child claims to be seeing ghosts or having some experiences of a paranormal nature that has been affecting every part of their life and their family’s life and they don’t know where else to turn for help.
Each show takes three families who are in a somewhat geographically similar area, and has them meet at a central location, which also happens to be a “paranormally active” location, for a weekend retreat. The psychologist works with the parents and the kids to help sort out their frustrations and fears and the psychic helps the kids learn how to deal with their sixth sense and confront their fears. All the while, the children are encouraged to form a bond so that they can develop relationships with other kids their age who understand them, since bullying is often a problem for these children among their peers.
I used to think that being a parent instanty made you a good teacher, something that concerned me because I am not yet a parent. But when I watch the parents in this show, confused about what their child is experiencing, frustrated about their inability to “make it better” and desperate for any help they can get, I realize that being a parent and being a teacher are two different things. While they may contribute to some areas of the other, they are essentially different entities.
In this show, the psychic (who can be compared to a teacher) has the unique challenge of setting the children free to explore their sixth sense (new knowledge) in an environment which provides them ample opportunity to interact with their psychic ability (the classroom). The children (students) sometimes let their fear and anxieties take over and they become terrified and want to run (refusal to learn, behavior management problems). The psychic (like the teacher) realizes that the parents, being emotionally attached, may comfort the child rather than give them the push they need to confront their fears and anxieties and move past them and that he/she needs to take on a stricter role which empowers the child rather than removes responsibility.
But most important of all is validation. On the show, once the child moves through their fear, the psychic validates that fear but express pride in their ability to move past it and builds their confidence by focusing on their accomplishment of moving past the fear (reward through positive reinforcement). He always does this with the parents present, which makes the child feel more validated and more confident (having the student present for parent-teacher conferences).
So in a nutshell, what I learned is that as a teacher, I need to remain somewhat emotionally detached so that I can do the difficult job of being tough enough to challenge students to move past their fears and discover their potential. After they complete the challenging task, I need to validate the original fear and follow it up with recognition of accomplishment to make the child realize that some things in life will require that we push ourselves further than we think we can go, but that the rewards are lasting and worthwhile.
I also learned a little something about dealing with parents. On one of the episodes, the parent of one of these children held very strong religious beliefs that conflicted with what the psychic does and caused him serious concerns over whether he could help the child the only way he knows how with out disrespecting her mother’s beliefs. It reminded me that I will likely face parents of different belief systems than myself. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to be the more flexible person, the more open minded person. I have to be prepared to work within the comfort zones of those parents whose cultural beliefs may differ from mine, regardless of what my personal feeling is about that, my professional responsibility is to educate myself on their beliefs and teach that child within those beliefs to the best of my ability.
So there you have it! I have turned my guilty pleasure of watching ghost stories into a rich, educational experience. I no longer have to feel bad about indulging in it (when I probably should be working on homework instead!)

Holistic Element 5- The Most Important Quality Comes From Positive Intention

The official definition of tone (according to the MSN Encarta online dictionary anyway :) is “the general quality or character of something as an indicator of the attitude or view of the person who produced it.” I think it sums up perfectly the idea of what teachers want to convey with the careful planning and setup of their classrooms each year. In therapy, tone refers to the emotional atmosphere of a person or space. Much like teachers preparing their classroom, therapists carefully plan and prepare their space as well. Both have the same purpose, to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere in which to accomplish a particular set of goals. These last few posts have represented the thought process that I went through when creating my therapy room and an exploration of how I can use those same ideas in my new career, when I am preparing for my first classroom full of students.
I’ve never viewed anything as being one dimensional when I was a therapist. I always believed that everything was comprised of several layers that work together to create the big picture of an experience. I strived to reach my clients on all those layers so that at least for that moment they would feel that all the aspects of their being were nurtured and respected. I think that is the same thing that teachers want for their students.
The entire train of thought, which was all triggered by a simple statement about using red pen to grade papers, in a book I was reading, reminded me that I need to bring my therapist qualities with me into my teaching career, because all the qualities and knowledge I acquired from that experience can be translated into different areas of life and help enhance my teaching on a different level than the education I am receiving in school now. It adds another layer to my education that I am fortunate to have and another set of tools I can use later- A reminder that no experience is without purpose.

Holistic Element 4: The Art of Mood Manipulation Through Sound

I have been thinking a lot about sounds in the classroom because I have been exposed to mixed views about it. In several books I’ve read, and some blogs, teachers talk about how they play classical music, or relaxation music, in the background of certain classroom activities. Others use active and uplifting music to wake up an under stimulated group. Both these ideas appealed to me.
I remembered how, back in my therapist days, I would very carefully choose the music I would use depending on what type of therapy I was conducting, and/ or the specific client I was seeing. The rhythm and sounds of certain music had a profound effect on the outcome of the session. Some people needed certain music to achieve a level of comfort and relaxation, such as a soft acoustic guitar, Native American flutes or a harpsichord. Sometimes I needed a certain flow or sequence to carry out a specific therapy and would chose music with appropriate movement and fluctuation to mimic the movements and timing of the technique I was using. Sometimes either my self or the client felt anxious or stressed, and required the steady, rhythmic percussion of tribal drums to center oneself. Choosing the right sound became an art that enhanced the outcome of the therapy.
Now, as I attempt to pull experiences from my former career to see how they might apply in my new one, I wonder if sound can be used in a similar fashion to enhance the learning experience. I myself would probably have a tendency to use the same genre of music that I used during my therapy career since I have studied and experienced how the various sounds and vibrations of the music are supposed to effect the listener. I imagine that understanding this could be a useful tool to have in the ‘teacher’s toolbox” for certain days when you just don’t know what else to do to help calm children and get them to focus; or alternatively, how to get them to wake up and participate!
All relaxation music is made with a specific purpose in mind. For instance, percussion sounds are earthy and grounding. In therapy, they are used to bring the mind and the body back into harmony, as we have a tendency to become too much in our head. Soft percussion in the background might help with daydreaming students who can’t seem to focus on the lesson, or might also be good for activities during logic based subjects such as math and science.
Native American flutes and string instruments have a lulling effect. In therapy they are used to induce reflectivity, and disconnection from problems associated with the physical realm, the idea being to connect the person with the bigger picture of life. On days when kids are wired and wild, this type of music playing softly in the background might help calm them down and stimulate intellectual thinking. Also, it might be good music to have playing at the very beginning of the day as children enter the classroom, get situated and start working on their beginning activities- as a method of helping them release any problems that they could be bringing with them from home that morning.
There are also many complex scores of music in this genre that consist of many different instruments and sounds, and fluctuate in intensity but maintain a constant flow from song to song. In therapy, this type of music is used to create a sense of unity and cohesion throughout the entire session. It marks a distinct feel of coming full circle, a beginning, middle, and end. In the classroom, this could be useful during a specific activity that can help fuel creativity and provide a constant sensory indicator to help keep the children on task from beginning to end.
Are any of you already using music or sound to enhance learning? If so, I would love to hear how you use it!

A Holistic Approach to Teaching

So much emphasis is placed on method and classroom management that it didn’t occur to me to view teaching from a holistic perspective. What triggered this train of though was something I read in The New Teacher Toolbox : Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year by Scott M. Mandel (which incidentally is an excellent book- well organized, with simple tips and strategies that can easily be integrated into your own personal style of teaching.) It was a section about grading papers using red ink pens and the negative association we have, as a society, for certain colors and symbols. Also, the cultural considerations regarding colors and symbols, which need to be considered as classrooms become more culturally diverse. This information added an entirely new layer of considerations to be made when creating a classroom community.
From a previous career of mine in massage therapy, I have a tendency to consider the many unobvious forces which have an effect on people. Put aside for the moment those we can not alter too much such as the constant bombardment of invisible electrical stimulation from our wireless world, or the toxic fumes that have permeated the air we breath (those things have to have some effect on our physiological functioning, and concentration!) There are those that we can control in the classroom environment though. After a bit of contemplation, I realize that the same considerations I made when manufacturing an environment conducive to physical and emotional healing with massage and bodywork can also be the foundation for creating an environment conducive to learning- the five elements of a holistic classroom:

1. Arrangement of elements in the environment (Feng Shui)
2. Smells (Aromatherapy)
3. Light & Color (Aura)
4. Sound (Vibration)
5. Tone (Emotional Atmosphere)

I think the ultimate goal of most teachers each year is to have a classroom full of engaged students, who are happy to be a part of the community and eager to participate and learn. I hear teachers constantly looking within themselves wondering if they have done all they can to create this environment- “Are the lessons interesting and engaging?, Do I have the necessary materials?, Do I have the appropriate knowledge? Have I planned carefully? Do I model the behaviors I expect? Do the students respect me?” But sometimes there are other elements that are not obvious and not considered that effect the way a person feels. I want to explore this topic a bit more. I already know from previous experience that the application of these elements is more extensive than you would think, so I have decided to write a separate in-depth post about each element- a holistic classroom series.

It's Never Too Early...

Veteran teachers and principals advise applicants to be ready for some common questions that will be asked during a teaching interview. I am quite a ways away from the interviewing process, but it's never too early to start preparing for those inevitable questions. The hardest for me has always been the one where I am required to gloat about myself (I'm actually quite humble) so I have compiled a list of some of my positives that will be useful to teaching. Hopefully I will have more to add to these later.

5 personal strengthes that will help make me a great teacher:

1. I am passionate about learning- I just can’t seem to stop myself. This is evident in the fact that I have 3 more years until I can even begin teaching yet I already have been reading and planning for my first job. What can I say, I like to be prepared!

2. I’m middle aged- occupationally speaking. I am at this beautiful point in my working career where I am young enough to bring excitement, fresh ideas, and energy to my career yet experienced enough where I have a solid work ethic, multiple life experiences to draw from, collaborative experience and last (but certainly not least) a strong sense of responsibility and accountability.

3. Personal experience- As a returning adult student, I know the importance of education and the pursuit of knowledge. I understand the value and purpose in encouraging children to seek higher knowledge and the challenges they face if they don’t, therefore I have incentive to help them make good choices.

4. I am equally practical as I am creative- I can balance my perfectionist with my artist to develop learning experiences which are engaging and yet very structured.

5. When it comes to Multiple Intelligences, I score (equally) highest in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills giving me a strong understanding of myself and others, a natural ability to read people, and a natural tendency toward critical thinking skills. Understanding oneself is a prerequisite for helping others grow and develop.

Virtual Observation

Last night I had a bit of insomnia so I went online to watch some education videos. I love watching anything that puts me right inside the classroom during a lesson plan so that I can observe how the lesson plays out, how the teacher approaches it and what the response is from the students. From these videos, I get some great ideas of lessons that I would like to implement someday.
Since English is my concentration and I look forward to working with young writers, I loved this lesson on “Lifting a Line” using student journals. I am a big proponent of journaling. Maybe that is why I love blogging! A journal is a great way to sort through thoughts, order priorities, track goals and deal with the complexities of life. With respects to writing, it keeps a constant creative flow that can help young writers find meaningful topics from every day experiences. I definitely plan to use journaling a lot during my teaching career. A video posted here shows how to clearly explain the concept of “Lifting a Line” to students. I also like how the teacher pulls something from her own journal which is a bit personal because I think it shows kids that their journal can be a safe outlet for their feelings and that writing can be a therapeutic process as well as a creative process.
Another video I watched last night demonstrated a collaboration of a group combined with the delivery in a game show format. I was impressed with how excited the kids were, literally on the edge of their seat! I also vaguely remember a game like this when I was in elementary school and could relate to the sense of anticipation and excitement that the students are clearly feeling during this lesson. This would be a great game for review prior to a test or to leave for a sub if you know that you will be absent.
I also love seeing the different teachers, how their personalities translate to the classroom, what their techniques and styles look like and how the children respond to them. This teacher (video- "Managing Literacy") has a great style to learn from. I love the rhyming instructions she uses that appeal to children, and the animation in her voice. I also notice that she repeats what she says then asks one of the children to repeat the instructions, but she does this all in a way where they feel like they are helping her rather than being told to do something. She has a very kid friendly character she uses in the classroom and the children are completely fixated on her every word.
The videos really put me in a comfortable frame of mind, where I can see what day to day operations in the classroom are like and how real children react. Not that I don’t learn a lot from all the reading I do, but this gives me a concrete experience to relate to.

Thoughts on a Collaborative Approach

While blog surfing today, I found a link to some free online professional development. I may not be a professional as of yet, but hey, free opportunities to learn right? So I read and learned a bit today about Cooperative and Collaborative learning. This was very interesting to me because I view this approach to learning as fairly new at the elementary level, since the collaborative approach was not as prominent 20-25 years ago when I was in elementary school (at least I don't recall spending much time collaborating with peers.) It makes me wonder if that is why I have an aversion to group work as a college student and why I tend to take the frame of mind, in my current career, that I would rather do things myself than accept the help of others. Effectively, anything which will have my name stamped on it, I want to be in control of. Is this an issue of trust or an inability to work effectively with a team?
I don’t consider myself bad at team work, In fact I usually have a strong role. I participate, I accept other’s ideas with an open mind and am actively involved with the production of a final product I can live with, but is it a final product I am proud of? I have to admit that in most cases usually not.
The information I read on cooperative and collaborative learning stated that this approach teaches children very important skills with respects to working with others, which is essential to success in most employment scenarios, but that teachers should be careful not to rely on this approach more than independent work. One of the points that were made is exactly what bothers me about group work: For some students, particularly detail oriented perfectionists, such as myself, the pressure of the group model may be too much to bear. Interestingly, this is a self inflicted problem. Even in a well balanced group, some students will shoulder more of the responsibility, sometimes that responsibility will be physically doing more work than other participants, other times the responsibility will be psychological, as the student feels less control over their own academic outcomes when placing trust in their peer(s) to perform at the level they would perform at on their own.
Despite these realizations, I am still a supporter of using this approach in the classroom. I think it offers a broad scope of benefits for students to learn life skills as well as critical thinking skills. The key is to know when this type of approach can be most useful.
I asked myself, “Where does a collaborative model work? What disciplines require different types of minds, different ideas, and objective viewpoints to lead to successful outcomes?” My feeling is that collaboration is best suited to the sciences.
Science curriculum is where I see myself using this model most effectively in a classroom experience. It offers an opportunity for students to discover aspects of the world around them and explore them with the input of several difference intelligences. Since we all have a unique perspective of the world around us, there is great potential for students to learn from each other and open their mind to different viewpoints.
I view mathematics as a subject which is best absorbed through visual and tactile learning, where each student works somewhat independently because they need to find their own way of understanding the concepts.
I view reading comprehension and writing as another subject where students are best left to their own thought process as they learn to analyze and question their own understanding of material and apply it literally and metaphorically, all though I do think that sharing completed work is extremely beneficial so that students can see the variety of creative thoughts that can be conceived through literary analysis.
Topics in social studies I believe to be best relayed through a variety of techniques experienced as one large group, whether it be pictures, group discussions, lecture, field trips, or creative interpretations through role playing, art, ect.
I think the most important thing is to utilize several different methods of delivery so that all students feel they have an equal opportunity to let their best characteristics come through. I think it is good also for teachers to attempt to focus on each child individually, at some point, in order to figure out where they best fit in to this model. We might be able to take a child who otherwise would recoil when it comes to a collaborative model, and find a place within that model where they can flourish.
Of course, in the perfect world within in my student mind, I am also assuming that teachers have time and energy to give sufficient attention to these projects. I hope that is the case in the real world, when I finally get there!

Building a Philosophy

As I begin to concentrate on courses related to my education degree, there is an increasing importance placed on starting to develop a teaching philosophy. I am supposed to start thinking about what my goals will be as an educator and what approach I feel is most conducive to learning; whether I support a teacher centered approach or a student centered approach.
Despite the political references attached to “choosing a side” so to speak, I think that I fall in line with the student centered way of thinking. While I understand the big picture of the teacher centered approach, I think that it leads to the “one size fits all” curriculum problem that I often observe teachers complaining about. It's a factory approach, where children are part of an assembly line and are molded into one final product where we expect them all to be exactly the same at the end; and by same I mean productive members of society that are competitive with the ranks of other countries. Much the same way our military values sameness, conformity obedience and dominance I feel that the teacher center approach demands the educational equivalent of the military; an annual crop of graduates who educationally represent our country and who seek to take precedence over the global economy. The image I get in my head is quite dramatic!
I support a more personal and holistic approach to education. Rather than make several equivalent graduates, I would like to see our country producing highly intelligent unique individuals. Are we completely forgetting the power of creativity and individual thought? Our country needs to be nurturing the differences in people so that we can generate creative thinkers. I guess I believe that true greatness comes from being innovative. That is why I support a student centered approach, which focuses on seeking out the unique abilities of each learner and building a solid curricular foundation which best utilizes those qualities, as opposed to regurgitating information. I think that each individual is capable of being really great at a few certain individual things instead of mediocre at a bunch of things and education should help nurture those finer qualities so that they can be used to contribute to society in their most meaningful way. We should focus, as educators, on helping students find what excites them and building confidence and a way to learn using that excitement as the platform for all other subject content.
I suppose for where I am at in my education, I should expect my thoughts and opinions to change some and develop more shape and definition, but I think I am well on my way to developing a solid philosophy.