Learning Letter

By taking this class in conjunction with English 408, I have learned a lot about myself as both a teacher and a student. Through this class, I have been introduced to new ways of thinking as a teacher and new strategies to incorporate into the classroom. For example, one of the texts that stuck out to me the most was Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." At first, I was pretty taken aback by his claims; that teachers are oppressing their students purely because of their position. This made me realize that as a teacher, I have to actively be aware of my position above my students. I have to actively work to create an environment in which students feel as though they are equals. By using some of the Common Core instructional suggestion from Beach, Thein, and Webb's text, I can create a classroom where students can write in order to explore the world around them. Rather than constricting students with standardized testing and the banking method, teachers should be aiming to give students the tools they need to be successful in the 21st century. As also mentioned in Duncan-Andrade and Morrell’s “Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom," students should be exposed to texts and activities that celebrate their diverse lives and experiences. Duncan-Andrade defines critical pedagogy as the ability "to argue for an approach to education that is rooted in the existential experiences of marginalized peoples; that is centered in a critique of structural, economic, and racial oppression; that is focused on dialogue instead of a one-way transmission of knowledge; and that is structured to empower individuals and collectives as agents of social change." Critical pedagogy includes many of Freire's ideas, in that students should be able to recognize themselves within their education. Education should not be a luxury, and should not be for the teachers, but rather for the students. In order to get students to the place where they can be this free thinking and have the ability to critically think about their education, the California State Universities Expository Reading and Writing Course Assignment Template helps teachers break down the writing (and reading) process to ensure maximum understanding. I really liked this handout, because it breaks down very "common sense" ideas into something that is easily manageable and aligns with CCSS. In order to discuss all of these texts, our class did it in a way that fostered all types of learning. Tying back in to the California State Assignment template, we (students) had the opportunity to post our thoughts on our blogs, talk in small groups, and then discuss as a whole group. I would like to incorporate this type of open discussion in my classrooms. This quarter at my practicum school, the seventh graders in my class had a student led Socratic Seminar. Students absolutely loved the free flowing discussion and sharing of ideas. I want to incorporate more discussions like this during my full time student teaching. In addition to our readings, I think that the book-talks, mini lessons, and unit plan also helped me start to make the shift from student to teacher. The book talks were really fun and interesting towatch, but also very helpful as a future teacher. Doing my own book talk, I actually reread one of my favorite books that I enjoyed as a teenager. I had to shift my lens in order to view it from a teacher's view point, an administrator's, a student's, and a parent's. This helped me further my love of reading, and also to determine how I could turn what I consider to be good books into classroom material. I saw this unfold in other students' book talks as well. In addition to this, it was also helpful to do the mini lessons. While I am in the classroom already, I don't get the valuable feedback from my students that I get from a classroom full of colleagues. This helped me determine what truly works, and what needs some work. I took this seriously, and as a challenge. I will never have the opportunity to get honest feedback from my peers again! However, the unit plan has been the biggest challenge for me this quarter. With taking 20 credits, working, and doing my practicum, the hardest part of doing the unit plan is the lack of time. I have found it to be a very useful and realistic portrayal of what it will be like to be a full time teacher. In addition to this, I will definitely be using some of these lessons for my edTPA when I full time student teach. It has been so helpful to be held to these standards that none of my education classes have enforced thus far. To sum up, this course has truly helped me make the shift into thinking "like a teacher." At the beginning of the quarter, you stated that this was the quarter that we would truly start to make that shift. Now, in the very last week of the quarter, I could not agree more. Rather than looking at assignments as a student, I have viewed them as helpful in my growth as a teacher. I am eager to continue learning more and more as I progress in my field. All of the texts that we read for class made me become more excited and sure about my future. Being in an environment with like-minded people also helped me explore new possibilities to teaching that I had not considered before. I think that my participation in this class has successfully set me up for my teaching career, and given me new tools to do so. 

jjj

ik

Blog Post #14: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a staple in any high school English class. Most students read this as their first introduction to Shakespeare. Most of the time, this play is taught as a tragic love story of young and dumb love. However, I would teach this completely different. Instead, I would have students examine the familial bonds between the characters and how that influences their actions and reactions. For example, we could have a discussion or essay about whether or not the two lovers were only "in love" because their family hated each other so much. They probably would not have died if their families were not so controlling. We could also discuss what would have happened if Juliet would have just married Paris instead of going against her father's wishes. These discussions could all lead into students considering their own families, and how they function and interact. We could examine whether or not Juliet's maid was responsible. Their final essay for the unit could be argumentative; the students would choose a character in the book who was the most responsible for the multitude of deaths in the book. It could be the friar, for marrying two young teens, the Capulets or Montagues, Romeo, or Juliet. Before the essay, students could have a mock trial, putting all of the characters on trial for murder and seeing what argument held up the best. This would be a really fun play to act out (in some selected scenes by the teacher). Students would enjoy this play if it was taught in an entertaining and engaging way. There is love, violence, suspense, within the play. All of these things are present in modern day works, and could easily be connected to each other. There are also many renditions of the play that could be used as supplements for students. I would definitely read this play in class with students, and within reading groups.

Blog Post #13: In the Name of God

Jolin's In the Name of God explores a very complex and current world issue. Especially with the rise of fear mongering by political figures such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, it is important for students to get a compassionate glimpse into the lives of Muslim people in other countries. Most students get their information and opinions from their parents, which is expected. However, I think that it essential for school to open up new perspectives and beliefs. Students are then able to use their critical thinking skills to determine a stance on an particular subject. For example, if a school is in a suburban and white neighborhood, students are probably not exposed to many Muslim peers. This book would be a good start to help students get a more global view of the world. It would also be a good book to introduce students to unreliable narrators, since our narrator feels so strongly and her beliefs are so black and white. Students would be able to see, through the narrator, that the radical Muslim issues are much more complex than they are generally taught. Through the people around Nadia, we see what Islam should look like, and that it can be a positive and modern religion.
In this unit, students could explore their own religion or lack thereof and write a personal narrative about how they found or lost their religion or spirituality. They could also write an informative essay about an assigned religion and literary compounds of that religion. This book opens up many different opportunities for not only literary elements, but current world issue discussions and activities.

Blog Post #12: Maus

The two graphic nvovels that we read from the Maus series were so much more impactful than any other Holocaust narrativve that I have read. Spiegalman's portrayal of the Jews and the Nazis provided much more to the story than just a simple history lesson or  a book like The Diary of Anne Frank or Night. While all Holocaust novels are essential to history and are imperative for learning, Maus creates a whole new layer of understanding and complexity.
For high school or middle school students, this book would be very engaging. Part of the reason is because of the format that it is written. I would have muuch rather  read this book in high school than the former two books that I mentioned, or at least have read this along with those two. The fact that it is a graphic novel helps engage students who may struggle with reading, students with low reading and writing comprehension, and draw in the kinestetic and spatial learners. Spielgalman captivates his audience through his complicated relationship with his father. That theme in itself could provide material for discussion in the classroom, as most people have complex and complicated relationships with someone close to them. With this book, teachers have ample opportunities to appeal to their students. Students could work on making their own graphic novel throughout the unit as individuals, or the class could compile a graphic novel throughout the year focusing on things that they haave read or done. This activity could be accomplished by hand or through a comic strip website.
Maus would also be a great way to introduce symblism to students. By focusing on the nationalities represented and their corresponding animal representations, the teacher can also push students to consider stereotyping. This activity would probably go hand in hand with discussing racism, xenophobia, and current world events and literature that connect to the text.

Blog Post #11: Edgar Allen Poe

All of Poe's work could be used within a class of middle schoolers to high schools, and achieve different standards and main objectives. Poe could be used to introduce students to strong figurative language, poetry and verse, theme, and unreliable narrators. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the narrator becomes increasingly unreliable as the story goes on. This, paired with the dark themes and rich language, can lead students to have a lot of fun with the story. If it is taught well, students could even use this as a springboard to create their own short narrative with an unreliable narrator. Another example of an unreliable narrator can be seen in "The Tell Tale Heart." The speaker is extremely neurotic and has auditory hallucinations, and also has a strong conscious, we find out. I have personally seen this story taught as young as 4th grade, which I think goes to prove that Poe is pretty universal. However, I would have much better understood the content and language if I had studied it in a higher grade.
Within the poems "The Bells" and "The Raven" we see the obviously recurring theme of death. Both of these poems would be a great introduction to poetry. I personally prefer "The Raven" a bit more, and I think it could be paired with Poe's essay "The Philosophy of Composition." Whether the essay has been written as a satire or not has been argued, but the class could examine how his thoughts in "The Philosophy of Composition" ties into the final product of "The Raven." It would be part of a great poetry unit that could end with students writing their own Gothic poem. I would also add the poem "Annabel Lee" to that unit. I think it adds to the theme of death of loved ones.