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. 

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