In the beginning of the semester I was hesitant about this class. I really wanted to take it, but I wasn’t sure I could put as much effort or time into it as I wanted to, given the demands of the other four, required classes I was taking. But practicum block helped me realize I could do anything I put my mind to; that even thought it seemed like I could never accomplish what I wanted to, I always did. I had to find the drive, and did. So finding it for something I really wanted to do was easier than I believed it would be. It sounds corny, and perhaps it is, but this class was the sunshine in my semester of cloudy days. It turned out that this class made the semester worth while; I struggled with my other classes because I didn’t like any of them, and this one, focused on middle grades education, a newfound passion, made it all worth while, and I learned and experienced so much. There are a few select concepts and pieces that I pulled from the semester to reflect on.
I learned that integrated units are the backbone of a good middle school curriculum. When we went to Dirigo and spoke with the teams, we got to hear first hand how their integrated units worked. By exposing students to a specific topic or concept from various angles, they absorb more, relate it to and see the connection to their lives. Questions like, “Why are we doing/learning this?” no longer come into play because it is clear in the activities they participate in, in the content they learn.
While I say that integrated units are the backbone, clearly the teachers, made into teams, who create these units are the vertebrae that make up the backbone. We soon came to realize how much work is put into an integrated unit; it takes a lot of time, commitment, focus, creativity, and teamwork. We sat there and toiled and argued and brainstormed and gave advice and stared blankly at each other class after class in attempts to put together our unit. And we had an hour and forty-five minutes twice a week set aside specifically for that; I can’t imagine how difficult and time consuming it is for teachers in the field. On top of this time crunch, they’re actually trying out their units and individual lessons, so when they do meet, they’re discussing and reflecting on how well things went, or didn’t. It takes a lot of work; in addition to creating engaging, meaningful lessons for your content area, you must ensure that each one of those lessons is tailored to the concept lens.
Meeting with the Dirigo teams was an inspiring experience; it was amazing to be presenting our ideas to practicing teachers and have them welcome those ideas, as if we were colleagues rather than teachers-in-training. We met with the eighth grade team, and they had just done a unit on the Holocaust, so it was kind of like a compare-and-contrast session. It was interesting to see the similarities and be shocked by the things we didn’t think of. We had focused mainly on the concentration camps, but the science teacher looked at how the atomic bomb had turned the beaches nearby Hiroshima to glass. I spoke with the Language Arts teacher afterwards, and she gave me a more in-depth look at what she had done with poetry during her Holocaust unit. I can’t wait to bring this to a school and share my ideas and my knowledge and see where we can take them! It was an awe-inspiring learning experience; I felt so good coming away from our time there. The experience reinforced that experience is just as important as up-and-coming technology and the newest research –a healthy balance of the two is most effective, and that day, with us and them in the same room, we had it.
All the chapters we read and discussions we had about the “student-teacher-parent triad” reinforced my belief that it is necessary. However, as my sister and my mother are locked in a never-ending battle over my sister’s grades, I have mixed feelings as to whether or not it’s a good thing. My sister is a senior in high school, heading off to college in the fall, and my mother is still constantly on her about her grades and missing work because Mom accesses in online. She’s not going to be able to do that in the fall; it’s time to let go. I guess what I’m getting at with this is that I think it’s a gradual letting-go process, and in middle school it’s good, but once kids get into high school, parents and students need to be weaned off the parental involvement factor. But I digress. I believe that it is important to develop clear communication between all three parties, and early on in the school year so that an understanding relationship can bloom.
I found the student-oriented curriculum absolutely fascinating. I’d really like to see it in action; yes, they showed us the video, but I’d love to observe it actually taking place. I have so many questions, but I don’t know what they are. I just want to know more about it and see how it is implemented. It seems to be similar to the way that the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb is run, and it is reminiscent of the Montessori method. It’s just amazing to think of how much more kids would learn if they created their own learning experiences.
The books we read were a wonderful addition to the content of the course as well as the effect on group dynamic. It was another thing we had to work together on. I think it would be useful to allow for some choice and decision-making in terms of what book to read. Maybe have a list of several and allow the teams to choose, or have them bring in recommendations and then decide. While A Whole New Mind was interesting and certainly insightful, I would have had an easier time reading it and getting into it if I had been given a choice.
What we’ve learned and are learning –student-oriented curriculum, brain-based learning, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, student-led conferences, how boys and girls learn differently, the importance and effectiveness of team teaching, not to mention the amount of rich resources we acquired along the way—makes me want to work harder. None of this was implemented when I was in school; I received a fairly traditional schooling. I feel I’m not as equipped as I’d like to be, and I want to put everything I have into making sure my students don’t feel that way. Ever.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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