The students keep a journal, excuse me log in which they write their responses to the readings. Since I read at a much greater speed then the students, I found myself with some extra time during their hour of reading, and have written a few posts during that time.
Jan 6, 2009
Despite the fact that class was supposed to begin at 8, the teachers didn't arrive until 8:03 and 8:10 respectively. Understandably class should begin a bit late, allowing student to find the way but 8:23 seems a lot late.There are also quite a few fewer students there. It is yet to see if they are absent or late, or have dropped the class.
One of the teachers, Scott, is definitely the old hippie type - very Counrty Fair, long shaggy hair, round John Lennon glasses, tye dye shirt, glass om pendant. Even his speech patterns. I like him, he's a little scattered and seems to dominate the teaching, although that could be because he is the Humanities (Language Arts/Social Studies) teacher, and Danny is the Inquiries teacher (Science/Math)
We read 'Who Goes There', or began it anyways, a novella that the movie 'The Thing' is based on. They will watch the film one of these afternoons. Danny and Scott make a bit emphasis about the high expectations that they have for this class, 'We are at a college, we need to act like we are in college'.
The students are given about an hour to read the 15 page assignement and respond to the questions, then there i a discussion, which is really mostly summary, and pulling out the important bits to make sure everyone notices, and a discussion of the science that is used.
-I noticed that there are a ton of late students, very late
-Scott often used a character voice or anecdotes, especially non-examples or counter examples, to explain ideas, or how characters are thinking, it's a little hokey, but I think it really helps the students.
-Danny frequently makes depreciating comments to himself, and/or his geekery.
January 7, 2009
Considering that the original impression that I received implied that A3 was all about cooperative learning, so far this class has been very teacher centered. There has been silent reading, teacher led/facilitated discussion, and video watching. It's a great class, don't get me wrong, but it is more 'typical' then I expected.
-Students are allowed to wear headphones/iPods while they do their silent reading, there was no question or discussion about it, just something the students did. However it isn't disruptive, and they don't wear them during the discussions.
-IRE model is rampant, teachers are definitely searching for specific answers and trying to get the students to say them. Polite disregard of answers that are unexpected or don't match.
-In general, most students seem to be on task, and engaged in each activity.
January 9, 2009
Operation Carrot: The plan is to show a film right at 8 o'clock to encourage kids to show up on time. This morning it is the pilot of 'Firefly'.
I was able to make a connection with a kid over D&D. He was looking for some non-combat skills to add to a character creation sheet he was inventing and I suggested a few, and then a few more. He responded "Wow, you're good." Interestingly, this is one of the students that I find the most trying, he is frequently off topic and shouts out commentary during films, but apparently compared to the fall, the fact that he is engaged is huge.
January 14, 2009
There is a a girl, who always sits in the back, on the floor, even when there are seats in chairs available. During the movies she reads her novel (not the novel assigned for class), using a book light. ON the one hand, it seems that the teachers here allow students to make their own choices about learning, as long as it doesn't disrupt others, but no one as has asked her not to do it. I would have said something by now, in a private conversation after class. In general I've noticed that the teachers don't say 'no' much. They make a suggestion for an alternative, and give a reminder about what you are supposed to be doing, but not once have I heard "Please stop doing ______".
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Elements of discussion
I mentioned a few elements of the discussion elements of the Sci-Fi class. Though especially initially I found several things foreign, there aren't as many differences n the teaching styles as I expected. When the class isn't reading or watching a film, they are usually discussing, (although there has been some writing as well). The discussion is teacher guided and facilitated (usually by Scott) though the students take a very active role. The discussion questions supplied aren't just vehicles for the student understanding, but the teachers each answer the prompts themselves as well, and discuss their understanding, and the things that they are ore ignorant of.
There is a wide variety of levels of eloquency and thoughtfulness is huge. Some students levels of discussion are simple anecdotes that bear little to no relation to the subject at hand. Others bring of deep and meaningful points that are things I hadn't even thought about. I'm not used to that, it's very different from the middle school where students discussion level is more on the same level. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that in elementary school there is less opportunity for discussion then in other levels. But in High school the stratification is so much greater. It could also have to do with the fact that high schoolers look older. Many of them look to be adults, or at least look old enough that I associate them with peers more the middle schoolers. I also noted that in the discussions, the students are very respectful of each others opinions (for the most part) they participate in the discussions without shooting down each other ideas, a lot of interrupting or other disruptive behaviors.
On the first day the teachers made an important distinction, they said that grading for the class will be based on effort, which I think is really important to spell out for the kids from the begining, to know that they will be graded on their best effort, rather then only the quality of their work, or how 'right' it is. I think that making that clear will encourage kids to do their best work, and not let an idea that they can't do a good enough job keep them from trying, after all, if they are genuinely trying, they will get the A.
There is a wide variety of levels of eloquency and thoughtfulness is huge. Some students levels of discussion are simple anecdotes that bear little to no relation to the subject at hand. Others bring of deep and meaningful points that are things I hadn't even thought about. I'm not used to that, it's very different from the middle school where students discussion level is more on the same level. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that in elementary school there is less opportunity for discussion then in other levels. But in High school the stratification is so much greater. It could also have to do with the fact that high schoolers look older. Many of them look to be adults, or at least look old enough that I associate them with peers more the middle schoolers. I also noted that in the discussions, the students are very respectful of each others opinions (for the most part) they participate in the discussions without shooting down each other ideas, a lot of interrupting or other disruptive behaviors.
On the first day the teachers made an important distinction, they said that grading for the class will be based on effort, which I think is really important to spell out for the kids from the begining, to know that they will be graded on their best effort, rather then only the quality of their work, or how 'right' it is. I think that making that clear will encourage kids to do their best work, and not let an idea that they can't do a good enough job keep them from trying, after all, if they are genuinely trying, they will get the A.
Initial Impression: A3
http://www.athree.org/
The new term/year began with everyone meeting up in a gym in the community center across the street, being the only room the school has access to that is large enough to fit the entire school. The lead teacher welcomed everyone and gave instruction. For the few minutes prior to the announcements however I was able to observe the general interaction at that school, and the student body. High energy. Many of the kids were very excited to be there, however their greetings and excitement weren't limited to just the other students, teachers were also greeted with hugs and enthusiastic welcomes, and a ton of questions of a fairly personal nature. Anecdotes of vacation were traded in all directions, with a level of detail and honesty on the part of the teachers that surprised me. It is unsurprising that at A3 everyone is on a first name basis, no Mr. or Mrs., so I am Ruth, not Ms.Ames. Another thing I've noticed is the prevalence of minor swear word by both the faculty and the students. Now, no one is dropping f bombs or anything, but it is commonplace for hell, damn, shit, crap or bastard to be used not only in conversation between classes, but even in the vocabulary of the teacher during discussions. I have mixed feelings on this issue, and it took me a bit to get used to, especially since at Briggs were were asked not to say crap or sucks in front of students, or where students might overhear. I personally have no problem with so-called strong language. Word have the power we choose to give them, and if you say fudge instead of f**k, people still know what you mean, and what your intention is, so how is it different? On the other hand, I know that a lot of parents don't want their children to be exposed to that sort of language, and many students may be uncomfortable with it themselves. By using strong language a teacher might set up a barrier between themselves and a student and loose someone's respect. I've been told that you can gain student's respect either by being their friend, or being their authority figure, or mentor. Some people can walk the line and be both. So far, from what I've seen these teachers are doing a great job of treading that thin line.
A3 has a J term for the month of January, their students get to pick from one or two classes to take, which they are in all day, from 8 to 4:15. The options for the J term classes are quite varied. I'm currently working in the Science/Science Fiction class, which is taught by my cooperating teacher Danny Ramirez, and another teacher named Scott, who teaches humanities normally (Language Arts and Social Studies). So Scott handles most of the lit stuff, and Danny takes more of the science side of things. The class is run much like a college film study class, with reading as well. It reminds me a lot of the freshman seminar I took called Tokyo:Cyberpunk where we watched, discussed and wrote about a variety of cyberpunk films, a sub-genre of Sci-Fi. Another surprising thing to me is that several rated R movies are on the list. This decision I support wholeheartedly. So many of the quality Sci-Fi films out there are R, the ones that are pivotal, and set trends. One notable subtlety in the language and culture of the class is the use of the word 'geek' as a title of honor, and something strive for.
The format of the class, as I said, resembles that of a college film seminar with one huge difference. Unlike any other class or classroom I have ever been in, their is no sense of "NOT ENOUGH TIME!" The class moves along at a leisurely pace, class starts about 5 minutes late each day, allowing for students who missed the bus to the U of O (where our class is held, we use a room in the Science Library). Scott and Danny recently decided to shift to beginning class with an episode of either The Twilight Zone or Firefly, hopefully to motivate students to arrive on time. There is some discussion of the different elements and then we move onto the reading for the day. This was the most strange, foreign thing to me the first day. We spent an entire hour silent reading, and they only had to cover 15 pages in that hour, though they were free to read farther if they needed to. And everyone was so relaxed about it. No sense of rush, no worry that we weren't going to get through the material. It was a much nicer way to run class. Now that might be unique to the J term, but getting to feel how it is to be relaxed and take time during a class session will help me to strive for that sort of ambiance in my own classroom, even if I can't achieve it in whole.
The new term/year began with everyone meeting up in a gym in the community center across the street, being the only room the school has access to that is large enough to fit the entire school. The lead teacher welcomed everyone and gave instruction. For the few minutes prior to the announcements however I was able to observe the general interaction at that school, and the student body. High energy. Many of the kids were very excited to be there, however their greetings and excitement weren't limited to just the other students, teachers were also greeted with hugs and enthusiastic welcomes, and a ton of questions of a fairly personal nature. Anecdotes of vacation were traded in all directions, with a level of detail and honesty on the part of the teachers that surprised me. It is unsurprising that at A3 everyone is on a first name basis, no Mr. or Mrs., so I am Ruth, not Ms.Ames. Another thing I've noticed is the prevalence of minor swear word by both the faculty and the students. Now, no one is dropping f bombs or anything, but it is commonplace for hell, damn, shit, crap or bastard to be used not only in conversation between classes, but even in the vocabulary of the teacher during discussions. I have mixed feelings on this issue, and it took me a bit to get used to, especially since at Briggs were were asked not to say crap or sucks in front of students, or where students might overhear. I personally have no problem with so-called strong language. Word have the power we choose to give them, and if you say fudge instead of f**k, people still know what you mean, and what your intention is, so how is it different? On the other hand, I know that a lot of parents don't want their children to be exposed to that sort of language, and many students may be uncomfortable with it themselves. By using strong language a teacher might set up a barrier between themselves and a student and loose someone's respect. I've been told that you can gain student's respect either by being their friend, or being their authority figure, or mentor. Some people can walk the line and be both. So far, from what I've seen these teachers are doing a great job of treading that thin line.
A3 has a J term for the month of January, their students get to pick from one or two classes to take, which they are in all day, from 8 to 4:15. The options for the J term classes are quite varied. I'm currently working in the Science/Science Fiction class, which is taught by my cooperating teacher Danny Ramirez, and another teacher named Scott, who teaches humanities normally (Language Arts and Social Studies). So Scott handles most of the lit stuff, and Danny takes more of the science side of things. The class is run much like a college film study class, with reading as well. It reminds me a lot of the freshman seminar I took called Tokyo:Cyberpunk where we watched, discussed and wrote about a variety of cyberpunk films, a sub-genre of Sci-Fi. Another surprising thing to me is that several rated R movies are on the list. This decision I support wholeheartedly. So many of the quality Sci-Fi films out there are R, the ones that are pivotal, and set trends. One notable subtlety in the language and culture of the class is the use of the word 'geek' as a title of honor, and something strive for.
The format of the class, as I said, resembles that of a college film seminar with one huge difference. Unlike any other class or classroom I have ever been in, their is no sense of "NOT ENOUGH TIME!" The class moves along at a leisurely pace, class starts about 5 minutes late each day, allowing for students who missed the bus to the U of O (where our class is held, we use a room in the Science Library). Scott and Danny recently decided to shift to beginning class with an episode of either The Twilight Zone or Firefly, hopefully to motivate students to arrive on time. There is some discussion of the different elements and then we move onto the reading for the day. This was the most strange, foreign thing to me the first day. We spent an entire hour silent reading, and they only had to cover 15 pages in that hour, though they were free to read farther if they needed to. And everyone was so relaxed about it. No sense of rush, no worry that we weren't going to get through the material. It was a much nicer way to run class. Now that might be unique to the J term, but getting to feel how it is to be relaxed and take time during a class session will help me to strive for that sort of ambiance in my own classroom, even if I can't achieve it in whole.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Winter Haze
I am enjoying my first Winter Break since I was 15 during which I haven't had to work.
I should be studying for my Social Studies Praxis II coming up in January, or brushing up on my Geometry since I will be teaching it starting in February.
My placement is now official. I will be at A3 an artistically oriented charter high school. I have several friends who's children go there (as well as several of the older siblings of my students from this fall) and a few of my friends also work and/or volunteer there. I met with my Cooperating Teacher, Danny Ramirez and his partner teacher, Aaron (who is actually a woman despite the masculine spelling). They have 45 students in their class, and they teach a hybrid 'Inquiries' class including math and science.
The nature of he class is entirely inquiry based. No teacher lectures, we present the problem and the tools, the kids figure it out. This is NOT going to be an easy thing for me to do. Fortunately I get to spend a month adjusting to the school before I have to jump in and teach. They have a J term, which is a month long term where students attend only one or two classes, but they are specific and in depth. A lot of colleges do this. My father took a J term class called 'Man In Winter' that put him on the path towards his trips to the Arctic. Anyways, I get to choose which classes I want to help out in, I will be working in The History of Food, 20th Century Protest Music, or Science and Science Fiction. Needless to say I'm very excited.
However, for the time being I am finding myself settled into a lazy routine of video games, blogging, baking for Christmas and reading; and I couldn't be happier.
I should be studying for my Social Studies Praxis II coming up in January, or brushing up on my Geometry since I will be teaching it starting in February.
My placement is now official. I will be at A3 an artistically oriented charter high school. I have several friends who's children go there (as well as several of the older siblings of my students from this fall) and a few of my friends also work and/or volunteer there. I met with my Cooperating Teacher, Danny Ramirez and his partner teacher, Aaron (who is actually a woman despite the masculine spelling). They have 45 students in their class, and they teach a hybrid 'Inquiries' class including math and science.
The nature of he class is entirely inquiry based. No teacher lectures, we present the problem and the tools, the kids figure it out. This is NOT going to be an easy thing for me to do. Fortunately I get to spend a month adjusting to the school before I have to jump in and teach. They have a J term, which is a month long term where students attend only one or two classes, but they are specific and in depth. A lot of colleges do this. My father took a J term class called 'Man In Winter' that put him on the path towards his trips to the Arctic. Anyways, I get to choose which classes I want to help out in, I will be working in The History of Food, 20th Century Protest Music, or Science and Science Fiction. Needless to say I'm very excited.
However, for the time being I am finding myself settled into a lazy routine of video games, blogging, baking for Christmas and reading; and I couldn't be happier.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas Music at the Holidays
Is it ok? Mrs. Keener has been playing some Christmas music, none of it is religious. Santa Claus and modern stuff. Peace on Earth, love each other etc. The kids have been begging for the Christmas music even. But is it ok? Technically as an arm of the government the school may not establish a religion, and if we had a Muslim or Jewish student in the class, they might feel uncomfortable, but I'm fairly certain that we don't have any.
I was very oblivious about other religions when I was in middle school. I saw Jews and Muslims as people who lived elsewhere, and I assumed everyone at my school was a Christian, like me, and went to church every Sunday. I soon discovered how wrong I was around the seventh grade, but the I can only assume that the students in our class are equally oblivous unless they are the one student who is different, which would be very challanging in of itself and even worse if you are blasted with Christmas music at school.
Any opinions? Is Christmas music, even non-religious ever ok in a public school? Does it depend on your school's culture? We could sing religious choir music sometimes, for its artistic merits. How would you feel about Christmas music being played in your child's classroom? Does the age of the students mattter?
I was very oblivious about other religions when I was in middle school. I saw Jews and Muslims as people who lived elsewhere, and I assumed everyone at my school was a Christian, like me, and went to church every Sunday. I soon discovered how wrong I was around the seventh grade, but the I can only assume that the students in our class are equally oblivous unless they are the one student who is different, which would be very challanging in of itself and even worse if you are blasted with Christmas music at school.
Any opinions? Is Christmas music, even non-religious ever ok in a public school? Does it depend on your school's culture? We could sing religious choir music sometimes, for its artistic merits. How would you feel about Christmas music being played in your child's classroom? Does the age of the students mattter?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
As the term draws to a close, I have an opportunity to take a deep breath and look back on all that I've managed to over the past ten weeks. Honestly the thing I'm the most proud of is the amazing relationships I've begun at Briggs, both with my students (even the irritating ones are awesome)and the faculty (I am sure going to miss the sixth grade team). I feel a bit at a loss that I'm not going to be able to finish up the year (although it's too soon to say where I'll be in the spring) with these kids. I want to know how they do in the rest of middle school, and I want to know how they do in high school and beyond as well. Each kid has so much potential and a different set of skills, and a different set of weaknesses that will set up trials for them.
From a more academic standpoint I am very satisfied with classroom management experience I've had. Mrs. Keener's initial lessons on expectations etc. really made it easy to step in and uphold the same expectations, but I think that I also took a hand in initially setting up those expectations, so I can take some credit too. I know that I am an aggressive and some times overbearing person, so I was concerned that I would come across too harsh or strict, or conversely, I would be so concerned about creating a good relationship with students and NOT being so strict that I would be the 'buddy' teacher who doesn't enforce any rules. I feel that I achieved a happy medium. I think the students both liked me and respected me and in general they followed my instruction and behaved like responsible human beings, I never had any major behavior problems. I am a little apprehensive that I will freeze up if I am in a situation where I encounter open defiance, or an aggressive and angry student. Or even worse, that I will blow up and get in their face. Perhaps I'll have a chance to find out next term.
Another thing that I am very grateful for this term was the opportunity to sit in on a Parent/Teacher intervention conference. A student was consistently having problems being disruptive, unprepared and inappropriate in nearly all of his classes. He was one of my favorite kids, and I had another meeting later that afternoon, so with Mrs. Keener's permission I sat in on the meeting. Since I first started entertaining the idea of being a teacher, working with parents has always been one of my biggest fears. Not so much because I'm scared of them, but because of how I would react, I wouldn't want to offend or be rude to a parent that was attacking me verbally (even if they did deserve it). I've received some advice as to how to interact with parents, but I went into the conference expecting blame and excuses from the boy's parents. Much to my pleasant surprise, the parents were very supportive and grateful for the teachers and their hard work and input. They were at their wits end about how to help their son, and were looking for advice. What I expected to be an argument or blame game was instead a very productive brainstorming session during which several strategies for helping the student to be more successful for the rest of therm. Even better, it's clear now from the end of the term, that since that meeting there had been marked improvement, at least in our class, in his behavior and preparedness, as well as his rate of turning in homework. Though I know this is just one example of a parent interaction, seeing such a positive meeting was the push I needed to really change my attitude about interacting with parents, and to see it as a positive problem solving opportunity.
I am looking forward to the opportunities that A3 will present as far as getting to know more about my student's backgrounds and have some more interaction with their families perhaps. I found it interesting that when I told my class that I was going to A3 next term several of them had older siblings that went there. It will be interesting to see the similarities and differences between siblings. Another of my goals for improvement is increasing the amount of activities that are are student centered, either group or individual activities. From what I know about the structure and ideas at A3 I should have ample opportunity to do that. It is very challenging for me to organize student centered lessons that are more inquiry based, as I think it is for most new teachers.
As I look back at the term as a whole I don't think that there has been a revolutionary change in my attitude or philosophies concerning teaching. Rather I am begun to refine and mature my techniques, and begin to build a toolbox of strategies. through the relationships I've built I have reaffirmed my choice to begin a career in education, and in general I have set in progress the process that, continuing through the spring and summer, will prepare me to have my own classroom.
From a more academic standpoint I am very satisfied with classroom management experience I've had. Mrs. Keener's initial lessons on expectations etc. really made it easy to step in and uphold the same expectations, but I think that I also took a hand in initially setting up those expectations, so I can take some credit too. I know that I am an aggressive and some times overbearing person, so I was concerned that I would come across too harsh or strict, or conversely, I would be so concerned about creating a good relationship with students and NOT being so strict that I would be the 'buddy' teacher who doesn't enforce any rules. I feel that I achieved a happy medium. I think the students both liked me and respected me and in general they followed my instruction and behaved like responsible human beings, I never had any major behavior problems. I am a little apprehensive that I will freeze up if I am in a situation where I encounter open defiance, or an aggressive and angry student. Or even worse, that I will blow up and get in their face. Perhaps I'll have a chance to find out next term.
Another thing that I am very grateful for this term was the opportunity to sit in on a Parent/Teacher intervention conference. A student was consistently having problems being disruptive, unprepared and inappropriate in nearly all of his classes. He was one of my favorite kids, and I had another meeting later that afternoon, so with Mrs. Keener's permission I sat in on the meeting. Since I first started entertaining the idea of being a teacher, working with parents has always been one of my biggest fears. Not so much because I'm scared of them, but because of how I would react, I wouldn't want to offend or be rude to a parent that was attacking me verbally (even if they did deserve it). I've received some advice as to how to interact with parents, but I went into the conference expecting blame and excuses from the boy's parents. Much to my pleasant surprise, the parents were very supportive and grateful for the teachers and their hard work and input. They were at their wits end about how to help their son, and were looking for advice. What I expected to be an argument or blame game was instead a very productive brainstorming session during which several strategies for helping the student to be more successful for the rest of therm. Even better, it's clear now from the end of the term, that since that meeting there had been marked improvement, at least in our class, in his behavior and preparedness, as well as his rate of turning in homework. Though I know this is just one example of a parent interaction, seeing such a positive meeting was the push I needed to really change my attitude about interacting with parents, and to see it as a positive problem solving opportunity.
I am looking forward to the opportunities that A3 will present as far as getting to know more about my student's backgrounds and have some more interaction with their families perhaps. I found it interesting that when I told my class that I was going to A3 next term several of them had older siblings that went there. It will be interesting to see the similarities and differences between siblings. Another of my goals for improvement is increasing the amount of activities that are are student centered, either group or individual activities. From what I know about the structure and ideas at A3 I should have ample opportunity to do that. It is very challenging for me to organize student centered lessons that are more inquiry based, as I think it is for most new teachers.
As I look back at the term as a whole I don't think that there has been a revolutionary change in my attitude or philosophies concerning teaching. Rather I am begun to refine and mature my techniques, and begin to build a toolbox of strategies. through the relationships I've built I have reaffirmed my choice to begin a career in education, and in general I have set in progress the process that, continuing through the spring and summer, will prepare me to have my own classroom.
Reflection: School Improvement Project
I particularly enjoyed this School Improvement Project. I have always really liked time lines and the way that they create connections throughout time, as well as being a device for comparison between cultures or societies. Social Studies is my secondary endorsement, but because of the way that the block classes work at Briggs Middle School I had little to no contact with any social studies classes throughout the term. This particular SIP allowed me to get involved with some of the social studies curriculum. I also appreciated the opportunity to work with a fellow student teacher. Melissa is primarily a social studies teacher, and her cooperating teacher was the primary organizer of this project, Laura Scruggs. As Mrs. Scruggs described it, this beginning of the year time line project was something she and the other seventh grade social studies teachers had been wanting to do for a long time, but no one had had the time to organize it and get all the different pieces together.
Since this was to be one of the first assignments of the school year, Melissa and I finished most of the work before school even began. The process of gathering dates was actually a lot of fun for me. We used the text book that the seventh graders used to draw dates from, and it was a fun refresher for me of World History. We enjoyed color coding and discussed the relative importance of various dates, as well as how we could tie historic events into the modern world that students had were aware of. For example, when the Islamic Empire moves it’s capital to Baghdad, we reflected that most students have heard of Baghdad, and associate it with Iraq, they may not realize that the places that these things are occurring today are the same as they were a thousand years ago.
After school began things got more difficult for us. Because I was with sixth grade and she was with seventh grade we were on totally different schedules, even our passing times were different, so collaborating was a greater challenge. It also became tedious to create the hand made copies for each individual teacher, as well as copies for us to keep in our files. The larger bulletin time line was more exciting because we were able to draw on the aspects of history that are particularly interesting to us to create a more detailed overview of the past 2000 years. I was glad to take advantage of the opportunity to share even a small amount of information about Andalusia under Muslim rule, as well as make some connections between cultures that students might not always see, such as the way that the beginning of the African slave trade occurred around the same time as the end of the complex and powerful African nations.
Unfortunately, my involvement with the project pretty much ended after we posted the laminated bulletin board timeline. Melissa, however, got to be part of the implementation of the timeline project in the classroom. Her particular class had a large number of students with a lot of behavior management issues, so she found that the complexity of the project was challenging for them, and even though they were provided with a list of the dates, many of them still failed to create the timeline in it’s entirety. It was also challenging for them to do their work neatly and in an aesthetically pleasing manner. I was able to review some of their finished products, as I helped one teacher, Mrs. Newson, to grade some of hers.
Retrospectively, the one thing that we have realized we should do differently is that we initially left the birth and death of Jesus off of the time line, when we had included the birth and death of Mohammed. Initially this never occurred to Melissa or I as a problem because we were working specifically within the confines of certain cultures. The cultures that we were dealing with around 0 AD were the Roman, Japanese and African cultures. Christianity wasn’t a major aspect of Roman culture for another couple hundred years, so we noted when Rome began to convert to Christianity, and that was all. However some parents complained about the lack of mention of Jesus, understandably, so my master copy now includes both the birth and death of Jesus. I look forward to using this activity in my own class some day.
Since this was to be one of the first assignments of the school year, Melissa and I finished most of the work before school even began. The process of gathering dates was actually a lot of fun for me. We used the text book that the seventh graders used to draw dates from, and it was a fun refresher for me of World History. We enjoyed color coding and discussed the relative importance of various dates, as well as how we could tie historic events into the modern world that students had were aware of. For example, when the Islamic Empire moves it’s capital to Baghdad, we reflected that most students have heard of Baghdad, and associate it with Iraq, they may not realize that the places that these things are occurring today are the same as they were a thousand years ago.
After school began things got more difficult for us. Because I was with sixth grade and she was with seventh grade we were on totally different schedules, even our passing times were different, so collaborating was a greater challenge. It also became tedious to create the hand made copies for each individual teacher, as well as copies for us to keep in our files. The larger bulletin time line was more exciting because we were able to draw on the aspects of history that are particularly interesting to us to create a more detailed overview of the past 2000 years. I was glad to take advantage of the opportunity to share even a small amount of information about Andalusia under Muslim rule, as well as make some connections between cultures that students might not always see, such as the way that the beginning of the African slave trade occurred around the same time as the end of the complex and powerful African nations.
Unfortunately, my involvement with the project pretty much ended after we posted the laminated bulletin board timeline. Melissa, however, got to be part of the implementation of the timeline project in the classroom. Her particular class had a large number of students with a lot of behavior management issues, so she found that the complexity of the project was challenging for them, and even though they were provided with a list of the dates, many of them still failed to create the timeline in it’s entirety. It was also challenging for them to do their work neatly and in an aesthetically pleasing manner. I was able to review some of their finished products, as I helped one teacher, Mrs. Newson, to grade some of hers.
Retrospectively, the one thing that we have realized we should do differently is that we initially left the birth and death of Jesus off of the time line, when we had included the birth and death of Mohammed. Initially this never occurred to Melissa or I as a problem because we were working specifically within the confines of certain cultures. The cultures that we were dealing with around 0 AD were the Roman, Japanese and African cultures. Christianity wasn’t a major aspect of Roman culture for another couple hundred years, so we noted when Rome began to convert to Christianity, and that was all. However some parents complained about the lack of mention of Jesus, understandably, so my master copy now includes both the birth and death of Jesus. I look forward to using this activity in my own class some day.
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