Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Avery Harrison
Mountain Brook High School
January 2014
challenge the gifted or help the underachieving. Introducing notetaking might help the
underachieving and challenge the gifted to think outside the box.
Since I am here for 3 weeks, I also want to take advantage of my two free periods
to use to of course help Mrs. Cunningham but also to observe other teachers and their
styles. Today I went across the hall to Coach Webbs history class. He is ahead of Mrs.
Cunningham and her collaborative partner and teaching on the Cold War. He had an
activity in which he assigned students to different, imaginary countries in which the
bigger of the countries was invading the smallest. The class had to come up with a
strategic plan to either avoid war or enter into war. Basically, the lesson was designed to
model to nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia. I loved this lesson
because it was a great introduction as well as a simulation. I think that its so important to
change teaching styles in order to avoid monotony and keep students engaged.
Simulations are also a unique way for students to experience the struggles or triumphs of
a particular event. Coach Webb actually gave me the hard copy of this lesson, and I plan
to reuse it for my own class one day. Im so thankful to not only grow in be teaching
abilities but also grow my teaching resources.
Thursday, January 9th 2014
Each day brings new surprises and challenges. Today we had a sub since Mrs.
Cunningham had to be the pronouncer for the local Spelling Bee. Yes, she was asked too!
She only had to be gone a half the day though. As much as we want to be with our
students everyday, sometimes teachers have mandatory or unavoidable situations.
Flexibility is key, and when you teach, you sign up for more than just presenting
curriculum.
I was instructed to strongly help the sub since I know the rhythm of class, and it
would be a learning experience for me to manage the classroom on my own. We watched
a video today over a pivotal event in American History: the Scopes Trial. I lead the class
in a review and tried to lay down the background information in hopes they would
recognize the progressive and conservative tensions fabricated in the early 20th century
American society. As with most videos, Mrs. Cunningham and I found a worksheet for
them to look at and guide them. 1st period kept asking questions from their worksheet, so
I paused the video at least twice to question and regroup them. I felt that it was important
to sometimes interject or students might miss key information. From my own experience
watching videos, I easily can zone out and miss a few scenes. This can be true of those
who have difficulty reading. Students miss key information while reading because
passages are too long or are at a higher reading level. Documentaries have a lot of excess
information that can be easily lost in the big pictures. I wanted to make sure that they
understood the background information and connections to the rest of the unit, so I
guided them for most of the class.
After Mrs. Cunningham returned, I went across the hall to Mrs. Martins room to
observe her Gifted United States History class. (She also teachers American Studies
which is an interdisciplinary class between History and Literature.) Today, the class had
to present a mini-class project. In pairs, they shared metaphors between Thomas Jefferson
and Alexander Hamilton. They had visuals and a rubric of question they needed to
answer. I was astonished by the differences of a gifted class and a standard class. High
schoolers are high schoolers and enjoy socializing, but they actually listened to one
another and asked questions. Its important to observe and understand the classroom
atmosphere each student brings in. This project, for instance, probably would not have
worked in Mrs. Cunninghams 7th period without modification. Overall, I enjoyed
observing this class and arranged to observe the American Studies class next week.
Friday, January 10th, 2014
Today we went over the Business Cycle worksheet as a class. Even though the
assignment was only a homework grade, its important to understand the 1920s.
Homework already has the reputation of being unuseful, but walking through the
assignment strengthens the validity of it.
After we walked through the homework, we moved the students into groups and
checked the Cornell note-taking system. They were to go over the notes, questions, and
summaries then write the questions on the board so the rest of the class could see what
their peers received from the readings. They also needed to write down the questions just
in case they missed something from their readings. Again, we need to stress the
importance of note-taking and close reading.
Students are also starting to ask about the test and when it will be. We have talked
about doing a paper instead of a test, but regardless of the assessment students are curious
to how they will be graded and what they will be graded on. I want to do a review Prezi
or handout, but I feel like the Prezi might be useful to them since some students complain
about having too many handouts. It is also great to have tangible material to write and
highlight on. Having stuff alone is a generational thing. We are so use to receiving
information quickly. How do teachers teach to this generation? I dont want to lose the
nature of the traditional classroom, but I must also accommodate to the nature of the
class.
Monday, January 13th 2014
As soon as I walked into class, students bombarded me with questions from the
Scopes Trial worksheet. On one hand, I was extremely delighted that they trusted me
with content information, but I was also frustrated that this was given on Thursday and
they were still working on it to the last minute. Just as it is instructed in James to let your
yes be yes and or no be no, teachers need to stand firm in their due dates and
consequences for late work. Without deductions for late work, students would most likely
never turn in their work on time. Classroom policies are an evil necessity that every
teacher must have.
Today, I worked on a classroom and computer timeline. I used Prezi for the
digital timeline and had a blast showing Mrs. Cunningham how to use it. The classroom
timeline is a great reference for the class to see the chronology of events and connect
them to the rest of the world. Timelines are great in history classes because they provide
examples and evidence for material that cant be visually depicted from just listening.
They also provide relevancy. I also got to work on the bulletin board in class. When I
have my own room, I want to have a board I change for each unit, a calendar of events,
and a timeline comparing and contrasting world events.
Presentation...5
Questions..5
I am learning a lot about how to make a solid rubric. It needs to be clear, concise, and not
subjective to particular students. I also think rubrics need to be given ahead of time so
students can use it to guide their work and set goals based off of expectations. Overall, I
enjoyed watching the presentations even though the information can be monotonous after
7 periods.
Thursday, January 16th, 2014
During 3rd period planning, I ventured over to Mrs. Martins room again to
observe the interdisciplinary class between literature and history. They were being
assigned an out of class project that would last all 9 weeks in which each student will
choose a historical fiction novel and create a presentation to groups of 4. I love the
concept of this assignment. First of all, alternative assessments are amazing especially
when students are not strong test takers. Projects give students at different levels and
learning styles the opportunity to excel or meet expectations. This project also engages
student with more than just content. There are social skills and critical thinking skills
needed to partake in the project. A reading assignment like this perfectly exemplifies
literature and history. Since the beginning of the semester, thinking historically has been
a major issue. Books can be dissected by historical evidence just like they can be
examined through symbols, grammar, and style. Students also have to utilize the media
center and the librarians, which encourages research and interaction with someone other
than the Internet. After observing the class, I talked with Mrs. Cunningham about
potentially using a similar project for one of the upcoming units. We both agreed this
would be beneficial to use in the World War II unit.
Most people would say that they know a lot about World War II or have at least
been exposed to it. Using a reading project would provide unique perspectives about
different experiences during the war: the Home Front, soldiers, the Pacific, and
minorities. The assignment would challenge each student individually.
Friday, January 17th, 2014
Today, I got to teach another lesson to the class. This time, I had no help. It was
the real deal. I had the honor of introducing the primary sources for the Document Based
Question which we have been scaffolding the whole unit. I started the lesson by
presenting five methods of historical thinking on the ELMO. Since close-reading and
analyzing information has been a difficulty for this class, I wanted to walk through the
basics of historical thinking. A Document Based Question is much easier than you might
think if you really understand the basics. After walking through these tips with the class, I
modeled the first document (out of 10) for them. I also hoped that our scaffolding since
last semester would help with their thought process when working on their DBQ.
Modeling is vital when assigning a major assessment that a student isnt familiar with
especially when auditory learning isnt their strong point. Depending on the class, I
walked through a few more documents to void confusion. As I was teaching, I tried to
make connections, question the students, and stress the importance of the assignment. I
received encouraging participation. After 20 minutes of modeling, I let the students work
on their own since the paper is to be done individually and based on their observation,
not a peers. I learned from this experience to be prepared for unexpected questions, and
that I have to modify based on the class. I also saw how important it is to reflect how I
teach. If I have to constantly explain something, is how Im teaching it or is it something
students just genuinely dont understand.
Tuesday, January 21st 2014
Today was catch-up day for everyone, especially those who missed school Friday
due to the MLK Holiday At the beginning of class, Mrs. Cunningham introduced the
Document Based Question topics. They were allowed to choose between two questions
which Mrs. C and I agreed would be more beneficial. Being interested in a topic really
does effect the effort someone puts into their work as we saw in the group presentations
last week. They were to finish the primary sources on their own which I was glad they
had to. This paper is about their opinions based on observations and historical evidence.
When they are in college, they wont have the luxury to be in all the same classes as their
friends and utilizing group work. They have to solve the problem based on their work.
Wednesday, January 22nd 2014
Well if today wasnt just a struggle in the teaching world, then I dont know what
the word struggle means. Looking back even a few hours later, Im actually glad this
happened. So, I got home from work around 10:45. Much later than I usually do. I guess
my body didnt want to wake up because I slept through my alarms and woke up in a
panic at 6:30. No time for coffee. Barley enough time for a shower and to pack lunch for
myself. I hurriedly got ready praying the remain humble and calm. I managed to look
presentable and bundled up by 7:08. Perfect timing.so I thought. I start cruising on 65
South and right before the 459 exit, there is a really terrible 5 car accident. I sit in traffic
for 25 minutes. Still trying to remain calm, I emailed my teacher to let her know I might
be late. (Thankful for technology in moments like these). Getting mad wont make me get
there faster, so I just thought about how I could prepare myself for the daywithout any
coffee I might add again. I finally get to school and get put to work organizing the
secondary sources for class. The whole day was a struggle. Mrs. Cunningham and I had a
hard time figuring out how to make the lesson enjoyable, but sometimes work needs to be
gritty.
We went over the primary documents for the Document Based Question. At first,
I wanted to just trust they did the best they could and move on to explain the difficult
secondary sources, but I realized how crucial it is for them to understand how to correctly
analyze these sources. This is whole assignment should focus on the process: closereading, analyzing, being challenged, instead of the product. These are skills they need to
have for the ACT, for other disciplines, and college.
We modified the lesson to a think, pair, share approach. This allowed for them to
bounce ideas off each other. Its okay to think for yourself and not think exactly like your
classmate. Students didnt want to do this and as a consequence, they have to finish
everything for homework and have their thesis ready for tomorrow.
Though I had a difficult day, Im thankful that even in the bad times there are
lessons to be learned.
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
Last day at Mountain Brook, and Im saddened to leave but thankful for the
experiences I had. Today, we went over the secondary sources and began organizing the
essay. If Mrs. Cunningham and I correctly scaffolded the essay, this will be a breeze for
the class. We encouraged the students to work on this individually and walked around the
room. Individual work is also beneficial to the student-teacher relationship. It allows for
us to work one-on-one with students who struggle and wont typically meet after class or
school. We can assess how their mind is working and give them timely, honest, and
encouraging feedback. Walking around the room also prompts students to ask question
they might be afraid to ask during large group discussion.
I cant believe three weeks have come and gone. I am incredibly thankful for the
relationships that were cultivated during my time here. I learned so much about my
teaching philosophy, teaching style, and passion to help students achieve their potential.
The students and faculty were encouraging. I cant wait to begin my student teaching
journey. Though I am ready, I still have so much to learn. Teaching is really learning
through experience. There arent enough books and studies in the world to explain the
joys and challenges of this field. Experience is the greatest teacher.