Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Hidden within the thesaurus explosion that was Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," there were some very important and valid points. Like Freire, I also strongly disagree with the belief that children are simply receptacles to be filled, as knowledge can never be fully finished or obtained. I like to think of children as fires to be fed. As teachers, it is up to us to inspire the fires of creativity and critical thinking within each of our students. I also very much agree that mutual respect and mutual learning must exist in every classroom between the students and the teacher. The vast majority of students take every word uttered in the classroom as the truth, likely because that's how most teachers present it, when they really have the opportunity to question whatever they please. It is vital that we not only allow but also hear the doubts and thought processes of each individual. All perspectives and values are different, and it is very true that we can learn just as much from our students as they learn from us. There were also a few areas of this excerpt that seemed a bit exaggerated. The majority of the article felt a bit like Dumbledore was bestowing upon me his golden nuggets of knowledge in well-rehearsed, riddle-like phrases. It also gave me the impression that I was going to burn in the fiery depths of hell for assigning my students a section of required reading. I don't think that by implementing a banking approach within a classroom that a teacher has doomed her students for all of eternity as this article made it seem, though I do think that the teacher would be wise to alter this approach. The classroom should be a conversation in which students and teachers who share a respectful and valued relationship with one another than discuss and solve problems relevant to both the content and their lives.

Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning: Coping with the Issues of Assessment

As I think about my years in the classroom as a student, I remember my English classes consisting only of essay or writing assessments. While we had a quiz every once in a while on the content of a novel that we were reading at the time to prove that we had read the material, we demonstrated our learning as students only in writing. When we learned grammar, we showed our comprehension through our use of proper grammar in our essays and papers. So, I was shocked when I began observing classes as a teacher and saw only multiple choice tests being given to assess the students in English courses. While it may be true that "students remember things better and they learn more when they are tested on the detail of the novel," testing only on content concerns me. In my own classroom, I hope that my students will be showing what they know in their own writing rather than filling in a bubble on a piece of paper. What is the point of learning it anyway if they don't know how to use it? Sure, semicolons are great, but show me how you will apply it to your own writing. I am concerned though. Now that the current generation of students has been raised in a test-based ELA environment, I am worried that the shift to a writing-based assessment will be quite a shock, making them hesitant to adapt. I have experienced this a bit in my current placement, as the students only display their learning through multiple choice tests, which are intended to evaluate the students' knowledge of the content as well as ability to analyze. When I first started teaching in this classroom, I created lessons for the English classrooms that I was accustomed to, where students talk and write about their interpretations of the texts. However, the discussion was painful and the writing was nearly as painful as the discussion. The students haven't ever been asked to formulate their own ideas about a text before, they've only had to choose a theme of a text from a), b), c), or d). I have since been using my time to encourage them to make connections with the text, as I think that the first step into thinking analytically about literature. Without allowing students opportunities to write and discuss the literature that they're reading, we are undermining the value of our students' ideas. They deserve to think as respected individuals. Their ideas benefit us as teachers just as much as they benefit the other students.

Reading Rhetorically

As I am in the process of creating a unit in which students will be asked to read both literature and informative texts, the reading in the "Assignment Template" aligned very closely with my own needs. To wholly grasp the context and content of the novel that I will be covering, it is important that students are offered texts that detail the various societal perspectives during the historical era of the novel. Students will be offered argumentative pieces in which the readers are intended to be persuaded by one way or another. I will certainly be asking the students to analyze the organization and language of the articles, as well as annotate and respond to the readings. By using these reading strategies, the students will be able to better grasp the points that each side tries to assert. When looking at informational texts about and from WWII era, I want students to be able to understand why populations of people were so quickly and easily persuaded. By breaking down the articles in ways suggested by this article, then students can see the effect of each word and phrase to better understand this often perplexing time in our history. 

In connection to other readings we've done this quarter, students can best prepare for discussion about a text by completing these steps prior to the discussion. If the text is actively read and annotated, students will be reminded of questions and comments that arose during the reading, offering more content to contribute during the discussion. As I hope to make discussion a common tool in my classroom, these pre-reading activities will be particularly helpful for me as a teacher to prepare my students. 

Finally, another benefit of reading actively that I found is the attention that will be drawn to what is and is not effective in the writing of others. If the students are able to pinpoint exactly what persuaded them, then they can implement these persuasive tools into their own argumentative writing. 

Co-Teaching Thoughts

While reading Melissa Levitt's article on the benefits and challenges of team teaching, my curiosity urged me to create a list of advantages and disadvantages mentioned in the article. Though I had already expected the list of advantages to outweigh the disadvantages, I had not expected the list of disadvantages to be so lengthy. The numerous advantages seem to imply that co-teaching is superior to individual teaching. However, it also sounds like it must be done with someone that shares similar educational methodologies and practices. Being able to reach a level of understanding and agreement between two highly educated individuals can be difficult. Respect and flexibility must surpass opinion to reach a mutual ground -- much easier said than done for those who have been practicing for many years. I imagine the planning time would take much longer, as it once again must be mutual. However, the hard work will be worth it, as they say.

Co-teaching would be a great tool for new teachers just entering the field. The experienced teacher would continue (hopefully) to share his or her experiences and those things that may not have worked well in the past. The new teacher could (hopefully) bring many new, inspiring ideas to the table to reinvigorate instruction. It would also allow a new teacher to take on more responsibility than is given during practicum, while still maintaining a support system. I believe I would also benefit from undergoing the planning with an experienced teacher to see if perhaps he or she has a more efficient or organized way of doing it.

I was in a multiple-teacher classroom during 2nd-5th grade. As a student, I really enjoyed the variety that this situation allowed. Though the article mentioned that varying teaching styles can make it difficult for students to adapt, I didn't have any trouble. The varying teachers broke up the day. In each situation, the teachers would only teach his or her own expertise. We were divided into two groups in which half of us would learn English while the other did math, for example -- then, switch. In my fourth and fifth grade years, we had a very large multi-age classroom with three teachers. We would be divided throughout the day, coming together every so often as a whole group of fifty students. I enjoyed this format at the time because I was given the opportunity to participate in the more advanced math class without any issue. The teachers all worked very cooperatively. Though, I'm sure it wasn't perfect when they began, they worked as a well oiled machine when I was in their classroom, which lead to very efficient instruction for the students.

Given the opportunity to co-teach, I'd love to do so. I find that the best lesson ideas come from an intellectual discussion in which teachers are bouncing ideas off of each other. Imagine how great a curriculum could be if every lesson was like that. The extra time, work, sweat, tears, and certainly coffee would surely be worth it as long as respect and flexibility is mutual.

Common Core State Standards

Reading the first chapter of Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards by Richard Beach, Amanda Haertling Thein, and Allen Webb drastically changed my perception of the Common Core State Standards. As a student of education, I was introduced to the Common Core with an air of skepticism and negativity. Teachers, perhaps unintentionally, have suggested the cookie-cutter-ness of this approach, which unfortunately had planted similar seeds in my mind. After having read this selection, however, the misconceptions are glaringly evident. More importantly, they are avoidable with proper, well-informed practice. I had fallen victim to the misconception that standards = standardization. However, as the article states, the common core standards "do not specify what or how to teach." The curriculum allows for much more creativity and freedom than most let on. We must rely on our own experience and creativity to decide when and how we teach each standard. Further, what and how we teach must cater to the experiences and needs of the students. While I read this selection, one message continued to arise throughout. In order to most effectively teach the Common Core Standards, we must know -- truly know -- our students. We, as teachers, need to have formed a relationship and a connection with our students so that we have an understanding of their backgrounds, their experiences, and their needs. Based on this knowledge, we can then decide the timeline and approach that will be most effective for our students. The standards are not simply about content. The standards, when taught based on the needs of the students, may also serve to prepare the students for life after school. Our curriculum should expose our students to life in the twenty-first century. While my only experience with the Common Core thus far does feel a bit fragmented because of the sporadic lessons that occur during the obversataonal portion of the student teaching program, I am excited by the idea of crafting a curriculum that will bridge the gap between the objectives and the real-life experiences of my future students.

Discussion in a Democratic Society

Having been part of many stimulating discussions as a student in a variety of courses, I had eagerly awaited my opportunity to be part of one as a teacher. Discussion, particularly in an English classroom, is truly an irreplaceable tool, as "Discussion in a Democratic Society" asserts. Students lead each other to differing viewpoints, and even new lenses altogether in a respectful, engaging environment. I soon found, however, that this is much easier said than done. As of late, discussion in my classroom has been quite a difficult area for my students. Prior to having our literature discussion, I discussed the importance of open-mindedness, respect, and equality that must be present to lead a beneficial discussion. Many of these same dispositions are discussed in the article, which mentions, "hospitality, participation, mindfulness, humility, mutuality, deliberation, appreciation, hope, and autonomy" (8). In my first attempt to hold a literature based discussion in my English classroom, the majority of the students were silent and avoided participating. Those who did participate limited their answers to few words, usually unsure of an answer when I asked the question "why."I left that day feeling quite sullen, unsure of my mistakes. Looking back now, I realize that while most of the students in my class knew how to present their ideas respectfully, they hadn't yet learned how to navigate literature in a way that they could present their ideas with textual evidence. They also hadn't yet been asked to form arguments and opinions about the literature that they've read. Many of my discussion questions centered on the Boo Radley character in To Kill A Mockingbird. But, the majority of the students claimed that they didn't know anything about the character because he hasn't spoken or been seen in the book yet. I had spent time ensuring my students could interact maturely and respectfully to the opinions of others in a discussion format, but I had not prepared them to create their own opinions about the literature. Finally coming to this realization, I was able to take one step -- okay maybe several steps --  back and reevaluate. This selection highlighted for me the importance of preparation. As a teacher, it is my duty to prepare students to not only know how to participate in a discussion effectively and respectively, but also to help them realize their own opinions beforehand. Having done these successfully, though, will certainly pay off as our students will begin to bring new light to the literature that the class reads together.