My experience at Corona del Sol this semester has been great. To fully immerse yourself in a teaching environment when most of our lives have been spent as strictly students definitely opens your eyes. I realize the necessity of accurate communication, basal knowledge in order to advance, and a fundamental understanding of the material being taught.
During my time here, I have learned a great deal. I see how fragmented some high school curricula can be, and the necessity of its revision. With humanities, it often seems as though too much information is being presented, and that breadth is being favored over depth. I know that Ms. Dempsey plans to change this for the future, and it is her years of experience with the classroom that led her to this realization. I also learned how important it is that a teacher truly understands the material they are teaching. When I taught my lesson, I had a plan laid-out for it, but followed it as a mere guide and led the discussion according to the student’s responses and my own knowledge on the material. I wasn’t learning what I was teaching, but knew what I was teaching.
I’ve grown a great deal from this experience too. I understand how difficult it can be to be a teacher, but how rewarding the results can be when one is capable of positively impacting a student’s life. I also see that this should be a necessary aspect of any teaching career, for if you are not trying to help your students grow as humans, you are wasting a great amount of time.
My experience was definitely positive. Ms. Dempsey is an incredible teacher and person, and she has helped me integrate my college education into her high school classroom. The students in her humanities classes are also pretty amazing. Humanities requires an application from juniors who wish to take it as seniors. As a result, the students are sincerely interested in the material and pursue knowledge and understanding beyond simply grades. I know that my experience in this classroom will definitely influence me if I do choose to go into teaching.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Textbooks and Teaching
One of the biggest issues that I see happening at Corona del Sol is the fact that teachers cannot choose their own textbooks. The reason for this problem is the lack of money that prevents a teacher from choosing from what book they will teach because students do not purchase their own books. The result, however, causes teachers to deal with material they do not fully understand themselves (thus making teaching quite difficult), or information they feel is irrelevant or unnecessary for a high school education comes to the forefront of the curriculum. How can this issue be reconciled?
When it comes to budgeting, there is a certain amount of money allotted for the purchase of textbooks. Textbooks cannot be purchased every year because the cost exceeds what is available. Therefore, when textbooks are purchased new, who is deciding which books will be purchased?
I propose that teachers be required to examine a collection of textbooks by various publishers on their own. Once a teacher has decided which textbook best suits their classroom environment, he or she prepares a defense for that textbook, to be debated at a meeting in which all teacher who instruct the same class and level will collectively decide which textbook is ideal. This way EACH teacher INDIVIDUALLY researches textbooks to discover which is best for them, and then the group COLLECTIVELY decides upon which book to purchase. By doing this, many teachers who have taught the same class (and thus understand where the curricular priority lies) can restructure their class according to their own values, then discuss with the group the best means (the best textbook) by which to accomplish this. Therefore, the collection of teachers who instruct on the same curriculum periodically re-evaluate their course as a group and decide which direction they need to take in order to give the students the fullest and most practical education possible. Don’t let the district decide, let the teachers choose what they teach.
Granted, some of the textbooks that are used are ideal for the classroom in which they are taught. However, without consistent evaluation of the source of knowledge utilized by the teachers, progress is difficult. The archaic texts must be done away with, and the more modern approaches to the same material should be embraced. The most important part is leaving these decisions in the hands of the teachers who actually teach the material. Without this first-person perspective, many of the critical aspects of the various textbooks cannot be fully understood, and thus more problems are created when there is a rift between teacher and textbook. However, when this division is reconciled, the power behind the teaching increases dramatically, and real strides towards progress can occur.
When it comes to budgeting, there is a certain amount of money allotted for the purchase of textbooks. Textbooks cannot be purchased every year because the cost exceeds what is available. Therefore, when textbooks are purchased new, who is deciding which books will be purchased?
I propose that teachers be required to examine a collection of textbooks by various publishers on their own. Once a teacher has decided which textbook best suits their classroom environment, he or she prepares a defense for that textbook, to be debated at a meeting in which all teacher who instruct the same class and level will collectively decide which textbook is ideal. This way EACH teacher INDIVIDUALLY researches textbooks to discover which is best for them, and then the group COLLECTIVELY decides upon which book to purchase. By doing this, many teachers who have taught the same class (and thus understand where the curricular priority lies) can restructure their class according to their own values, then discuss with the group the best means (the best textbook) by which to accomplish this. Therefore, the collection of teachers who instruct on the same curriculum periodically re-evaluate their course as a group and decide which direction they need to take in order to give the students the fullest and most practical education possible. Don’t let the district decide, let the teachers choose what they teach.
Granted, some of the textbooks that are used are ideal for the classroom in which they are taught. However, without consistent evaluation of the source of knowledge utilized by the teachers, progress is difficult. The archaic texts must be done away with, and the more modern approaches to the same material should be embraced. The most important part is leaving these decisions in the hands of the teachers who actually teach the material. Without this first-person perspective, many of the critical aspects of the various textbooks cannot be fully understood, and thus more problems are created when there is a rift between teacher and textbook. However, when this division is reconciled, the power behind the teaching increases dramatically, and real strides towards progress can occur.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Interview w/ Teacher
The purpose of this interview is to understand why the teacher I shadowed last week does what he does. The interview was conducted at Corona del Sol High School. The results were interesting, and made me re-evaluate my initial response to his methods.
Q. What class do you teach? What age?
A. The majority of my time is spent with the honors introduction to biology class. It contains both freshman and sophomores.
Q. Why did you choose to be a teacher, and do you enjoy it?
A. I became a teacher because it seemed like one of the only careers I felt I could partake in while still having a positive effect on the lives of many people. It is important to me because many of the teachers that I had while growing up have made a lasting imprint on me that I still recognize today. I do enjoy my job, and I try to make it more fun than work because it is easier to learn when you’re having a good time.
Q. Why do you plan your itinerary so rigidly for the class, even when all the material cannot be covered in the class period?
A. This is an honors class, even if it doesn’t seem like it all the time. My student and I enjoy having a good time, and know what material we need to get through. If we do not get through it all, it is up to them to finish the material on their own. As we move through the book, we take one chapter each week and focus on it. If material is ever left out of lecture and discussion, it’s only a few paragraphs at most, and we must move on to the next sections in the chapters in order to move through the book. Since it is an honors intro biology class, most of the material in the book is clear-cut, and does not require much explaining, but rather just taking the time to read it. My student do well on their tests because they are honors students, and often times there are more important subjects that arise in the lives of teenagers than biological facts and data.
Q. How are your relationships with other teachers?
A. We all get along pretty well. Corona provides a wonderful working environment. Every teacher helps each other out when they can. It actually seems to be less competitive here than in the English department because we need to stick directly to the material within the textbooks. In the English department, there is more flexibility with a teacher’s curriculum, and this often results in arguments between teachers on which books they can teach. Some teachers take direct ownership of particular books and refuse to allow others to teach it. It can get pretty hostile.
Q. Do you have a role model for your job?
A. There is no one specifically to whom I would attribute my teaching style, but it’s more of a combination of styles from the various teachers I have had throughout high school, and my professors in college. I like to be easy going, but I like to make sure my students learn. The best thin about teaching honors students is the inherit motivation to learn, and this is clearly reflected in their grades. We can have more fun, because the necessity of education is already is already integrated into these students’ lives. I do not have to drag anyone along, and therefore we can enjoy biology and our time in class more completely.
Q. What is the most important thing you want your students to take away from your class?
A. It’s a given that my students are going to learn biology, so this is not my main concern. Honestly, these students are about to move into college, and things can get a lot tougher, even when you’re an honors student. To be able to successfully complete your schooling, while still enjoying what your doing, and finding something interesting about the boring subjects is key. These students need to find a passion in what they are doing, aside from grades, in order to be as successful as they all can be.
Q. What class do you teach? What age?
A. The majority of my time is spent with the honors introduction to biology class. It contains both freshman and sophomores.
Q. Why did you choose to be a teacher, and do you enjoy it?
A. I became a teacher because it seemed like one of the only careers I felt I could partake in while still having a positive effect on the lives of many people. It is important to me because many of the teachers that I had while growing up have made a lasting imprint on me that I still recognize today. I do enjoy my job, and I try to make it more fun than work because it is easier to learn when you’re having a good time.
Q. Why do you plan your itinerary so rigidly for the class, even when all the material cannot be covered in the class period?
A. This is an honors class, even if it doesn’t seem like it all the time. My student and I enjoy having a good time, and know what material we need to get through. If we do not get through it all, it is up to them to finish the material on their own. As we move through the book, we take one chapter each week and focus on it. If material is ever left out of lecture and discussion, it’s only a few paragraphs at most, and we must move on to the next sections in the chapters in order to move through the book. Since it is an honors intro biology class, most of the material in the book is clear-cut, and does not require much explaining, but rather just taking the time to read it. My student do well on their tests because they are honors students, and often times there are more important subjects that arise in the lives of teenagers than biological facts and data.
Q. How are your relationships with other teachers?
A. We all get along pretty well. Corona provides a wonderful working environment. Every teacher helps each other out when they can. It actually seems to be less competitive here than in the English department because we need to stick directly to the material within the textbooks. In the English department, there is more flexibility with a teacher’s curriculum, and this often results in arguments between teachers on which books they can teach. Some teachers take direct ownership of particular books and refuse to allow others to teach it. It can get pretty hostile.
Q. Do you have a role model for your job?
A. There is no one specifically to whom I would attribute my teaching style, but it’s more of a combination of styles from the various teachers I have had throughout high school, and my professors in college. I like to be easy going, but I like to make sure my students learn. The best thin about teaching honors students is the inherit motivation to learn, and this is clearly reflected in their grades. We can have more fun, because the necessity of education is already is already integrated into these students’ lives. I do not have to drag anyone along, and therefore we can enjoy biology and our time in class more completely.
Q. What is the most important thing you want your students to take away from your class?
A. It’s a given that my students are going to learn biology, so this is not my main concern. Honestly, these students are about to move into college, and things can get a lot tougher, even when you’re an honors student. To be able to successfully complete your schooling, while still enjoying what your doing, and finding something interesting about the boring subjects is key. These students need to find a passion in what they are doing, aside from grades, in order to be as successful as they all can be.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Shadowing a Different Teacher
This week I had the opportunity to shadow a different teacher who works at my applied studies site. It was a very interesting experience when comparing the processes the teacher undergoes in preparation for his class and his teaching method to that of the humanities teacher I work under.
First of all, his preparation for class is minimal. He has his plans for each class outlined for the entire year. This sounds like he would be very well prepared for each class, but his teaching method gets in the way of his ability to successfully complete each lesson. The classroom is noisy and can hardly get work done. He seems to have very little control over what is happening. Furthermore, the lack of flexibility in his lesson planning sets him back quite a bit, not because he must push the schedule back, but because he skips the ends of his lessons in order to continue on his schedule. This causes the entire class to be incomplete in its own line of thought.
The humanities teacher, however, plans only a week in advance, and attempts to keep on schedule, but is okay with flexibility if class discussions (not classroom annoyances) prevent them from moving forward. She can remove sections of her lessons if needed, but they are always the least important areas that should be covered, and the class is always informed of what she must skip on order to move on to newer ideas. Her class is also quite well behaved, interested in the material at hand, and works with the teacher to gain understanding rather than a letter grade.
This opportunity allowed me to see that teaching is not as easy as the humanities teacher makes it seem, though this is because of her skill at the job. She knows what she is doing, what is most important, and how to achieve what she desires for her class. This is not inherent to the job, and surely does not seem to be required to maintain this job, but she does it because it creates a more fulfilling classroom environment that targets knowledge, not grades.
First of all, his preparation for class is minimal. He has his plans for each class outlined for the entire year. This sounds like he would be very well prepared for each class, but his teaching method gets in the way of his ability to successfully complete each lesson. The classroom is noisy and can hardly get work done. He seems to have very little control over what is happening. Furthermore, the lack of flexibility in his lesson planning sets him back quite a bit, not because he must push the schedule back, but because he skips the ends of his lessons in order to continue on his schedule. This causes the entire class to be incomplete in its own line of thought.
The humanities teacher, however, plans only a week in advance, and attempts to keep on schedule, but is okay with flexibility if class discussions (not classroom annoyances) prevent them from moving forward. She can remove sections of her lessons if needed, but they are always the least important areas that should be covered, and the class is always informed of what she must skip on order to move on to newer ideas. Her class is also quite well behaved, interested in the material at hand, and works with the teacher to gain understanding rather than a letter grade.
This opportunity allowed me to see that teaching is not as easy as the humanities teacher makes it seem, though this is because of her skill at the job. She knows what she is doing, what is most important, and how to achieve what she desires for her class. This is not inherent to the job, and surely does not seem to be required to maintain this job, but she does it because it creates a more fulfilling classroom environment that targets knowledge, not grades.
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