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Thank you for sharing your experiences in Ms. Swan-McDonald’s classroom. I have also noticed that student engagement increases when students have the opportunities to speak on their own experiences and as an observer, it is exciting to watch. Students want to be able to share their thoughts and experiences with each other, and this urban planning activity was a great way to accomplish that. It is a creative and imaginative activity that is grounded in their real-life experiences and what they value in their living spaces. It was disappointing to hear that students did not have time to share their thoughts with the class and have a conclusion to the activity. Often, I think the conclusion is just as important as the activity. Sure, it is fun to think about your ideal city, but what is the point if students do not see the point? If given the proper conclusions, this could have been a really impactful lesson. As you said, social studies is deeply applicable to human life. And as a STEM person myself, I agree with you that the topics in Global Studies are interesting and applicable to students’ lives. However, I do want to point out that there are connections between fields and this impactful lesson on urban planning is not exclusive to the humanities. For instance, I took a Global Change Biology class that talked about urban planning; lack of plants and green spaces in urban areas can often lead to something called the urban heat island effect, meaning that urban areas are disproportionately affected by climate change. This is all my way of saying that even though Global Studies is a social studies class, the topics can cater to many different student interests and experiences. I think you really touched on that importance of Global Studies and how applicable it is to human life. It is a shame that students did not get the opportunity to fully discuss the activity and come to a meaningful conclusion. I know you mentioned that this is a topic that you feel passionate about and would love to teach to high schoolers, so thank you for your insight. It really drove home the importance of not only having an interesting activity but also following it up with a meaningful discussion and conclusion.
This is a very thoughtful insight to your student, Isaiah. While our age groups are quite different (I tutor 9th graders), I have noticed a similar pattern in one of my students as well. He immediately dismisses any classwork because he is unsure of his own academic abilities. Similar to Isaiah, he tries to play it off, but I can see when working with him individually that he does not feel capable enough to complete the tasks. I am glad that Prairie Creek offers some activities that Isaiah likes, such as fire building, because I cannot say the same for my student at the high school. As great as Prairie Creek is, I think your commentary on the white instructors is really interesting. As a student, it’s incredibly important to have a role model who looks like you. While Michelle may not be that herself for Isaiah, there could be other adults introduced into the classroom to fulfill that role. I wonder how Isaiah’s attitude would change in the presence of someone who looks like him, whether it be a teacher or a peer.
I thought your observation about the student writing the essay about the cat was an interesting one. External motivations, such as parent reactions, can be very influential on a student’s work ethic. Unfortunately, in this case, it seems to be causing the student a lot of stress, which I can relate to. However, there doesn’t seem to be very much intrinsic motivation to do well at all. His derailing from the prompt shows a determination for completion rather than writing a successful essay. I have noticed this same theme in a few of my students as well. These kids are facing many external pressures, including parents, potential careers, colleges, etc. that it can be difficult to find any internal motivation. I myself have felt these pressures, so I understand how the student is feeling. I just hope he can find some internal motivation to successfully focus and complete his essay.
I really resonated with the way you interact with students. The student you mention, the one you usually read with who seemed slightly off, really struck me. I think you were right to check in with him, even if he was hesitant to share. It is really important to show students that you do care about them and you notice when they seem off, so kudos to you for doing that. From how you describe it, it seems this was a positive interaction so much so that it made him more open to listening to the teacher and completing the task. I was also really struck by the lack of punishment in this classroom. In my experiences, many of my elementary classrooms depended on punishment. I am so glad that these kids have so many positive reinforcements to encourage them, not to scare them with punishments. I think punishment can be a really easy go-to when dealing with classroom behavior, but I am glad that this particular teacher is so dedicated to positive reinforcements and encouraging her students.
Adam, I have noticed extremely similar patterns in the high school students I observe as well. The male students tend to be very blatant about the fact that they are not going to do any work, while female students tend to act busy and avoid attention. I like that you made this distinction, because every single student does put off work in some ways. It can be too easy to generalize statements like “male students do less work” or are “lazier,” when in fact it is just a matter of how they present themselves. Students that are more blatant about their refusal to do work will get more attention, but that doesn’t mean that they are the only ones off task. It can be hard to determine when quieter students need help or need to refocus. I also really liked the way you handled the Mitch/Alex situation. Your casual language still had a firm tone to it. Sometimes, a lecture about consent and touch is not going to be your best option. I think your choice was a good one, as you let Mitch know that what he did was not acceptable in one simple, yet effective sentence: “Man, don’t touch people like that.” You got the message across and I hope that message sticks with him for the future.
I found your points on identity incredibly insightful. I think it’s interesting that you don’t seem to cleanly fit in one of Marcia’s categories, but instead drift between the two. I would say that fits my thoughts on identity as well, since humans are truly beings of change. We are constantly changing ourselves and our sense of self. Additionally, there’s so many aspects of identity to explore that I can’t imagine anyone would truly stay achieved forever. I like how you described it as being “at peace” with yourself, rather than achievement. I feel like identity is exploring who you are and accepting that, rather than having to work towards forming something to “achieve.” Thank you for sharing your personal experiences and your thoughts on the fluidity of identity.
It has been really interesting to hear about your classroom observations through a language learning lens. You bring up a really good point about immersion, which I think applies in any class, but especially in languages. How are students supposed to learn if they aren’t being pushed to fully engage with the language? This brings up concerns about their ZPD and what strategies might help in bridging the gaps between what they know and what they could be pushed to know with the right support and tools.
I was also struck by the scaffolding strategies used in the classroom; I had never thought about how you go about scaffolding a language. I especially liked how you phrased it as “not allowing their brains to flip back into English.” When learning languages, I think it is in our nature to want to immediately translate it back to English. However, if your brain is constantly “flipping back” to English, how are you supposed to be immersed in the new language? I think the visual aids the teacher used are a great idea to try and keep the students immersed in the language. It’s a delicate balance of challenging them to work in the new language while also realizing there is a certain level of scaffolding necessary to get them there.
You bring up a very compelling point about high schoolers and adults being clumped together in Piaget’s stages of development. While his stages are generalizations, I agree that high schoolers are vastly different than adults in some areas. Writing is one of these areas that gets worked on a lot throughout high school. As a student myself, I don’t think I wrote a formal, thesis-driven essay until 9th grade. I grew a lot as a writer in the four years I spent in high school, and I imagine many of the 9th grade students have a lot of growing to do yet. Writing is a complex process and it takes time to develop good writing skills. Because of this, it is important that students learn how to write themselves. I relate to your experience of wanting to just correct everything for them, but you made the right call in giving the students time to learn and develop.
