Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School Classroom

This article was super interesting and aligned with values that I already have kinda developed through my education journey. I loved the fact that the authors were able to make their English class relevant for their students. They addressed that student’s felt like school was pointless. Using pop culture allowed them to create a curriculum and units where students could make connection with their real life lived experiences. One of my favorite aspects of the text was when the authors addressed showing movies in the classroom. In my school experience I have had a lot of movie days in my classes. More often than not the movie would be the film version of a text we read or even worse (from the perspective of an effective educator) had no connection to what we were doing at all. I liked that in the context of using pop culture in the classroom the authors were able to help their students make connections with the world that the students lived in. Movies were not used to pass time but to help make connections and help students understand that the ideas they were learning could also be found and applied in the real world.

I think the authors of this text were incredibly creative. I loved the idea of the poetry unit. Comparing poetry and poetic devices to modern rap is a genius way to show how what a student learns in English class can transcend the classroom. I also really liked the emphasis on the fact that the authors wanted their students to be able to think critically. It is amazing to see how effective the authors were in their ideas. Their students took what they learned and used it to try and help their daily lives. Overall, I loved the idea of using pop culture to bridge what the students were learning in the classroom and how what they were learning could be applied to the real world. 

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

I once was a student who learned passively. Sometimes I still find myself still memorizing for a test and then dumping what I had memorized shortly after. It is a problem that I think a lot of students are guilty of doing throughout their educational experience. This article calls out teachers for using the bank method of teaching. Teaching where the only person only being active in education is the teacher. This text was interesting to me and I generally found it to be true. I do think that students are not learning the skills that they need to be successful outside of the educational system and I do think that this teaching style could be to blame. I think that the educational world needs to make a major shift and help students develop critical thinking skills.  

My favorite part of this text was the idea that banking concept leads students to be passive. It does not engage students instead it helps them become adaptable to any situation leaving them to be passive for their whole life. It does not ask for new thought or ideas. This obviously is a step back for society. If we are to move forward to something better we need people to participate. We cannot remain passive and hope for our reality to get better. Creating an engaging learning environment can be difficult to do but it is necessary for teachers to engage their students. No longer can students be treated as “receptacles”. It is the job of the teacher to help students learn how to think for themselves in order for them to be able to engage in the reality. The banking method cannot be used in the pursuit of liberation or a better tomorrow. I am curious to see how these ideas will pan out in the education system. 

Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning

I found this reading to be helpful. When reflecting on some of the ways I've incorporated assessment into my lesson plans I have realized that some of the ways I phrase my criteria is not super effective. One thing I liked about this chapter was the focus on rubrics. A rubric is something that every single English teacher uses at some point in their classroom. For me creating the criteria for my assignments has been difficult. I never have had a full grasp on what to include that would help my students succeed. A lot of the time I would just google rubrics and find something that fit my needs. The section on developing rubrics is something I will probably keep in my pocket for this class especially when creating my unit plan. This is definitely going to be a good resource for me.

Another assessment guide I found super helpful was the section about providing feedback to student essays. I have never thought about the idea if reader based responses when editing an essay draft. In most of my English classes feedback on my essays has always been from the teacher's perspective. I think that editing a draft from the eyes of a reader can be more effective for students because it probably ends up being clearer when they revise their draft. I will probably keep this tactic in mind when I grade future essays. Overall, I found this chapter helpful and interesting to read. Assessment can cause a lot of anxiety so it's always good to have as many resources as possible when crafting assessment.

Assignment Templates

My favorite part about all of the Assignment Templates was the emphasis on reflection. Reflection is something that I do not think students always do as they learn. For a long time I was one of those students who did not spend time thinking about my writing process and in some ways it did hinder me in school. Once I realized that I should have been reflecting on my writing process and in my work I started to improve. I have found that reflection can be easily forgotten but when used effectively it can be very useful to students. It allows students the opportunity to think about what they did well and ways to improve themselves in any areas they struggled.

I also liked the emphasis on thinking critically. One thing I have heard, although I have never researched this for myself, is that students are not being taught how to think critically in secondary education. Someone once told me that their son had to take a critical thinking class as one of his required college courses during his first year in college. It makes me sad that as an education system students are not being taught the skills they need to help them succeed in higher education. Critical thinking is something that needs to be taught in the classroom. Being able to analyze their text is essential in college. Students need to be able to question what they learn in a way that will help them gain a deeper understanding of the subject.  Even in the work force critical thinking is an essential skill. Using teaching practices that place an emphasis on critical thinking is something I want to do in my classroom. I know the goal of all teachers is to help their students succeed after they finish your class and that is a goal I want to work towards in my classroom.  

Team Teaching Articles

On the subject of team teaching I think yes. It seems like a really good idea that can result in some great accomplishments for students in my classes. I think I would have to team teach with another teacher I actually liked. Effective team teaching means that there will be some compromise and that can be hard to do if you are trying to compromise with someone you do not like. I have never been in a classroom where there were two instructors but I have always wanted to see this magical process take place. The closest I have come to hearing about team teaching is from students who have taken classes with rotating professors. A lot of the students I have come into contact with at Eastern did not like the rotating professor class structure. The common problem I have heard that it was very inconsistent between each week because the students never had the opportunity to fully understand what was expected from their work. I think team teaching is more effective than rotating teachers because it forces the teachers to work together and collaborate. I also like the idea that the second teacher in the classroom can transform into different roles depending on the needs of the classroom. It can be difficult to mirror ideal classroom skills when you are leading the class as a teacher. Having access to someone who could model the “model learner” or the “devil’s advocate” would give my students an opportunity to see what it looks like to be an effective student. It takes educating to the next level and that is really exciting to me. I would love to have the opportunity to team teach in a secondary classroom. I think it would be a good experience and it would probably help me develop my education skills.  

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts instruction in Grades 6 – 12

Prior to joining the education program I was like most people who believed that Common Core Standards would be the downfall of education. I believed that initiating standards would standardize the educational system in America. An effect of these standards in my mind would cause more teachers to teach in preparation for national tests rather than to make students effective learners. That myth was quickly shattered as I realized how many interesting and creative lesson plans used the same Common Core Standards. Common Core is not meant to hold an educator back but rather guide them as they create curriculum for their classrooms. This is something that has proven difficult for me as I have begun to craft my own lessons. The standards ask you to help students build skills not suggesting any way for the educator to do that. On top of all the other skills a teacher needs to be effective they must also be creative enough to make effective lessons that will be most effective in their specific classroom. As I get closer to becoming an educator, I know it will be important to pay attention to my creative peers and research ideas that I can use in my own classroom. There are so many skills that a person must develop to become an effective teacher it can sometimes become overwhelming. I know that skills will be developed through student teacher and as I learn more in my education courses.

Overall, I found this chapter to be very interesting and insightful about Common Core. I have never read in detail about some of the shortcomings of Common Core so it was interesting to see what I will need to look out for as I use the standards in my classroom. Using Common Core may be challenging but I know the standards are in place to help me help my students to become effective learners. 

Discussion in a Democratic Society

Discussion is something I have known about and participated in since middle school. Coming together as a class to discuss a topic has helped me see ideas from new perspectives and has challenged my thinking on many different topics. This chapter opened my eyes to what it takes to make discussion a rewarding and essential tool to use in the classroom. One of the many things I liked about this chapter was the emphasis on how it is essential to enter discussion with an open mind. I have experienced times where my classmates would shut down when conflicting points of view came forth in a class discussion. Their stubbornness to see things outside their perspective set back the learning and the point of the whole activity. To learn through discussion one must be able to empathize and see topics from multiple points of view even if it is conflicting with your own point of view. The sections of the text on hospitality and mindfulness has taught me new ways to help my classroom prepare for a good discussion. Explaining that one must be hospitable when participating a discussion is important so that students can help empower their peers. Teaching students to be open to learning about viewpoints that contrast their own in an appropriate way is a skill that they will use throughout their lives.

Another section of the text that I found incredibly useful was the section on appreciation. I agree that in discussion many times people are not appreciated for sharing their viewpoint and thoughts. Appreciation is something that I have struggled during my journey to become an educator. I have read many articles about effective praise in the classroom but often struggle to find the most concise words to give appreciation to students. Appreciation should be used when participating a discussion but like the text says it is important to not oversaturate expressions of appreciation. Finding the middle ground for praise and appreciation is something I struggle with but know that it is essential for education.  As I continue to grow as I know that effective appreciation is something I will work on and continue to develop.

Overall, this chapter was helpful in teaching me the components of an effective discussion and why the components are important. Discussion is an incredibly useful tool to use in the classroom when used effectively. After reading this article I know that it will be a lot of work to develop the skills needed to have an effective discussion in my classroom but the end result will be worth it.