Wk1 Blog 4: Free Choice

LOL in class

Along with key points, I really appreciated the humor I found in the Bejamin Zader video. His presentation was masterfully done and I quickly recalled a recent two-day regional teachers conference. On the first day the first speaker was very direct and matter of fact during the presentation, after about 15 minutes a wave of restlessness and distraction filled the auditorium. Later in the day, I talked with a few of the other teachers and very few could recall the theme or key points of the presentation. The second day another speaker took the stage and engaged the audience through humorous stories. The time went quickly and at the end the crowd responded with loud applause and a feeling of excitement. Talking the second day with nearly the same group of teachers, I found that most were able to recall the key points and were still laughing at the stories and gestures. Humor in the classroom is an effective tool. It increases attention and retention, creates positive emotions, is effective when teaching difficult subject matter, and contributes to a healthy learning environment (Skinner & Fowler, 2010). In my own experience, laughing with my students creates a connection that I can build on to present more difficult news or material. Not to mention, reducing the pressure by simply laughing at my own mistakes.

Reference

Skinner, M., & Fowler, R. (2010). All joking aside: Five reasons to use humor in the classroom. Education Digest, 76(2), 19-21.

Wk1 Blog 3: Comments 2

Original student post: Michelle Plank

Week 1 reading

After finishing my AR project, I found myself doubting what I had done. My project was different from everyone else in the class because I was not in the classroom or working. Was it good enough? Did I get enough data? After receiving my literature review feedback in month 9, I thought my fate was sealed. They would not accept my project and I would not graduate. I realized that I had given myself an F all on my own.

When I took a moment to analyze the project, I realized how much I had gained from it along with a couple of the other participants and I gave myself an A. I felt a sense of pride and relief and with that came the drive to succeed. I took the suggestions for my literature review and began to make the necessary changes and it was approved in month 10. I could see the feedback for what it was, helpful tips to improve my paper. And they were right, it needed improvement. I began thinking of different ways to improve my project and how I could reach more people. I was able to think more clearly knowing my project was an A.

Giving an A to others or those we teach is important. But, in my opinion it is more important to give it to yourself. Then, you will be more open and willing to give it to others.


My Comments: From here to there

Michelle,
Whenever I’m traveling to some place new, whether it’s a store or a vacation spot, I find that the most stressing part is getting there. Like you mentioned with your AR project, printing and planning a road map is essential and a necessary guide but the actual road traveled isn’t the same as the blue and black lines on the paper. Sometimes even when I’m watching the mile markers, the exit I need seems to just appear out nowhere and I stress trying to change lanes before I’ve missed the exit, sort of the way you described giving yourself an F. The funny thing is that while my wife and I are stressing, my little boy is behind us in the car seat either sleeping or just gazing at all the sites as they pass and new ones emerge. Giving ourselves an A, begins by looking at the world around us and though we use the guidance given, we have to see the world outside our windows and the road we’re on more than the printed page.

Wk1 Blog 2: Comments 1

Original student post: Mollie Sterling

Week 1 Post 4: The Art of Possibility Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1: It’s All Invented
Let me kick off this post by saying I’m so excited this book is our required reading for this month. I love books that challenge me to change my thoughts and actions. I know that Prof. Bustillo’s asked us to blog about our personal interaction with the reading (which I’m going to do) but I’d also like to use my blog as a place where I can keep a running outline of my notes and the passages that sparked my interest, so from time to time you might see me included references or recaps from the text.

In Chapter 1, the idea of getting over pre-conceived notions is the main theme. This is serendipitous to my professional life right now. I work in sales, and just came back from an annual sales meeting where the idea of “selling to the opportunity” was the main theme. This fits exactly with the practice outlined in Chapter 1. As a salesperson, it is very easy to get in a rut and be in a place where you know your customer and accounts so well that you go in assuming you’ll “only sell 100 units.” Because of that assumption, you don’t take the extra time to ask a few more questions, or put together a proposal for 500 units. You might make your quota of selling 100 units, but you miss the larger opportunity.

Chapter 1 Practice
Ask yourself:

What assumption am I making,
Than I’m not aware I’m making,
That gives me what I see?

After you have that answer, go on to this one:

What might I now invent,
That I haven’t yet invented,
That would give me other choices?

Chapter 2: Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility
This chapter looks at the idea that we all walk around with the assumption that life is about staying alive and surviving. I know that I personally fall prey to this way of thinking ALL THE TIME. Like so many others, I’m a busy, working mom. I’m a slave to my to-do list. I’m always on the defensive. I love this quote from the book and hope to retrain myself, at least to some degree, to think about setting the context for my life rather than measuring how many more boxes I need to check of my daily tasks!

“In the measurement world, you set a goal and stive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold.”

Chapter 2 Practice
Ask yourself:
How are my thoughts and actions, in this moment, reflections of the measurement world?


Chapter 3: Giving an A: Giving Yourself an A
I completely agree with the idea that the grades given in school are constructed simply to help society compare one student to another and tell us almost nothing about a student’s mastery or potential. I come from a musical background myself (went to college on a wind instrumentalist scholarship) so I really related to the anecdotal info Ben put forward in this chapter.



Mollie,

“Getting into a rut” is common among educators as well. Instead of sales quotas, the public education system is driven by standardized tests and annual yearly progress reports. Along side these confinements, I see teachers using the same lesson plans and resources over and over again. Which may explain to some extent why I’m seeing an resurgence of 80’s fashions in the student population.

Just as you described in missing potentially larger sales opportunities, I think the same is true in education. By funneling the lion’s share of resources and energy to standardized testing, we are missing possibilities. When discussing “giving the A” the author mentioned that standards help define a required range of knowledge for the sake of competency. This should not be the end all goal. I share your opinion that if we limit our possibilities, we limit the larger potential. If that is all that occurs, how then can new discoveries be made?

Wk1 Reading: Blog 1 - Art of Possibility Ch 1-3

Slam dunk


In my computer classroom, I have my new computers, which are in the middle of their fifth school year. There are my new old computers, which were donated after a local business upgraded their office. Then I have the old computers, which replaced a portion of the original old old computers. Each day, I juggle my students around trying to give them each time on the newest computers in hopes that simple media projects can be completed without crashing or loss of work. For my classroom, this is what the text might call our familiar “world of measurement.”

Within this perception, it’s easy to focus on just surviving, getting through the steps, giving a grade, and moving on the next assignment. The amazing thing is that despite the limitations and complications, my students often surprise me with their ingenuity and creativity. In a recent video project, a student showed me a clip of his slam-dunk. After we watched it a few times and discussed the different camera angles, he told me, “I always wanted to dunk” and his expression showed that through the video he had accomplished that task. His accomplishment was outside his 5’5” measurement because he was able to change the situation and let his dream unfold. As other students came up to see his work, his satisfaction and their support greatly overshadowed the A I placed in the gradebook.