november twenty sixth

Half day today.

november nineteenth

Well--I'm back.

In Mr. Cohen's class, we began with a five minute write (we usually do) only today it was more structured.  Usually the kids are allowed to go wherever their pen takes them for five minutes. Today, the kids were asked to write about the story they're working on--as a kind of refresher.  More than just the story-- the kids are forced to think about how they want to approach it.  This early in life, this classroom they are already thinking about how they want to learn a story. There's something very unique about that. 

Also I wanted to document a few teaching techniques I learned today:

1) "I'll start the five minutes when it's quiet"  In this case, the student will write for five QUIET minutes.  This technique of waiting can be effective. It puts the pressure on the student instead of the teacher--the teacher just waits.  The emphasis of "who is learning here" is put.

2) "Hold your questions--write them down."  If Mr. Cohen is speaking to the student, there are certain times where he can't afford interruption. Sometimes questions can interrupt and fragment class discussion (especially with the distracted attention and guts to ask pretty much anything of younger people).  By telling the students to write them down, the teacher pushes the student's focus to what is being said, rather than the question they want to ask.  Holding a question also, nurtures a much needed virtue--patience.  Also, sometimes there just isn't time.

Another thing I noticed about this classroom that there is a HUGE use of new technology to enhance the learning;. They are making small videos in which they are creating and editing using new technology.

They're using Media Blender to make their storyboards for the movies. They are also using iMovie for editing their story.  The movies are as sophisticated as they need to be to still be about the writing and the kind of action that creates.

Today I learned about professional days--you don't use personal days for conventions, which is kind of a cool thing.

We were talking about specific student today.  There is one student he mentioned who gets fidgety in the classroom.   Mr. Cohen lets the student get away with it because this classroom is the first time he's engaged in an english class.  I forget what parts of your history play into your current place in a classroom.  There's a certain record already established for you even before your new instructor hands out the syllabus in September.

I also noticed that in this class, there is a lot of visual thinking in this class which is really in line with the things that I'm interested in.  For example, there's this graph, where the x-axis is event, and the y-axis is scale. The graph is used to show how in one of their projects, they will pick a trend to expand on--a transition between events as opposed to a single moment.

Another thing I learned is if a student walks away, you don't let them get away--if you do, you're instantly the pushover.

I am feeling more part of the class.  And wondering what kind of lesson plan I will create.  Or what I will teach.

november 12

No entry today--Mr. Cohen went to a smart board convention.

november fifth

I walk into the class--into silence.

Mr. Cohen has the students completely captured in what he's saying. The election was the night before. More than the issue of which candidate stands for what, Mr. Cohen was addressing the social implications of what having a president of African American descent be elected. He read a poem from Langston Hughes:

Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America!

O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!

This poem had them completely held. As he read this, the students were really thinking about what he was saying. The hope is that some of them were even realizing what all of this really means. When I was a student Mr. Cohen was teaching us "so what", which is what he calls how to make your writing matter to someone the way it already should matter to the writer. Even as a teaching assistant, I'm able to see how that same "so what" leaks into everything. To him, the "so what" is what makes art, science, literature--everything matter.

Later today, I sat in on two of Ms. Ohle's classes, which today, are in the computer lab. Middle school has really changed since I was a student in that everything is getting a lot more technological. Discussions, homework, and work can all be posted online. There's a lot more convenience in being exposed to these kinds of things so early. The fact is, the world itself is getting a lot more technological in most things that we do.

The discussions, which feature questions, comments etc., are available online in what is called a wikispace. To ensure safety, last names are not posted and although it is available for public reading, posting is exclusive to the classroom.

http://missohlesclass.wikispaces.com/message/list/home

Today though, the reason the class is in the computer lab is because they are beginning creating their blogs, on which they will post their works (right now they're working on persuasive writing). The assignment is as follows:

	Welcome! We will begin a project that will be similar to a writing journal. To begin, each student will be responsible for creating a personal blog. The first entry will be an abstract of your persuasive essay. Your abstract should include your thesis and three main ideas. Remember, your goal is to persuade your readers with compelling arguments. Once every student has posted their first entry, I will pair students to react to the writer's point of view and make constructive comments and counterarguments on the blog. Here are some guidleines: The blogs are only for work and writings associated with language literacy class. Do not reveal any personal information about yourself: full name, address, phone number, etc. Do not post anything that breaks a school rule: swearing, inappropriate content, gossip, etc. Do not post comments to this blog that are inappropriate or disrespectful. Immediately report any inappropriate comments left by others to your blog. Feel free to post personal writings that you want to share with others, as long as they relate to the language literacy curriculum. Please post a comment on my blog!

This is kind of a cool project because of the creativity it allows a student to exhibit. I don't know if they really feel it, because mostly the teacher is reading, but it is interesting that a student is--published. When a person's work is available online it's a weird feeling. They are published. When that first happened to me, there was a strange feeling that I had finally been recognized. I'm just wondering if they see that. Or maybe they think no one will read it and it's just another project--I'm just thinking.

Just as I'm typing this, the student next to me frequently glancing at my screen trying to read what I'm writing. It's kind of adorable. Then the student turns her screen away from me so she can show something to one of her friends.

october twenty ninth

A good teacher isn't afraid to push for something higher--when they don't get to where they want to go. I just find it really interesting the kinds of questions kids ask (says a lot about how they think) so I recorded a few from Mr. Cohen's class today:

"Isn't that a run on sentence?"
"Technically, yes."
"Then why's it in books?"
"Because it's art. You have to know rules--otherwise it's just random."

They have such an unashamed inquisitive nature about them that's really rare in any other age (except maybe senior citizens).

I also sat in Ms. Ohle's class, here are my notes:

The class started with the posing of the question, "what is persuasion?" Each of the students came at the questions so differently--at different angles, carrying what their motives are. Here are some of the responses:

Persuasion should...

• Be an argument
  
• Get you something
• Be about a world issue
• Be about ideas

At first they thought persuasion should be black and white--the classic one-sided "why our school shouldn't have uniforms" type of persuasion, complete with five paragraph intro-arguments-conclusion format.

With a little guidance, though, they stepped away from that rigid an explanation. I think the most interesting turn came from the last bullet, which illustrates when one girl turned persuasion to something that should be about ideas.

What's interesting about Mr. Cohen's relationship with Ms. Ohle as mentor to mentee is that when he was sitting in her classroom observing, there was a moment when he couldn't resist getting up and teaching something. That's what a teacher is I think--someone who can't resist speaking up about something. He wanted the ideas in her classroom to turn a certain way as well as the student to benefit from that.