Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”

          In Paulo Freire’s chapter in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” he talks about a banking system of teaching where the teachers have the same system (each and every day) of “teaching.” I have had a similar experience to this system of teaching where my teachers would give us a short lesson and then assign us problems out of the textbook. The style this teacher had was the same for each day for the entire semester. From my point of view as a student, I felt as though this teacher was teaching from his textbook – there was no variance. However, upon my move to a new school district, I was exploited to a whole new teaching style. The Mead School District had a couple of teachers that were glued to their textbooks, but not as many. There were plenty of teachers that had their own style of teaching. In fact, in several of my classes we hardly ever referenced the textbook (unless there was a substitute).

          I am glad to have had the experiences that I had because they let me see what it was like to be taught in two very different ways. Being taught a subject from a textbook was not the worst thing, however after referencing it day after day it did add a bland taste in my mouth. When I was moved to a new school district I was able to see teachers who really wanted to teach. There were new activities and exercises that made me think in a new way. In fact, my grades went up. The teachers who actually spent the time to build great lessons plans for the day were the ones that had the most engaging lectures – rather presentations. I know that I will use the chapter by Freire in my future class room because I know that there are extraordinary results if you break away from the same old routine.

Secondary Standards-Based Grading and Reporting Handbook

          In the “Secondary Standards-Based Grading and Reporting Handbook,” one of the sections focused on the importance of not giving a student a “zero” grade. In the student’s mindset, they are seeing that they have accomplished nothing in the unit. For a student this can be soul-wrenching. It is possible for the student to feel motivated to do better in the next unit, however the possibility of them losing motivation is highly likely.

          In order to avoid giving a student a zero as a grade for one of their assignments or tests, I feel as if the teacher should create a test where a student can show their level of understanding. For instance, a teacher cannot really see how much their students know via a multiple choice test. Teachers should instead work towards creating their own test. The test should include questions that require their students to write out their responses. Having a test that follows this scheme will allow teachers to gauge where each of their students levels of understanding are at.

          When the zero is eliminated the student’s likely-hood of succeeding are far greater. Therefore, I wonder how the concept of re-taking an exam is viewed. In several of my high school classes the option of re-taking a test was rare, but it was still an option if it was clear that a large portion of the class was not understanding the material. However, other teachers in several of my classes stood firm on their belief that there would only be one copy of a test given and there would not be any re-takes. As a teacher-candidate I feel as if a wise teacher would allow for their students (who clearly did not understand the material) to re-take an exam after review of the material. This way would guarantee that their students would not fall behind if they did not understand a concept taught in class.

 

Assignment Template for English Language Arts and Literacy

          In the assignment template for English Language Arts and literacy, there were several examples of instructing that I had previously been exposed to in classrooms. Some of the methods I agree with, but while reading the template it felt as if some aspects were being beaten to death. For instance, the template starts off with a single article. Before reading the article students must go through it and identify the main topics (via the headings and sub-headings). I almost feel as if this step could be skipped. For instance, in previous class’ that I have had, usually the teacher will provide a brief summary of what we are about to go over while they are handing out the articles. I prefer this method because it simply appears to be more efficient. This way the students can still work on their KWL charts because they know where the article will take them.

          The assignment template also mentions the importance of providing feedback to the students before they venture too far into their writing. In a previous class I had at Eastern Washington University, the teacher demonstrated this approach by having one on one conferences with them for just a short amount of time (ensuring everyone would be able to talk with the instructor that day). The key was to find only a couple of errors that needed to be fixed. The assignment template states that this is the best way to go about editing a student’s paper. This way there will only be a couple of marks on the paper. In addition, the students will also be able to track their progression in their own writing. Each time the student works on an essay, they will have a new point to focus on (rather global or local). 

          One approach that a teacher used was to have the students conduct conferences with their peers. This method was nice for the student body because they were able to see the thought process of their peers. At the same time, the students were able to receive feedback from multiple students in the same day. The only downfall is that the entire class needs to be in a mutual agreement to read their peers’ papers.

Team Teaching

          In the years that I have been in the educational system I only remember having one class that was taught by two different teachers. The class was for math and the teachers switched off every day. One would be upfront teaching us a lesson, and the other would be in the back of the class looking for any hands to pop up so he could help us if needed. The only problem with the class was that the teachers had two very different teaching styles. Fortunately, the teacher who would roam around was there to help me understand the others lesson when I did not get it. Their system of teaching did not last long and by the next semester the two were in their own classrooms.

          After reading the articles related to teaching a class in pairs, I can see why it is so difficult for some instructors to work together. In order for a pair to work well together they must devote an endless amount of time to hammering out any flaws or differences they had. Clearly the experience that I had was not an example of a well-planned team teaching duo. However, it makes me wonder if the teachers meant to teach this way. For instance, if the teachers had such different styles perhaps they meant to teach this way. This way they could reach a larger audience of students. Nevertheless, it is still clear that when the teachers switched that there were some students who had to wait for the other teacher to take over so they could understand what was going on.

In conclusion, I feel as if the best teaching strategy is one that involves both of the teachers being on the same page – and talking to class so they know what will happen throughout the course of the year (or semester).

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

          After reading the first chapter of Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards and the English Common Core State Standards, I took note of two main themes. The first is the problem of standardized tests. Teachers are having problems with teaching their students only so the class can score well on their next major exams. When in all actuality, the teachers should be instructing their students in a manner that excites the class and makes them want to learn more about the subject. In the first chapter of Teaching to Exceed, the author uses an example of a teacher rushing through grammar lessons. This example was all too relatable for me. In middle school and the later stages of elementary school I struggled with my grammar because I hated each of the lessons. I felt like I was being rushed and therefore became frustrated. As the text suggests, teachers should never use this method of teaching! Instead, the teacher should take the time to make the section of grammar they want to focus on for that day integrate with another project that the class is working on (an essay for instance). This way the students are learning about grammar while improving their paper.

          Another theme that I noticed in the first chapter of the text and the CCSS, is the struggle of taking a standard and making it into an engaging lesson. Teachers are supposed to provide students with “I can” statements for the class period, however there should be a learning process that takes place before that student can actually do what the teacher (and the state) wants them to do. For instance, a teacher cannot rush their students to learn. They must take the time for discussion and questions so the whole group can understand the concept and see how it connects to what they did the day before, and how it will help them with their lesson tomorrow. It is important for the teacher to find a way to make the specific standard into their own lesson that will effectively help their students. 

Discussion in a Democratic Society

          The first chapter of  "Discussion in a Democratic Society," provided me with the knowledge to know why a democratic class discussion is so important to me as a teacher, as well as my students. Having been in school for several years, I have witnessed several class room discussions that have started off on the right track, and then speed off of the rails into a whole new (completely off topic) conversation. There were several different reasons for the change of topic. The first was the lack of hospitality -- entering the conversation required one to be bold and highly educated on the topic at hand. This led to only a few students taking part in the discussion. The chapter tells of ways to avoid such an incident in a classroom. It is important that all students feel as though they can hop into the discussion at any time because their opinion will be respected and valued. Another valuable tip that is offered, is to have a large amount of students involved in the conversation. Having a lack of participating students will lead to a quick, underdeveloped classroom discussion. In every classroom there will be at least one student who is hesitant to share their opinions to the entire group, therefore it is important to make the extra effort to make sure that student's opinion in heard. However, perhaps that student works best in smaller groups. While in a class at EWU a teacher had this situation with several students in the class. A quick fix was to have the class pre-arranged into small groups. Then, when the large class discussion started to lose its power, the class would break up into the smaller groups to discuss with one another. This method generated more talk from students which was then added to the whole class discussion. Through this method of teaching I feel as if the classroom can become more Democratic. I say so because the class will be able to have multiple voices all with their own opinions. Perhaps a better way to organize the class is to ask them straight up what they think about a certain topic, and then go from there. This way, as a teacher, you will be able to see which students are thinking a certain way. However that was simply one way of inspiring an entire classroom discussion. In the first chapter, it states that it is not necessary to have your whole class take part in the conversation.