CREDE Standards part 2

The specific lesson that I chose to evaluate is from my Draw/Paint 4 classroom. All of the students in my class were asked to get into groups to work on a surrealist project. Each group had 3 or 4 students in it and they had to work collaboratively to create their own unique work. I showed them some examples of surrealist work and we discussed the elements. Next, each group had to pick different parts of speech from a hat. They each had to have a certain #. For example, one group chose : the Backyardigans, graffiti, ghetto, rain and there were a few other that I can't remember now. They had to take all of their words and create their own surrealist work on a huge sheet of butcher paper. Some of the groups started working well together right off the bat, while others struggled a little. I do recall that this is the class that our foreign exchange student from Kiev was in and the students were wary of working with him at first because they thought he was a little strange. I assured them that he was the same as them, they just needed to give him a chance and get to know him. One thing that the students did learn while talking and working with the student is what is one of Dr. Eugene Garcia's 5 "R's". The had to be culturally Responsive. What they said didn't always hold the same meaning for him that it did for them. Luckily, he was very open and easy to get along with and he shared with them how different things were viewed where he is from.
I do believe that I could have made it a bit better in terms of better reflecting the CREDE standards and Dr. Garcia's 5 R's and 1 T. I would have liked to find a way to incorporate more of the students personal lives into their work. Next time I do this lesson I will try and figure out a way to make it more personal to each of them.

CREDE Standards

This week, we have been asked to blog about how we, as teachers are or are not implementing the CREDE Standards into our curriculum. According to Dr. Roland Tharp from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) there are 5 research-based standards that should be used to help create a classroom where all students, including ELL's, can have a "high quality learning experience". These five standards seem pretty straightforward. They include:
1) Teachers and students working together.
2) Developing literacy and language skills across the curriculum
3) Connecting school to students lives
4) Engaging students with challenging lessons
5) Emphasing dialogue over lecture.

Being a high school art teacher, I do find it very easy to implement these standards into my classroom. In fact, I already do use most of these in my classroom. I do constantly work with my students, sometimes on a one to one basis and other times collaboratively. Art is a great subject to use cross curricular language and literacy. I talk to students all the time about how everything connects together and most of the students projects are based on their lives and what they are interested in or feel strongly about. I try to challenge the students for every lesson. When it is too easy students tend to give up or don't give it their all. I am not really strong in the area of lecturing anyway, so that is a real easy one for me. I would rather take smaller groups and teach them.
More later....

reflections

What are my assumptions about why some people are affluent and others are poor?  And do I think it is fair/inevitable.

Hmm, this one is a little hard.  On one hand I believe that some people are affluent because I think that they are born into it.  Take Paris Hilton for example.  She was born into her wealth and no matter what happens she will always be wealthy.  She will never be poor.  And she is famous simply because she is a wealthy heiress. Now, she has also created her own fortune but I do not feel that she would have ever had those opportunities if she wasn't who she was.  People like that I do not have much respect for.  I do not feel that they have earned it.  It does seem like wealthy people marry other wealthy people and they have children who stay wealthy.  Do I think that it is fair?  Not really.  But somewhere in the beginning of that family someones hard work paid off and they created the opportunity for their offspring to be provided for.  If I could do that for my children and grandchildren I would.  I am not poor but I am definitely not wealthy.  I know that there are many people who are much worse off than me.  I have a wonderful family, a roof over my head, food on the table for my family and a job.  I do live paycheck to paycheck and sure, I wish that I would have a little extra money for things like a new car or other things that I need, but I usually seem to make it.    Sometimes it does bother me that it feels like a constant struggle but I remind myself of the things that I have.  

So I do feel like, to a certain extent, that a persons class is inevitable.  It is harder to be born poor and become rich.  I also believe that you can change your situation.  And I know that it can sometimes be very hard.  For those who do not have a lot of opportunities it can be a constant uphill battle to better their situation.  But it can be done.

I try not to judge people no matter what their situation.  Rich, poor and everything in between.  We are all human beings in the end.  I base my judgements on the individual and not the situation.

More reflections

I think that I was a little harsh on the man/woman talk yesterday.  I, in my professional life, have never run across being treated unequal by a man.  I think that men these days can see that women have  just as much to contribute than they do.  So, on to the next question...

When do I notice culture and how often do I think about it?  Being in a culturally diverse school setting I notice and think about culture every day.  Each of my students comes from a unique background.  Some are native american, some are asian, some are white, some are african american, some are a mixture of many.  I think that when I notice it the most is when I assume/forget that everyone has a different story and my students correct me.  That's when we talk about how their life is different from others.  It is eye opening.  Although most students in my school live in the same district, there are two very distinct groups in our district.  Those from Homestead and those from Munhall.  In kindergarten all of the students go to the same school.  Then from first through fifth grade the kids from Munhall go to one school while the kids from Homestead go to another.  Then in middle school they are all brought back together to finish their public education. Needless to say it causes much tension between the two groups.  And it definitely divides the groups.  I have heard it said by many in our region that the kids from Munhall are better and the kids from Homestead are poor and won't amount to much.  I do not believe any of this.  I do not feel that where you come from should be the determining factor in how successful you are.  I see the potential in all of my students and I let them know that it is determination and themselves that decide their fate, not where they come from or their status.

Reflections on who I am

I recently did a project with my students and I printed out paper with the words "Who am I?" on it because the students have to try and guess who the other students tried to draw.  I had extras and for some reason the question struck me and some of my students as a good question to ponder.  So we hung one of them up on my board along with other snippets of sayings and interesting pictures ( I am a high school art teacher).  Other students look at it and ask me why I have it there and I say because it is a good question.  

Now I am being asked to reflect on the very same question for this course.  I think that it is important to continually ask yourself " Who am I " in relation to everything in your life. Reflection is how you learn about yourself and others and how you grow as a person.  So I will reflect on some of the questions that Prof. Lehmann has posed to us.

As far as my racial group, I think that it doesn't matter to me that much.  I do not think that I treat people differently because of their race or socieoeconomic status either.  ( To be honest, even as I am writing this, part of my brain is telling me that it really is a lie).  I would not like it to matter, but I know that the differences between me and others do influence how I act and react to them.  It is really hard to be in this world and not see differences.  I  try really hard to not to allow things to influence me.  Being a teacher you are always reminding yourself to be an open person, to see the best qualities in each individual student, no matter what the difference. 

There are so many questions to reflect on I may just pick a few out at a time...How do I feel when I interact with a person who speaks a language other than English?  Sometimes it is frustrating because I cannot always understand what they are saying.  I have a hard time understanding some things.  It makes me give up talking to them because I don't want to ask over and over again what they are saying because I feel rude doing that.  I must say that my attitude has been changing. As far as my assumptions go about linguistically diverse people, I try not to assume.  Being in a school setting does help because there are many diverse backgrounds all jammed into one space.  Instead of being afraid to talk to someone who speaks a different language I think that it is a great opportunity to learn about someone else's culture.   I currently have a foreign exchange student in my class from the Ukraine.  He has a very thick accent and sometimes he is not understandable.  But I try every day to talk to him, hoping that I will get better at understanding him and I have!  And it is such a waste to not ask him questions about his life at home in Kiev.  It is really interesting to hear what he has to say.  I have gotten some of my students to talk with him also and they all really enjoy it. 

One more for now... If I had been a man instead of a woman, how would my life have been different?  You should have been in my class today.  The male and female students got into a heated debate over this one because one of the guys in my class asked the girls what they would say if their husband came home from work and asked them to make them some mac and cheese.  It was a very heated debate.  Then they dragged me into it because I am the only married person around.    Sorry guys, but I feel to be a man is easier than being a woman today.  I am not a housewife or a stay at home mom-not that there is anything wrong with that.  I know that it is extremely hard to be those also.  I have a full time job.  When I come home from work I make dinner while taking care of my children.  I still have to clean the house, do the laundry and keep track of the f inances.  Not to mention prepare for the next day's classes and somewhere in there sleep. And keep in mind the feeling of guilt that I have for NOT being home with my children all of the time and taking better care of my house and family because this is what has been expected of women in society, or how I feel others perceive that it should be.  I do not have time to sit on the couch and watch my favorite show or the "game" or play World of Warcraft on the computer.  I do not feel (according to some of the students in class) that it is my god given right to do these things while someone else does more or less than me.  I feel that all should be equal between man and woman.  I cannot say how a man feels about all of this since I am not one.  I find it extremely frustrating not to be treated equally.  And I really do not THINK that men feel that way.  (Maybe today was not a great day to discuss this particular item...)

Comments?  Please do not tear me apart! I'm stressed out right now.

I have just created my first blog page and I really don't have an idea how to do this.  I have been asked to use this as a reflection writing/journal which, as I have been learning, is the original intent of a blog in the first place.  I am currently taking two online courses and for my first class I was asked to create a blog and for my second I was asked to create a blog and  post my reflections on the topics that we are covering.  I have decided to use the same blog for both-I hope this is all right.  It just seems a waste of space not to.