Geo-graphy

Today I worked with my buddy and a new girl.  We were looking over their Geography homework that dealt with the Middle East, and I helped them by introducing a study strategy: list-group-label.  We looked over the countries and major bodies of water in the region.  The most important idea that I communicated to them was writing down the information more than once, in fact several times, in order to learn the information on a map.  As obvious as this seems to me now, I don’t believe I learned how to study until I got to University, and the idea of writing down information that was difficult for me to remember was a revelation at one time.  We also discussed the region in light of current events, past and present, and I asked them why studying the region might be important, and what do they think is the benefit to them of learning geography. 

Nevertheless, I do think I taught them a study strategy that is rather obvious and basic, but one that they had not necessarily been taught.  For example, one of my buddies showed me her study guide, which was only partially filled out mind you, but she showed it to me as if to say “here’s my study guide, I have it, it’s in my binder, and that’s all I’m going to do with it!”  If I had had more time with them, and with the hindsight that I now have, I would have gone further with introducing the students to graphically organizing their information with the goal of retaining the information and ultimately learning about the region so that they would eventually be able to think of the places on the map as dynamic, populated, and fascinating.  I think that many students at the high school level simply have trouble with learning the information, and not because they are intellectually deficient in some way, but because they need to learn how things are organized in text and graphs, and how to use that organization to their best advantage.

The experience was quite good for several reasons: 1.) I realized that I don’t have to know my topic so completely and perfectly in order to teach these kids because it’s the study skills, reading skills, and thinking skills that they need help cultivating at this stage. 2.) My buddies were cooperating and learning because they were engaged with an activity, and not just listening to me speak–they were forced to participate because there were only three of us, and I think that was definitely good for them.

Ms., What’s a Bibliography?

Today my cooperating teacher introduced a research project to her senior English class.  Although the students initially bemoaned the idea of writing a research paper, they were nevertheless intrigued by the topic: themselves.  They are to interview family members about the day and year of their birth as well as conduct internet research pertaining to the year they were born.  I will not teach until next week, and at that time I will help them learn how to make bibliography cards; nevertheless I am really anxious to help the students embark on the process. 

 I saw several opportunities for Ms. L to model exactly what she wanted from her students.  I also thought that a short warm-up writing exercise would have been beneficial to the students.  They seemed to need help conceptualizing what the finished product would or could look like.  They needed explicit instruction.  I could tell that this was the case by their questions, and by the time spent doing preliminary research in the computer lab later.  Students were uninterested in my help for the most part once they were on the computers, but I attributed that to the fact that they were allowed to “surf the web” virtually at will.  They were content to explore on their own without interference from me.  (If only we could reign-in that natural curiosity to explore and apply it to pertinent research for their assignment.)

I feel like I have an advantage over my cooperating teacher in the sense that I am a student still and can empathize with their anxieties and uncertainties regarding writing and research.  Last semester I was enrolled in a course that required a research project based primarily on interviews.  I wanted to share with the students that the interview process should happen over time, I wanted them to appreciate that as they begin writing and thinking about their topic, they may find that they will want or need to conduct another interview.  I wanted to get them motivated through thinking and writing, but instead I will illustrate an out-dated and distracting convention that I have never used as a writer of research papers in the college setting.  But that’s okay, ’cause I’m flexible, and I am at least finding a motivation and a really strong desire to do things differently for my students. 

“Focus on the writer not the writing.”

My second meeting with J went really well.  Although I was encouraged to take my time with the lesson/activity that I was going to share with J, I really rushed right into the lesson.  I did manage to ask him if he was playing soccer (it was a rainy day and he looked at my like I was crazy, though I meant the question generally), and I asked how his family was, and if he was ready for the TAKS test.  He was very polite and very cooperative.

During the listening and speaking portion of the activity, J was able to answer questions reasonably well, especially when I showed him the text.  I gave him some background knowledge about the piece: I explained that the protagonist and his family were migrant farmworkers who had recently been deported from California.  The piece was an account of the family’s reaction to the good news that their visas had been approved.  J seemed to connect to this bit of information.  I think it was safe to assume that his background knowledge was activated.