Jackson: Something that's circling in my head is how other students process and analyze questions and content.
Alarcon: This is a great observation--you can learn as much or more from your peers as you can from me! J's closing reflection about today's lesson illustrates an important point about systems thinking and systems pedagogy. As Robert Quaden, eighth grade math teacher cited in Goleman and Senge's book The Triple Focus, points out, "You just naturally start thinking of the classroom as a system, and when you do that you see that you have a room full of teachers, not just one standing in front." When I see students like Jackson paying attention to the way his peers process and analyze questions and content, I know that we're on the right track!
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Closing reflections: What's circling around in your head? What's something that was pointed out for you today? What is something that squared with your thinking?
I'm wondering how I can use more figurative language. I realized Scout is a very dynamic character. I learned it's not enough to say a character did something--you need to say why. ~Harrison I'm wondering why purple team got a 4 and we didn't. Regardless, the gallery walk was useful. I realized that I enjoy sharing my writing with the class. I learned volume is less important than content. ~Andre I am wondering how I can better understand when to use literary language. Motifs refer to early parts of the book. Literary language is necessary for a good grade. ~Russell What is circling around in my head is that Tom Robinson is being convicted when it's clear as day that he didn't do it. Bob Ewell got killed by Boo #Aha Tom Robinson is like a mockingbird. ~Marvin I need to be able to work better with my peers e.g. human knot. I agree that our group should've gotten a 4, we did. Our character is always changing as we are always growing. ~Brooke Stoltzfus argues for a system not unlike the pod system that I designed. In particular, he says, "In groups of four, students are teaching each other, and teaching is the best way to learn anything." As the Grady Cluster embraces 21st Century Skills, this talk gives students some tools to help them develop their communication and collaboration skills by speaking up for themselves. The answer to yesterday's post about conscious listening by Treasure. Treasure argues that conscious listening leads to understanding, and that we need to teach listening in our schools. I have been looking for ways to do this at Inman, and I think Treasure's five exercises are a great start. In particular, his acronym RASA: Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, and Ask questions. I have really enjoyed working in pods. Being in a pod tremendously benefits everyone in the pod. For example, if one person in a pod does not understand something, then another person can explain it to them, so everyone is on the same page. I like being able to hear everyone’s points of view. This benefits everyone in the pod giving everyone a deeper understanding. ~Madeline Moser
After faculty meeting this week, my colleague Sergeant Williams told me that one of our mutual students chose to do her presentation on leadership about me. This review made my week.
Today, I asked students to compose a toast for Thanksgiving dinner. Nakhia Gates wrote the following toast, which was one of my favorites. Bravo dear, I am thankful to have you in my class.
I am thankful for the clothes on my back, the shoes on my feet, the roof over my head, and the food I eat. I am thankful for my family that loves me, my friends who hang with me, my brothers and sisters who annoy me, my aunts and uncles who love me, my grandparents who spoil me, and my mom and dad who made me. The learners participated in a Chalk Talk about the Huck Finn today. This was a great opportunity for all learners to share their thoughts on an important turning point in the novel. Ironically, in complete silence more voices were heard than in normal conversation.
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Nic AlarcónEnglish teacher Archives
May 2019
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