Field Notes 4/17

Field Notes 4/17- Ms. R 11th grade American History, Mr. T 10th grade English

Today in my field placement I noticed the different teaching styles of Ms. R and Mr. T. They are very similar in they way they plan their lessons, because they are based around Tech Prep’s core values (inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, reflection). The assignments are often very open-ended and push students to think critically and be creative (I could do a whole post about the actual projects themselves). However, it seems my two teachers have approached this type of project-based curriculum in different ways.

Ms. R begins her class more slowly, and waits for every student to come in and settle down before she begins speaking. She has a soft voice, and as she begins to talk about their unit on the “American Dream,” she sometimes takes breaks in the middle of her speaking to accommodate students who want to say something. She says they won’t be needing their laptops today, and asks them to put them away, but many students are still on their phones or have headphones in. She explains the activity (splitting up into groups, reading New York Times article, synthesizing the main ideas, and coming up with a class “mind map” showing how the idea of the American Dream has change through time). However, once the students begin working, she doesn’t go around to check on them unless they have specific questions. I ask if there is a specific group I can help with and she seems unsure, so she tells me which group has the longest article. As I work with two groups, Ms. R is moving things around the classroom (such as putting their infographics from a previous assignment on the walls outside for display). She seems to have little interaction with the students throughout this assignment. Once the students in my group realize I can be of some help, they begin asking me for more help. I try to not give them the answers, but find out what they already know and push them to use that. However, I realize this is more difficult in a history class. Especially because they aren’t allowed to use computers,  I find myself just telling them certain facts that are helpful in framing assignment (When WWII ended, what the Cold War was, etc). I think about how this is an example of the “banking system” Freire criticizes, but my students actually respond well and seem to appreciate the information.

Mr. T’s class feels more structured. There is little time before the students begin coming in and when he starts talking. I notice he has a louder voice, and appears to speak with confidence. He always makes sure every student is listening before he continues. For example, he begins by saying “lids down,” but when he sees that David only has his lid down half way, he asks him directly to close it all the way. He starts off the class by inviting students to share their project ideas with the rest of the class. Today they are working on projects in which they have to identify a “universal question” and explore that question by connecting it to books they have read in the past, personal experiences, news articles, or anything else they find that is relevant. They can present it through either Prezi or a graphic novel application. Examples of questions that students are working on include: “Do past experiences define us?” “Is it possible to be optimistic after a traumatic event” “How do major political events shape the individual?” “How do people confuse physical appearance with identity?” and “How do you maintain your culture when ignorance exists?” Some get up to the front of the room and show everyone what they have so far (such as a sketch for a graphic novel), and some stay in their seats and discuss what ideas they have. He then says, “You have this class and next class to work on this, but by the end of next class these will be going up on Moodle. So use this time effectively. Ryan, Laura and I will be going around to see what you have so far and we can help you.” (Ryan is the Student Assistant Teacher who is a senior at the school). Almost immediately, students begin working, and we all go around and speak individually with the students about their ideas.

I wanted to write about these examples because I noticed how differently Ms. R and Mr. T see their role as teachers. While they create similar projects and have somewhat similar class structures (lots of independent work time or collaboration, not much lecturing or traditional “teaching), their teacher/student interactions are very different. Mr. T tries to talk to students individually, check up on them, and ask specific questions that will help them focus their work. For example, I hear him talking to Sasha who is working on the question of “Why does society have a narrow definition of beauty?” and he asks her questions like, “Where does your voice fit into this? How are you going to engage the audience in your presentation and keep them in your train of thought?” He also reminds multiple students to “try not to think about this too much like a regular academic assignment. It doesn’t need to be all text and quotes. Be creative. Use recordings, pictures, anything.” I listen to him to help me figure out how help the students I am working with, because I am somewhat unclear about what my role should be.

Ms. R, on the other hand, does not engage as much with the students during the independent work periods. I notice the the physical setup of the class makes it a more difficult because the room is much smaller and there are no extra chairs, so when she tries to walk around to get to different students it is uncomfortable. Additionally, she cannot sit down and be at eye level with them. Mr. T always sits or kneels when he is talking to students. Furthermore, because the desks are grouped into separate tables, he can go around and sit with each group and talk to them individually. In Ms. R’s class, the desks are lined up in rectangular shape, which makes group work more difficult. I find myself feeling confused about where to sit to work in the students and how to interact with them in a way that is helpful and will facilitate their learning. In both of these classes, I’m not exactly sure where the line is between being hands-off and letting the students think for themselves, and providing guidance as a teacher. I still wonder exactly what the role of the educator is in a project-based setting such as this.