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Bringing Argument Into the Classroom

Blog Link: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/good-thinking-erik-palmer/

From the blog Cult of Pedagogy (yes, it’s so amazing I chose two articles from the blog to review), I read a post called What if we Taught Argument in Every Class? I was interested in this post based on the title because I not only think students should learn to effectively know how to debate or discuss a point or opinion, but as an educator and quite frankly as a human this is something that I struggle with. Students increasingly come into the classroom with technology as their first language, and with technology comes social media, and with social media comes internet bullying and Internet trolls. That was a rabbit hole I didn’t intend on going down, but I think it gets the point across well. The blog post, written by Kristy Louden, admits that she is guilty of assuming that her students come into the classroom knowing how to argue; she mistakenly believes, as many teachers do, that it’s an inherent skill, that thinking logically is natural. Unpacking this in the blog post was not only informative and fun to read, but a topic that is often glazed over or forgotten about is being discussed.

           I chose this post not only because I believe it is an important topic to think about as educators, regardless of content area, but also because of the way in which it is written and how much information is provided. Louden doesn’t simply say teach your kids to argue and here are some strategies, she provides solid foundational information from author of Good Thinking: Teaching Argument, Persuasion, and Reasoning by Erik Palmer.

           The most intriguing and thought-provoking part of the post— that as English teachers we help students read, write, and speak but how often is teaching them how to think? Yep, my brain broke after reading that too. Louden goes on to say that if we can help students see the argument in a variety of situations, in and out of the classroom, then as teachers we can help them understand how to construct and deliver their own thoughts. Again, my brain broke when I read that. Of course, we want our students to leave the classroom with the knowledge to go out into the real world and be well-rounded enough to have intelligent conversation, but how often do we as educators teach them to argue in a healthy and productive way? For that important reason, I chose to review and give this post all the thumbs up (not a thing, but I would’ve if I could’ve). I learned from this post as well, strategies and techniques for use in my own personal life, so the post truly is well-rounded and a good read for anyone.

Citation

Louden, K. (2017, March 19). Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/good-thinking-erik-palmer/

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Instructional Design & Culturally Responsive Teaching

Blog Link: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/culturally-responsive-misconceptions/

A blog titled Cult of Pedagogy caught my eye, and in reading about the team behind the site and blog, I was glad it did. The team is made up of English/ELL teachers who provide valuable insight on teaching for educators. Their blog posts are broken into three categories: The Craft—fine tuning the art of teaching, Go Deep—deep dive into the theory and thinking behind the practice, and Teacher Soul— all of the emotions that go into teaching. I really enjoyed reading the posts from each category, and each category has information galore for educators. This blog is a one stop shop for teachers, whether you want research-based strategies or to read stories from other teachers on their experiences, they have it all. Another aspect I really appreciated about this blog was the organization. Each of the three categories is further broken down into topics, so you can quickly find information that is most relevant and helpful to you.

Of the posts I read, the one that resonated and engaged me the most is titled Culturally Responsive Teaching: 4 Misconceptions. The post’s purpose is to help educators prepare for a diverse group of students, that is only becoming more diverse every year. Gonzalez, like many other teachers, understands that with diversity comes varying learning styles, and although educators know culturally responsive teaching is integral to student success, there is still a knowledge gap in how to successfully integrate it into their classrooms. Gonzalez interviewed author Zaretta Hammond who wrote Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, a book that “offers a neuroscience-based teaching framework that goes beyond surface changes to really build cognitive capacity in our students from diverse backgrounds.”

Of the four misconceptions that Gonzalez and Hammond discussed, the one that I was most intrigued and surprised about was Misconception 2: Culturally Responsive Teaching Must Start with Addressing Implicit Bias. When going into a classroom and teaching students who come from backgrounds and cultures that are diverse and intertwined into making the student who he/she is, being able to understand my own bias as an educator was always my first concern. Hammond posits that yes, acknowledgement of implicit bias is important, but there is something more important that needs to be considered prior to implicit bias, and that is instructional practices. Hammond goes further to say that if educators begin with implicit bias, they will be unable to pivot to instruction, “whereas when you understand inequity by design, you can actually talk about instruction but also come back to talk about microaggressions.”

The blog in each of the overviews for the misconceptions, also provides links to resources for teachers that can help them combat the misconception, fully understand it, and integrate that knowledge into their teaching strategies. This blog has been super insightful, and I would recommend it to any teacher, pre-service or currently teaching. There is so much information, but provided in easily digestible chunks so as not to be overwhelming.

Citation

Gonzalez, Jennifer. (2017, September 10). Cult of Pedagogy: Culturally Responsive Teaching 4 Misconceptions. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/culturally-responsive-misconceptions/

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The Power of Words

Article Link: https://secure.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/1086-jul2019/EJ1086Jul19Raising.pdf?_ga=2.84002521.1563166077.1580341820-1971153298.1580341820

If you believe in the power of words, you can bring about physical changes in the universe.

—N. SCOTT MOMADAY, ANCESTRAL VOICE: CONVERSATIONS WITH N. SCOTT MOMADAY

           In coming into the field of Education and Academia I was steadfast in my convictions when it came to ensuring that no matter what grade level I chose, or choices I made, the students that come into my classroom will have a voice. Although students may interact within the classroom setting, oftentimes there is a gap in engagement that encourages students to speak up and speak out and intertwine their unique perspectives in their reading and writing.   With this, an article titled “Raising Student Talk: Real Strategies for Real Students” by April J. Niemela caught my eye for exactly this reason. The premise and overarching purpose of the article is to encourage educators to evaluate the discussions happening in the classroom and evaluate how they can be scaffolded for students, how educators can support student discussions in the classroom, and integrate protocols that give students ample practice.

Reading this article helped me, as a future educator, to really take a step back and think about how I approach teaching. To evaluate the types of discussions in the classroom, Niemela puts forth the idea of a Talk Audit which evaluates the current state of the discussions being had in the classroom. The Audit can provide information like: teacher vs student talk, the kinds of talk that students are engaged in, or ensuring that each student in your class has a voice. Regardless of the reason for the audit, its results offer the “opportunity to scaffold for students, support discussions, and develop strategies that give the students plenty of practice.” Learning this was so huge for me as an English teacher, in that I want to ensure that students are not engaging in passive learning and then passive discussions.

Niemela’s article only continued to have me enthralled by providing ways to increase productive talk. At the outset, considering and ensuring student discussion is engaging and providing for active learning and knowledge/idea transfer, is a daunting and overwhelming task. Niemela provides ideas and example of supports that educators can use to give students the opportunity to “grapple with complex ideas, refine them into sentences or images, and share these thoughts with peers.” Examples included: quick-draws or quick-writes, sentence or paragraph frames, and the fish-bowl.

I, as a future educator, found this article to be so very important if only as a reminder of just how important it is for students to have a voice and a safe space to share their ideas. Having participated in fish-bowl discussion in Dual Enrollment (12th grade) English class, I further understand the positive impact that student talk provides in the classroom. Using the fish-bowl discussion strategy in what students ordinarily find a boring task, reading and discussing Shakespeare’s Macbeth, engaged students, gave them the ownership and practice in leading and ensuring the continuation of the sharing of ideas, and ultimately the understanding of the many important aspects of Shakespearean Plays.

Citation

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Finding Joy in Teaching High School

Article Link- https://www.edutopia.org/article/joy-teaching-high-school

In deciding to pursue my M.Ed, and additionally taking it a step further and deciding that I wanted to teach Secondary English, was both exhilarating and scary all at the same time. I knew that I loved and was passionate about education and English in particular, but I kept coming upon the same question: how do I create a classroom environment that not only facilitates active knowledge and idea generation with students, but also provides a safe space for students to feel comfortable and safe so as they are able to see their education as a holistic and positive experience. Anne-Marie Cormier-Bausch, in her article titled The Joy in Teaching High School acknowledges this, which quite frankly not only helped settle some of the doubts and fears I have going into teaching, but also takes it a step further and helps with some ideas on how to create a classroom that students see as their “happy place.”

When students meet their teachers, I am of the belief as is the author of this article, that the way in which the teacher feels about teaching and about working with students, comes through. If an educator does not love their job or isn’t passionate, students tend to regress or just show no interest in the topic and information being taught to them. With this comes the ever present “rote memorization” of material by the students so they can pass the SOL’s, because after all, when the teacher providing the lessons isn’t interested in a topic, why should the students want to be?

Anne-Marie Cormier-Bausch found herself falling into this pattern of focusing solely on the curriculum and objectives, and forgetting the most important element of a teacher’s professional existence: the students. With this, changes in her behavior helped improve her relationship with students, which then in turn led to a happy and productive classroom environment that fostered active learners, eager to absorb and retain the material they were being taught. These changes, outlined below, as obvious and simple as they may seem, make all the difference when actively activating them in interactions with students. What I really appreciated about this article is that the author not only gave ways in which to connect with students, she also provides tips and tricks for educators to use when they begin to work with the tools.

The first two strategies are interconnected in that they involve letting the students know that you, as their teacher, care and are interested in their achievements and passions as they exist outside of the classroom.

A.    Connect with them personally

Students come into the classroom with diverse backgrounds, and are more than just the student in our classroom. Acknowledgement of their interests outside of the classroom, and effort to support their hobbies and passions (i.e. going to games and recitals) goes a long way to students being more receptive of requests from you in the class, and respect for you as a teacher.

B.    Give out compliments freely but sincerely

Regardless of the grade taught, students seek out approval from those they see as authority figures. Cormier-Bausch states that while complimenting a student’s shoes or hair is a step in the right direction, there’s more to this strategy than that. The idea is that in getting to know your students, you know them on a deeper level. Stemming from the previous strategy, mentioning and complementing something that the students do outside of class shows the students that you listen to them and make the effort to understand them as more than just your students. It validates students and shows that you believe they are members of society, and their achievements are fulfilling that role.

The next two strategies are focused on the students being active participants in the work that is done in the classroom.

C.    Give them choices

Having seen this strategy in action within my practicum experience, I can attest to the fact that this works. Allowing the students to choose how they complete assignments or how they learn a topic, gives them a sense of ownership over their education. It also allows students to showcase their work in a way that best showcases their talents. Allowing students to map their own education also increases engagement. For example, students completing a final project on Macbeth are given 10 options to choose from—ranging from writing a paper, creating a journal with entries from a chosen character, or even creating a rap based on the play. The results from this project were amazing, and seeing the students get into it and come up with amazing final products was truly the highlight of my practicum experience.

D.    Ask their opinion about a completed unit or activity

Ask questions like “Did you like doing it that way? Should I do this again with my next group? Was this a worthwhile activity?” Students, the recipients of the choices we make in the classroom, are the best people to evaluate the success of a unit, project, lesson that we have given them. Cormier-Bausch indicated that when she did this, she was happily surprised at the maturity of the answers she got. Offering students a chance to share their thoughts and then having that input when creating lessons, validates the students’ role in the classroom and when they see that their input has actually been considered, they will be more eager and receptive when it comes to being in the classroom and active in their learning.

Citation

Cormier-Bausch, A.-M. (2018, March 16). The Joy in Teaching High School. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/joy-teaching-high-school