Individual Field Requirement Hathaway-Brown High School 4

Mr. Mose’s Art History Class

November 7, 2014
Focus: Technology

In Mr. Morse's Art History class, technology is used every day. He uses a smart board to emphasize ideas through specific pieces of artwork that falls into the area they are studying  and to show videos of art historians so that the students are opened to other perspectives and/or more information about a particular artist. 
Students also have their own laptops that they use to formulate individualized digital textbooks. It is the students responsibility to take notes and be observant during the class to understand and participate in the discussion. Mr. Morse understands that his students are still in high school and the temptation of Facebook and other forms of social media is great. He occasionally walks around the class, but he is able to see who is paying attention or not from wherever based on students' expressions and their attitude in class. When a student is not paying attention and instead on social media, they become completely focused on their computer screen and are unable to follow the conversation in the classroom. He believes that if they miss information it is there job to get it from a fellow classmate or to ask him, but it is there responsibility.
Overall, Mr. Morse views the use of technology as a large part of our culture today and it would be a waste to not use such a useful tool in the classroom. If he didn't use computers in the classroom and the students had to take hand written notes instead, those not paying attention and on social media would be the ones still not paying attention and instead doodling in their notebooks. Technology is key in a classroom set up like this, and Mr. Morse uses it as much as possible especially since it's a relevant tool for his students generation. 

Individual Field Requirement Hathaway-Brown High School 3

Mr. Mose’s Art History Class

November 5, 2014

Mr. Morse has a lecture-based class and understands that he has a variety of different learners and uses different methods of teaching during his lectures. One idea in particular is he makes sure to let them know any upcoming assignments for the week. He also uses modern examples in order to explain historical events, making the curriculum more relevant to the students.
He also makes a point to repeat important information, but has found a way to subtly do this so as not to become annoying or aggressive about the material through repetition. This is an art history class so it is important to see images of the art in order for the students to learn and Mr. Morse makes an effort to give the students as many examples of an artists work as possible and therefore gives them more information about the artist through the paintings than is needed for tests, but this helps the students form a concrete understanding of each artists or piece of artwork.
Mr. Morse understands that his students are young adults so he makes their learning in his class their responsibility. He does walk around the class occasionally in order to see if the students are on task, creating their individual "textbooks" and not on Facebook or other forms of social media during class, but again he believes that it is their responsibility to take note of the information.
Through his lecture based class, Mr. Morse creates a conversation between himself and his students. He finds relevant topics to discuss such as fashion in art and the influence it has in the time period and even today. His students feel comfortable and participate in the conversation easily. This also might be because he is willing to admit if he doesn't know something or if he's lost his train of thought. If a teacher creates an environment where students feel that they are being taught by a human being and not some "all knowing" creature, it can make the students feel they can converse with their teacher without feeling that they are somehow beneath him or her, or should already know the information for some reason. Mr. Morse has created an environment of learning through open communication in his classroom that is of utmost importance in order for learning to fully take place. 

FieldBlog 3 Agnon Elementary School

Agnon Elementary School

4th Grade Classroom General Studies

The one thing that really stuck with me about the field visit at the Agnon Elementary school was that in the fourth grade class I was observing, the teacher acknowledged those of us observing in her classroom. Most of the time if there's someone different in the class the teacher will quickly acknowledge them at the beginning of class to let the students know who they are or just altogether ignore them and continue with the plan already set. This teacher brought us into the lesson as an example of how to explain the concept of the literary technique "the elephant in the room". She first asked the class if they knew what this was and what it meant. A few students suggested answers and she never shut them down but told them they were close but didn't quite have the full meaning. After a few tries she told them that it was an idiom and explained that an idiom has a figurative meaning. The term "the elephant in the room" suggests that there is something obvious that everyone is ignoring. She then used us as another example saying that in this case the college students in the back of the class (us) were "the elephant in the room" because they all noticed we were there but hadn't said anything about it.

I think it's so important that she acknowledged us because we all remember the difficulty of paying attention during school especially when there was something or someone who was different or new to our little classroom bubble. Often when something new is brought into a classroom, be it a new poster on the wall, an administrative personnel, or something out of place that becomes a distraction from the learning environment. This makes it easy for the students' focus to become centered on something other than learning and on the new distraction. 

Her teaching methods were similar to other teachers I've observed and her students seem very comfortable in their classroom environment. Overall I really liked the experience at Agnon Grade School and was surprisingly shocked and impressed by the way the teacher used us to further the learning in the classroom without distracting from the learning already taking place. 

Annotated Bibliography

Albertson, Michael. "Power to the People! Protest Music in the Classroom." Music Educators Journal 101.1 (2014): 21-22. National Association for Music Education, Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Albertson_Michael.pdf?issn=00274321&issue=v101i0001&article=21_ibpttppmitc>.

Michael Albertson’s arcticle “Power to the People! Protest Music in the Classroom” talks about his experience as a music instructor teaching a class centered around music but not playing music. The ideas he has for this class don’t just apply to a music associated classroom. Music is an important tool just like technology that should be taken advantage of and used in any classroom to help further knowledge.“Most days began with a listening—a musical prompt that served as the diving board for the ensuing discussions” (21). Albertson used music as a way to create discussion in the classroom. A history teacher talking about the 1970s could play different famous songs as the kids are coming into class so that as they get their materials out, they are listening to the music and picking up on different songs that they might already know such as American Pie by Don McLean.“The majority of the activity consisted of making connections between song lyrics and the lived experiences of the students” (21). Teachers should understand that students are more likely to participate if they feel they can relate to the class discussion. One of the easiest ways to make students feel information relatable is through music. “All of a sudden, a student who rarely participated or handed in work would be sharing per- sonal experiences with the entire class and making clear arguments” (21). “To see students exploring new ideas, making connections to their lives, and taking action—what more can we ask for as educators?” (22).

“Music is a science particularly productive of a pleasure that no state of life, public or private, secular or sacred; no difference of age or season; no temper of mind or condition of health exempt from personal anguish; nor, lastly, distinction of quality, renders either improper, untimely, or unentertaining.” (22)

—Samuel Pepys, Letter to the Master of University College, Oxford (1700); quoted in Ian Crofton and Donald Fraser, A Dictionary of Musical Quotations (1985)

Garrison, Jim. "Learning Identity: The Joint Emergence of Social Identification and Academic Learning, by Stanton Wortham." Educational Studies 40.3 (2006): 327-331. Perspectives on Identity. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mar. 2006. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/article/egiissn=00131946&issue=v40i0003&article=327_brpoilaalbsw>

Jim Garrison has a different perspective than the others I have used for my proposal. He takes more of a philisophical approach than concreate evidence. He states, “Education is always about the formation of personal identity, or what Wortham calls “the sociological self” that emerges through “contingent” processes of “social identification” (327). Each student idetifies differently and therefore learns differently. As teachers it is our job to encourage this individualism and help them achieve academically. We must explore all opportunites for learning. Music is a vital tool and can help expand ideas and encourage answers that might not have been thought of using other methods.  “Human beings acquire their personal identity and sense of self by participating in the social practices of a culture, including its tools and linguistic patterns” (328).

Hendricks, Karin K., Tawnya D. Smith, and Jennifer Stanuch. "Creating Safe Spaces for Music Learning." Music Educators Journal 101.1 (2014): 35-40. National Association for Music Education, Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Hendricks_Karin_S.pdfissn=00274321&issue=v101i0001&article=35_cssfml>.

Karin K. Hendricks talks about students feeling safe in their classroom environment. This is key to students feeling that they can learn and participate in the classroom. “When students are valued for their differences, they may enjoy more personalized learning experiences and may be motivated by goals that are related to their own needs and interests” (36). Childhood and Adolecense are difficult times and feeling that your differences aren’t accepted in the classroom can just add stress to a child’s life. Music is something everyone can form a reaction to good or bad. It can help create connections in the classroom environment that can increase learning overall. “Creativity in the workplace has been found to be positively associated with joy and love, and negatively associated with anger and fear, and the detrimental effects of fear upon learning and productivity have been demonstrated through decades of brain research” (37). Music is known to help increase creativity in people’s minds. By using music in a classroom it shows that a teacher is willing to try different things. “Students can sense the genuineness of a caring teacher whose focus and mental investment is demonstrated through specific constructive feedback” (38). No matter the age students are very perceptive of their teachers and how they interact with their students. We all remember the annyoing substitutes who talked to us like we were two when we were in 5th grade. Students are always watching their teachers because they see them as role models. If a teacher is willing to try new things, often the student will be willing to try them too. “Safe spaces are created when teachers adapt the learning environment and repertoire to the students’ social, emotional, and physical needs. This includes developing individualized teaching approaches and activities that relate to a student’s age, interests, or particular abilities” (38). A teacher needs to be able to create an environment that the students can thrive in socially, emotionally, physically and academically. It doesn’t matter what the curriculum is or who the teacher is, it matters that the student feels comfortable learning. A teacher should be able to use all the resources at their exposal, including a powerful tool like music. 

Nielsen, Lance D. "Archiving Teaching Effectiveness." Music Educators Journal 101.1 (2014): 63-69. Www.nafme.org. National Association for Music Education, Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Nielsen_Lance_D.pdf?issn=00274321&issue=v101i0001&article=63_teate>.

Lance D. Nielsen describes important ideas for music teachers. I believe that these characteristics of an effective teacher apply to all teachers and can help show the importance of music and their ideas in any classroom. “An effective teacher consistently uses a variety of classroom practices that foster the intellectual, social, and emotional growth of all students, resulting in measurable growth that can be documented in meaningful ways” (63). Every student learns differently and a great way to make sure a student understands the material is to present it in different ways. One way can include music. Think of the civil war documentaries shown in social studies classrooms. How many of us if we were to hear the tune of ashokan’s farewell would recognize it? Probably not by name, but we would recognize it from those documentaries and probably relate it to Abraham Lincoln or generalize it as the civil war. Another example of Music in education is School House Rock. I remember my fourth grade teacher playing different songs from the video to teach us adjectives one day, our 3 times tables the next. “Teaching is a highly complex human activity. Each discipline and classroom has unique characteristics” (69). Each student should be recognized and cherished for their individuality. Students learn in vary different ways and it’s the teachers job to come up with an aray of opportunities to learn. Music can be a valuable tool in any classroom. 

BlogPost10

Looking back at the class and what we've learned, I am happy to say that I believe I will take many of the topics we've discussed and questions that have risen from our discussions with me when I hopefully teach history. One of the most important ideas that we've talked about in ED100 is the idea of seeing each student as an individual and still be able to teach an entire group. I think this is so important because as students ourselves, we've all had teachers we couldn't stand based sometimes solely on the fact that we couldn't understand his/ her teaching methods. If a student isn't doing well and is putting in the effort, then that says something about the teacher. A good teacher should want all our his/her students to do their best and that means having more than one way to come to the same conclusion. This applies to all age groups. At younger, elementary school, ages a teacher can bring SchoolHouse Rock as a new idea. SchoolHouse Rock was used by a lot of my elementary school teachers. It used music, fun songs, and funny cartoons to help us remember what a noun or an adjective was, our 3 times tables. There was even a song about the central nervous system that I can still sing word-for-word to this day. This type of teaching made class and learning fun and gave us a different way to learn the same information. At the high school level maybe an activity such as creating a satirical cartoon would be beneficial in a history classroom that focuses on the topic being discussed. Another idea could be reenacting different scenes from a novel or play being read in an english classroom. All these are different ways of learning than the typical lecture idea. Each student is an individual with certain traits that make them unique from everyone else including the way they think. It's important that the teacher can connect with his/her students and understands how they learn to the best of their ability. This way the teacher can make sure to plan their lesson plans and create activities centered around the individual students in their classroom rather than general ideas for the entire class. Seeing each student as unique is key to being the best teacher you can be. 

Individual Field Requirement Hathaway-Brown High School 2

Mr. Morse’s Art History Class

October 24, 2014
FOCUS: Teaching Method

Mr. Morse understands how to keep his students involved during the class through learning. One thing I observed was he creates a light atmosphere at the beginning of each class, during this observation, she showed the girls a humorous link with funny titles for famous paintings. He incorporates art into everything. He understands that he is teaching high school students. Side conversations and little comments to one another don't mind him as long as it doesn't interrupt the class as a whole. He's not going to take up time to reprimand everyone, if they aren't paying attention. If they miss information, it might not make it into their "textbook" since each student creates an individual textbook from the art and lectures or discussions in class. It gives Mr. Morse the opportunity to form the curriculum around the students and their interests. If the class dived deeper into a topic it was easy to do that because he was creating the specifics of the class a they go along. Mr. Morse understands that a teacher doesn't need to always know the answer and it's important that he is able to acknowledge that. We are all human so we cannot know everything the important thing is that we are able to understand that and take the next step in learning by finding the answer through learning. 

BlogPost 9

Based on your reflections on this week’s readings, the in-class school design project, and your thoughtful consideration of your lived experiences, what do good schools look like?  

To me, a good school at its core is where all the students feel confident being themselves and are able to reach their full potential of learning. For the in-class school design project we agreed that having a mission statement was key to forming this ideal. The mission statement for WinterValley stated, "Our goal is to enrich our students lives through emphasizing hard work, improving their minds, and instilling a drive in the students to achieve academic excellence."

We also wanted to put the importance of integrity and responsibility on the students as well as the faculty. By having the students know the expectation but letting the responsibility of obtaining these standards be in their hands, it can help create a sense of the importance of learning no matter what age level the school. Our five ideas a WinterValley Student should obtain were, A hard work ethic, Respecting themselves, faculty, and their peers, Students should be involved at WinterValley through academic and extracurricular activities, PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), and Students should be motivated to achieve their full potential.

The importance of good teachers is key to any school. Our teachers should be welcoming of all students, should understand that each student has individual talents(and utilize them), should create a safe and open environment, and encourage their students to achieve academic excellence. This applies to all schools because if a teacher is not welcoming, students can easily become defensive and closed off and even loose interest in the class if he or she begins to feel that the teacher doesn't care about them. A teacher should have the opportunity to plan their own lessons that include the students learning abilities and add supplemental material to the lesson plan. This can help the teacher create a more individual student based curriculum and help the students form individual connections with their teachers. Teachers are an important part of a students life. Children spend a large portion of their childhood in classrooms learning both academically and socially. Teachers play a large role in both aspects and if a student feels comfortable around these adult role models, it can help them feel they have someone outside of their family they can confide in if needed throughout the difficulties of child and young adulthood.

A good school, at is core is centered around the students and the teachers. without these two basic components of a school there is no reason to have a school. The teacher-student relationship is one of upmost importance and one that needs to be acknowledged in all schools and at every age group.