Student Surveys
The use student surveys helps me as a teacher demonstrate that I am a citizen of the classroom and school by asking students to share how I can help impact their learning. It helps me demonstrate that I recognize and respect their opinions, suggestions, and learning styles. This is highly beneficial to helping me improve my learning so that I can maximize the impact of my students' learning and success in the classroom and in school. It also helps me build a stronger learning community with my students by allowing me to see just what each of my students' individual needs are and where I can improve to benefit all of my students. The surveys create a more democratic and respectful classroom environment as students discover that they have a voice in their classroom, school, and community. Students are able to reflect on what they need to be successful as well as reflect on the needs of their classroom and school to help them and their peers become more successful. When I adapt my teaching to fit my students' needs it helps them become aware of their impact as a citizen of the classroom. Allowing students to voice their needs and adapting to my students' needs helps build a relationship of recognition and respect between my students and I.
Student Reflections on National Problems
The use of student reflections allows students to think about their community and critically think about situations larger than themselves. The implementation of student reflections in the classroom has allowed my students to become aware that they are not only citizens of the classroom and school, but they are citizens of the nation and the world. One way I utilized student reflections to help students become aware and demonstrate their thinking as citizens was allowing students to write about the recent gun violence events that occurred this year in Aurora, Colorado and Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Rather than focusing on the gruesome details of the shootings, I asked my students to reflect about how they felt about gun violence in their community or the nation and what they feel should be done to curb or end gun violence in the nation. Many students discussed about how they felt and how gun violence affects them and their community. Students were also able to demonstrate and express their understanding of the gun violence situations as well as their solutions to the gun problems that has plagued our nation. Allowing students to reflect about their understanding and critically think about a solution to such a hot national topic helps connect students to their community and nation. Students are able to share their thinking that goes beyond the daily curriculum and think about themselves and share their thinking as citizens.
2012 Presidential Campaign Attack Ads
The development of the artifact was in response to the many students inquiring about the presidential candidates during the 2012 election. The artifact use was to adapt the curriculum to student interests and adapt to different student learning styles. The artifacts are two presidential attack ads found on http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2012/. One half of the class would watch “Mandatory”, a Barack Obama attack ad, and the other half of the class would watch “New Normal, a Mitt Romney attack ad on their iPads. After watching the video, to try to answer the questions on their campaign ad analysis sheet and to discuss with their partner what they found, saw, heard, and felt about the ad. Then the pairs would find a pair from the other half of the class and share their ads and ideas with each other. This activity was not only a lesson about the 2012 election, but was also a lesson on working together in cooperative learning groups. I paired the students together randomly. This was met with resistance at first. This led to a teachable moment about citizenship, respect, and the impact of everyone’s actions in the school, workplace, and society. I was able to tie instructions on how to work together to how individuals should act to be successful citizens of the community. I was able to teach that everyone must work together and set differences aside to achieve peace and a common goal to benefit all parties. Through the use of learning in pairs and groups, I was able to help students build a respectful learning community within the classroom. There was much less resistance and far fewer complaints from other group activities after this lesson in the classroom.
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2012 U.S. Presidential Candidate websites
Screenshots of the presidential candidate websites
The use of the www.mittromney.com and www.barackobama.com websites was due to the students’ interest in learning more about the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The activity consisted of having students check off the goals that they agreed with that the presidential candidates stated they would achieve if elected president. Then the student are to research the goals that they agreed with using the classroom iPads and going to both of the candidate’s websites to see which presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, President Obama or both candidates, have stated they would achieve that goal if elected president. After students found out more about the candidates and their own political ideals, students shared their views through group discussions. These discussions led to political debates and political discussions in the classroom. This allowed me to share with students that what they were doing exemplifies what it meant to be a well informed citizen of a democratic nation. Citizens are to share their thoughts and ideas with each other, while respecting each others differences. The instructions were that one could disagree with someone’s statement or idea, but there was to be no negativity or personal attacks during the discussion. The students respected each others differences and all students shared their view. However, some students were afraid to share since their political views turned out to be much different than what they had thought and conflicted with those of their classmates. As the teacher, I chose to encourage these students to speak up and shared with them that everyone has a chance to speak their thoughts in a democracy. As the students discussed their different opinions they found out that they were not the only ones to hold a certain opinion.
which_presidential_candidates_policies_fit_your_beliefs.pdf |
Student Choice Activities
The development of the artifact was in response to student surveys that my mentor teacher and I had employed to the students to give feedback about our teaching and the classroom environment. Many students reminded me that they were visual learners or kinesthetic learners and that I wasn’t doing enough since I had been doing too much of questioning and lecture. The student feedback reminded me that there is a very diverse group of learners in the classroom. Each student has their own unique needs and their own unique talents. In order to show that the students had a say in their education, that the classroom is preparing them to be citizens of a democratic nation, I employed a student choice project to demonstrate a democratic classroom. The students were able to choose their own project, a piece of artwork, a poem, a rap/song, an essay, or a comic strip to demonstrate their learning. The students also had to have their own task when working together in cooperative groups. The students had to work and respect each other as well as respect other groups as well. The students each chose their own topics to show through their projects and were to be respectful when other groups or individuals presented their work. The presentations and learning groups helped students demonstrate their citizenship in the classroom and show that they must work together to achieve a goal that can benefit everyone. Those who worked independently proved their own engagement in their learning and proved their individual ideas. Each student showed their own originality and their respect for each other through the student choice activity.