Chapter 4
I think this quote really communicates the overall purpose of this chapter. I like the extension of the famous adage. Although it is a success to have one man know how to feed himself the rest of his life. It is even more of a success to teach every man to feed himself for life. The overall goal of the "collective" is to make sure that each person benefits.
Question: What are some specific strategies to establish the "collective" in the classroom?
Connection: I think the way that I connect the collective to this class is through our participation on Twitter. The text says that rather than learning in order to belong, "people belong in order to learn" (52). We belong to the social media platform of Twitter in order to learn, not the other way around. By intentionally investing in establishing connections, we can grow, develop, and refine our teaching strategies. This is how the collective operates.
Epiphany: I think my one "Aha!" moment came from starting to brainstorm ways that I can establish the "collective" in my own classroom. The text says the collective is established by creating a space for one's own thoughts, ideas, and knowledge to be thrown "to the general mix" (52). I want to create a classroom environment where we are learning by taking pieces from each of my students and their prior knowledge.
Chapter 5
I appreciate this quote because it advocates for student voice. My students do not need an institutional backing in order to be taken seriously. They play an important role in getting information out into the world.
Question: Through this new culture of learning, how do we assess learning?
Connection: My connection is similar to the quote mentioned above. I connected that quote to the Twitter world. One thing that I have found is that people really do not need an institutional backing in order to establish credibility. The majority of the English teachers that I follow on Twitter are just your average people who just happen to love their job and be really good at it. They do not have any additional professional credentials in order to have really good ideas.
Epiphany: I think my Aha! moment came through the point that students panic because the are "being asked to expose in public what had been until that moment a very private activity" (58). When students are sitting passively while the teacher speaks, there is no opportunity for them to own the information that they are learning. Students are not provided with a since of ownership if they are just sitting in isolation. This is why students are so panicked when they are called on. I think it is important for the students to digest the information before they share out to the class so that they have the opportunity to process and gather their thoughts. The information should be made public not private.
Chapter 6
I think that this is something that I want to strive for in my classroom. In ELD, it seems that there has to be a whole lot of structure as the students learn the English language. However, I want to be more creative in allowing my students to be able to explore something they are passionate about within specific boundaries so the outcome is that they have fun and take a step towards learning English.
Question: How can I change the way my students ask questions?
Connection: In one of our classes we have to complete an Action Research Plan. Although we all had to complete the same sort of research, I believe that Action Research is an awesome opportunity for us as teachers to explore the things that we are curious and passionate about. In Action Research we identify a problem, ask questions, and then answer those questions through our own research.
Epiphany: My Aha! moment happened on page 79 after the piano example. The author writes that "in today's classroom, the teacher will see two students 'doing it wrong.' In the new culture of learning, the teacher will see a budding rock star and a jazz musician." I think that rubrics and specific directions are important so that students are aware of the expectations. However, I think it is also important to leave room for flexibility to allow creativity to run wild. How are my students going to learn anything about themselves if they are constantly trying to do what I want them to do?