Author: sann

I agree that technology is not a necessary tool for teaching, however, I believe teachers have to meet students where they are at. Not to say they have complete say, but when a student can benefit from certain accommodations I believe that they should be made. I like what the teachers were saying about how technology is changing the way they all conduct their classes, but that it must be kept in check. Technology is meant t be used as a device not a teacher, that is still the teachers job. I really liked the first response, and the one about how students should be allowed to use the form of their choice to present a project or presentation. I had a teacher who used a lot of video production and that was very helpful in understanding the content. It also taught us a new way to express ourselves.

The class i observed in is a special education classroom, where they use a lot of technology and it is amazing. As a reward for good behavior they can choose from iPad or laptop time, or music. One studentuses her iPad to talk by pointing to the pictures. They all love music so when they are do puzzles or freedoms the teacher picks a pandora playlist. Their favorite so far is Disney, and my first day there they all were up dancing. The ability to use the technology to answer questions and communicate needs is incredible in my opinion. As a sibling of someone with a disability, I would love to be able to know what she is think or needs. Althing my sister cannot manipulate her arms to use anipad, honors where technology is going to go in ten years.

As a teacher I plan on using technology, but not all of the time. I cannot say what i will use exactly, I don’t know what resource I will have available to me. But i believe that by varying the ways in which students can express what they are learning, they are go to gain a better understanding of not only the content but also the programs and processes they choose. Bring it on apple.

Rules seem like they will be harder to enforce in secondary settings, high school more than middle. I really like what the book said, that there should be less rules in high school not because they are better behaved, but because it encourages maturity. Therefore, I aim to have only a few goals that are posted, but in my syllabus have a few more rules and policies outlined. That way they are not constant and in their face, but when they go to find their assignments they will have to skim over them.

Since I will be primarily teaching English classes, I feel my rules can remain basic. I do not have copious amounts of supplies to use each period and it is not physically active on a regular basis. Rules for my class will be focused on respect as a whole, for me and for each other. Also respect for the books loaned out, and the equipment I will use during certain units (I plan on using a lot of film and multi-media in my classes). By entrusting them with expensive equipment, I am reassuring my confidence in their maturity.

By the time they are in high school I don’t think that they will want to sit around and help me brainstorm the rules. Plus, I will also have several separate periods during the day, and I want a uniform policy for all. I have been entertaining the idea of their making my own rules to follow. My vision is that during the first class of the semester, after introductions and such, that the students are allowed to give ME as many rules as I post for them. That will help me keep the number of rules small, haha. It will also help me gauge where the students are at in terms of teacher relationships, if they feel that they are judged personally by teachers, or that teachers don’t pay them very much attention. It also helps keep the class fair, I respect their rules and they respect mine.

My Four Rules:

1. Get Here, Be Here: When you are in my class, please be in my class only. Do not do work for other classes. Remember: I can see you…

2. What Happens in Room ***, Stays in Room ***: Please do not tell your friends who have my other classes what we did, what the answers are, if you needed to read the whole assignment, or if I give a quiz.

3. Eat, Drink, and Be Weary: Juices and water are allowed in my classroom, but I reserve the right to smell the contents at any time. Food is also allowed, but if it becomes a distraction or the room is left a mess there will be no more eating.

4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Respect everything in this room, respect everyone in this room. Respect the aforementioned rules, and most importantly yourself.

“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.’

5. No Dogs Allowed: I mean it, it’s messy, someone may be allergic, and it’s awkward for me when I run into the janitor later and they assume I have lost total control of my class.

I added the fifth one as a joke…so that regardless of the student’s capabilities or behaviors, they will at least be able to follow one rule at all times. It is subject to change, I don’t want to offend anyone!

Finally, this website has some good slideshows on classroom management, I liked this one:

<https://www.slideshare.net/fogpotion/discipline-in-the-secondary-classroom>

 

While reading this article I kept thinking about the concept of inclusion, but not in the context of a disability, but culturally. Does it not apply to that too? It should go without saying that all students are equal inside of the classroom, and that equality must be maintained regardless of cultural factors. The horror stories you hear about old teachers are the ones where they singled out a student, and made them the victim of education instead of a participant. That is never okay.

Kleinfeld’s first paragraph is a harsh one, and in my opinion is severely narrowing down her audience. To me this is a shame, because I feel that she has an overall good message, though it could withstand some amount of revision.

“There is a prominent villain in Indian education-the ethnocentric
teacher who strives to destroy his students’ cultural
identity in order to propel them into the American mainstream.
Confronted with silent, resistive Indian students, he
then quotes chapter and verse of cultural deprivation texts to
rationalize his own teaching failure.”

I feel this is a wrong diagnosis, in that a teacher who is ineffective is striving to destroy their culture. Perhaps they are insensitive to it, or completely uninformed. If they are trying to destroy a culture, then get them out of there.

As for classroom management in the bush, I believe that the teacher must understand they are the minority in such a situation. In that instance I feel that a teacher must figure out a way to alter their course content to be applicable to their students lives. The same applies to any school though, if the students are not interested then alter your lesson.

It also made me think of our discussion on bullies, which Kleinfeld touches on. How the native students are often the subject of mockery, which I can understand. But again, this makes me think of inclusion, and the teacher MUST make the classroom as equal as possible on the surface. If special alterations must be met, do NOT single out the students. There are a variety of ways to meet each student where they are at. I especially loved the assignment she talked about, where they had to write about survival in the wilderness. Play to everyone strengths.

PS: I am relieved to see that I am not the only one who found Kleinfeld’s use of language and situations rather abrasive. Someone below noted her inconsistency in her reference to “Eskimo” and “Indian” students. From an Alaska Studies course I took this summer, the use of “Indian,” “Eskimo” and “Native Alaskan” vs. “Alaskan Native” is very important when it comes to addressing the various native cultures, and that was just in Alaska. Perhaps this is also another factor contributing the the gap between teacher and student, we are calling them the wrong name…

Hi everyone, sorry I am late. My names Sanna and I am in my junior year, hoping to finish in the next year. I am born and raised Fairbanks, my dad came up here to mush, and he and my mom decided to stay. I am the middle child, my brother is 24 and my sister is almost 13. I love to read, mixed media art, bike, and rearrange my house. If I could meet anyone in history I would want to meet God, and if I could meet anyone ever, it would be Calvin and Hobbes.