Inspired by Groups?

     One thing I keep thinking about for my future class is the idea of small groups and literature circles. I love this theory, and I think it could really work. However, there is one part which I contemplate over and over. A lot of what we have read and heard seems to agree that students are more motivated to read when working with other students. This was something I had a slightly hard time believing. One problem I have is separating myself English major/dork self from the average high school student. Not all of these kids are like us. Not all of them like to read. Actually, not all English majors like to read. So, I took my thoughts to the streets.
     I asked my roommate and a close friend, who are both more math people, if they would feel more inclined to read and do work in a group of fellow students. Their answers were extremely helpful. They both said that they would not feel obligated if they were in a group with people who they knew "would not judge them," people they were close friends with. However, if they were grouped by the teacher with people who they were not as comfortable with, then they would probably feel more pressure to read the material and pull their weight in the group. I just thought this would be helpful for us to remember so that maybe we can group our students in the most effective way. Just a tid bit you guess might like to know!
 

Stereotypes

     So, the readings this week were interesting, and I liked what they had to say. However, there is one reoccurring aspect of every reading that tends to rub me the wrong way. For example, Edmondson's article starts as follows, "They care that their 14-year-old cousin in Oklahoma had cheerios for breakfast. They care that their basketball camp roommate whom they haven't spoken to in the last three years locked herself out of her house this morning" (43). This type of language continues on for a little while. Personally, I feel that a lot of our readings start in similar ways, or make similar comments. Edmonson's article goes on to provide some amazing information and useful ideas. However, this first part just seems so negative, and bitter in a way. I understand that the generation writing this articles did not grow up with the social media and technology which we did and the current generation does. I still do not feel this is a reason to make it appear as a bad thing.
     On of the reason this type of mentality always sticks out to me is that my grandpa and dad always seem to have this same debate. My dad knows that this topic gets to me, so he tends to poke at me and say things like, "Oh you guys are always texting and on facebook!" And then my grandpa will reply with something along the lines of, "Well you were always worried about albums and your political protests!" This taste of the conversation shows that Edmonson's parents probably had something to say about her generation as well. My point is that I feel a lot of educators see the switch to technology as a negative (not necessarily Edmonson because later she mentions the boost in writing and literacy because of social media) when it should really be embraced and looked at as a new way to advance our knowledge and use the human brain. I just do not want to see one generation looking down on the other because aspects have changed. We evolve, the world evolves, technology and intelligence evolves. We must accept, adapt, and advance because of these changes. A great quote about this thought comes from Hesse's Witness, "To those who swear our young are on the road to perdition take comfort in this-every generation has felt somewhat the same for two or three thousand years and still the world goes on." So, next time you lose faith in the future, remember that the last generation probably lost faith in us at some point too.

Tactful and Constructive Criticism

     Here is my educational, yet not directly NPM related post. Recently I have been thinking a lot about what makes a teacher a memorable and effective teacher when it comes to criticizing a student. There is a lot that can be said that would put a student down and make him or her feel incapable of success. I never want to make one of my students feel this way. So, I want to make sure that any comments I might have are delivered in a positive way. Today, I had a great example of this.
     I went to see a professor to look over a paper for his class. He took a few minutes to look over the paper, thought for a moment about what he wanted to say, and then guided me to an even better paper. He began to ask questions and develop a better understanding of my thought process. From there, he gave me the opportunity to explain my writing and basically present my paper. He truly wanted to see my point of view before making any changes or suggestions. With a better understanding, he was able to show me what the reader sees, and what aspects were confusing. He basically presented the paper back to me from an outsider perspective. By doing this, I was able to take a step back and hear my own work from a new voice.
     I left that meeting feeling even more confident about my paper and writing ability. He guided me and made criticisms; however, they were constructive and truly helpful. My professor did not just tell me what was wrong or unclear with my paper. He showed me, explained to me, and taught me what, why, and how things were weak. It was a learning experience and an opportunity for my professor and I to be on the same level. He took himself down from the pedestal and worked WITH me in a tactful and constructive way to strengthen my writing.

20 Shots of Fame

     I know we are all amazed by the acting ability in our 20 Shot Movies. Personally, I surprised myself in the worst way possible. But, acting ability is not the point! The point was to tell a story in a very limited space. This was a challenge. Our story was complicated and had a lot of flashbacks to past events; however, that forced us to pick specific aspects that we felt were important to the story. I mean, the movie would probably not make sense to someone who has not read the story, but I would absolutely use this project in my future classroom after students have read every short story we planned to shoot.
     From beginning to end, having to create this in a group helped me comprehend more of the story. We had to all agree on which aspects to present and how to portray our interpretation of each scene. Then, we had to agree on which angles to use for each shot. A lot of this is kind of personal. It involved opening ourselves up to classmates we do not know that well, and explaining how and why we viewed something a certain way in our minds. I felt like it was a pretty vulnerable and personal experience, but I liked getting to know Nate and Emily and how they viewed our short story. In addition, we all had to share camera time (both on camera and behind the camera). It really forced us to work together and listen to one another.
     All of these realizations make me excited to use this project in my classroom. I want my students to get to know one and other and be open to other people's interpretations. I want them to explore deeper meanings of stories and find creative ways to portray those meanings. Doing this in a group will help encourage students to speak more in class, and possibly eliminate some fear or anxiety about sharing their thoughts. Overall, I had a great time with this project and definitely see it benefiting my future students.