Time to Wrap it All Up, . . . Maybe Put A Pretty Little Bow on Top?

And now. . .
The end is here. . .
And so I face. .
The final curtain. . .

Thanks Frank. I'll take it from here. My Professor asked that we read all of our blogs for this semester and then decide which of the theories we like and dislike. Well, I've read them and I think I can sum them up by quoting my High School English teacher:

"Get some help, fast!"

She's a teacher; what does she know? Oh, wait, so am I. . . do teachers, like doctors, have to take some hypocritical oath too? I hope not.

Now comes the hard part, choosing which theory I like best. May I have the envelope please (takes envelope). And now, the winner of "My Favorite Theory for Educational Psychology" is. . . (opens envelope and gets a paper cut). . . ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!

(Waits for the cheering to die down). I think I'll have to explain the judge's decision. Remember way back at the beginning of the semester when i pointed out that God has a sense of humor and as proof he created all people with differences? Well, why wouldn't He have also made the way they learn things also different? If I am to be a true teacher, I have to apply as many learning theories as possible for all of the different minds I'll be teaching. Children are different. My personal theory about how children learn is that each one has different mental processes that work best for them. Some are hands on learners, some like watching models, other actually prefer the lectures or the bookwork. My theory as a teacher will be to teach to all of the senses and curve the teaching so that the student can learn. They'll still do the work, but I plan to focus on their motivations.

Now don't get me wrong, there are things I'll love doing and things I'll hate. I'll love applying cognitive theories and allowing the students the chance to explore and learn what they want to. At the same time, I'll have to structure the lessons so that chaos, while interesting, doesn't ensue. And, as much as it pains me, I'm going to want a certain level of behaviorism principles applied.

For example, say I'm teaching a class about Shakespeare, which I will definitely do. I will appeal to the bookworms by assigning the students to read the text and try to translate it as best they can. I may even lean towards some constructivism practices here and have them translate what Shakespeare is talking about in groups. I'll appeal to the image and audio learners by showing film clips of Shakespeare. For the hands on learners, there will also be performance assignments too. Now, of course there are going to be some things the students will hate that others love. I'm doing them a favor by getting them used to having to do some things they hate. It's for their own good that I'm teaching them in many different methods.

Now what? How do I really do the "teaching them in many different methods" part? My lesson plans will be designed around what is best for the students. One group of kids isn't exactly like the next, yet at the same time they are also very similar. It may seem like a double-edged sword, but a sword, like so many analogies, is a tool that when used correctly can be quite wonderful. First, I have to know the material. Remembering how I learned may give me an inkling of how the students may best learn it too, or it may give me a heads-up of what to avoid. Second, I will need to know the students in my class, or the individual journeys each of them has taken. It may be that I'll have some additional help if they have experiences I can tap into. Lastly, I merge how I teach with how they learn. I'll probably have to study up on the cognitive theories since they seem to give me the most trouble (in my opinion, they are a bit broad in terms of execution). That's probably why I'm not selling the text book back. I think I'll keep it for future reference (and to keep my kitchen table balanced :) .

Whatever I do, my students and I will be able to feel pleased with the knowledge we've obtained and the stuff we've learned. In summary, let me turn it back over to Frank.

"I Did It. . .
MYYYYYYYY
WAYYYYYYY!!!"

But I Don't Wanna Behave!

I got some bad news today.

Today I learned that how I behave could affect how others also behave. Not good. The reason this is bad news is because if I, on my quest for World Domination, am to be the kind and lovable one who will rule this planet, that means I'm going to be a role model. People are going to want to be like me! if they really put that desire into effect, that means there will be millions of others who also want to take over the world. I can't deal with that kind of competition, at least not until I've obtained my standard nuclear warheads.

I'll worry about the plan alterations later; you readers just play along until I pass on my orders to you.

Meanwhile, back in "reality" this new role model thing has me worried. I mean, who are the role models of today? Don't you dare say celebrities or politicians, because they don't have a clue about reality. Want proof? Ok, you asked for it.

Let's take President-Elect Barack Obama, perhaps the hottest thing in the political arena by far (actually, I found Governor Palin much more attractive, but that's a different post altogether). The newly appointed leader of the USA is, he admitted, a smoker. Wait, a smoker? As in sucks on a piece of paper filled with nasty addictive stuff? Yes, he is. The next leader of the free nation is currently addicted to something proven deadly. . . in other words, he's killing himself. While we all hope he can "change" that habit, I think it's safe to say he's not the best role model right now.

I think the Secret Service are tracking me right now, so I'll have to finish this up quickly. People of all ages are impressionable. What they are doing is caused by several factors, such as peers, media, and different cultures. In the modern classroom, there are several outside influences we need to be mindful of. Think back to your schooling days. Do you remember that one kid who was popular, good looking, did well at everything from sports to good grades? Didn't you just hate that person? Me too. Oh, and if you are that person, your number is up buddy.

Bottom line, we're being watched at the same time as we are watching others. What we do affects what others may do, and what we see may affect what we do. (I'm currently flapping my arms like a chicken in hopes of starting a new fad). As a teacher, or a role model if you will (gasp) my job description apparently involves good behavior (at least while I'm being watched). What I'm planning on doing is talking the talk and walking the walk (yes cliche, but it works). This isn't just limited to my field of study, but to who I am as a person. The students can like me all the want. I just have to be willing to pay the price of being scholastically, at least until the new world domination plan is ready.

Pavlov's Dog Vs PETA (this could get ugly)

Today's blog is brought to you by the letters "B" and "F" and by the number "Skinner" ( I know that's not a number, but the metaphor was working too well). This Skinner fellow is another one of those Psychologist Theorist types who tries to explain why we do the things we do. That's a job I'd like to have: think about stuff all day that will explain why some people are messed up and why some people are lucky enough to be "normal"--I'd make a killing doing that. Suffice to say, Mr. B.F. Skinner is one of the lead philosophers behind Behaviorism. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had any assignments due this week and could have slept in. Thanks a bunch.

Anyways, we educators are faced with the fact that Behavior has something to do with learning. It has been strongly argued that behaviors can be trained to reappear. There's the Pavlov's Dog study, where some Russian "scientist" decided to have some fun with his pet. He'd ring a bell and then serve his dog some food. He first tried to do this with a cat, but felines are independent and finicky. Pavlov's cat wouldn't commit to the research. Instead she'd either clean herself, walk around the bowl, or cough up a hairball. Pavlov had no choice but to eliminate her (he had to have something to feed his dog, after all). Pavlov's dog saw what happened to his fellow pet and decided to play along. After the bell-food served pattern was repeated, the dog would automatically salivate in anticipation of his food whenever it heard a bell. Pavlov ran out of cats to feed his dog, so he continued the experiment only using the bell. The dog probably caught on, but not wanting to end up like the cat, he took advantage of human stupidity and made Pavlov believe he was still expecting some food by salivating.

Now, what does this have to do with teaching? You don't know? Well shucks, neither do I. I was hoping you'd know. I guess it's back to the old Make-Something-Up-That-Sounds-Intelligent strategy.

In the 4th Grade I once sharpened my pencil and convinced another kid to sit down on it. I don't remember everything that happened, but I remember getting into BIG trouble. I never made another kid sit on a writing utensil ever again. I was (gasp) trained to not behave like that. Believe it or not, we're all trained. Don't believe me? Ladies, how many of you get all excited when you see some article of clothing on sale that you really want? All of you? Thanks. Men, how many of you roll your eyes as these ladies tell you every reason why you need to buy it for them? This works the other way around, but men usually want cooler stuff, like Legos, or Nerf guns, or a year's supply of bubble wrap. Now, do we see infants of the male or female gender behaving like the adults? No. Only until they reach the age of 2 and grasp the idea of "MINE! GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!" does the insanity take over.

Now, how am I, a teacher, going to use the fact that human beings can be trained . Answer? Very carefully if my plot to take over the world is to succeed. But until then, it's actually very simple. We'll call it the Good Idea/Bad Idea game. Good Idea: Turning in your Homework Completed and On Time for a Good Grade. Bad Idea: Turning in your Homework Incomplete and Late for a Bad Grade.

Isn't this fun? Let's go on.

Good Idea: Raising Your Hand When You Want to Say Something. Bad Idea: Raising the Finger in Between your Ring and Index Finger When you Want to Say Something.

One more? Ok.

Good Idea: Giving Heed to My Every Wish as Your Command. Bad Idea: Ignoring My Mandates, Making the Consequences Eternally Unfavorable for You.

Lazy Teachers, There Is Still Hope For You

In my time as a student, I have seen more than my fair share of some bad teachers.

And I mean BAD.

There was the one who hated kids, which everyone has. Then there was the one who we couldn't tell what gender he/she/it was (and I don't think he/she/it knew either). Perhaps even scarier was the one who didn't speak English. That last one might have been a foreign language teacher, but I don't know for sure.

But even so, all of them do not compare with the teachers who are L-A-Z-Y. You know who they are. They miss the first day of class for who knows why, the spend an eternity in the Teachers' Lounge, and they grade on a curve that, due to the lack of teaching, doesn't curve at all. If they don't want to do their job, why don't they just say so?

There is, however, one reason why they could still be teaching. If you look at an extreme example of the Constructivism Teaching Theory, these lazy teachers could be doing something (gasp) right. Constructivism focuses more on concepts with grouping and categorizing things that have a certain commonality. How could you be lazy and get that work done, you might ask? Easy, just have the students do it.

Wait, what? Students WORK? (gasp, gasp) Why not? If they want to, then why not? Isn't that what we want? The students wanting to learn? Teachers getting them to be self-motivated? Isn't that a better way? Why am I still writing sentences ending in question marks?

Seriously, think about it. Students get interested in a topic, they research it, and then share what they know with others who have done the same. As long as the teacher can do the motivating part, the sky is the limit.

Unfortunately, these lazy teachers are dealing with young children and teenagers. Getting them motivated to even get out of bed is a challenge. Maybe teaching using a constructivist method is hard. Lazy teachers, you can ignore this method. It's too time consuming and requires too much effort. Besides, don't you have to go to the Teachers' Lounge now?

While you are on your 5 hour break, the readers who actually want to do something worthwhile will listen to some basic ideas/practices to get the students motivated. There are known as the 5 'E's--Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. They are all Student Centered, or actions the student will undertake.

For example: Remember when that special time of year rolled around when the 7th graders dissected frogs? Well, cancel that. Try the following. Ask the students something like "Ever wonder how a small animal like a frog can jump so far?" The students should be interested, so you say "Why do you think they can jump so far?" When the students have submitted their theories, you can ask them to work together in groups to find out which theory or theories are correct. Ask them to look this information up on their own. They shouldn't mind since the theories are theirs; they're just finding data to back them up. Finally, you compare findings. Wouldn't you know it, you covered the anatomy of a frog without cutting one open? Kermit gets to live and everyone is happy.

There are 2 Things I Can Never, Ever, Ever Remember. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make that 3

I wish I had a neuralizer.

You know, that little flashy thing the Men In Black use to wipe out people's memory. I know I'd use it on a regular, if not daily, basis. I'd make people forget all the embarrassing things I'd done and convince them I'd done something more groovy. Do we still use that word, 'groovy'? No?

FLASH!!!

I'd make people forget all the embarrassing things I'd done and convince them I'd done something more hip. I'd be able to avoid all of those moments when I could literally feel my ears turning red and wanted to crawl into a tunnel where no one could find me. You ever felt that way? Yes?

FLASH!!!

You can thank me later.

Anyways, this is my lead into this posting's topic: Memory (I swear, if someone starts singing the song from Cats I'm gonna shoot something). Suffice to say, I don't remember EVERYTHING. In fact, most of the time I'm making things up. I'm terrible with names, a trait I get from my mother. I like waiting while she goes through my brothers' names before she gets to mine. Sometimes, just to throw her off, I answer to a name that isn't mine.

At the same time, I can remember some things very well. Anything I've seen on TV or on film, I can replay it for you. I love storytelling, and can usually remember every single detail of the plot. When I'm involved in a play or film shoot, usually line memorization is an easy thing for me, even Shakespeare. So, you may wonder, what causes you to remember some things well and other things not so well?

Answer: I haven't a clue (I forgot).

FLASH!!!

Answer: The Human Memory System. First, Input goes into the Sensory Register. If you aren't paying attention or trying hard enough, that info gets lost. But, most of time it goes to Working (Short-Term) Memory, which lasts about 15-20 seconds tops. If effort isn't put forth to retain the info, it gets lost here. However, by using In Depth Processing (linking the new knowledge to old knowledge), we can transfer the info into our Long Term Memory for future reference. Some stuff still gets lost, but that's usually because the In Depth Processing stopped or was only strong enough for a certain duration of time.

The main point to focus on is the In Depth Processing. It's safe to say that if the brain doesn't see something as relevant, it won't hold onto it. Teachers have the task of not only presenting the information but also the In Depth Processing. There are several ways to do this, but which methods one uses is dependent on their unique situation (What? You didn't expect me to tell you EVERYTHING, did you? I may always be right, but I'm not a "How To" manual).

Brains function in the same way and yet differently from one human to the next. One person may remember written words, another images, and another what it hears. Perhaps the best approach to teaching a subject is to try and reach as many of the information gathering senses as possible. That way you're playing to a whole range of people instead of a select few.

My lesson plans will be geared towards theatre, and you can bet that I'll have some fun with that. The students won't know what hit them and before long, will be shocked to realize they've learned something (Dance puppets, dance!!!). For example, Shakespeare. You cannot just READ Shakespeare. No play was ever meant to be read only. My students will translate the language, watch it, perform it and, most importantly, understand it! Oh, and in case any of you out there are going to try and steal my ideas. . .


FLASH!!!

Christopher Reeve IS Superman

This week my professor challenged us to research something related to the progress in brain research. I decided to write about the late Man of Steel, (a personal hero of my wife and myself) Christopher Reeve, and the progress he made after his spinal cord injury in 1995. Technically speaking, the brain is connected to the spinal cord and both are parts of the nervous system. The article I read can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2002/sep/17/science.highereducation
First, some background: Reeve was injured when his horse halted before a jump and he landed on his head. His first and second vertabrae were crushed, effectively leaving his brain separated from the rest of his body. He was left wheelchair bound, had to have a respirator tube connected to his lungs, and was dependent on nurses aides the rest of his life. This is a complete 180 degree turn for a man who was cast as the most iconic superhero ever.
Thus began his quest to hope. It was his hope that inspired him to do everything possible to someday walk again. He threw himself into physical therapy, using the same work ethic that helped him get in shape to play Superman. When originally cast for the role in the 70s, he began training in the gym to fit the part physically. He expanded his chest by 4 inches and gained 20 pounds of pure muscle. After the injury, he, and his team of therapists and trainers to his dying day, daily worked his muscles and other joints. The theory he believed and practiced was that by keeping the body active, the neurological pathways his brain was separated from could reestablish themselves. What were his results? Because of his therapy, Reeve regained feeling in 65% of his body, being able to feel the prick of a needle and tell the difference between hot and cold again. He was able to move his finger on command and straighten his legs. Reeve was able to get off his respirator and breath on his own for 30 minutes. Bear in mind, this is after he had to have his spinal cord completely reattached! These results, according to some doctors, weren't supposed to happen. They were nothing short of miraculous.
Reeve didn't stop there. He founded or led a number of organizations dedicated to drawing attention to curing people with similar conditions to his. He pushed for politically backing for Spinal Cord and Stem Cell research. The amazing thing, to me, was that he also went back to work, making films and television appearances again. "I've still never had a dream that I'm disabled," he says. "Never."
Faster than a speeding bullet? No. More powerful than a locomotive? Not really. But he still flew. Don't even try to argue with me. Christopher Reeve IS Superman.

Getting In Touch With My Inner "Chi"

I'm a guy, which be traditional definition means I have a license to "not give a darn" when it comes to emotions. But, I'm also a guy who wants to teach others, which means I have to be able to pretend to care. I'm also married, which means I better be able to pretend that I care convincingly.

I think it's safe to say that generally men are regarded as less emotional as women. Despite the previous paragraph, I would like to denounce that claim and confess that men have as many emotions as women (though we are sometimes more successful at hiding them). Some of you females out there may ask "Why don't the men in my life show their emotions?" I don't know, for starters, but I have theories. These theories range from "shut up and let the man get in a word" to "yes, that man does have the emotional capacity of a rock". The bottom line is this:people on a whole have different emotional levels and intelligences.


Wait, what?!?! EMOTIONAL Intelligence? That's a new term. Remember, I am a student. I learn cool new words like that all the time (here's a cool one: Hippocampus--I swear I'm not making that one up). It turns out emotions play a large part in human development and growth (sorry Spock).


Say, for example, you're walking down the street and you see a lone child crying. You might think, Hmmm, 'crying = sad' and 'sad = not happy'. . . maybe this child isn't happy. Hopefully you would take the time to find out why the child is unhappy. Congratulations, you've just used what you knew about emotions to begin resolving a situation. It's at this point the child stops crying, hugs you, then steals your wallet and runs off. Kids do the darnedest things.


Emotional Intelligence, like regular intelligence, depends on many factors. The most important, I feel, are your sense of self, your social skills, and what your morals are. Each of these three things affects the others. In order to teach, I need to be keenly aware of all three in my students.


Real life example: One of my older brothers has a very tumultuous past. It was debatable whether he would graduate high school or not. Heck, I'm amazed he never did any hard time in jail from the stories I've heard. However, it comes as no shock to me why he did some of the things he did because I grew up in pretty much the same environment and circumstances. The primary difference was that in his teenage (rebellious) years he tried some things which were self-destructive. Thankfully he later realized this and got back on track. I saw the results of those actions and decided to not try them when I reached his age. I think I should point out our morals were always the same. We had been raised by the same parents and in the same culture. How we ended up living by them was a different process, but ultimately we ended up with very similar outlooks on how to live our lives.


Emotional Intelligence, in my opinion, can only be developed by getting out there in public and letting life happen, trying new things, all while holding on to what you know is correct. In the future, when I'm in the classroom, I think the best thing to do in order for that emotional intelligence to kick in is (1) Know the individual's background/history, (2) Know their current circumstances, and (3) try and relate to the individual or at least something I'm already familiar with.

Ode to Piaget and Vygotsky (Yeah, I didn't pronounce their names right on the first try either)

My professor has continued her quest to analyze everything and has suckered me into joining her. This week, we are studying Cognitive and Linguistic Development. Before this class, I didn't even know how to pronounce those words. After this class. . . . . well. . . .

Let's just skip to the review.

It turns out a certain Swiss guy and a certain Russian have developed their own theories explaining how our cognitive and language skills grow.

Piaget claims the following: children are active and motivated learners, they can construct knowledge from their experiences, can learn through the processes of assimilation and accommodation, interaction between one's physical and social environments is essential, the process of equilibration promotes progression toward increasingly complex thought, and cognitive development is stagelike in nature.

Vygotsky's views are as follows: through informal conversations and formal schooling, adults convey to children the ways in which their culture interprets and responds to the world, thought and language become increasingly interdependent in the first few years of life, complex mental processes begin as social activities; as children develop, they gradually internalize processes from social contexts and begin to use them interdependtly, challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth, and play allows children to stretch themselves cognitively.


Stay with me people.


While that is a mouthful, it's a mouthful of interesting and relevant information (especially for people who have or work with young kids). I think the gyst of what is being said is what we do when we are young has a profound effect on how we learn and grow.


Quick example: When I was 3 or 4 years old, I saw a pan on the stove. I didn't process the concept of "heat" along with the "no touchy" rule. As you can guess, I burned myself ( I barely survived, but enough about me). Needless to say, I never touched a pan again. . .ever. Seriously, I don't cook. Pans are evil.



The point is, what I experienced as a young child had an influence on me later in life. My brain at the time "wasn't quite ripe yet," if you know what I mean. But, like any good farmer or winemaker (choose your metaphor), how the fruit is cared for during the ripening process determines the outcome.


In my case, I'll be dealing with teenagers. Despite what I've seen, these are pieces of fruit nearing the end of the ripening process (they're just too busy "expressing themselves"). It would be safe to assume that my highly superior intellect would just confuse them (GASP!). So what do we do? First, we see where they are intellectually. You'd be amazed at how much you can tell about intellect based off of the subject's hobbies or interests. Second, you break down your lesson plan into the core pieces of information. Lastly, use that magnificent Osmosis Machine created by Dr. Mildenstein to mutate your student's brain to absorb all of the information. if you don't have the machine, you can change that last step into meeting the students on their level.


Make the lesson challenging, but make it appropriate.

Question: Can You Fail an IQ Test?

I think my professor is up to something. I already mentioned that my IQ is above average, yet she insisted that I take 2 intelligence tests. As a cover, she had everyone else in class take the same tests as well and gave them the same assignement as me, but I know she's singled out my superior intellect. I just haven't figured out what to do about that yet (cue creepy organ music).

To thwart her dastardly efforts, I tricked the system and scored the results of a more "normal" human being (that's the predominant species here on Earth, right?). First off, the regular IQ test. I couldn't blow my cover, but I didn't want to come across as someone as smart as a potato, so I did above average. I got a score of 124, with 100 being considered average, with a strong ability in Mathematics. The test took less than 15 minutes and consisted of 30 questions. How, may I ask, did I come up with that score? I haven't a clue. As I mentioned, I was trying to thwart the system. I just guessed a lot like any normal human being would. I noticed the test had mostly pattern-based questions. I don't know if that allows for a broad measurement of the human mind, since other aspects such as creativity and other skills were virtually ignored. Then again, humans have a fondness of patterns. The tend to wear patterns in everyday clothing and even their history is repetitive. It's like they enjoy being stuck in a cycle sometimes.

The next test was a bit more complex. It had to do with Multiple Intelligences. All you had to do was answer a bunch of questions on a scale of hom much you are or are not like what is being asked. The test givers are assuming that the people taking the test are (Ahem) being honest about themselves. Thus I easily saw how to manipulate this one. Every person in their right mind will want to make themselves sound more intelligent than they really are. Just choose the answer that makes you look better. It would make more sense for someone else who is completely unbiased who knows you to answer those questions. However, If I had scored perfectly in all of the areas, that would have drawn too much attention. I tried to think how the"honest" human I was trying to portray would answer, and I got the following scores: 13/25 in Musical Smarts, 15/25 in Kinaesthetic, Naturalistic and Visual/Spatial Smarts, 16/25 in Logical Smarts, 17/25 in Linguistic Smarts, and 19/25 in Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Smarts.

Now the real fun is comparing my scores with that of everyone else, to see how average or above average I am. But right before I started pursuing that, I asked myself "What's the Point?" Am I so egotistical that I'll use a test score to prove I'm better than someone else? Shouldn't I look elesewhere for a feeling of self-confidence? Why should I berate someone with a lesses score than I. Then I remembered I was trying to act like a normal human being and began teasing my fellow beings of a sub-par intelligence.

By the way, that's not as fun as it might seem. I made a lot of 3rd Graders cry.


That brings me to my next point. Do tests such as the ones I took hold any validity in the school system? I think the answer is a Definite "maybe." I think the testing should and could be refined a bit so that there is a smaller margin of error (or lying) so that real scores are the result. A teacher may be able to look at the Multiple Intelligence test scores and by that determine how an individual student would best learn a particular lesson/subject. I'm posing as a Drama Teacher (so much for blending in), which if you think about it, encompasses all of the Intelligences. I don't think the IQ test alone is valid since we're dealing with creativity and human expression here.

I would try and have the parents/guardians of the students honestly score their children on the Multiple Intelligence Test so I can get an accurrate idea of where the students' strengths and weakness are.









Oh, if you are curious of what my real IQ score is, take the square root of (182 minus 17 divided by pi times 0 + 64) and tip that number on its side.

I Know Something You Don't Know. . .

Not to brag, but I have an IQ that is above average. I would brag about it but people get sick of the whole "I'm smarter than you" song after a while. In addition, there's always somebody whose IQ is larger. Rather than trying to compete with smarter people or find ways to make myself look smarter, I've decided to forgo all of that based off of a recent revelation of mine. . .


Your IQ doesn't mean jack.


Despite what a number on a test might say about me, there are several things that might make you think twice about labelling me "Gifted." To name a few, I can't blow a bubble with bubble-gum, I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was almost 10 years old, and it wasn't until way after my teenage years that I figured out teasing and making fun of pretty girls is not the best way to get them to like you. The bottom line is, a person's value or aptitude cannot be measured solely by a test score. There is so much more involved. Intelligence, in my opinion, is infinite. It all depends on the acts of the individual.


Case in point: Forrest Gump. Here's a man who intellectually had everything going against him intellectually, but who did amazing things. Yes, it's fictional, but that's beside the point. The human being is capable of so much more than what we think it should be. Teachers should approach students the same way. The potential is infinite; it's just a question of what their starting point is.


Now as teachers, we should already have come to the realization that (see previous blog posting) God has a sense of humor and thus created people with differences. These differences come in many forms, some of them quite severe. There are many who have trouble with tasks most people consider mundane or effortless. Much of the time it is through no fault of their own. Most people like to focus their attention on the question 'Why?" but they should be asking themselves "What can be done?" As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to ask the later and help these individuals succeed.


I don't anticipate it being easy. In fact, I have a confession to make. Most of my life I've been wary or nervous around people with mental or physically deformities. So wary that there have been times when I've attempted to completely avoid a situation where I knew people with handicaps of some kind would be present. I don't know exactly why. Sometimes I was self-conscious of the fact that I was staring, sometimes I felt guilty being a person without a disability. I thought I'd say or do something that would come off as me rubbing in the fact that I'm more whole than they are. Most of the time I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to do in their presence.


Obviously, nothing in that previous paragraph helps the situation much. Thankfully, I have been able to get over the wariness for the most part. I find that understanding the difficulties a certain person might have helps, because then i know in a small way what they are going through. Secondly, I try to get to know the individual and treat them like a person rather than a case. One of my favorite scenes that depicts this is from the movie "Patch Adams" where a patient is being looked at by a bunch of medical students as a case, rather than an individual. Patch is the only person who seems to show any concern about the patient as a person.


That's what I believe the trick is: Knowing what the disability is and what it may mean as far as what the individual needs or will experience, balanced out with the treating them equally.

People Are Different. . . So Get Used To It

In the beginning, God created Adam in His image, though with less muscles because the Almighty wanted Man to be humble. And God saw that it was good. And it did come to pass that God developed a sense of humor, and as proof created Woman to amaze and confuse Adam. And thus it was that before Adam knew what was happening Eve, the Woman, had taken over. And God saw that it was good.

And it did come to pass that God did not stop there, for he commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the Earth. And thus came the existence of many nations and cultures, all from the same parents though not one of them will ever confess it. And with these nations and cultures came social structures and caste systems and new dialects and ethnic differences and alternative skin colors. And God did look down upon the many different peoples and did say unto Himself "Let's see how they deal with that mess."

Which brings me to today's subject: God's Sense of Humor. . . or as my Teacher puts it: Differences in the Classroom. Can you remember in all of your times in school if there was someone exactly like you (identical twins, you will please ignore that last question). Probably not. If we were the same it would be really boring and, as God would say, less humorous. Sooner or later one who is a teacher, as I am, will need to come to terms with the fact that there are many different kinds of people with multiple backgrounds and personalities. Now, as a teacher I could choose to acknowledge only some and treat the others as insignificant, which we all know would not end well. Not only would that be wrong, but expensive too. Lawsuits would be piled up against me and I wouldn't stand a prayer in court on a teacher's salary. So it would be much wiser for me to adapt the classroom teaching to respect all cultures.

Notice how I said "wiser" and not "easier." Remember, God has a sense of humor. Seeing as I haven't been struck down by lightning yet I will carry on with this train of thought.

In my classroom there will undoubtedly be differences. Lucky for me I'm teaching theatre, which historically has a pattern for doing things that are "different." It's my job to teach them how to artistically portray/show a person or idea. With Art, it really is about expressing what you are or what you feel. Those two things are greatly determined by where you come from and who/what you are. There are techniques and skills to acquire,yes, but when you think about it, the Oscar winners and kids singing in the Kindergarten are all doing the same thing: giving a part of themselves to their work. A teacher who dismisses or even squashes differences is, in effect, killing the giver. If, however, a teacher effectively opens the door, a flood of what I like to call "New Wonderfulness" will overflow into the classroom.


Now that's nice, you might be thinking. You should be asking: How are you going to do that? To be quite honest, I don't know for sure yet. Each student, each class, each day is different. Odds are the teaching adaptations I'll be using will have to evolve just like the cultures and ethnicities themselves have evolved over time. I do have a a general list of 'Do's and 'Don't's which should help.

DO show respect

DO NOT show favoritism

DO empathize and endeavor to understand

DO NOT expect to know exactly what it's like and never assume you do.

DO give everyone the chance to step up to the microphone and say what they feel or need to say.

DO NOT stop trying

Random Ramblings

This week we got assigned not 1, but 2 blogs (who does the teacher think she is?). The nerve.

Actually, it's not that bad. All I really have to do is answer some questions about what we recently learned in our last class. So if you've been following, I'm going to write about what I've learned about learning thus far.

WHAT Did I Learn?
Well, this week we covered the primary research types related to teaching, the primary methods being Observational, Correlation, Experimental, and Action Research. Amazingly, they are all intertwined. The goal here is to learn something, so we might as well use as many methods as necessary. Common techniques involve case studies, archives, surveys and observation. It's pretty much up to the individual to use whichever method they want, depending on what they are trying to do with their research. If you just want to get data, Observational and Correlation. If you wanna try something to test a hypothesisisisisis (loosens tongue) then experimental is the way to go. If you just want to change things (like Obama), Action Research is the way to go.



So What? WHY Is This Important?
Haven't you been paying attention?!?! How can I possibly adapt my teaching style to the learning style of the students if I don't know jack-diddly-squat? I've got to learn something somehow. Say I have a a certain average grade that I want the students to achieve. Well, I start with looking at current results and their projected performance. Then I develop a hypothesisisisisis (dang it!) about what I believe they need to do in order to get the correct score. Then I can either experiment with that hypo. . . err, "theory-thingy" to see if I'm right or, if I don't' have the time/resources, develop a plan based off of my knowledge.

In a perfect world, the students would all get "A"s. Since no one ever got everything right on the first try, I'd probably have to learn as I go to get to the goal.


Now What? What Are We Going to Do About It?
My, my, my. . . we are getting picky. Well, Step 1 is: Do all the research I can to know as much as possible prior to actually teaching. Step 2: Develop sound lesson plans based off the stuff I've learned from my research that are still flexible. Change is Good, after all. Step 3: Teach something and actually learn from experience what I need to do better. Step 4: Repeat Steps 1-3. And lastly, Step 5: Retirement.

It is important to note you cannot skip any steps in the process.

I am Blogger. . . Hear me RAR!!!

This post's title features another cheap attempt of mine to be funny. Are you laughing yet? If not, I guess I'll have to ellaborate the joke.

Last week I mentioned that this blog is a class requirement. This week's assignment involves something our professor calls a Research Article Review, or a RAR if you like acronyms.

"But wait!" you exclaim, "What research article?" Don't get ahead of my people, here's a linky thingamajig to read what I read:

http://www.medindia.net/News/Adolescents-Emotional-Skills-Gets-Boosted-by-Theatre-Programmes-24002-1.htm

In case you're technologically illiterate (or just too lazy) to click on the link and read the article, I will summarize it for you. Researchers from the University of Illinois did a study of Adolescent Behavior by observing and interviewing studnets and faculty involved in a Theatre Production on the high school level. They claimed to have discovered that the adolescents' emotional skills were strengthened as a result of their experiences during the rehearsals and run of the show.

In class we have recently covered differing research types and the advanatages/disadvantages of them. I would label this article's study as Descriptive research since no active part was done by the researchers was done. You could also say this is also a Correlational Research since a comparison was made between the emotional skills of the theatre practitioners was contrasted with those who weren't in it.

While I agree that theatre can and will affect those who practice it, I would have to conclude this study as incomplete or faulty or inconclusive (choose your poison). These students were being interviewed and the researchers attended their rehearsals, so the students had to have known they were being a part of something. It is therefore very likely that the fact that they knew they were being watched changed how they behaved. I call this the "Halo-Pitchfork" affect since having someone watch you can produce either your best behavior or your worst. In addition, it's impossible to monitor everything the students are doing that involves emotions. Theatre is not the only medium by which emotions can be measured or produced, although in my opinion it's definitely one of the most entertaining. The fact that the article itself says"emotional skills MAY be strengthened" by high school theatre leaves room for doubt. I would definitely say this research holds some merit and can be used to form a hypothesis, but until more definitive research and experimentation has been made, the claim will have to remain inconclusive.


(Incidentally, the later portion of this post isn't funny. . . just thought I'd point that out)

Captain's Log, Star Date 09082008

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . God decided to have some fun and created the Earth.

And thus mankind was established, as well as the fact that God has a sense of humor. Why, you might ask? Because as a result of His actions I came to exist.

Some of you Atheists may be saying at this point my parents created me or there's no proof that God exists. I would debate that, but I figure the best test is to see for ourselves after we die. Don't be in a hurry to finish that test though.

Since my wife and I already have a perfectly good blog, you may wonder why I bother creating a new one. Suffice to say it's a requirement (and a darn good one) from a class I am taking at UVU (which I have declided should be pronounced "ooo--voo"). The first segment you just read was my made-up answer to the teacher's question "Why are you here?" Now for the real answer, which I guess has to apply to the Class that I'm taking, Educational Psychology.

I feel it is proper, for an education course, to test the teacher who will be testing me (Karma's a bummer, ain't it). So, for this question and all the rest, this blog posting will have my answers in the form of multiple choice. I was going to do True/False, but I didn't want my teacher to have it too easy.

*Why Are you Here?
(A) To Learn Some Necessary Tools/Practices for My Chosen Profession of Teaching
(B) D-uh! It's a Required Course
(C) I'm Trying to Find Creative Ways of Passing Time
(D) All of the Above

*What Motivates You?
(A) Cookies
(B) Fame, Fortune, Women
(C) A Personal Feeling of Fulfillment from having achieved a goal.
(D) All of the above. . . and free stuff

*Why Do You Succeed?
(A) Because I tried really, really, really, really hard.
(B) There was a girl I wanted to impress
(C) I like to see what my best measures up to be.
(D) All of the above (especially B)

*Why Do You Fail?
(A) Because I didn't do my best and everyone else is out to get me.
(B) The Girl I wanted to impress started going out with another guy.
(C) I failed because how else am I supposed to learn?
(D) All of the above (and the government)

*How Does Your Motivation and Perspective Need to Change For You to Succeed in this Program and Become a Great!!! Teacher?
(A) Umm, it just does?
(B) 1812
(C) Well, I'm not Perfect, and unless I learn how to read minds I'm not going to be able to tell what exactly the students are thinking. Even if I do establish some psychic power, I'm not going to be any closer to knowing what the student needs to do in order to learn. That being said I need to forget everything I think I know and brace myself to learn and apply things that may never have occurred to me or that i was just too slow to realize in the first place. As for Greatness, whose scale are we grading that by? If it's mine, then, to quote Muhammad Ali, "I AM THE GREATEST!" If it's someone else's, they need to adjust their grading scale to reflect the previous statement.
(D) All of the above (But I'm leaning towards "C")