ED 227 in a Nutshell

1. ED 227 in a Nutshell Olivia Thomas

2. Phase 1: Moments of Confusion and Doubt • How should I spend my 50 minutes? • What is it like at home for them? • How to I create community? • How do I engage them? • Who are their parents? • What are their interests? • How can I connect? • How do I meet the needs of everyone? • How do we make school work for more people? • How do we stop the perpetuating schools as they currently exist? • How do we incorporate social aspects into curriculum? • Why is the high school diploma only a ticket to college for so many? • How do I change my lense of observation? • Is standardized testing a money scheme? • What roles do students play in the school’s democracy? • How will I maximize their success?

3. “I don’t see how anyone could learn in that environment.” • “The most ethnic group was having the most fun out of everyone.” • “The teacher meeting wasn’t organized at all.” • “How does she connect so well to them?” • “Why aren’t these students taking the benchmark tests seriously?” • “There has to be a miscommunication between the students and the teacher.” • “Before observing at Shortridge, I was expecting to see a not necessarily calm class, but definitely not a class in utter chaos like it was. • “I should have expected some of what I observed because I was in a classroom full of eighth graders.” • “How is this a learning community?”

4. Phase 2: Observation and Discovery While observing, how to respond to the questions I formed, connect my responses with my experiences, and my experiences to INTASC standards and readings.

5. “Adriana said she gets hungry a lot during the day which makes it hard to concentrate.” • “She is too short to even reach the top of her locker which causes more problems than I expected.” • “She enjoys learning in an environment that is nurturing to her developmental needs.” • “She is much more energetic after lunch.” • “Adriana feels successful when she is challenged.” • “Changing my lense of observation changed my view of Shortridge.” • “Mr. Dennis trusted her enough to give her the keys to an empty classroom where she and her classmates work on advanced Latin without supervision.” • “Students who are disconnected tend to not take risks, and also put in less effort into their schoolwork, which frustrates teachers which results in further apathy.” • “My creativity helps me get things accomplished when the circumstances seem impossible.” • “Mrs. Pauly drops everything she is doing and gives all of her attention to the student.” • “By participating in extracurricular activities, students are able to show what they’ve got.” • “Sometimes a negative body image as a result of no physical activity can have a huge impact on all of the other developmental needs of kids.”

6. Phase 3: Outcomes, Clarity, and Confidence

7. “Students are like trees…” • “I was able to be put in the shoes of a high school student.” • “It was a great experience for me to be more understanding and nurturing towards different cultures.” • “I was reminded of the daily struggles a student goes through.” • “I believe that my balance of being easy going but serious will help my students reach their optimal potential.” • “Being laid back will give my students a sense of comfort and help them feel at home, while the structure I need to accomplish things will help my students get things done.” • “I believe a learning environment should be clean and orderly, not cluttered with trash and desks out of line.” • “Students will pay more attention to a teacher they respect” • “To assure student attentiveness, the teacher must find a way to engage their students in the material.”