What are some of the techniques a teacher can use to teach Social Studies to ELL students? Here a few strategies I have specifically looked at.
Graphic Organizer: With the information given in the text, one way I would choose to break down the readings would be the use of graphic organizers. There is a variety of people, places, events, dates, titles within the text. So to unitize an organizer chart, this can allow students to focus on more important pieces of information. Concept Definition Map: With the use of the graphic organizer, students have a list of different groups of information. With that they can pick pieces out to build a concept map. Breaking down the main topic by analyzing the terms from the reading now in the organizer. Then picking significant terms to build it back up and look the main idea as a whole. Grouping Configurations: Using the concept map, the class could be split into small groups to try and fill in some of the pieces of the concept map that are left intentionally blank. They have to figure out which pieces go where and then coming back together as a class, each group can offer input and share thoughts to come up with a correct solution.
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In response to Facebook and how it can only show what you want to see:
The peculiar thing is that it’s not just Facebook that uses this algorithm of finding stuff you like based on clicked links. Google, Amazon, ITunes, and YouTube, are just a few other examples employing this technique. One thing I find interesting, about this aspect of the Internet, is that from listening to a podcast, there was discussion about something similar for social media. How before the age of mass communication, social media, and video websites people had to conform to socially accepted norms, with this came the acceptance of other people’s viewpoints. Now while this aspect may arguably still hold true today, the big difference is that people were more inclined to agree with, or possibly change their own viewpoints to match others. This is less the case in this day of age. People are able to go Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, or Reddit. At these sites, they can find and communicate with other individuals or groups around the world that have similar, if not almost exact viewpoints. Giving a greater sense of connection with people half way around the world than their next-door neighbor. Taking away from that sense of conforming to social norms, people can put themselves into these niche groups and cement their viewpoint/identity. Which can be quite beneficial, but it can also be quite dangerous. How can this be harmful? If/when the younger generation find that there are groups with similar viewpoints; it could lead to a more hostile tone toward other viewpoints. People sharing their thoughts can cement their own views making it harder to socialize with people that have different opinions or views on topics of controversy. Now for those who believe that the whole thing should be taken down or inaccessible, technology has become such a staple in this day of age, that it’s not a realistic proposition. The question should be how to fight fire with fire? Social media is a big impact on teenagers these days, both positively and negatively. So it needs to be made sure that teenagers get a bigger, more positive impact from it instead of the negative. And that is something that can be done within the classroom. If teachers, instead of trying to fight an uphill by preventing social media, worked the system to their advantage it can enter in a whole new avenue of learning. Social media instead could be used to help in the classroom in so many different ways, such as discussions, asking questions, announcements, and many others uses. Also, with the use of social media in the classroom, teachers can also have a greater presence to help combat against cyber bulling. That aspect alone should be enough of a reason to want try and pursue this new way of learning. How has our understanding of autism shifted over the past fifty years and why is this significant for us as educators?
Since its recognition fifty years ago, autism and trying to understand it has been labeled with a number of different problem sets. Progressing from children being dumped off to mental institutions, to having it diagnosed as bad parenting, as a pathological problem that required vaccination, to finally a way of considering ‘is it even a problem anymore?’ If its not considered a problem, then maybe that shows how much it has been dealt with, and as educators we are able to understand it better. Foucault would argue that the increased “medicalization” of our students is a negative bi-product of a society in which big pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists wield far too much power: After reading the article and assessing your own prior knowledge, analyze this critique as an educator. People see a medical problem and they immediately want to get it fixed. It’s understandable. Who wants to have something wrong with him or herself or someone they care about? However, what if there is no problem? What if there is just a difference in a way that a person acts, feels, or thinks? Is there anything wrong with that? No. People are different all the time, just so there within the social accepted norms. If not then there is something that needs to be fixed. And there are companies who recognize this and offer ‘solutions’ on the matter. Just another pill or medicine they created to try and help make people normal. However, when it comes to pills changing a way in which a person’s brain works does it really do the job it says? Every person has a different mind. Yes, there are common physical and mental functions, but what makes up our emotions, actions, ways of thinking, problem solving, is unique amongst each person. When it comes to learning, again this is something that is unique amongst individuals. Some people are auditory learners, others are visual, and some require a combination of the two. Some students need technology while others just need a book. If we as educators recognize and accept that students learn in different ways, why can’t others accept it? Now I realize that there are some students that are need of more attention, time, and care. However I do not believe that giving them pills is a cure, more along the lines of a cheap suppressor. Now, for some individuals, there may be some medicine that help them function at a higher capacity. However, as mentioned in the article doesn’t this fall within the lines of individual moral responsibility? Shouldn’t be people be given the choice of whether or not they should be taking medicine? Instead of having been given a broad diagnosis and prescribed pills that may have little to no effect. http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~286390~90058885:Tavola-nvova-d-Italia?sort=Date%2CPub_List_No_InitialSort&qvq=q:World_Area%3D%22Europe%22%2B;sort:Date%2CPub_List_No_InitialSort;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=15&trs=1679 This map was written in Italian and published in 1561 in Venice. Written by three different authors, Ptolemy, Claudius, Ruscelli, Girolamo, and Giuseppe Moletta. Looking at this map, when compared to a map of modern day Italy, There are some accurate representations of the lay of the land. The way in which the rivers run intertwined all through out the interior. As well the depiction of mountain ranges and plains. However at the same time, their are some depiction of Italy that are not entirely accurate. First off is the jagged edges of the coastlines. This is quite different than the reality of the Italy's coastline being quite smooth. Another error is the depiction of some islands off the coastline are fact not even there in modern day maps. The reasons for these distortions, while only speculation, might just be to show off the physical geography of the Italian peninsula and the surrounding islands. The map has no legend, key, or any land or sea navigational information. It also does not display any information, of states, only cities and territorial names. So its most likely not a map intended for commerce or government. More likely for education and the studying of geography. More likely a map that is affordable for people to study with. Going off the list of maps, I would actually choose two of the five maps: the Mollweide projection and the Peters projection. Mollwiede actually keeps the edge of the map round, which in turn portrays equal area of the world. This projection also has usefulness in terms of showing distribution of data across the whole world. However in terms of accuracy of distance I turn to Peters projection. Like Mollwiede it too portrays equal area of land masses, but also has accuracy of distance and location. However there is controversy behind Peters projection because it sacrifices size for shape. So these two maps are both accurate in some aspects but not all. The only truly accurate portrayal of earth are globes. P.S. This clip was shown to me by my U.S. history professor on the first day of class. Its a clip from the show The West Wing. This is a video discussing my teaching identity and what I dream to achieve as a teacher in the future. "Howard Zinn and Eve Tuck have centered their careers upon the marginalized voices of history. Think about the lesson you taught in the first round of full-class microteaching, and, in at least two paragraphs, describe how you could have:
1) In a CONCRETE WAY, acknowledged the "smaller" voices within the historical narrative in which your lesson was placed? Thinking about what Howard Zinn wrote in his book, I reflect upon my lesson of early English Colonialism, and I find it somewhat embarrassing. Looking back I never gave any more detail or volume to the “smaller” voices than what little information a student might find within a European centered textbook. I feel as though I could have given a more impactful lesson if I had focused on those smaller voices instead, like the Native Americans and their different ways of lifestyle, customs, and cultures. Another potential voice I could have used would be the common English settler. Textbooks describe the businesses, the governments, and the leaders of expeditions and colonies. However, not much detail is given about the lifestyle of the common man in England at the time. Or on the Native Americans, except when they helped out or were attacking colonies. I could have the class discuss or do a compare-and-contrast on these two groups. If someone asks, “why talk about an English settler?” ‘Don’t they already have a voice of their country and it’s actions?’ They have a voice, but it’s different than the voice of their country. Zinn wrote, “Nations are not communities and never have been.” So it wouldn’t be the fact that I am giving volume to another English voice, but rather I’m giving volume to a voice that happens to be English. Another reason would be, that it would demonstrate the differences in culture between the English and their capital, and the Native Americans. Not just physical differences. 2) Battled the "continued disavowal" of land theft and genocide settler colonialism perpetrated upon First Peoples, and which serves as the platform for all American education today With “continued disavowal” I could have the class debate over this issue. With the way the lesson could be restructured as mentioned earlier, it would be a good introduction toward discussing this controversial topic. If however, we ran out of time for the class, I would still want to hear the students’ thoughts on this. Perhaps I could use this as an exit slip strategy, make the students take a side on the matter, and then talk about it the next day. It could potentially be done with multiple events over the course of the year, and open up students’ views on history as just one-sided. At the least the biggest part of battling the “continued disavowal” would be to introduce and talk about it with students. To open the class to different viewpoints and how different people were affected by events that are labeled throughout history as justified. 1) Talk about the argument being made in the podcast: what is ‘The Satire Paradox’ exactly?
The ‘Satire Paradox’ is where people use comedy to talk about serious problems and people give little thought to counterargument and more on the interpretation of the skit and what the person meant by it. When Tina Fey did a portrayal of Sarah Palin on SNL she did in a way that Fey was trying to show who Palin was in the public eye. Yet, according to the podcast Revisionist History the portrayal took away the message of who Palin was and instead just gave the audience something to laugh at. 2) Critically react to the argument of The Satire Paradox, Going off what was said in the podcast there are some people who us satire effectively in influencing public perception. Satire itself takes away from the influential message already. However, for a lot of political satire shows here in the U.S. they fail to achieve that mark even more than most satire shows and messages. In the podcast it was said that shows like SNL have no teeth in attacking problems that are being portrayed. These shows instead drink it though a straw. Taking to mean that the problems are watered down and have a more entertaining message than a influential message. 1. What is Critical Race Theory?
Critical Race Theory is a theoretical framework that critically examines how society and culture intersect with race, law, and power. 2. How does formal curriculum typically portray African & Native Americans? That inaccurate Historical representations "depict American Indians as frozen in time; that is, wearing costumes... war paint, with bow and arrow" These stereotypical images are static, timeless, and ultimately damaging to students. History presents African American males as either ignorant and helpless or duplicitous and shiftless. And these "historical" images serve to reinforce the stereotypes that many students’ and teachers already possess. 3. What is the dominant means by which society receives its racial messages? The most prevalent peddler of minority racial stereotypes is popular media. Through this medium, African Americans are portrayed as "stupid," "lazy," "dangerous," or “dirty”. And if addressed at all, American Indians are perceived as "simple," "primitive," "submissive," or "wild" These descriptors can and are used by non-minorities to rationalize and hence justify their racial privilege in society. 4. How can education promote personal awareness of biases? Why might a person be bias in the first place? Why does a person cheer for one team over all the other choices? Maybe a friend cheers for that team, and they want to be supportive. Maybe that is the only team that the person knows anything about. Or maybe it’s because it’s the hometown team. Are they aware that they are being bias towards their team? They probably don’t. The person probably just goes on about how his or her team is better than everybody else’s and doesn’t stop to consider the many other teams there are to cheer for. Now this presents a narrow-minded style of thinking. If a person won’t be open to consider other teams to cheer for, then how will that person be open minded about things like race, gender, politics, or religion. In education, the introduction of other viewpoints can allow for the opening of that narrow-mindset. Now in regular society these introductions happen all the time, but in education they occur in specific way that makes the students stop and consider the difference in viewpoint. How does this happen? It varies with individual students. That is a big part of a teachers’ job, is to open students minds to new and different ideas. To have students recognize their potential biasness and broaden it. Through the means, of having students listen to and speak upon the difference of opinions of fellow students and the teacher as well. This was a project designed for my TE class to learn about the “how” and “why” when creating and presenting a lesson to a class. Focusing more on the procedure, it has definitely helped get into the mindset of “what ways are best in presenting information for the various classes?” After conducting our mini lesson, we are going back and revising them, to see if there are any parts of it that need to be changed to make it more efficient.
1. The Rationale
2. Practical Goals/Outcomes Have students learn about the nuances of the political spectrum. 3. Specific Procedures
In conclusion I had a lot of fun with this project and the creative freedom that was given to us. As well as to think more on the "how" rather than the "what" specifically. Can't wait to see what comes next. My first post on my new blog. For those who don't know me go ahead and click on the "About" button up in the right corner. Can't wait to see where this goes in the coming months. That's all for now.
Cheers. |
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