Allison Davis's Blog

Week of 11/16-11/20

adavis115 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:21:20 +0000

This week was the presentation of our achiever’s profiles. I unfortunately was unable to go to Concord High School to meet with our students due to schedule conflicts, so I was unable to meet her and get to know her for myself. However, after watching all of the videos thursday night, I have no doubt that she was just as amazing as the other achievers. I was very impressed at the job that all of the groups did in portraying their student. Each student has seemed to come a long way and has been successful in becomming an achiever. They all have both short-term and long-term goals, including what they want to do in the future. I think that this project definitely helped them in seeing themselves as an achiever. Each group asked their student to reflect and list all that they have accomplished thus far and all that they would like to accomplish in their future. Some students were also asked what qualities they have that have allowed them to become an achiever. If any student did not feel confident in considering themself an achiever before this project, I think that they definitely viewed themself as one after having to reflect on all that they have done thus far. I think that this was a great assignment and very beneficial to the students of Concord HS and the students of EDUC419.

Week of 11/09-11/13

adavis115 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:54:02 +0000

This week in class, we continued to focus on Bassline Entertainment. We paid particular attention to Mrs. Bishop and her influence on Bassline Entertainment. In befriending the students that were referred to as the “bad kids”, Mrs. Bishop gained respect and acceptance from the student body. She became someone that the students felt comfortable with and someone that the students could come and talk to. Mrs. Bishop never dismissed any ideas or views of the students, but instead took them very seriously. There were many advantages to Mrs. Bishop not knowing anything about hip-hop. She had no negative pre-judgments about hip-hop. Since she did not know how to work the equipment, the students were responsible to learn how to use the equipment. In turn, the students became experts. The students had a tremendous work ethic. In the music that the students produced, Mrs. Bishop heard their language skills that no one knew they possessed. They had a broad vocabulary, knew how to use literary devices and form complex sentence structures. The students did not show these skills in the classroom, but displayed their skills through their music and lyrics. The students gained a great sense of accomplishment and a tremendous boost in their self-esteem by being a part of Bassline Entertainment, which would not have happened had Mrs. Bishop not been there supporting them.

Week of 11/02-11/06

adavis115 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:38:53 +0000

This week we continued to talk about Wu Tang and Bassline Entertainment. We concentrated on hip-hop as a performance medium and an entrepreneur opportunity, and on the importance of Bassline Entertainment and the impact it had on its members.

Hip-hop is known as a performance medium, but it is also an entrepreneur opportunity. Bringing hiphop into the classroom not only allowed for the students involved in Bassline Entertainment to have an outlet in which they can express themselves, but also introduced them to the music industry. They were able to work with real equipment and produce their own album. Additionally, they worked with fake money to learn financial skills. By integrating hip-hop into the classroom, the students learned money management, marketing skills, communication skills, and how to be able to form relations as well as have a vision of what they want out of their future.

One particular member of Bassline Entertainment reflected on his experiences from the group and what he was able to accomplish after leaving the group. Bassline Entertainment was an outlet for the members where they wrote about their struggles, working hard, and the everyday stresses they are faced with. Their teacher, Mrs. Bishops, taught them in a language and manner in which they could relate to. Bassline helped the drop-out rate because it gave the students something they were interested in and looked forward to. The student then went on to talk about the advantages Bassline had on its members. Being a part of Bassline Entertainment brought up the student’s self-esteem and allowed them to develop their personalities, helped the students learn about networking, how to be articulate and how to become comfortable with public speaking. Had they not been a part of Bassline, they might not have become as proficient in writing, writing business proposals, and they might not have gotten involved in the music industry at all. It also allowed the students to set goals for their futures. All of the members went on to attend 4-year schools. One member started a clothing line, helped in producing a music magazine, and plans on starting his own media company.

Week of 10/19-10/23

adavis115 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:22:57 +0000

This week we focused on hip-hop multiple texts. Hip-hop is a good way to get students interested in their education because it is something that they enjoy doing. It allows them to express themselves and exposes them to the music industry while simultaneously having educational relevance. Incorporating hip-hop into the classroom allows the students to develop a voice and an identity. The students encourage one another and become a team, motivating each other as they come up with their raps. Hip-hop also has professional relevance. The students get to write their own lyrics, record them and use the equipment. It exposes the students to the music industry, which then gets them thinking about their future and if they want to do something in the music industry.

Week of 10/12-10/16

adavis115 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:13:28 +0000

This week we focused on the readings from Subtractive Schooling. Subtractive Schooling focuses on Latino students getting an education in America and the differences between education and educacion.

Education is mainly concerned with non-personal content, not with building a relationship with the students. This is very different from educacion. Educacion is concerned with both teaching and establishing relationships with the students. When Latino students come to America to recieve an education, they are missing out on something that they have been raised to expect from schooling- relationships. This can have a negative effect on the student, making him or her feel rejected since the definition of educacion is grounded in the Mexican culture. It leads them to believe that school is impersonal, irrelevant and lifeless, and causes them to lack motivation. The lack of relationships leaves them vulnerable to academic failure. It is for this reason that teachers must make a conscious effort to establish relationships with their students by demonstrating their care for the students and committment to the class.

Week of 10/5 – 10/9

adavis115 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:30:49 +0000

This week we focused on the novel The Freedom Writer’s Diary. We began by speaking about the baggage that the students brought to the classroom upon entering Ms. G’s classroom. The students were victims of an undeclared war and constantly had to deal with gang violence and discrimination based on their race and the neighborhood they lived in. Additionally, outside of the classroom many of the students had family issues including poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, and incarcerated parents. The students carried all of their baggage into the classroom, leading them to not do well in school. Teachers in the school therefore characterized the students as failures and judged them based on their pasts.

Ms. G saw that something needed to be done. She needed to change th students self-perception and the perception of the teacher’s of the students, create stability in the student’s lives, and create a community and family in the classroom. She did this through literature that the students could relate to, including Durango Street and Romeo and Juliet, as well as through guest speakers and trips.

We then related the Freedom Writer’s Diary to the Pedagogy of Oppression, which really put their “road to change” in perspective. The students were stuck in the “natural order”- teachers considered them the “ghetto english class”, they experienced peer pressure from their gangs to no succeed in school, they had broken families and negative role models. Ms. G used what they were familiar with- gangs, abuse, drug addiction- to allow them to be able to relate and connect with literture and different characters in the novels she had them read. She provided them with an alternative outcome: to prove people wrong and turn their lives around instead of succombing to what society thinks of them. In order to get the students out of the lower order of thinking, she realized that she needed to disrupt the path they were taking and give them alternative outcomes that would allow for them to reach higher orders of thinking.

Week of 9/28 – 10/2

adavis115 — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:47:32 +0000

This week, we had a guest speaker, Mrs. Emlynn DesGannes, and spoke about the Hobrat Shakepearians.

Mrs. DesGannes spoke about how she believes that teaching is a creative profession, but that recently, teachers have taken the creativity out of the profession. After taking some time to think about it, I think I agree with her statement. Learning can be a very creative process. Teachers can use fun activities to further their student’s understanding of the material, which would make the material more enjoyable for the students. However, many students are uninterested in school and their academics. This could be the result of a very traditional teaching style, in which the teacher presents the material to the students and does not make the course interesting or fun. Mrs. DesGannes also said that a lot of the prisoner’s favorite subject in grade school was english because it gave them a chance to express themselves and because the teachers never kicked them out of class. It is important to allow the students to express themselves. When she spoke about the men in prisons, she said that 1.5 million children are affected by parents in prison. This stuck with me because I think it is extremely sad.

We also spoke about the Hobart Shakespearians since we did not get to discuss them after watching the video on them. One of the main things we talked about regarding the Hobart Shakespearians was passion in the classroom. It is very important to be passionate about what you are teaching to your students. In being passionate, you will model enthusiasm to your students, bring a deeper understanding of the material, work harder to help your students understand, and bring a positive disposition. It is extremely important to be passionate about what you teach. If you are not, your disinterest will show when you are teaching the material to your students and they will feed off of your energy and they, too, will be disinterested in the subject. The second major thing that we talked about was instructional advantages, such as the play. The performance of the play that the students put on allowed the students to work as a team, motivated each student playing a role to be the best, allowed the students to embody the knowledge and feelings of their character, and allowed them to display their achievement to the public. All of these things work to boost the student’s self-esteem, better their reading comprehension, and learn how to work with their peers- all things that they will need to continue their academic success.

Week of 9/21-9/26

adavis115 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:54:48 +0000

This week in class, we got information on our field placements, watched a video on the Hobart Shakepearians, and watched a presentation of Voices.

Last year in EDUC413, I got the chance to observe a high school classroom. I am excited to have the opportunity to observe a middle school classroom this year, but am slightly nervous to be a part of the AVID program in a middle school. Last year I was an AVID tutor for students at Newark High School, and I was told that my experience in an AVID classroom this year will be very different. The AVID program at Newark HS was very laid back- the teacher allowed the students to get away with not coming in with questions for the tutors, the students would come in with questions that they already knew the answer to so that they did not have to put much effort into the class, and the students were often unmotivated and uninterested to be there. I am told this year that the program is much more rigid and strict, and find myself nervous that I will be unprepared when walking into the classroom.

The video on the Hobart Shakepearians was was inspiring. Rafe, the teacher, believed in the students and wanted them to succeed. He wanted them to feel like Americans. He used activities that would interest the students to better their understanding of the material. He used sports and music in the classroom and had the students read books that they would find interesting and could relate to. He also took them on trips to further the students learning. On these trips, they would stay at nice hotels and eat nice meals so that the students could see the type of life that they’re working for in the future. Rafe’s attitude and goals for the students were similar to those of the teacher in the novel The Freedom Writers. I was able to make many connections between the video and the novel. Both the video and the novel are ver inspiring. It is amazing how influential a teacher can be to his or her students and how they can really make a change in their student’s lives.

Voices was a presentation of the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of those who are incarcerated. The presentation was aimed at those who are not incarcerated, in hopes that the messages from those who are incarcerated would touch those on the outside, who have not yet lost their way, and break the cycle. The presentation was not at all what I expected it to be. In fact, walking into the theatre, I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The words written by those incarcerated were both moving and inpsiring, and sent out a great message. Since I am a dancer and a big fan of music, I also liked that they incorporated dance and music into the presentation to get the message across.

Week of 9/14-9/18

adavis115 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:21:48 +0000

This week we presented our I Am poems and discussed a video of a presentation given to the students of the Achievers Academy. I unfortunately had class monday night, and was unable to present my I Am poem and listen to the ones that my peers wrote.

The presentation was given by DaRayia Wilson. When asked what achievement means to them, the students gave answers that impressed me. One students said that achievement means hard-work and dedication and that you must work or what you want. The same student later said that if he wanted to be a famous fashion designer, he knew that he must start now. The students also said that achievement means ignoring criticism and focusing on your goals. One of the questions that a student asked the presenter that sticks in my mind was “Did you have any struggles?” I think that stories that the presenter shared with the students when answering this questions allowed for the students to relate to her and notice similarities between themselves and her. In order to have made the presentation more effective, there could have been more participation from the students. There was only two or three students who always responded to the presenter. In class, we decided that in order for there to be more participation, there would need to be some type of group work amongst the students. The teacher or presenter could ask the students for their ideas or the students could work in pairs or in groups and have jigsaw group roles.

I thought that viewing the presentation gave me a good idea of the students in terms of their motivation levels, participation, and ideas about achievement and their futures. Unfortunately, my schedule does not allow for me to visit the Achievers Academy.

Week of 9/07- 9/11

adavis115 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:53:17 +0000

This week in class, we discussed what it means to be an achiever and our I Am poems that we are to write. I have always thought of myself to be an achiever, always striving to do my best. However, I have never sat down and thought what it really means to be an achiever and all the qualities that I believe someone who is an achiever possesses. To me, I am an achiever because I always strive to do my best, never quit when I fail at something, push myself when things are out of my range or comfort zone, and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in knowing I tried my best. It was nice to hear everyone else’s responses to what being an achiever means to them, because it made me think of things I hadn’t originally thought of. I think it’s important to be an achiever because it gives you the drive and motivation to do well and accomplish your goals.

We are also to write an I Am poem. I find myself having a very difficult time writing mine. Writing has never been my strong point, especially creative writing. I’m having a hard time being inspired by anything and getting started on my poem. I’m also hesitant of what I write because since we have to present our poems to the class, I’m unsure of how much information about myself I really want to share with them. I was also really intimidated after hearing Professor Meacham’s I Am poem. I know that we are not expected to have poems as good as his, but since it was the only example of an I Am poem I heard, I’m not sure what else to base mine on or compare it to. It’s definitely going to take me a long time to complete this assignment.