It seems that with the warmer weather here in Michigan that student spring fever as also come early. Usually students hold out until at least the end of March to begin to pine for the summer. So how do we as teachers maintain their focus?
We can threaten. What teacher hasn't told a senior over and over that even if they are already accepted a college can take that back if they completely fail their last semester in high school? I have. I've ruined kids summer dreams by telling them that there is no beach anywhere near the summer school campus. Ive told students that their grades are on that fine line and these last weeks will mean a letter grade. I've lied through my teeth to get them to focus.
We can bribe them. On those nice warm and sunny spring days you get them to focus by telling them they can go out early.
But can we instead simply compel them? Can we create a better inside? While this might be the goal of a teacher year round these coming months might be the most important.
While observing a teacher a few years ago (during this same spring fever) I noticed that he worked to play off the students. They wanted to go outside then they had a lab outside. They didn't want to read the chapter then instead they talked about the topic (he was very good at sneaking in the vocab terms). The work of making his class compelling revolved around a continued bounce back and forth from his plans and their behaviors. I found this to be very important. That teacher could have spent hours creating an experience but if the students were;t in the mood then all was wasted. Instead of trying too hard to create ahead of time he taught me to react to their demands.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Retail Spaces
Hello All!! Here is my video for the retail spaces project. I hope you enjoy it!
- Carolyn
- Carolyn
Friday, February 24, 2012
Working Spaces
So while discussing different work spaces this week with our groups I got me thinking about how teachers set up their classrooms differently. As a science teacher I am somewhat confined to how the lab tables are arranged (its hard to change around work areas when there are gas lines) but I am often amazed at what other teachers do.
Example one. There is an old teacher (don't tell him I said old) who actually bought and brought in his own huge wooden table. He teaches using the Socriatic method and having them all sit at one table facilitates this. The English teacher down the hall uses this as well but instead of a fancy wooden table has just arranged the desks in a circle. Which do I find better? Well the large wooden table would always win. Its different for students. I think it helps to get them out of the normal school mind set and into a place where discussions and not preaching occur. Can the English teacher achieve this (can any teacher who won't be buying a 16 foot wooden table for their classroom)? I think so. But then it relies more on the teacher to bring the feel instead of the room naturally having it.
Example two. This links most back to this week's class discussion. I spent two semesters teaching an art class (stepped in for a teacher who left) and had the tables different for each semester. The first time I had them in a circle. The tables fit two kids each. that way I could walk around the front of what they were doing, I could set up a still life in the middle, and they could talk freely to each other. I liked the openness of this set up. It allowed conversation while working. Letting kids talk during class moves them beyond "work" and into a desire to make things mode. For the next semester I put them in rows like a 'normal' room. I made this change because of the students' behavior. The class was not happy to make anything unless they were making fun of the person across the room. To stop this I put them in rows so they concentrated more on their own work.
To me it is the difference between an open office and a cubicle. Depending on what type of work needs to be done and what type of workers you have in it.
I have also spent a lot of time substituting and am always interested to see how teachers set up their rooms. Clusters of desks or rows or circles. It seems that as students get older they get put more and more by themselves.
My preference? I like the 'old' teacher who, at the high school level, is bringing them back together.
-Carolyn
Example one. There is an old teacher (don't tell him I said old) who actually bought and brought in his own huge wooden table. He teaches using the Socriatic method and having them all sit at one table facilitates this. The English teacher down the hall uses this as well but instead of a fancy wooden table has just arranged the desks in a circle. Which do I find better? Well the large wooden table would always win. Its different for students. I think it helps to get them out of the normal school mind set and into a place where discussions and not preaching occur. Can the English teacher achieve this (can any teacher who won't be buying a 16 foot wooden table for their classroom)? I think so. But then it relies more on the teacher to bring the feel instead of the room naturally having it.
Example two. This links most back to this week's class discussion. I spent two semesters teaching an art class (stepped in for a teacher who left) and had the tables different for each semester. The first time I had them in a circle. The tables fit two kids each. that way I could walk around the front of what they were doing, I could set up a still life in the middle, and they could talk freely to each other. I liked the openness of this set up. It allowed conversation while working. Letting kids talk during class moves them beyond "work" and into a desire to make things mode. For the next semester I put them in rows like a 'normal' room. I made this change because of the students' behavior. The class was not happy to make anything unless they were making fun of the person across the room. To stop this I put them in rows so they concentrated more on their own work.
To me it is the difference between an open office and a cubicle. Depending on what type of work needs to be done and what type of workers you have in it.
I have also spent a lot of time substituting and am always interested to see how teachers set up their rooms. Clusters of desks or rows or circles. It seems that as students get older they get put more and more by themselves.
My preference? I like the 'old' teacher who, at the high school level, is bringing them back together.
-Carolyn
Friday, February 17, 2012
creating chairs
I was substituting yesterday for a class that watched a film about art and design. It showcased the Bauhuas art school that was in Germany prior to WWII. The film followed the start of modernism in furniture design. It showed many design ideas but focused on the chair - as the narrator said the chair was the true test of any designer.
One designer stated in an interviewer that he made crazy chairs. That they weren't comfortable. He would sit in a comfortable chair and look at the modern one. He stated that is what they were for: looking at. This struck a cord with me as we try and try to be modern and find new and amazing things for our classrooms. But are they useful? The purpose behind modernism was to rid the world of the useless and frivolous design gunk. All the ornaments and extra metal attached to everything. They liked the idea that they could make a high quality item in large amounts and sell them at low costs. Easy living was the idea.
We can take this idea to schools in the idea that we streamline everything. But at what cost. Is it crazy and new but all we want is to stay where we were and look at it? Modernism often looks like the best route to go. But when research is done on education some of the top schools in the country (if we think of Phillips Exeter then on to Harvard) are old and follow old 'frivolous' designs. In another of my classes this semester we read a book that talked about science education. The main idea was that although we can invent new experiments and new technologies to deliver it all Science (as an entity) hash;t changed in years. Things have added (mapping the human genome as an example) but the basics have been stable for a long time. The material isn't changing so why does the delivery have to move by leaps and bounds?
I have always seen modernism as an exciting path (who does't love walking around an Ikea and rethinking their entire house) but not one that lasts the times.
One designer stated in an interviewer that he made crazy chairs. That they weren't comfortable. He would sit in a comfortable chair and look at the modern one. He stated that is what they were for: looking at. This struck a cord with me as we try and try to be modern and find new and amazing things for our classrooms. But are they useful? The purpose behind modernism was to rid the world of the useless and frivolous design gunk. All the ornaments and extra metal attached to everything. They liked the idea that they could make a high quality item in large amounts and sell them at low costs. Easy living was the idea.
We can take this idea to schools in the idea that we streamline everything. But at what cost. Is it crazy and new but all we want is to stay where we were and look at it? Modernism often looks like the best route to go. But when research is done on education some of the top schools in the country (if we think of Phillips Exeter then on to Harvard) are old and follow old 'frivolous' designs. In another of my classes this semester we read a book that talked about science education. The main idea was that although we can invent new experiments and new technologies to deliver it all Science (as an entity) hash;t changed in years. Things have added (mapping the human genome as an example) but the basics have been stable for a long time. The material isn't changing so why does the delivery have to move by leaps and bounds?
I have always seen modernism as an exciting path (who does't love walking around an Ikea and rethinking their entire house) but not one that lasts the times.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Flim Project
Here is my finished film. Enjoy!!
Directors Commentary.
Directors Commentary.
Let me
start by bowing my head to all those in the film industry. It has taken me all
of the given fourteen days to come up with anything. Not for lack of trying
(This is actually my fourth attempt for this assignment). As I stated in an
earlier blog I find stationary images much easier to manipulate.
I knew I
wanted to try and tell a story throughout the short minute. So that is what I
set out to do. My film starts black with the storm noises setting the stage.
Then the storm quiets as the bird flies through clear skies. I had the storm
pick up and the music almost give up as the bird flies higher into the storm
clouds. I then picked back up the music and lowered the storm as the bird goes
on. To me its a story of perseverance.
When I sit
and ask myself what makes it compelling I come up with three things. First, as
I've said, you can follow it as a story. Second, the sounds pull you in but is
not the only leg it stands on. I have watched the clip by itself and while I do
not think it holds the same power I do still see the story. Third, the simple but
rare beauty of a bald eagle flying makes you want to stop and watch. I played
off this innate human draw in my selection of this clip. Knowing people have an
natural curiosity about animals they rarely see immediately puts the film in
their sights.
On the technical side I had a lot of
fun with making this film. I downloaded a free video editor and went to town! I
will first admit that I did not film this section this week (or last week). I
did film it, just over last summer. I was up at Lake Michigan
and there was a resident bald eagle that lived down the beach from me. He seemed
to only fly by when no one had a camera ready. Luckily on this stormy evening I
did have my camera at hand. Instead of trying for a single shot I just tracked
his flight. This past week after filming many things around my home and not
finding any of them compelling I found this clip on my camera. Even watching it
without the sound I found myself drawn to the bird. I realized with some good
music I could turn his flight into a story.
I went back
and forth about the blur at the beginning. It was a part of the original
filming as my camera sensor tried to auto-focus. I took it out and put it back
a few times. I decided to leave it for the final cut because of the natural
fade in it gives. The music also acts to guide it.
I would
also like to admit to some film editing as far as the pace of the clip goes.
The original clip lasted only about 25 seconds. After realizing that the one
minute requirement was not just a maximum but a minimum as well I slowed down
the clip to about 60% of its original speed. The only reason I did this at
first was to make the time limit for the assignment. But then looking back at
the original and watching the slowed down one it works better slow. It follows
the music better and gives the viewer a chance to see the bird in each stage of
the story.
I knew
first I wanted to add a better background storm. In fact there was no storm
noises in the original recording, just waves, birds, and my mother asking if I
got the shot. So I stripped out the original sound and replaced it with a
nature clip. I played with it quite a lot to get the thunder claps at the right
moments.
I then went
through many great music choices but after some in-depth reading on copyright
laws decided not to push my luck. So out the window went the theme from
Schindler's List. I scored many sites until I found this piece. It is entitled
Night Nurse and was composed by Jon Chilton and published by Freeplay Music. I
picked it because of the similar haunting quality of Itzhak Perlman's piece but
also had a quiet tempo that perfectly matched the beating wings of my eagle. I
also played around with its timing to match the story line I was creating.
A few
technical complaints. First the picture quality isn't as high as I would like.
And second, if only I had the ability to erase that damn other bird that flies
through the picture half way through the movie.
Overall,
even with all the struggles, I had a fun time making this film. Do I find it
compelling? Yes, and I hope you do too.
creating instructional materials
These past two weeks have been very hard for me to work on the project. I am a photographer and trying to put together 60 seconds of movement has been very difficult.
It got me thinking about the types of instructional materials we use in schools. For the most part they are static images. If we think about the supplies we use through the day we come up with a list of pictures: textbooks, overheads, posters, worksheets, and on and on. I do like to incorporate videos into a class. They can be invaluable at times (like the student who wouldn't believe me that sand dollars were real until I showed a video of an alive one moving) but I would say 95% of the materials my students use are still pictures.
So I wonder how I would incorporate more film into a class. There are obviously lots and lots of video clips on everything one could ever want on the net. Even in the realm of instruction videos (I do have a great lab safety video a few students made way back in the 80s). But what about things like textbooks. I was watching Tv yesterday and saw an ad for a little kid reader that was interactive. You followed the text with the pen and it would help you read it or show you pictures. It had definitions for the harder words. What if we could incorporate this into a high school level?
I remember spending hours with a text from college trying to read chapters. I would have the computer on, my notes everywhere and a dictionary open. If that text were like this interactive one I could have the definition of an unknown word and maybe a little video to go with it right at the same time.
Just some thoughts this week.
- Carolyn
It got me thinking about the types of instructional materials we use in schools. For the most part they are static images. If we think about the supplies we use through the day we come up with a list of pictures: textbooks, overheads, posters, worksheets, and on and on. I do like to incorporate videos into a class. They can be invaluable at times (like the student who wouldn't believe me that sand dollars were real until I showed a video of an alive one moving) but I would say 95% of the materials my students use are still pictures.
So I wonder how I would incorporate more film into a class. There are obviously lots and lots of video clips on everything one could ever want on the net. Even in the realm of instruction videos (I do have a great lab safety video a few students made way back in the 80s). But what about things like textbooks. I was watching Tv yesterday and saw an ad for a little kid reader that was interactive. You followed the text with the pen and it would help you read it or show you pictures. It had definitions for the harder words. What if we could incorporate this into a high school level?
I remember spending hours with a text from college trying to read chapters. I would have the computer on, my notes everywhere and a dictionary open. If that text were like this interactive one I could have the definition of an unknown word and maybe a little video to go with it right at the same time.
Just some thoughts this week.
- Carolyn
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tv and Teaching
While I am normally a high school teacher this year I have been subbing for a wide range of ages. And just by chance mostly for the lower grades (I guess little kids spread more germs to their teachers than teenagers) which is new territory for me. What I have found is that as a kindergarten teacher you almost have to have ADD yourself. Kids at that age have trouble staying on one topic for more than 8 minutes so your day seems to be very frantic - while staying organized.
This is a large change from decades past. I am not that old :) but remember sitting for longer periods of time on single tasks. Then I was reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder House on the Prairie books to my cousin and her accounts of school where they would have to sit still for hours. It seems as our society has gotten a faster pace so has our approach to schooling.
This seemed to be the same with television. Tv programs now, especially for children, are very frantic. I sat down to watch one this morning and there was lots of quick things going on. Almost as if the show where to slow down they would lose the audience. Then if you watch older movies, or tv shows, the pace is a lot slower.
To me I believe that tv/film has sped up to keep the relatively short attention span of children now a days. Teaching seems to have followed suit. I believe we, as teachers, should slow things back down. Have students, even the little ones, take time to process and enjoy an experience before jumping to the next.
- Carolyn
This is a large change from decades past. I am not that old :) but remember sitting for longer periods of time on single tasks. Then I was reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder House on the Prairie books to my cousin and her accounts of school where they would have to sit still for hours. It seems as our society has gotten a faster pace so has our approach to schooling.
This seemed to be the same with television. Tv programs now, especially for children, are very frantic. I sat down to watch one this morning and there was lots of quick things going on. Almost as if the show where to slow down they would lose the audience. Then if you watch older movies, or tv shows, the pace is a lot slower.
To me I believe that tv/film has sped up to keep the relatively short attention span of children now a days. Teaching seems to have followed suit. I believe we, as teachers, should slow things back down. Have students, even the little ones, take time to process and enjoy an experience before jumping to the next.
- Carolyn
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