QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 10

Chapter ten, the final chapter, talks about learning experiences within the community and beyond your classroom. After the year they spend with you, students will move on to the next thing, and what they want more than anything is a little nudge in the right directions. This chapter mentioned using classroom activities to place the students in the 'real world;' the writers described a mock trial at city council, cleaning up the neighbourhood, and internships.

I think it's important to incorporate these experiences into a student's life during the class, because I know my plans for the next year changed constantly, and my future would have gone in a completely different direction if I hadn't had someone looking out for me; I was asked by one of my favourite teachers, point-blank, if I had ever considered teaching. Allowing students the opportunity during class to explore possibilities for the future is always a good idea.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 9

Chapter nine reflected on some of the most important themes of the entire book; fear, humanity, and attitude of the teacher towards the students. All of these are pretty thoroughly summed up in this chapter, and for good reason; these are ever-evolving issues within a teachers' life. I find it interesting that these are all together; it seems as though they would all affect each other.

'We're just gunna crush your hope and pride. Teachers need to get a harder shell. After that, students won't see that you're scared.' -Mika (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 168).

Mika's statement sums up the entire chapter quite nicely. Obviously, showing fear is a weakness for new teachers especially, and that kind of attitude, that the students will be ready and more than willing to call you out on your fear, should be motivating factors for new teachers to want to do well. Something I think would be a natural reaction to exactly this happening would be to admit that you're scared, and you're new, so the students see with their own eyes that you're trying. I could be wrong, but that's what I'm getting from the chapter, that students want you down on their level and off the pedestal.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 8

Chapter eight centred around the trials and tribulations of the English-as-second-language learners, and how to differentiate classroom activities so these students aren't completely lost or bored. I think ESL students are often forgotten or overlooked, much as the students describe in this section of the book. However, because they themselves have either seen this happen or have had it happen to them, I think their suggestions should be valued more.

I could especially relate to the suggestion of having an English-speaking buddy paired with an ESL student to increase student-to-student interaction and acclimate to the school and population, because one of my closest friends from senior year of high school was an exchange student from German-speaking Switzerland. She was in one of my classes and on the tennis team with me, and we wound up being doubles partners. It was an excellent way to introduce her to how the school was, and it was really cool to learn about her school and friends and how they were different from American experiences. I think this would help other students, because at one point or another, everyone is the 'new kid', and they sympathize with that.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 7

Chapter seven discusses the importance of allowing constant revisions, feedback, and using different ways to approach the subject you wish to convey to the students. One of the sections I really kind had to jump back at was when the student writers suggested that the teacher tell the students that they are learning alongside the students, and they have some areas they don't know as well as others. Any other time in the past I would have automatically assumed that that would be like committing professional suicide, because if the students were to get wind that you really didn't know the area as well as you could, they would jump on that and use that as a crutch. I found it interesting that it would be more likely that the students would feel more comfortable with a teacher who learns with their students, because then it's like they aren't pressured to know everything right away because the teacher doesn't.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 6

Chapter six of 'Fires in the Bathroom' encompasses three central ideas; passion for teaching and the subject on the part of the teacher, making learning conducive to students' interests, and allowing them the freedoms to make the subject their own. Something I really liked, and may even eventually use in a classroom of my own, is giving choices about what to read and write. (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 116.) The actual entry describes how an assignment from a program outside of school asked the students to make a movie poster about a book they picked. I think this idea can be applied to all subjects, not just English; for Social Studies, if students could do a project on anything they wanted to learn about, I think the motivation would definitely increase and grab their attention. It's almost like they would be able to see the same kind of passion that the teacher would (hopefully) feel for their overall subject.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 5

Chapter five discussed the importance of individual roles within the group as a whole. It stresses the idea of smaller group activities and assigning roles that each individual student can thrive in. One of the things I noticed, and can really relate to, was the section on the elements of the smaller groups.

I was the student in school that usually wound up being the recorder because of my shy and quiet demeanor. Sure, my organizational skills were okay, but I was good at articulating what I wanted to say most of the time. If it hadn't been for my shyness, I could have been the member of the group that reported out. Because the roles of the groups weren't ever mixed up and we weren't encouraged to try something new and a little uncomfortable to us, certain skills were left undeveloped. I think this idea, even though it technically isn't touched upon in this section, is still important, especially if the students get 'locked into' roles within their groups.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 4

Chapter four in 'Fires in the Bathroom' was more about the overall 'feel' of the classroom, and how to create a comfortable, fun learning environment for all students, and not just the A-level students. I found it incredibly interesting that a couple of the underlying themes, namely recognition, expectations, and praise, sometimes contradict each other without necessarily meaning to.

The area regarding recognition discussed the pros and cons, given by the students, of recognizing and calling on students. In some cases, it is helpful because all students at some point or another would like or would benefit from being called on, but in other cases, it dissuades them from taking an initiative in their education if they have the wrong answer or get it right too many times. The section praise had pretty much the same criteria; it's not 'cool' if a student receives a lot of praise for their studies, but on the other hand some students would benefit from positive feedback. I personally think that positive feedback, as long as it is personal and not in front of an audience if it is in regards to a specific person, is crucial for encouragement. The same goes for praise for the class as a whole.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 3

The third chapter in 'Fires in the Bathroom' discussed the importance of classroom management as a whole, and things to remember to incorporate as well as things to avoid. One of the sections that jumped out at me in particular was the section on common mistakes that new teachers make.

'Remember to give students physical breaks from sitting and working.' (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 55.)

This particular tip was interesting to me because the students that commented on it had opposing views. I think all of these suggestions need to be taken into consideration when managing a classroom, but also need to be formatted so they are unique to each class. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that separate rules are made for each set of students, because that is one of the other suggestions, treating students equally, consistently, with taking their individuality into consideration when appropriate. (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 61.)

My Contributions to the Webquest Wikis

I contributed to the webquest wiki page by moving three webquest links to the appropriate pages. Listed underneath the link to the actual webquest is the link to the page that the webquest was moved, and the description I provided.

Planning a Garden Webquest
(Design page)
This webquest takes information the students have already covered (in this case, the study of plants) to design a functioning garden for the school. They need to submit different sections as proposals, and need to take into consideration design, function, cost, and care after school and during summers. Very interesting.

Civil War Webquest: A Nation Divided
(Creative product page)
This webquest allows the student to explore events of the American Civil War through extensive letter writing. It allows students to assume the role of someone whose friends are on the opposing side of the nation during the war, and through letters the students demonstrate their knowledge of particular events and mindsets.

Bobo's Space Adventure webquest
(Scientific page)
This webquest allows students to collect scientific date and make inferences based on the information they have collected.

How To Help Someone Use a Computer

I could relate a lot to one of the things you have to keep reminding yourself, 'You've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner', largely due to my father's issues with computers and technology in general. It's difficult to try and follow his line of reasoning because our generation has grown up with the advances in technology, so we take it for granted a little bit. An important rule that stuck out to me was, 'Don't take the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's slower that way, and even if you ave to point them to every key they need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the interaction,' because that's how my father and brothers are with computers. They type so slowly, and sometimes it's frustrating because you know that with practice or a want to learn how to use the computer they could be so much faster and not need the constant hovering.

We as teachers can use this information to apply it to our own subjects; just because a student is having difficulties in your subject doesn't mean you have to hover or get frustrated just because they aren't going about doing things slower than someone with pre-exposure to the subject.

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html

Copyright and Fair Use LR

As far as the quiz was concerned, I failed. Miserably. Six out of twenty is not anything to be proud of. However, it's definitely apparent how much we as future teachers don't know about copyright laws. This is something I think we should be made more aware of, and find ways to still be able to benefit from the material being used in an educational manner without breaking copyright laws.

One of the situations that shocked me was the PTA-Disney scenario. Not only was the situation receiving no money, but it was being done as a program for a favor to faculty. I'm sure commercial daycares don't follow this law, and technically speaking, wouldn't that fall under 'public viewing'? What also shocked me about this scenario is the willingness from Disney's end of it to sell the rights for a one-time fee of twenty-five dollars. For twenty-five dollars, you can show whatever Disney production you want. I'm not sure if that covers the entirety of the school, but that's soooo worth looking into. I'm an RA on campus, and I've already noted the phone number so I can call for our building. Educational tools (and believe me, Disney can 'count' for pretty much anything if you use bits and pieces) don't really come that much cheaper for that many films.

Copyright and Fair Use SR

The first thing that came to my mind was, I'm LOOKING for copyright abuse, I didn't go into the quiz without prior knowledge from the article about copyright and fair use issues. Some of the items surprised me in that the situation seemed suspicious and/or a tiny bit malicious, and it turned out to be an okay situation rather than a bad situation.

One of the ones, I was surprised because not only was the situation a bad one, but it's easily rectified by calling the company and paying for the rights. I would assume that at the rate the rights could be purchased, it would not put that much of a strain on educational funds. Another one seemed malicious because of the precise wording of the scenario; to deliberately edit a piece of material seemed like it would fall under the bad situation category. One of the very first ones seemed suspicious solely because of the software mentioned. It turned out to be okay due to the fact that the machine hadn't been listed under foul play in previous instances. Another one, because it stated that permission was given from the right sources, was fine to display in public forums. In one of the situations, it was really difficult to get what was happening because of the technical terms in the text. Some of the 'simultaneous use' issues were very confusing.

Type I and II Technology

Type I Technology: The use of up-to-date technology in classrooms to complete the 'tried-and-true' activities with more efficiency.
-Online fill-in-the-blank worksheets.
-In fourth grade, we did these activities with our computer specialist, Ms. Asselin, using the home row' keys. The middle set of keys on the keyboard were the 'home base' and all we did was type the letter we were working with that day to form the same letter on the entire page. Example: if the day was letter 'w' day, we would use the 'w' key until we formed a giant 'w' on the page.
-Flashcards with multiple choice answers.

Type II Technology: Using new technology to improve on classroom activities to make it interesting and new for different types of learners.
-My friend Sarah had this game at home, called 'Math Rocks!' In the game, you had to create a band name and a character for yourself, and the characters and their bands would tour the country spreading the word that math did, indeed, rock. Along the way, in order to play at a gig, you had to solve different math problems, ranging from how much a band member could spend on a new guitar with their budget allowance to how much gas it would take if the tour bus traveled at so many miles per hour.
-'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago': you wouldn't think so, but this game improved on several different skill sets; reading, logic, problem-solving, and geography.
-Use of the Internet for research purposes.

Article: "Type II Applications of Technology in Education: New and Better Ways of Teaching and Learning," by Cleborne D. Maddux and D. LaMont Johnson. c. 2005, The Haworth Press, Inc.
Available Online: http://www.haworthpress.com/web/CITS

My MEL Experiences

Student-Teacher Relationships: In preschool, my teacher, Mrs. Glidden, helped us make wagons for the annual Teddy Bear Picnic. Each wagon was supposed to reflect the personality of the individual teddy bear. My birthday had just passed, and I had a brand-new teddy bear that I couldn't wait to bring along. The issue was, the bear was taller than I was, and I was the shortest in the class! By asking me basic questions about Mr. Roy (named so because I couldn't say corduroy), such as what his favourite colour was and if he liked peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I learned to trust her enough to let her help me make a cardboard wagon big enough to fit Mr. Roy.

Autonomy: Junior year of high school, my World History II teacher, Mr. Caulfield, set up an original strategy game revolving around World War II. He split the entire class up into the countries that played a key role in beginning the war; Italy, Britain, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Spain, and Russia. Though we could stray away from the historically accurate moves, each play had a different outcome card that he created, depending on which choice we made. To actually play the role of ambassador rather than watch a film and read about the beginning of the war in a book was far more interesting, and even moreso when we were able to make choices that effected the entire outcome of the game.

Learning Styles: Mr. Blackstone, my fourth and fifth grade teacher, disregarded the possibility of different learning styles within the first month of school. He told us that the only way to learn the multiplication tables were to make flashcards, and to practice them as much as possible. Because I have a dislike for mathematics because the entire subject is difficult for me to comprehend, I didn't memorize them like everyone else did. When I got to sixth grade, Ms. Banton made a game of it: Around the World. Because it was a competitive game, rather than flashcards, I was motivated to do well.

Helping Students Succeed: Again, in Mr. Blackstone's class, I was perusing research topics for our East Asia unit. I saw three that interested me, so I wrote all of them down and brought them to him. On the paper were 'Japanese art,' 'martial arts', and 'weapons,' the latter because I was interested in all martial arts and affiliated subjects. He circled the first one and told me that it would be the best one for me because, 'Girls don't do karate and besides, you know nothing about weapons anyway.'

Context: My high school French teacher, Monsieur Paradis, believed that the only way for us to really learn French was to use it in an everyday setting. If we asked a question, we asked it in French. The most popular was, 'Est-que je peux allez au toilette?' One block period, he herded us onto a bus and instructed the driver to go to inner Portland, where we stopped at a French cafe. We were only to speak French to each other and the waiter. Everyday experiences for mundane things like requesting to use the bathroom or ordering food were his ways of encouraging us to learn at least conversational French.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' - Chapter 2

The second chapter for 'Fires in the Bathroom,' by Kathleen Cushman, built on the surprise I felt while reading the first chapter, where a precise balance was the key to being a good teacher. This is incredibly important when establishing a lasting reputation with a school and the students in that first class will be the deciding jury.

The idea of maintaining a balance comes through with the expectation (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Pages 17-19) from the students that the teacher will be successful if they manage to exude the authority necessary for order, but still show an interest in both their respective subjects and the students learning the subjects. Authority and effectiveness are two elements within the overall umbrella idea of balance; on page 21, Lauraliz describes the difference between two of her teachers. The one she liked the most was not necessarily the one whose teaching was most effective. The general consensus, shared by myself as well, by the end of the chapter is that both are important characteristics to maintain and develop.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' - Chapter 1

The first chapter of 'Fires in the Bathroom' was quite a surprise to me, not only because of the formatting of the book, but the overwhelming need for a precise balance in teacher-student interaction.

'We want a balance. Every student wants to feel special and smart and talented, but at
the same time we want to blend in.' -Vance (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 1)

I thought it was interesting, because even though in this instance it refers to teacher-student interaction and praise, it also applies to everything a teacher does or shares with the students; that is, even though you want to get to know the student, they want to know about you in return.

This concept of balance is important, I think, especially when meeting a class for the first time, because it seems like there's an unspoken understanding that just the right amount of information should be mutually shared in order to keep functioning at the ideal level. If someone shares too much, then they're vulnerable to being singled out, and that is the singlemost important thing to avoid in a classroom setting, especially for a student. I personally was a staunch supporter of this theory in school, especially elementary school- for a teacher to know more about you was to invite conversations revolving around the subject, one that you didn't necessarily want the entire world to know about.

Learning Style Inventory Results

Style Scores:

Visual: 7
Social: 15
Physical: 11
Aural: 13
Verbal: 15
Solitary: 7
Logical: 6

For me, the above results reflected exactly how the in-class activities with Dr. Grace described me as; socially oriented, with small emphasis on logical and verbal activities. However, the website, learning-styles-online.com, gave somewhat generalized overviews of each learning style, and provided phrases that people with similar styles would use. I personally use many of the listed phrases from not only the social, logical, and verbal areas, but the others as well. I think that while the phrases the website provided as examples for each learning style were legitimately ones that would be used in everyday conversation by someone who may or may not have a predisposition for that particular learning style, it is unrealistic to believe that someone without that disposition would not favor those parallel to their style versus those belonging to one that they were not predisposed to.