Teaching Experience & Reflections

Lesson Plan

Introductions

Brief intro to Media Literacy

What is it?

Reading and writing “being literate”

Media literate is being able to consume and create media

We want to recognize what is being said in media

Has anyone ever said anything untrue about you?

Abby and movies set in the south

Chris’ dad and military movies

Chris and Japanese oriented media

(Possibly share our projects now)

Activity

Intro

All media reflects the creator’s opinion

That is not a bad thing, we just need to be aware of what messages we send

Be cautious about what you say in your creations

You will a journal entry about a person who you care about from the perspective of an enemy.

“Enemy” can be real or fictitious

Reflection time!  

Reflections

                  I guess I didn't know what to expect when we entered that public high school, as we summoned the courage to teach a class of 35 students. I wasn't nervous until the silence. During our observation I noted that, when given the opportunity, the students would readily volunteer answers to the teacher's questions. Yet, in our class this was not the case. It was difficult getting them to speak up. We talked afterwards about why this might be so. First thing that came to mind was that we were intruders on their normal schedule. I think that real learning is going to take place when the students are comfortable in the setting and with the teacher. That being said, there must have been something we could have done better to get responses from them. That is when we realized that we could have eased them in more before asking the personal questions. Notice that at the top of our lesson plan is the question "Has anyone ever said anything untrue about you?" In essence we were asking them to tell the class any rumors they had heard about themselves. Not exactly an easy thing to share in front of your peers. 

                  In our planning we talked about having quite a bit of discussion instead of lecturing. In our experience that had been a much more beneficial learning environment for us both, but we were both in our college mindsets, not a public high school one. In class this semester I have loved sitting down and talking about the issues and learning strategies with my fellow classmates, but I didn't think that perhaps the high schoolers were not used to that form of teaching yet. On the other hand, when the students finally did warm up, they had some pretty awesome insights to share.

                 I learned a lot about our topic from some of the responses from our activity. The response we wanted from them was that after writing a journal entry about someone they love from the point of view of an enemy they would see how our feelings are reflected in our own creations. We expected it to be hard for them to write negative things about their loved ones. For the majority of them this was the case, but one girl said that she ended up feeling sympathy for the villain as she wrote. I found this very interesting and hadn't thought about it. I participated in the activity as well, following the ideas expressed in my teaching philosophy, I feel the teacher and student need to be equally invested in the learning experience. Here's what I wrote:

         Dear Journal,

I saw Mark Workman strutting down main street today. He was his usual happy–go-lucky self. He always has his shirt tucked in and his hair perfectly parted. It disgusts me, really. Appearance is one thing, but actions are quite another. You would think a person with that class would try to step outside the norm, but can you believe what I saw when he entered the Wal of Mart? He stopped to help an old lady enter the building… I mean, can you get any more cliché!? I bet he graduated top of his high class in high shool! Ugh.

Olo for today,

             Mega Mind

                  It is Mega Mind writing about his archenemy, my father. I read this to the class and then asked if anyone else wanted to share. Only one brave soul did. After class I realized that I could have waited to share mine after someone else had read. We weren't looking for a specific answer, but when I read mine first I think they all felt that they somehow missed the intended purpose. It really could have been anything though. The one student who did share did a wonderful job. I really enjoyed hearing his entry. 

                  It wasn't a perfect teaching/learning experience, but I enjoyed it and gained a lot from it. I walked away realizing the public school, private schools, college, and home schools all offer their own benefits and challenges and that teaching in those different environments requires different preparation. I also feel more strongly than ever that what I wrote in my teaching philosophy is true. If I want them to have a learning experience, I need to be seeking one as well.