Mischief Managed

So our group is finally done planning!  that being said, the frightning part has yet to come.  Tomorrow we will finally get to present our group teach and there is a lot to think about.  What if something goes wrong?  I know it's a learning experience but it would be awful to work so hard on something and see it fall apart (which I know will be the case with lessons in our own classroom).  Through the planning period there was a lot to learn and a lot to be said.  First of all, timing was the hardest part of it all.  We all had different schedules so communication was crucial.  In the end, it worked out and everything got done in time.  Personally, I don't think I could have had a better group..not to get sappy.  Everyone was so open-minded and great to be around that we had a positive atmosphere at all times.  On the other hand, we did get off topic at some points but what group doesn't?  If we did something on the internet...by habit we would end up on someone's facebook looking at something....but we ended up getting back on track. It was really nice to see everything come together at the end.  The packet ended up being nicely done and Nicole assembled it perfectly.  I am really glad we got this over before Thanksgiving because those few days we can relax.  I hope everyone can tell the effort that was put in to it and that they learn something from our lesson because we definitely learned a lot by doing it.  I think the best thing about the whole experience was actually doing the things that teachers do.  I was in charge of making the rubric and that was really hard to do.  I thought it was going to be easy but it was actually pretty difficult.  I had to grade things that were tangible and concrete.  I couldn't grade on things like effort or creativity very much because you cannot really measure that when it comes down to it.  That being said, any student could argue a grade on something that is abstract but if it is something that is definite...then it is easier for you as a teacher to justify why you graded the student as you did.  The worst part about the packet was trying to create the time duration of each activity.  We had to cut some time and think of the best and worst case scenarios in order for us to get the timing just right.  I am sure the timing is not going to be perfect but hopefully it is somewhat similar.  I also liked getting to know what kind of teachers my peers are going to be.  I don't meant oto pinpoint people but this is what I assume.  Nicole is going to be the organized, clever, and abstract teacher.  Arlen is going to be the scholarly, masters his lesson well kind of teacher, Bethany is going to be the down to earth and creative teacher, and Heather is going to be the motherly caring and a very intellectual teacher.  These are all amazing different types of teachers and it was great to see how different everyone was when it came to the lesson and how similar we all were.  Based on the peers in my group, I can tell the future of education is going to be in good hands.  I think it is also interesting that we are the "dumbest" generation but it was in fact technology that really saved us.  Between emails, texts, facebook posts, and etc. we would never have been able to meet up or express ideas.  These tools definitely helped us and kept everyone in the loop.  Overall, I think our lesson will be effective and I think it is something that will truly engage the other groups and keep them interested.  Hopefully all goes well tomorrow and that we can leave being satisfied with what we produced.

9th Blog...Group Teach!?

As I have said in many classes before, I believe that group dynamics either make or break a group's progress when it comes to getting work done and doing things effectively.  Luckily, I have an amazing group with different personalities but one goal...To make an effective group teach.  At first I was a little apprehensive.  Not because I didn't like the group members, I think they are all fantastic, but because we all have strong personalities, we all like to talk, and because we all like to be leaders in groups.  However, it was nice that it worked out this way because it gave us a chance to play different but various roles in our group.  It is really hard being the first group to go because everything was thrown at us so fast.  Among the packet and the lessons and the actual presentation, it feels like a complete whirlwind.  I am happy, however, with how much progress our group has made over the short period we got to work together so far.  The first time we met up was in the Reading Room in Horton Hall.  It was a peaceful place with a lot of inspirational books.  There we brought food and started to let things unfold as we talked away. We went through countless ideas and still our lesson isn't set in stone.  In Horton Hall we decided we wanted to do multiculturalism and identity but take it in a new direction.  We wanted to do something completely different so we decided to focus on self-identity through perspectives.  It is important for high schoolers to learn about self identity and perspectives because it is during those adolescent years when people try to figure out who they are and when it is important to accept all different kinds of people.  We also wantd to choose only one classic literature piece while focusing on new and modern textst that come from different sources.  We are doing an online story, a children's book, a graphic novel, and a piece of literature.  That way, we cover a wide range of different material and hopefully appeal to everyone in some way. 
     One way that I think our group is succeeding is that we all seem to agree on things we need to keep and things we need to get rid of.  For example, I wanted to do a book that was told in the perspective of someone who had autism.  Although this book is really effective and a really good read, we decided it would be best to ditch the idea because not everyone knew the story.  I was completely fine with it because I know that it is for the best.  Another way our group is working effectively is that everyone is doing their part and showing up to group meetings.  Poor Arlen commutes a long way and still makes it to our meetings on time without a grumble or any objection.  Nicole, who babysits all the live long day, always makes it as well.  To sum it up, we all have lives and other priorities but we put our lives on hold so that we can get the group teach done and effectively.  We also distributed the work fairly and proportionally.  We all have individual lessons to plan and we all have a portion of the syllabus to write.
      Just like every group, we did have so blockades when it comes to the actual planning.  Some things worked out while other things did not.  I am not going to talk about all the things that went well and that we are using because you will all see them next Wednesday.  Some blockades we had were the transitions between lessons, activating strategies, and just time management.  I believe we wrinkled out the problems but we still have a lot of work to do.  Yet, I am thankful that we haven't hit too many problems during the completion of the group teach.
      Overall, our group experience has been effective and one that I don't mind doing.  We all get along well and our lessons seem to be coming together slowly but surely.  We always make a point to meet up when we can, even if it's after our class on Wednesday.  We are using technology, group work, stations, and a lot of other tools that this class has taught us through the weeks.  It is bittersweet that the group teach is coming to an end but it's something that hopefully we can reflect on and learn from it whether it ends up good or bad.