EDSS 531 Journal 1 - January 28, 2012

Prompt: Reflecting on your CPI teaching, respond to the following questions: What is it like to be a student in my class? What is it like for a student to move through classes in a day at our school? (Use your CPI school as reference)

Response:   To be a student in my class, you must be able to think critically and take responsibility for your own learning. I allow the class to spend a good amount of time on the warm-up activity, which involves review math problems, as well as some puzzle-like problems that require you to think outside the box. I like to have the beginning of class time spent on individual thinking, because too many kids “shuffle” through class these days, nodding their heads. When my students are given quiet time to think, many of them will. Students are responsible for their learning in my class in a few different ways. They have the responsibility to contact me or another classmate for notes and homework on days in which they miss class. They have the responsibility to ask for help, either in class, or if the student is of more quiet nature, online via email. In addition, they have the responsibility to treat everyone with respect.

    When a student moves through their classes in a day at our school, there is no overlap with the content of their classes. Part of this is because many classes have different grade levels within any one class. This may be a reason why there hasn’t been an implementation of any interdisciplinary or integrated thematic units at San Marcos High School. In essence, there is the sense that students are “shuffling” through their day. I think this shuffle effect would be lessened if the school adopted a full block schedule. The school is currently under a partial block schedule, where Monday, Tuesday, and Friday are on regular schedule, Wednesday is an odd block (periods 1,3,5), and Thursday is an even block (periods 2,4,6). Going to a full block schedule would allow teachers more time on their prep periods to collaborate and create some interdisciplinary units. I also think that two hour classes help with student learning. There were many times during my clinical practice I wished I had more time with some of my lessons.