Students and Learning

I spent my first three years as a teacher in Title One schools, and I am currently teaching in the suburbs of Boone County. My suburban students come to school rested and fed (usually). They come to school with social skills that allow them to interact differently in an academic setting. My urban students came to school (not always, but often) hungry and tired. They were often responsible for earning income or caring for siblings outside of school. Do these factors diminish their capacity to learn. Absolutely not! Do these factors affect the way that I teach. Absolutely! My students at my current school differ from my previous students in socioeconomic status, but each each and every student that I have taught has the capacity to learn. Their capacity to learn is endless, however, through time students (and teachers) become discouraged and sidetracked by outside factors that affect students' learning.
The teacher's primary responsibility is to equip students to learn. We must adapt to the individual interests and skills of our students. In my experience, I have also had to adapt to the culture and social practices of my students. For example, my current students are often quiet when given group work. My previous students were expressive and chatty during group work. In each case, I have to carefully observe whether learning is taking place. My role is to take my students from where they are and push to take themselves to where they need to be. While I adjust my activities to meet the needs of my students, it is not necessary to water down material or lower my expectations.
Aside from socioeconomic status, special needs also become a factor that I consider in planning my instruction. At one point, I had 25% of a class with special needs-ADD, dyslexia, EBD, etc. I expected these students to meet the same objectives as my other students, but I was aware that I needed to adjust my activities to suit their needs. I found that my other students also benefited from summaries, repetition, modified writing/reading activities, and individual attention. Again, each of these students has the capacity to learn, but as an educator I have to make sure that I am presenting material and allowing them to process material in a way that allows them to feel capable and successful in meeting objectives.

Curriculum

Curriculum in my classroom provides a structure for inquiry as we seek answers to questions and gain the skills that are necessary to navigate through daily life. Before I even consider the textbook curriculum provided by my district, I first consider the skills necessary for my students to function in a multicultural society. I know that my students will need to listen for understanding, speak to be understood, and interpret both written information from a variety of sources. Woven throughout all of this, I consider that my students need to become culturally literate. They need to gain an understanding and sense of respect for the similarities and differences between cultures. As I consider the skills necessary for this I create a curriculum map for each year. This is the big picture of what I want my students to learn through the year. When I begin to create my units, I then look at the textbook curriculum and outside resources (newspapers, internet, etc.) to create individual lessons and activities.

I have a great deal of freedom in the way that design and use curriculum in my classroom. This is due in large part to the fact that I am NOT in a tested area. It is also due to the fact that most administrators don't have experience with World Languages and don't want to step out of their area of expertise. My department shares a textbook and final assessments. We also share some formative assessments. This allows each of us to emphasize what is of interest to our students. It also allows us to move at the pace that fits our individual classes. In my opinion, this helps to create a student-centered environment because I am able to move with the ebb and flow of my students' interests and abilities. It also allows me to stress the topics that I am excited about--which means that my excitement will be transferred to my students.

I really enjoy the curriculum provided by my district. It is divided into themes appropriate for the different levels of learning. For example level one is focused on the individual: family, school, interests, food--all things that are important the the individual student's daily life. As they continue in learning, the themes become more abstract as the students have more skills and vocabulary to communicate on that level. Utilizing "backward design" and "essential questions" has greatly improved my instruction. It provides my students with an end goal. Last year, my students learned how to describe clothing with the question, "How does the typical American teenager dress?" They had a culminating task of choosing an outfit for a common occasion (a date, school, sports, a formal event) and describing it in Spanish. They would wear that outfit to school for a fashion show showcasing American fashions for a Guatemalan teenager preparing to visit. In preparing for their end task, my students discovered how the typical Guatemalan dresses for specific events. They learned the terms for fabrics, prints, and clothing items. What could have been a list of words to memorize became an exciting event with lights, cameras, and action. They loved it!

As I read, I was struck by a variety of images used to describe curriculum: "a verb, an activity, an inward journey," "running the race course, " and "unlearning." While I am lucky to have a nice curriculum to use as a resource, I find that being a better teacher doesn't mean that I use a text book more or less--I just use it better. I don't assume that the textbook knows my students better than I do, but I make use of the variety of excellent materials and activities created by professionals. I think that the inward journey is about me discovering that it is all about my students and what will allow them to acquire and construct knowledge through tasks in my classroom.

The Relevant Curriculum: allowing students to take ownership of their learning

The natural curiosity of children is undeniable. While my high school students might not ask the same "why?" questions as a small child, they maintain the desire to understand the world around them. We, as educators, do our students a disservice when we quell their curiosity by forcing them to sit through a disjointed, independent, and passive classes each day. We need to consider curriculum because it provides the framework for our daily instruction and interactions with our students.

A recurring theme in our current study is that we cannot teach our students from lists of required topics. Wiggins makes his point excruciatingly clear: it is impossible to teach our students every thing that they must know before they leave school. Rather than teaching through a list of topics, we need to allow our students to become owners of their own learning. They must be allowed to actively engage in learning by asking questions, discussing answers/solutions, and reconsidering the results.

Allowing students to form an "essential question" is a strategy that lends itself easily to the foreign language classroom at each level. In the introductory phases, students need to know how to talk about themselves, how to ask about others, etc. As they learn more, they want to know: How would I act in a restaurant? How would I ask for help? How would I help someone who is sick? In more advanced levels, students can ask questions about cultural understanding, literature, and the connections between the histories of Spanish-speaking countries and their own. The important factor in using an essential question is that it must be student driven. These must be questions that students genuinely have an interest in answering.

We do need to reconsider curriculum. In the past, my students have always enjoyed learning about the "exploration" of the Americas. I have observed that my students enjoy the discussion because they have previous knowledge of the explorers from World Civ. or US history. They enjoy the twist in perspective as we discuss the "conquistadores" from the viewpoint of the Mayan or Incan Indians because they are simply adding to previous learning. As I evaluate my teaching, I am determined to find other areas of connection with my students' other content areas so that my students discover the relevance of my curriculum as they look at the complex world around them from a new perspective.

First Post

Hola!
My name is Katie Whitton. I am a Spanish teacher in Boone County. This is currently my fourth year teaching Spanish at the high school level. My first three years were spent teaching in urban schools with students from a diverse socioeconomic background. It was challenging and rewarding every day. This year, I am teaching at Cooper High School where I am working with an entirely different kind of student. They have been energetic and upbeat and have helped make this transition a positive experience for me. My husband and I celebrated our very first anniversary on Monday. We are excited to be in this area near family, especially our neices and nephews! I am looking forward to gaining new ideas and insights about designing curriculum for my classroom. It has been fun to try out some new technology this week. I am hoping to bring some of these ideas into my classroom this year.