Greco Roman Only Knowledge

Greco Roman Only Knowledge

I came across an article about the fight in Arizona between the Department of Education and Raza Studies in Tucson. Even though the state is against Raza Studies, teachers keep on teaching and student keep on signing up for the courses.
This gets me thinking about academic freedom. When I first came to Southwestern College I was still in the K-12 mindset that having a common goal also meant having a common curriculum. However, my former principals were rather trusting of our judgment, created curriculum leadership teams, and encouraged us to go beyond textbook-centered, prescription lessons. Here I have grown even more in my understanding of academic freedom, so it is sad to see the Department of Education restrict what students can be taught in the entire state of Arizona.

When it comes to teaching, each and every time we walk into our classrooms, we must be aware of the social responsibility we have to our students and community. Arizona is doing a great disservice to its entire population by restricting the point of view teachers can use when teaching history. The same could potentially happen at any school, which is why it is important to create lesson that will engage students in some very practical ways and also reach into the core of who they are.
At least we don't have these sort of restrictions at the community college level in California, but when it comes to curriculum there are a few questions to consider when putting together our lessons. We all have our own style of teaching and, I believe, the overwhelming majority of us work hard to challenge our students in regard to the amount of meaningful work students can produce, what types of thinking students need to do to complete that work, and how well students understand the real-world connections between their classwork and issues we face on a daily basis. When considering a text or a lesson, you might want to ask yourself some of the following questions:
1. Is this essential for building knowledge in this field of study?
2. How do I relate the importance of our studies to the real world?
3. When is it important to take student interests into account, potentially recreating a lesson for a day? A week?? An entire semester?
4. Who does the information from this lesson ultimately empower?

One might not readily see the connection between Arizona's fight over Raza Studies and the everyday realities of our community college classrooms, but it is there in two important ways.
First, we need to teach students things that they might not have previously learned. This includes exposing students to additional perspectives and potential realities that directly affect them and their families. Raza Studies does just that and the state of Arizona wants it stopped. We do the same thing here when we introduce alternate views on history, sociology, health,and literature.
Second, we need to introduce contemporary issues that will directly affect the future. By exposing students to real-world problems, students can begin to understand the interconnectedness of our global civilization. As Hispanics, mostly those of Mexican decent, become the majority in some southwestern states, it is interesting to see official legislation being introduced that limits Arizona's students from learning real facts about itself and its population. Obviously, this is not the WASP point of view, but the same could happen in biology, chemistry, accounting, or political science. We don't want administrators telling us that we cannot teach an idea or theme because someone who isn't even a teacher feels uncomfortable.
As teachers, we need to be informed about what is happening in Arizona because the potential for close-mindedness can easily make its way into California. Even if you agree with restricting Raza Studies, you probably wouldn't agree with some politician restricting what you can teach in your classroom. We are all professionals and we all deserve support from our colleagues, especially when it pertains to exercising academic freedom to teach facts. The students in our classrooms are our responsibility, and we need to take that responsibility very seriously.

Credit Recovery and BSI

Above is a link to an article I just came across in the Pittsburgh Gazette about credit recovery programs for high school students. Credit recovery is a way for students to make-up credits so they can graduate from high school in a timely manner. Something we might consider is whether or not these programs teach students what they need to be successful at the college level, and then look for a way to articulate our ideas to the Sweetwater Union High School District. Here at Southwestern College we often come across students who participated in credit recovery through one of SUHSD's Learning Centers, so a number of us might wonder if they are as well prepared as students who have only taken traditional classes.
This is not meant to take sides on the issue, it is only meant to make an inquiry. I wonder if there is any data to show how many of our basic skills students have been in some sort of credit recovery program. It would also be interesting to see firsthand how these programs work. In some instances, they might be set up more like a college course that meets for only a few hours a week, where students can get direct help from instructors, and students complete assignments that fulfill the state standards and show a necessary level of proficiency. Clearly, these type of programs should work, even with the "non-traditional" students.
On the other hand, I have heard stories from students about programs that were much less rigorous. Some of this can be attributed to teenage apathy, but it would be interesting to understand how much guided hands-on work is actually done in some of our feeder programs. It would also be interesting to see if, after one semester in college, students felt that the CR program they were in prepared them well for college level work.
From the perspective of a writing instructor, I would surely like to know how much and what type of writing happens in these classes. Most teachers would probably agree that grammar is important, but it needs to be put into practice. Simply filling in multiple choice answers does not give a complete picture about how well students can use grammar. Vocabulary is another important component of most classes. It is one thing to have students fill in the blanks or choose an answer on a multiple choice test, it is something else to check for understanding by having them write a paragraph using correct grammar and the appropriate vocabulary.
It might be useful for instructors to take a look at some of their struggling students and find out which ones were in a credit recovery program. We might actually gain a better understanding of what is working and what is not. More importantly, we might figure out some relevant trends so we can better educate those students. We might also find that credit recovery has nothing to do with student achievement, but we would also be remiss if we didn't take a look.
What are your thoughts? This could be a good piece of research for the entire educational community in South Bay.

Clear and Simple

As our semester zooms by, many of us will have a day where we just aren't that prepared, we default into cruise control, and our class transforms into something very different than we had hoped for. If you are creative enough, then your class might never know the difference; but real problems can arise when students don't see a clear connection between what they believe should be taught and how it is actually presented. Although most students will never say anything, there are usually a few who can turn an unprepared lesson into a classroom nightmare.
Nobody wants their lesson to fall apart while standing there in front of students, but it occasionally happens. At first students might sit there quietly, staring at you wondering what in the world you are trying to do. You get nervous and forget things. Maybe you even begin teaching something for another class or swear you have given them information or an assignment that you actually never gave. Before you know it, students begin questioning you, the teacher. You become defensive. You question yourself. You lose confidence. At that point everything can just come crashing down and you feel like surrendering and calling it a day. You are not alone if this has ever happened to you.
Another scenario is when you feel that you have some wonderful last minute idea that only you really understand. In your mind there is a clear connection between geology and watching a film like Land of the Lost; and although your students might be entertained, they might also be completely unaware of the connection you are trying to make. This can become a real problem.
In either instance, some students might feel the need to talk with an administrator, which can lead to a big hassle. Even after things are resolved the incident still happened and it has likely taken a toll on your teaching. That isn't good for you or your students.
A simple way of avoiding miscommunication between your intentions and an actual lesson is to clearly state a lesson's objective and how an activity relates. This is where writing comes in handy. You can have students write a reflection on the experience or have them brainstorm ideas related to the lesson. Sometimes we use materials, show films or television shows, or give Power Point presentations to build background knowledge.Again, be sure to state the objective and have a writing activity planned for students to tell you what they have learned in the context of the larger lesson. If you show a film, use writing as a means for students to show that they learned what you wanted them to learn. If they didn't, then you know you need to revise the lesson. If it worked well, then you get to build upon that success.
Hopefully, your lessons go well even if they don't turn out exactly as you might have wanted. Allowing students time in class to write about what they have learned is a great way to check that everyone is on the same page when it comes to your lessons. So take some time to have students tell you in their own words what they have learned. You just might be surprised at what they have to say.

Have a great week.

Michael Wickert