The student becomes the teacher...

Howdy folks!

After reading, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I took some time to really reflect on the relationships I have with my students, specifically within our classes and the roles we all play.

So, during my brief stint of teaching so far, I've realized how much the students contribute to the learning atmosphere. Spoiler alert- it's A LOT. Freire mentioned that treating students as receptacles for information leaves students who lack creativity and engagement. I have found giving students time to discuss and breakdown material within the class, allows them to have a much firmer grasp of the material. Giving them time to speak their minds, most always facilitates a helpful learning experience that lends to creating an environment where the students learn, and I do as well.

Freire stresses that the teacher-student relationship needs to have active involvement from both sides to be the most effective. This idea involves breaking down the contradiction of teacher and students, where in turn we are all the teacher AND the student in the class. If students are treated as places for information to be deposited, and not as active members of the relationship, they will suffer. I have found so much fulfillment with being a teacher and a helpful resource to my students, and they have allowed to me understand the material we go over in a new way, which furthers my growth as a student and a teacher. Treating your students in a way that allows them to feel that they contribute to class, will benefit everyone.

I personally walked into my classes with the expectation of already clearly understanding the material I would be teaching and explaining it to the students. From the very first day, I realized that would not be the case. Most classes, I have at least one instance per class where a student will work to present the content in a way I hadn't thought of before. Through their follow up questions and responses, I learn so much while I stand in front of the class actively in the role as their teacher. Every student has a unique set of experiences that allows them to process the material in a different way, giving their peers (and me) a way to understand it through a different lens than our own. Letting go of some of the control of the class, and giving it to the students, has been one of the most rewarding things in teaching for me thus far. Seeing how much my students bring to the class firsthand, and learning from their experiences, allows me apply this to other classes. This real-world applications allows me to deepen the knowledge for myself, therefore, making me a better teacher (and student) in the long run.

My first ⚡️#lightningboldt as a teacher stems from the realization that allowing your students to teach you, will in turn enhance your own abilities as a teacher.

-lightning boldt OUT⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Society Killing Creativity: Baileys Daily's

 What up fam? Last week when we were reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paulo Freire, I came across a short film on Facebook while mindlessly scrolling when I should have been fast asleep. Can anyone else relate to the struggle?

Anywhoo, I had just read about Freire's definition of The Banking Concept. 

Some of the spicy takes I pulled out of this section were:

- That the banking model is a concept that transforms students into receiving objects.. (p.77)

-The educated individual is the adapted person because they are a better 'fit' for the world. This concept is well suited to the purpose of the oppressors, whose tranquility rests on how well people fit the world the oppressor shave created, and how little they question it. (p. 76)

That second bullet point really struck home for me. The educated are the people who are molded to fit the 'norms' of society. How crazy is that? Can you look back and see if, and where your mind was molded and formed by the banking model to fit the 'norms' of society.

Here is a personal question for you... when you were younger, what did you want to be? A firefighter? A doctor? A nurse? A veterinarian? Take a moment and think about that...

 Ok now, can you pinpoint or guess when you changed your mind about what you wanted to be? For me, I wanted to be a teacher. However, my parents (specifically my Dad) unintentionally drew me away from wanting to pursue that profession, because of the lower salary of educators today. My mind was shaped and altered to fit the 'norm', or the 'expectancy' of society. Funny how that works, isn't it?



I want to encourage you to watch this video and keep the idea of the banking concept in the front of your brain.

After watching, feel free to post some comments below about the #lightningboldts you had go off while watching, and maybe even take it a step further and throw out some ideas of how you can #shakeandnotstir it up in your classroom to avoid being a teacher who uses the Banking Model.

Enjoy!

Who knew being a teacher was so hard?

I mean, I did. Mostly. Though I hadn't considered how much time and effort goes into syllabus making!

I thought I would just figure out my readings and place them whenever, but you literally have to sit and plan out each week's lesson and coordinate readings based on that lesson. How do you choose which readings you're going to use and which ones just don't make the cut? I think logically I knew syllabus making would take time but at the same time, every professor does it so how hard could it be?

I think I understand now why professors take the first day to really go over the syllabus, because that's probably the only time during the whole semester that most students will even look at it. So much work for no one to appreciate!! Obviously there are other reasons to go over the syllabus but that's not the point here. The point is that so many professors, especially in our department, work hard to create a perfect template for the semester and students never even think about it. 

I chose to create a syllabus over a class that already has a bomb-ass syllabus, and it was not easy to come up with activities and projects that were as good as the ones for the actual class. I was happy with what I came up with for the most part, but I was also so worried that I wasn't going to bridge the lessons and the projects as well as I could have. I even went to the professor to see if she liked the ideas I had, but not even her support quelled me. I loved the class when I took it, and I wanted to create a syllabus that would make students love the class like I did. I think that's my problem in a lot of ways. I crave appreciated and affirmation that I'm doing well, and I don't want that to permeate my teaching style. 

I think I'm learning to rely on myself to continue providing the affirmation I need to keep going. I can't worry about whether or not my students like me or my teaching, I can only care about if they're learning at all. This is something I am working on and will continue to work on! I know that I can learn to just be confident with myself and my pedagogical skills. If I can do it, #socanyou.  

Students are not ATM's

Going through the public education system, the way in which I was taught followed a particular structure. The structure related to the teacher/instructor simply standing in front of the class continuously blabbering about content material sometimes even using an overhead projector. On most of these occasions, we would sit in our desks and deposit the information in our brains in an attempt to store the facts long enough to regurgitate the information on an exam. We simply learned how to memorize information, not to think for ourselves. We were placed in mandatory, state-required courses, not allowing individuals to actually choose what they wanted to learn. We were simply placed in environments, being taught to memorize, and not learning to learn.

Until I went to college, I assumed all educational systems were structured this way. The teacher or instructor stood in the front of the classroom and spilled out information while we furiously took notes in hopes of writing everything down word for word. We were in the taking notes and memorization business, we did not know how to learn, we knew how to study and cram for exams. Paulo Freire's banking system further addresses this methodology by by stating that knowledge is a gift given from those who consider themselves knowledgeable to those who know nothing. Therefore, as a student, I knew nothing and should have simply "appreciated" the fact that I was being given the gift of knowledge.

 

Once I began college, having the freedom to choose what classes I could take allowed me to shape the way I learn and how I wanted to direct my education. When my students come into my classroom, I know they are coming from all different majors such as business, media arts, and some (I wish more) communication studies. Therefore, a typical "banking method" of teaching would have benefit in the classroom, treating my students simply as a depository for information is irrelevant and unproductive. Since the students come from all different educational backgrounds and majors, they all have different approaches to COMM 1010 and may process the information differently. Some visual arts majors might focus more on performance, business majors may focus on organizational communication and public speaking, while others simply want to learn about conflict. 

Freire states that the system itself needs to be transformed, and that simply integrating individuals into the adult education system creates an inefficient oppressor-oppressed relationship. Providing students with more opportunities to teach others and learn more about their learning styles provides more insight into how they understand the process itself. In my classroom, I have focused more on activities such as skits to understand the importance of audience analysis, or interact in group discussions and hear personal takeaways and opinions so I can also learn from students. We must focus on transforming and shaking up our current system of how we teach students, not simply stir students in this banking model of education. #shakenNOTstirred

Experience is LIFE

Blog Post #1

“Leading Class Discussion”

Leading Class Discussion is one of the more difficult strategies for me to get my students engaged. I feel that is because I am usually nervous in leading discussion. I know to some people I may seem outgoing and excited to meet new people but in reality it is because that is what is EXPECTED of me. However, I do like meeting and talking to new people without the added pressure of them wanting something from me (i.e. test reviews). I found that in my journey of teaching that I am teaching based on my experiences. If there is a concept that I do not what it is, I do know what it is not because of certain experiences that I tie to whatever I am learning.

It can be hard to lead discussions when it comes to experiential learning, because everyone has different viewpoints and experiences that can be added to the conversation in a way that we can learn. However, this is a good thing because everyone involved can say what think and learn from what others think. 

John Dewey who impacted the education with the concept of “Experiential Learning” says that it “influences the formation of attitudes of desire and purpose” and also that “every genuine experience has an active side which experiences are had” (39). This is important to note because it’s the experiences that could be internalized or externalized to help a person understand a concept in class and can even apply it to outside factors such as life.

For example, in class this week I was trying to make a connection for the class. The question was “What is the difference between complementing, accenting, and repeating?” the student went on to say that the line is blurred because they are all similar. I process the question and then I ask them to break it down. Again, they were a bit confused but we continued. I asked them to give me an example of a “compliment,” nothing fancy or difficult. The students then began to engage because they knew what a “compliment” was and what it was not. One student said “a compliment is something you say to someone, for example, I like your jeans or you’re pretty.” They still looked at me on confusion (this is where I began to worry). I then told them that “COMPLEMENTING” in communication is when your nonverbal communication messages are in sync with one another sort of like the compliment example. Again…. They were STILL confused.

They looked like..

The next question I asked how could this apply to communication??

They sat in silence… well we all sat in silence as they talked amongst themselves… This is where I answered my own question (a BIG no no I know) so in all their silence they kind of leaned in when I said “Complementing is something that adds to the conversation, and a good example would be active listening” If someone is talking and you are listening and nodding your head then you are “COMPLEMENTING” with your nonverbals that adds to the conversation rather than taking away. You all can connect this to the example we had about the “COMPLIMENTS” and they add rather than taking away from the situation. If I am complimenting someone on their outfit, we are adding that small thing to the conversation in the same way we added nonverbal in “COMPLEMENTING” in communication.

Thankfully, they all (at least it seemed) got the concept!

Unfortunately, I had to do that for every one and it did help but we ran out of time… All in all, I found a way to make connections in concepts through experiences (compliments) and we used a little bit of discussion. 2 birds one stone! *dusts off shoulders*

#itsfine #ShanWOW #ShakenNOTStirred

Kimbo's COMM 1010 Chronicles: Part 1

As we get closer to entering week five of the Fall semester, I find myself slowly easing into my new norm. My two year break between undergrad and now was necessary for life-planning and self exploration. For the first few months after my graduation, I found myself in a classroom. With no job offers knocking on my door, I visited the idea of earning my teaching certification. So, I signed up to be a substitute teacher in the school district of my hometown to "try-out the classroom." To make a long story short, that try-out was short lived and I quickly jumped at the opportunity to work elsewhere. Ironically, two years later, I'm in the classroom again. This time the setting is different, and so am I. I believe the timeline of my journey is playing a pivotal role in my experience thus far as a teacher. But let's talk about my first day, shall we? I know I'm not the only one who was deathly nervous on the first day of teaching? Right?

The morning of my first class, my alarm buzzed at 7:15 am, and I didn't have to hit the snooze button. Mind you, this only happens when I am extremely excited and nervous about something. I had the perfect morning. I ate a bowl of Kellog's Special K Cereal with vanilla almond milk, had enough time to apply my makeup perfectly, and my outfit was ironed the night before. I was out the door and at my building by 8:35 am for my 9:00 am class. Once I walked in the building, I took a seat on the couch near my classroom. I immediately noticed my students were already gathering around the door, waiting nervously just as I was. After sweating bullets for fifteen minutes, I confidently stood up and walked to the door while spitting out "Good Morning!" to the nervous faces gathered around. We all piled in the classroom and the silence was THICK. I nervously stumbled in my backpack, searching for my clicker and replaying my words for the day in my head. I was a HOT MESS.  #TheREAL #BerryBlues

My classes ended up going well. My nervousness never went away, I sweated bullets all day before each class BUT I got through it and that's what matters. Throughout the first few weeks, I've had my ups and downs with my students. I've realized that they don't listen to everything I say, and they won't. They all don't follow directions and they all don't participate how I would like them to. However, those things should be expected. Every student is different. So is every teacher. None of my students have had a 5'0, quirky, energetic, Beyonce loving, 24 year old teacher named Kimberly Berry, at least I would assume. Bain said that "caring is crucial," although I don't have all the answers, and my teaching may be rough around the edges right now, I do care. I have witty, funny, intelligent students who have came to college on a journey, just like I did six years ago. Bain says that the best college teachers have faith in their student's ability to achieve. As the semester continues and I'm beginning to get comfortable, I have consistently looked back on Bain's words throughout his book. I'm reminding myself daily to be myself in the classroom. Starting there gives me the formula to succeed.  #DoYouBoo

Kill IT this semester, friends!

-Kimbo

You Are What You Eat, Ladies and Gents #BaileysDailys

You are what you eat ladies and germs!!

So, tonight in class we worked on stations. Not gonna lie, I was struggling with a few of them… BUT during the chapter 2 activity, I had a#lightningboldtabout what I would write my very first blog post about! YEEEE get #rowdyfarmer in here ladies and gents, it's about to get wild!

Sooooo what is chapter 2 even about?? I'm glad you asked! Chapter two is allll about student engagement and motivation. Not gonna lie, this was my favorite chapter because a few things really hit home for me. Something I wrote down in bright red ink in my beautiful brand-new book was "If there is no hope, there is no motivation!" OK WOW. How applicable is that to every situation in life? What I took from this is- you are what you eat… or what you believe, at least. Students must have confidence that with appropriate effort that they can succeed. What a crazy concept?! If you believe in yourself, you are more likely to do well! Whaaatttt?

I read that sentence, and I was hooooooked. I needed to know more. A little background on me… I've been out of academia for the past year, and motivation is something that is needing to be re-assessed. Jumping back into study mode is no easy feat friends. 

MOVING ON!

I read more into the chapter and I swear it was like looking into a dang mirror. 

Has anyone ever struggled with self-esteem issues, anxiety or depression? If so, #metoosisterso let’s #talkaboutit ! Even if you haven't struggled with a mental illness, this chapter applies to #youtoo 

The book dives into a few theories, and they are without a doubt some of my favorite theories I recall from undergrad. 

Self-efficacy theory says a student’s belief about their ability to succeed at a learning task is more important than their actual skill level or the difficulty of the task. The book goes on to say, "If a student is confident in her ability to perform a task successfully, she will be motivated to engage in it." Like I mentioned earlier, this really hit home for me.

Usually when I have a task set out for me, if I feel confident in my abilities, I'll be damned if I don't get it done. If I believe in myself, I am on top of the world!  And I'd even say that I'd be upset if I didn't exceed the expectations. (Hint hint definitely an overstriver over here! But we'll get to that later.) 
Anywhoooo.. Coming into graduate school is definitely a prime example of self-efficacy theory. Like I said, when I feel confident, I'll be damned if I don't get something done. The first few weeks of grad school was an overwhelming surge of "holy shit I'm definitely not good enough for this", "I'm not smart enough" and "how in the world did I even get accepted to this program???" and my behavior fell right in line with what self-efficacy theory suggests. I'm pretty embarrassed to say, that I played victim to my beliefs.#youarewhatyoubelieveI believed I wasn't good enough, so I didn't put my best foot forward.  The next little stage that my brand-new grad student brain went through would fall right in line with attribution theory, which suggests that students attribute success or failure to a variety of factors such as ability, effort, luck, etc. and their belief is shaped by their perceptions of why they have succeeded or failed in the past. I kept reminding myself… Bailey, #itsONLYhard you've done hard before, and you can do it again! Put your big girl panties on and get in the game! After a week or two of daily internal pep talks and putting myself out there, I realized that hey, I might just be cut out for this. So, my belief in my ability began to rise. And let me tell you how GOOD it feels to believe in yourself. 10 out of 10 would highly suggest! 

The self-worth models in this chapter explain my behavior perfectly… "Based on this model, it is easier to understand why some students don’t even try to accomplish a task if they believe there is low probability that they will be successful.. Cough cough #youarewhatyoueat #AMIRIGHT??

Digging into the next section of the chapter, more #lightningboldts went off.

Here's a moment to reflect on you as a person while reading this oh so interesting blog post… What kind of student areYOU?  (Success-oriented, overstriver, failure-avoider or failure-accepting?) Feel free to post your answer and maybe an example or two below. (Eassssyyy commment grade here people! Let's #talkaboutit)

 I feel like I am somewhere between success-oriented (serious learners who want to perform well) and an overstriver (successful students who will take on challenges but are not entirely confident in their ability and consequently worry constantly about their grades and performance.)  

On a good day, I'd like to say I'm a success-oriented student. I know who I am, I know what I'm capable of, and I WILL get it done! A little more background...  I grew up as a competitive gymnast- so performance is 

ev-ery-thing

to me!!! This taught me as a young athlete that failure is not an option. With that it instilled a fear in me of "not being good enough". Growing up in a sport where you chase the impossible (a perfect 10.0) is hard on a mind and self-esteem, let me tell you.

This attribution caused me to not only be an overstriver in my sport, but in academia as well. It's almost like I'm afraid of failing… anyone else feel like this? Again, feel free to leave a comment below! ;) Something that was a little bit of medicine for me around this fear and need to over strive for the goal and be fearful of not being good enough is a quote I got from a friend of mine. He told me, "Grad school is not a quest for grades… it is a quest for knowledge" WHOA. GOLDEN!! 

To sum it all up, I'd like to ask you all a question… 

What kind of man or woman are YOU? 

I went through a training where we created a contract and hold ourselves to our contract every day to be the best you that you can be. So, with that I'll share mine!

I am an invincible WARRIOR of a woman, who trusts her God wholeheartedly, and is MORE than enough!! 

You are what you eat, ladies and gents…

It wouldn't hurt to believe in yourself every now and then. 

XO- Ari and B