Archive for November 2008
The Social Study Program in Chilean Schools
In the United States Social Studies is a central part of the curriculum, this is also true from what I have seen in a Chilean classroom. During my time here I have been a part of a preschool classroom full of four and five year olds. This class is very interesting because it is taught all in English! This type of instruction in English continues up until the high school grades. When students reach high school their classes are taught in their native tongue, and English is only spoken in English class and music class. This is a very different way of teaching in a classroom than I have not seen before. Just like the other subjects at Thomas Jefferson school, social studies is taught in English, and is very similar to the type of social studies taught in the United States. In the preschool classroom students learn basic concepts about social studies, like occupations, families, and different cultures. This is almost the same as David Welton outlines in his textbook Children and Their World. In his book he outlines the social studies program of each grade level. In Kindergarten Welton states that students should be learning about their world, families/community helpers, and transportation. I see this type of program in place at Thomas Jefferson School. In fact, this week students learned about different occupations and community helpers. Students also discussed what they wanted to be when they grew up. Just as in the United States this week was called career week, and the teachers welcomed parents to talk about what they do for a living. Along with careers, different cultures and holidays are taught for social studies. In fact my classroom studies the American holiday Thanksgiving, on the day of Thanksgiving my class will prepare typical foods of the holiday, and the kindergarteners, will perform a Thanksgiving play for the parents which tells the story of Thanksgiving. This year the whole school will be a part of the Thanksgiving celebration, and it seems ironic that a school would celebrate one of our biggest holidays.
In the high school classrooms, students are taught about Chilean history, World War I, and World War II. This is the same in the United States, where our students learn American History along with World War I and World War II. This resemblance to American curriculum could be because the school is a private school, and was founded by an American, or because if the language is to be studied it is necessary to address the culture as well, however I am not certain. The curriculum could be vastly different in public schools where students do not necessarily speak English on a daily basis. Along with this school, there are also private schools in the area where students speak Spanish, English, and German and another where Spanish, German, and French are taught. I wonder if these schools teach cultures of Germany and France as they do at Thomas Jefferson School with English. Whatever the reason I think it is fascinating that our worlds are miles apart but we are not that different.
Add a comment November 20, 2008
Cindy Hart: The challenges of living in a different culture, where you are the minority
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There are many things that I have learned thus far during my trip to Chile. The culture in Chile is very different from the United States, both in the home and school. The culture is more laid back and relaxed. Time is not followed as closely as it is in the United States. It is difficult to follow the lack of discipline in a school setting because I am used to more strict rules in the classroom. Being a minority and teaching in a school that has a completely different culture is difficult because the way you have been taught to teach is drastically different than where you are placed. In Chile, rules are not followed by the children. If a child wants to do cartwheels on the carpet instead of working in the math book, then he or she will do that and there is no real punishment. Being from the United States, my natural instinct is to discipline this child for not following the rules, but in the relaxed setting I have to just let the child be. This experience has taught me to be more relaxed with discipline in the classroom.
Living in a different culture than your own is also hard because you do not know all of the different social rules that are in place. In Chile, yawning in public is a sign of disrespect. Being in the minority, the people in our group did not know this and were talked about among the other staff members. Another difference is wearing shoes or socks all the time. Americans do not always cover their feet. My host family kept asking me where my socks were because I did not know this and was not wearing them in the house. Being a minority is hard because the unspoken social rules have to be learned along the way. This can make both the minority and the person of that culture uncomfortable depending on the situation.
Another difficult part of living where you are a minority is that people constantly talk about you or stare at you. It is obvious to everyone that you are a minority whether it is the way you look or how your mannerisms are different than everyone else’s. This can cause people to feel self conscience because they want to fit in with the rest of society. People do not want to be ridiculed for rules that they have not been taught as a child or for the way they look or dress. Overall, living in a different culture is a struggle at first, but people can adapt to their surroundings and can learn about other cultures to be able to fit in with them.
Add a comment November 20, 2008
Chilean Culture & History
The first thing that I have noticed about the Chilean culture is the Chilean kiss as it has been so aptly described. When you first meet someone, and also when you leave them, you give your greetings along with a kiss on the cheek. In Chile the people like to stand closer when speaking to each other than we are used to in the United States. Every meal includes pan or bread, which seems to be the main staple of their diet. Lunch is taken much later than noon and is the most important meal of the day. Dinner or once is a much lighter meal or snack.
All of the people I have come in contact with are very friendly and accepting of me as an American. Even though I speak & understand only a small bit of Spanish the teachers and my Chilean family are helping me to learn the language. Never am I condemned for trying only gently corrected when I am wrong. The people have tried very hard to make me feel welcome and comfortable in their culture and I must say they have done an excellent job of it.
The area we know as Chile was originally populated by two different groups, the Mapuches (an indigenous people) ruled in the Central and Southern regions, while in the North, the Incans ruled. During the 16th century the Spaniards came and ruled until 1810 when Chile declared its independence. Although a final decisive victory over the Spaniards did not happen until 1818. From 1879-83 the country was involved in the war of the Pacific where they defeated Peru and Bolivia and gained more territory in the countries Northern region. Chile was under a military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet from 1973-1990 this was the beginning of a new era for the people, one that took them from a socialist government. Even though it may seem as if everything began to fall apart the second part of Pinochet’s dictatorship led to great economic growth for Chile. It is currently a very secure country with a flourishing economy.
1 comment November 20, 2008
Jessica Strickland Social Studies Portfolio Paragraph
Two of my favorite lessons that I used for my portfolio were one lesson on voting in a first grade classroom, and the second was on visiting a one room school house. Both lessons were geared toward first grade classrooms. I really liked the lesson on a visiting a one room school house because it had lots of great activities to do with the students before they actually went on the trip. One activity I liked was having the students interview their grandparents and learning how school was for them because some of them may have attended a one room school house. I think that gives the students a different perspective on the concept and gives them a chance to share what they learned with the class.
The voting lesson I did was one of my favorite lessons because it fit perfectly with the recent election. For my creative project I made a class voting box and a sample ballot. I thought that this would be a great way to start teaching younger students about voting. For my lesson we went over what voting was and how it helped us make the fairest decision possible. I then explained that we were going to have an ice cream party. In order to be fair we would have to vote on our favorite flavor and which ever one had the most votes would win. I then had the students go to a desk one at a time vote and place their vote in the class voting box. They really enjoyed this activity and it was a lot of fun.
1 comment November 18, 2008
Chrissy Previte’s projects from Social Studies portfolio
The project from the midterm portfolio that I would like to share with the class is my unit theme, in which I chose to create a 3rd grade unit exploring the continent of Australia. I broke the unit down into five weeks, and we will be exploring a different facet of Australia each week. During week 1, we will complete a K-W-L chart on what the students know about the continent, and the students will also make their own suitcases (out of clothes boxes and yarn) and passports in preparation for their imaginary journey to Australia. During week 2, students will focus on learning about the history of Australia. Students will read different books about the history and create a timeline by putting important events in chronological order. In week 3, students will be focusing on the geography of Australia. Students will look at maps to compare where Australia is located compared to the United States, and they will create a large size map of Australia using construction roll paper. Also during this week, students will explore why Australia is considered a country as well as a continent and each student will pick a state or territory to research and map out on the large map. Week 4 will be spent studying the types of animals that reside in Australia. They will construct a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the animals that are mainly found in Australia, mainly in Ohio, and those that can be found in both areas. During week 5, students will research different cultures found in Australia and will write reports on them. They will also compare and contrast weather patterns and seasons in Australia with those in Ohio. To end the unit, students will complete their K-W-L chart from the beginning of the unit, decorate their suitcases with pictures and symbols that relate to Australia, and have a “Down Under” party.
The project from the final portfolio that I would like to share with the class is my revised CT lesson for 1st grade on learning the difference between schools in the 1800s and now. To begin the lesson, I will have a class discussion with the students about what they know about what life was like in the 1800s and how they believe it is different from today. I will then read the book Ultimate Field Trip #4: A Week in the 1800s by Susan Goodman to the class. The book is about a group of middle school students who spend a whole week living like students in the 1800s. The students had to wear period clothing and attend a one-room schoolhouse for school. The book will be used to help the students gain a better understanding of what life used to be like. Then, together as a class, the teacher and students will complete a Venn diagram (one circle for life in the 1800s, one for present day, and the middle for how the two are alike). Afterwards, the students will individually complete the ‘Schools Then and Now’ worksheet provided by my CT. Then the students will complete the writing prompt “If I lived in the 1800s, I would…” Students will be required to write three facts they learned about how people lived in the 1800s and draw a picture.
1 comment November 17, 2008
Types of Instruction
Author David A. Welton discusses strategies and activities for effective teaching in his textbook Children and Their World, in his tenth chapter he mentions the strategies of teacher centered instruction, mixed instruction, role playing, and games. I have seen these types of instruction in all of my time in school.
The first type of instruction Welton mentions is teacher centered instruction, this is one that is perhaps the most common in a college or high school classroom. Teacher centered instruction is a direct instruction approach, and includes note taking, lecture, recitation, and discussion. I have seen the teacher centered instruction during my time at Wright State, and my time in high school.
Welton also mentions the mixed instruction technique, which is a type of instruction that is student centered , but also includes individual group investigation, which is commonly known as the inquiry process with research topics. Mixed Instruction can also include on the spot decision making, where teachers react to the topics that were brought up by students.
The third type of instruction Welton mentions, is role playing. Examples Welton gives are using the author’s chair, where students read to the class. Welton also gives examples of unstructured and structured role playing. Unstructured role playing includes giving a topic for role play but the topic can be open ended however, structured role playing includes positions in government.
Finally, Welton mentions games as another instructional method used in classrooms. Using games as an instructional technique would include using computer games and simulation games. Examples of these include rail west-railroad, and mock trials. I have seen examples of games in many classrooms including college classrooms. Examples of games I have seen include jeopardy, around the world, and the computer game Oregon Trail .
Welton details the different techniques that could be used in the classroom, and gives examples of each. He mentions a variety of instruction techniques that I have seen in a variety of classrooms, and ones that I can see myself using one day.
1 comment November 6, 2008
Strategies for Using Reflective Thinking with Maps and Globes
Nurturing Critical and Reflective Thinking
The higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy can apply to 4th and 5th grade. For example, application and synthesis are the higher levels of Taxonomy, which allows students to use their critical and reflective thinking skills. At these grade levels, teachers can prepare their students for higher learning through metacognition, which is thinking about how you think. Examples of some activities that can be incorporated include: paraphrasing what is heard (having students restate what is heard), and reflection on how an answer was derived (explaining their thinking). It is important for teachers to remember that modeling is a key concept in gaining metacognition. Students at this age should be using reflective thinking and information processing skills. Students should be able to start thinking and responding by using adult language. Some examples of adult language include: develop a hypotheses, identify criteria, and identify contradiction. Students should be able to understand that for every question asked, there is an underlying purpose and at this level, they should be able to determine the purpose.
Helping Students Understand Maps, Globes and Graphics
At the 4th and 5th grade level, students should be well aware of maps and globes and how to use them. In grades 4 and 5, students should be working with longitude, latitude, distance, direction, scales and symbols. They should be able to use different types of maps and determine when it is appropriate to use a map versus a globe. Some examples of mapmaking projects students can do include: making a map using technology, treasure maps, geography maps, directional maps, and literary maps. They can use other graphic forms, such as tables, charts, surveys, graphs, etc. to interpret different kinds of data. At this level, students should not only be able to take information from a graph, but also should be able to make a graph from the given information.
Cohort N
Chrissy Previte, Donielle Avery, Jessica Strickland, Jen Keesey
2 comments November 4, 2008
Election 11-04-08
Christina Schneble
I just got back from voting. It was the longest line I had ever stood in… until I found out that I was in the wrong precinct and stepped over to a much shorter line. My shorter line was then broken up by either a machine ballot vote or a paper ballot vote. I chose the machine, like the majority of the people, and gave the ladies who were working at the table my voter registration card, my driver’s license and my change of address form (driver’s license doesn’t match current location). They then gave me a plastic card to put in the machine. I had asked the ladies who were helping at the polls to take a picture of me while I voted and they agreed. I then went to another line to wait for an available machine. Once I got my chance to vote, I looked for someone to take my picture. However, a man told me that they were not allowed any photography in the voting area. After this I followed the directions on the machine and finished my vote. After I finished voting, I received a sticker and a pamphlet. I then went outside with my sticker and pamphlet and took a picture of myself. I do have one question though. Why do we vote in churches if the church and the government are separate and should have nothing to do with one another? I’m a believer and all, I just want to know why the government assigns voting locations in churches?
2 comments November 4, 2008
