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Observations at Sunset Park High School DeCastro, Daniel Teachers College at Columbia University

2 The first two days I had worked at Sunset Park High School were a time to orient myself to the building layout, resources, and faculty; I had not yet met any students. Thursday the 8th of September 2011 was when I first met students during the Advisement portion of the day; a weekly meet up of students where students engage in friendly activities that help them get to know each other, the staff, and school protocol/resources. The idea of advisement struck me as a highly effective means of developing relationships with the students, but up till today, Ive seen one student in particular go through a phase of change that is seemingly headed in the wrong direction.

During my first advisement class with him, he expressed to me a yearning to learn and meet good, engaging, level-headed teachers; a stark contrast to those teachers he had experienced before coming to Sunset Park. He seemed like a young man interested in attaining a good education, so I asked him what his interests were. As we got to know each other, he said that I seemed like a good teacher, and that he looked forward to working with me. Unfortunately, he hasnt been very complacent according to what I hear from some of his other teachers, and in my writing across the curriculum class, his back is slouched most of the time, he puts his head down on the table in the middle of class, and he speaks in a very non-plussed manner at times. He does however respond to the activities I have given him, and has done most of the classwork, however, he did not submit a get to know you homework assignment that most other students submitted.

Today, as I was walking down the hall on the third floor of the school, he said, Hello Mr. Decastro. As I turned around to greet him, I asked how he was doing, and he responded that he was not finished reading the Gears of War comic book I had brought for the Drop Everything and Read class. He had expressed interest in this video game as I got to know him about a week ago, and I remembered that I had a comic based on the game that I thought to bring in from my personal collection of comic books. This

3 engaged him to some extent in the DEAR class, and I was happy that I was able to accommodate his interests and get him to read.

Another student came to the DEAR class very upset today, and it was because the school had set up metal detectors and confiscated student cell phones, including his. The strictness of this policy infuriated him, but the science teacher, whom my mentor and I share the classroom with, took him out by the door and spoke with him about it. 5 minutes later, he came back in with a calmer demeanor, and settled in to do his work. He is interested in drumming, so I searched for a magazine that he requested called Modern Drummer over the weekend; I could not find it. He had taken a book out from the library to read silently for 20 minutes in class anyways, so I didnt have to break the bad news to him.

In shaping the class dynamic, I do my best to cater to the interests of my students, and I believe in using my prior knowledge about pop culture to shape lessons in fun, engaging, and relevant ways while meeting state standards. I believe that if I connect with the students, I can generate work from them in this way. So far according to my mentor, my first lesson went perfectly, and it was with this principle in mind that it took shape. In becoming quaint with the students, I also believe that I can generate work, most importantly via the methods I use to quiet them down. This would include standing there to observe them, giving them a moment to let their energy out, and then bending down towards them to ask if they can do me the favor and focus on the assignment; I try to be as polite as possible.

I dont think abruptly silencing talkative students would work for me; I think I need to stay calm and be patient in dealing with behavioral issues. Thus far, the kids who would normally remain talkative have responded well to this approach. Also, in taking a moment to read to the students the assigned material, and

4 going through it carefully with them, Ive found that Ive gotten them to work for the most part. They dont seem to do things on their own, and have produced work with assistance. There is still some ways to go with certain students, but today, I can say that Ive had success; well see how long it lasts.

My approach is shaped by experiences I had during the 10th grade, a time in my life where I was home schooled for the remainder of the year due to an incident that I suffered at the time. I remember that the best education I received was when I had one on one instruction, and I always keep this in mind when working with students. When I take a moment to help a student out, I work with them the same way I was worked with during my home schooling. I read the passages to them and guide their thinking towards a solution to the questions asked.

The readings assigned even guided my practice today when I was asked by one of the students about what my role is in the classroom. I explained to them that I was a special educator in my first year of student teaching. They responded by saying, Oh yeah! So you help the slow kids right? Immediately, I realized they may have a deterministic belief about ability and potential, so I was sure to mention that I do not teach slow kids; I do what is called differentiation. The two students were engaged when I told them this, especially when I told them an example of an autistic girl whos IQ was measured at 33 until she learned how to communicate with assistive technology and subsequently measured in at an IQ of 133. It made the students stop and think for a moment, and they pressed on with their work shortly thereafter.

I believe that in helping students to realize the differences in learning ability, and how some are more responsive in learning things a certain way than others, I can help to make the learning environment free of negative judgment and geared towards equality. I find that this resonates well with each student Ive spoken

5 to on the matter, especially when stressing the fact that what I say is based on strong research, and I will try and find more opportunities to reinforce this knowledge so that it is always fresh in their minds. Children do indeed need to be taught in the areas of cognitive development and concept formation.

According to Dunn (1969), A major fault of our present courses of study is failure to focus on the third link in the chain of learning---that of teaching our children systematically in the areas of cognitive development and concept formation (p. 18). In practice, this theory is not impractical at all as I have yet to encounter resistance when speaking on matters of neuroscience or cognitive learning. Kids of ethnic roots and a seemingly disparaged background seem to understand and absorb the concepts like sponges; it makes sense, especially under the auspices of a plentitude of research to back it up. The students like to know when interesting and balanced ways of looking at the world are backed up by evidence, and this is a good thing. When they understand things in this context, one could logically infer that it makes it easier for them to feel comfortable asking questions in class.

Hart, Drummond, and McIntyres (2007) study noted the following: Drawing on our understanding of a substantial tradition of research spanning more than 50 years, we argued that differential fixed abilities is not just a deeply flawed and unjust way of explaining differences in learning and achievement; it also exerts an active, powerful force within school and classroom processes, helping to create the very limits and disparities of achievement that it purports to explain (p. 49)

The above statement, in lending itself to my position, also makes clear the fact that it is a product of over 50 years of research. As it is our responsibility to ensure that the claims of our students are

6 supported by evidence, the very methods we use to differentiate learners should also be supported by evidence. There are no limits with a theory like Gardeners multiple intelligences, and while it makes sense to students that this is a fact, it should not ever be used to say, Oh, this is my kinesthetic learning group or This is my logical-mathematical group, as this too would be lending itself towards a solely deterministic and fixed perspective on learning ability.

References Dunn, L.M. (1969). Special education for the mildly retarded---is much of it justifiable? Exceptional Children, 35, 5-22 Hart, S., Drummond, M.J., & McIntyre, D. (2007). Learning without limits: constructing a pedagogy free from determinist beliefs about ability.