COOPERATIVE LEARNING GROUPS

(Required Blog)

Friday I experienced my second really tough lesson in a row. As we approach the end of the summer, the material is getting more complex. The Algebra problems are requiring more and more steps, and the students seem to sometimes give up in the middle of a long problem even though they may be on the right track. I think the students are no longer experiencing that satisfying feeling of completing a problem and being confident that it is right. They have a lack of confidence in what they're doing when a problem is very long, and due to the many steps, the likelihood of calculation errors and other mishaps increases tremendously.

Friday's lesson was on solving systems of linear equations using substitution. I gave the students a handout with all the steps and an example of how the steps are used to solve a problem. I went over several examples. When I allowed the students to try problems on their own, the majority of the students had problems with fractions, and therefore were not even able to complete all the steps. I tried to do a review of adding and subtracting fractions, but I don't think it was very helpful given its brevity. I was at a loss for what to do. I could do a million examples on the board, but it was up to them to try problems and practice in order for them to be able to do the problems on a test.

Given the students' lack of confidence on this concept, I was hesitant about whether to do the activity I had planned, but I decided to try it out anyway. I paired the students up and distributed an instruction sheet including directions for a "role-play" in which one student would be the "substitute teacher" who would teach the other student ("the class") a lesson on solving systems of linear equations using substitution. The two students would then switch roles. I paired the best students with the students who could use some extra help and required that the better performing students teach the lesson first. I thought the exercise would force the students to learn the steps for using substitution, since my experience has been that teaching a concept to someone helps me to understand the concept better myself. Earlier in the summer, I think this exercise would have worked well. However, due to the complexity of the lesson, the activity was a bust.

Either the students were not reading the instructions given to them, or my instructions were not as clear as I thought they were. I fielded several questions about what each student was supposed to be doing. Also, it took so long for the "substitute teachers" to work the example problem on their paper, that they never got around to coming to the board to teach "the class" the lesson.

Because of all the questions I received as I monitored the groups, I ended up scrapping the group work and working the problems on the board. I could tell by the students' responses when I asked what steps I should take next to work the problems that their difficulties were not with the steps for using the substitution method, but simply with the calculations. I even asked them directly what they were having trouble with, and they confirmed that they were having problems performing the calculations accurately.

The students are good at working together in pairs or groups, but I think this activity would have been more effective after the students had a chance to work several problems and gain some confidence about what they were doing.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?
(ASSIGNED BLOG RE: QUESTIONING STRATEGIES)

Since beginning to teach a little over a week ago, I've begun to interpret the eight faces that stare back at me as I do what I do at the front of the classroom. There's the face of being completely and totally LOST - the students don't know what island they're on, how they got there, or how to get off. That face means I've screwed up big time, and I need to try again. They obviously do not understand the words that are coming out of my mouth. Then there's the look of slight confusion - one little clarification, and the student is good to go on a concept. Finally, there's the look of utter boredom. This facial expression tells me I've got it, so please move on before I have to start some trouble in here.

When I want to make sure that I know where the students stand on understanding, I don't rely solely on the face-reading abilities that I am slowly developing. I also ask the students throughout the lesson to give me the next step to solve a problem, and I probe for feedback constantly. Since the class consists of only eight students, I do a lot of cold calling. The kids don't seem to mind. The lead teacher did a great job at the beginning of the summer fostering an environment where all the students are engaged in the learning process and are not afraid to get a question wrong.

Despite my attempts to try to gauge the students' understanding, I found myself at times being surprised at some of the concepts that were missed on tests, since when I asked whether everyone understood, they all responded that they did understand. On Wednesday, June 14, during a review for the students' third test, I tried a version of the "Muddiest Part of the Lecture" questioning strategy, which I prefer to call the "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth," questioning strategy. (For those who can't quite place the quote, it was Chris Tucker in Rush Hour, 1998.) I first wrote on the board all the concepts that would be covered on the test. I gave the students a piece of typing paper and told them to fold it in half. I told them to write on one half of the paper what concepts they were confused about, or to write on the paper the numbers of problems on the Test Review handout that they would like to go over and to submit the half of paper to me. I told them to keep the other half of the paper so that if questions arose later in the review, they could submit those. One student wrote about 6 questions from the review. One student wrote 3 concepts and 2 questions. Two students didn't turn in a paper at all. The other students wrote about 2-4 questions on their paper.

I learned a couple of things from this little experiment. One, even the simplest directions must be repeated and emphasized. One student called out a number from his desk, and when I told him he was supposed to write it on the paper and submit it to me, he said that he had already turned in the entire piece of paper. I guess that was partially my fault since I allowed him to submit the whole sheet of paper instead of insisting that he keep half. I also learned that some students will not ask any questions no matter how much they're probed to ask questions. I was a little disappointed that two students didn't write any questions on the paper, especially since neither made an A on the test. I thought that since no one would know who asked what question, the students wouldn't feel the need to act as if they already knew everything. But then again, maybe they thought they knew everything on the test?? I think next time I will require everyone to submit at least one question.

UBIQUITOUS RACISM

Elizabeth Savage's focus paper, entitled The Preservation of Segregation: The Philosophical Necessity of White Academies in Mississippi, outlines the state of Mississippi's past efforts to resist desegregation mandates and discusses the persistence of segregated schools in Mississippi as a result of de facto segregation and the function of private, all-white academies. The paper caused me to once again think about my present view on race relations in Mississippi and about de facto segregation.

I grew up in Jackson, a city of approximately 180,000 people where more than 70% of the population are African American and where many of the elected officials are black. My schools were racially mixed when I and my older sister attended them, but now, Jackson Public Schools has somewhere around a 97% Black enrollment. I completely acknowledge that there is a high instance of segregation in the schools here in Mississippi. My question is why people speak as if this is a concept that is peculiar to Mississippi? The "white flight" phenomenon is not a Mississippi issue; it's a national issue. There are plenty examples of it in cities from East to West and South to North where there are an appreciable number of minority students in the school districts. Perhaps people talk about the segregation of Mississippi schools as if segregation doesn't occur elsewhere because, as the focus paper points out, the percentage of black students attending segregated schools in Mississippi is so high. But maybe that's because of all the states, Mississippi has the largest percentage of black people. In other words, my guess is that the prevelance of segregated schools in Mississippi is because there are so many districts in Mississippi where the number of black students is significant enough to trigger "white flight" to the suburbs or private academies. I would be curious to look at research regarding the demographics of schools nationwide having minority populations above 50%. My guess is that white flight and segregation is an issue in many of those schools, regardless of where they're located.

One sentence that stuck out to me in the focus paper stated: "Mississippi has come a long way, but racially, it remains the least progressive state in the union." Perhaps I am a bit defensive of the state in which I was born, raised, and spent all but four years of my life, but I have plenty of thoughts about this statement based on my experiences in Mississippi and elsewhere. While it may be hard for many people to believe, Mississippi has many great attributes that keep me coming back home. However, there are also things that I don't like about it. It is a given that there are some people in Mississippi who are racist and who do not want to--nor do they-- socialize with people of other races. It is a given that there are towns that are extremely segregated and where black people and white people hardly ever see each other. It is also true that many public schools across the state are racially identifiable. However, my experience does not support the conclusion that Mississippi is so far behind in race relations. I think the entire country is racially divisive, but that it just shows up in different ways in different regions.

People think I am being dishonest when I tell them that I experienced more racism in the three years I lived in the Boston area than I did my whole life in Mississippi. However, that is simply the truth. Many of my friends from the South have had the same experience. We have discussed why we think that is. We know that racism is definitely still alive and well here, but we found the racial environment here more "harmonious" than other places we have been outside of the South. Why? I think in Mississippi, many people that don't want to socialize with other races just don't do it and don't feel guilty about it. I don't have a problem with that. If a person-- because of prejudice or whatever else it may be-- does not feel comfortable in my presence, guess what? Just don't be in my presence. Makes life easier for the both of us. However, my experience in Boston was that some people who either consciously or subconsciously harbored racial prejudices attempted to mask those prejudices (perhaps due to social pressure), but were highly unsuccessful. Despite their best efforts, it showed through their interactions. These forced interactions were no more palatable to me than the "avoidance of the other race" that occurs here in Mississippi. (In fact, I prefer to know where a person stands than to have to guess or find out in some uncomfortable way.)

I also think the structure of a city like Boston is such that people are forced to be in each other's space even when they don't want to, therefore leading to uncomfortable incidents. For example, I remember getting on a train in downtown Boston and having to stand next to a man with numerous swastikas (large and in color) tattooed all over his body, including on his neck. I would love to have been spared that experience.

What is my point in all this? My point is to say that those who stand on the outside looking in who constantly criticize Mississippi for its race relations should definitely continue to challenge the ignorance that breeds racism and prejudice, but don't make the mistake of concluding that Mississippi is the only place that has racial issues. Don't be lulled into believing other places across the country are so many eons ahead of Mississippi. Racism is everywhere; it just manifests itself in different ways.

Regarding public education, I'd prefer to not focus on the fact that many public schools are all or predominately black due to white flight to academies or the suburbs. We are all free to make our own decisions, even if those decisions are based on racism and prejudice. If the results of racism and prejudice are de facto segregated schools, so be it. Let's focus on making sure that the little black kids left in the public schools are getting the best education they can get. We need to stop feeding their minds with the idea that there is something wrong the schools because no white kids are there, or that they can't get a good education because no white kids are there. (Note also that not all white students leave public schools because of racism. Sometimes it's just a matter of choosing the better school.)

WHY AM I HERE?
June 5, 2006

This has been a reoccuring question since my arrival on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Each time I have answered, I have never given the exact same answer. I have said that I am here because I love working with children; I didn't like practicing law, so I wanted to try a career that I thought I would enjoy; and I want to affect the lives of children in my community. All of these reasons are intertwined in the predominant reason that I am here -- because teaching is what I feel the Lord wants me to do.

Last winter/spring, I read the book Purpose Driven Life along with a group of about 7 lawyers and other young professionals. The book is composed of 40 chapters to be read one chapter per day and attempts to focus the reader on understanding what his or her purpose in life is from a Christian perspective. It was my second time reading the book in six months. Instead of just talking about the chapters with a partner like I did the first time I read it, I emailed entries to the group each day based on the day's reading. I found a common theme in my entries: 1) practicing law was not for me at that point in my life; 2) what brings me joy and satisfaction, regardless of the challenges and emotional investment it requires, is working with young people; and 3) my greatest desire is to serve God in whatever way he deems most appropriate. At that point in my life, I realized that I would not be at peace unless I allowed God to lead me. This is the email that I wrote to my Purpose Driven Life group that identified the exact point in time when it became clear to me that I would be a teacher:

Subject:	RE: Purpose Driven Life Day 23- How we Grow
Date:	Tue, 15 Mar 2005 17:25:50 -0500

Here we go again. I didn't have to talk about the work thing for the last couple of entries, but this question is making me talk about it again. Here goes ... Typically, when it comes to making important decisions, I will decide to do something, make a plan to do it, and then do it. For a LOOONG time I would make the initial decision without really consulting God. Now, I've started consulting him, but I keep saying to myself, is that God's answer, rather than accepting a message as a direction from God and doing it. Let me be specific. Last weekend I visited my aunt who I suppose is mid to late sixties. We talked about my boring life among other things and she said that she would pray for me in two areas - one being ... my professional situation (I have not been miserable lately but neither have I been content). So, last week I was awakened in the middle of the night with a thought in my mind about what I am supposed to be doing. It wasn't even something that I myself have said I wanted to do before. I was almost certain that this message was from God. Then my rational mind jumped in the way, and I started questioning: Maybe that was the devil that put that in my head ... things are not right for me to do that ... will I be able to make it financially ... how do I know when I'm supposed to do it... do I even have the necessary skills for that ... what if I'm even worse at that then I am as a lawyer. Still don't know if I received a message from God, but I do know that I need to let go of my way - which is to only do things after I analyze them and find them be rational, and after I have made a plan to do them. To do things God's way, I must have faith in Him and not cling to certain things because they are safe and predictable. I can't think of one time I've ever exercised my faith in God, and I think this is probably keeping me from growing.

So, for those who can understand this--and even those that can't--I am here because God put it in my heart to teach. My being here involves me stepping out on faith and doing what God put in my heart to do - even though it means a tremendous salary cut, harder work than I've ever done in my life, and uncertainty about a lot of things.