DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Safe Corners

 

One of my most meaningful accomplishments in the classroom that positively impacted my students comes from teaching a lesson on human sexuality. When subbing for 7-12 graders I usually implement a three-corners exercise in which I read off both positive and negative statements about gay life (eg. It is okay for gay and lesbian couples to have children and form a family.) and the students will have to choose a corner in the room that reflects their views (agree, disagree, and not sure). Implementing this lesson is a way to engage students in a discussion about one of the most important human rights issues of our times.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
User-uploaded Content

exit slip from 6th grader.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Initially, I tell my students that we will be discussing a very important social issue and I lay out ground rules for respectful communication. This is to set the tone so that they will treat the subject with greater sensitively. After reading a statement and the students have chosen their corners, I start a discussion by asking two students from each camp why they chose their side. I then prompt two more students from the other corners to respond to their classmates' assertions. Doing this creates a more student-centered class and the students will learn to formally address each other. I mediate the discussion by paraphrasing or clarifying important points that they've raised, underlining their significance as potential take-aways from the discussion. I also ask leading questions that would allow them to examine and articulate the underlying assumptions in some of their claims.

 

As a culminating assessment, I ask the students to fill out an exit slip that answers the following questions: (1) What did you learn about yourself? (2) What did you learn about your classmates? Their answers in these exit slips are often revelatory. In the years that I've taught this lesson, several students have appreciatively admitted to being gay or lesbian on the exit slips.

 

By creating a forum for students to give voice and examine their varying views on human sexuality I am reinforcing the idea that it is okay to have differences of opinion on such an important issue but we still must be respectful in how we present our views to each other. By treating this subject with directness and candor I am also inherently advocating for the respectful treatment of individuals who are LGBTQ.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Making an Impact

 

This is my impact paper from my initial student-teaching experience. It details how I supported Omi, an advanced student; Awais, a visual learner; and Armand, a hard-worker who is uncomfortable with being in an ICT classroom. Upon reading it over I have rediscovered strategies on how to support students in their writing, which I listed on the Differentiation section. 

 

What comes across very clearly is my continuing dedication towards knowing each student as individuals and learning how to best capitalize on what they have to offer.  For Omi it is her endless curiousity, for Awais, his nature as a visual learner, and for Armand, his insistence on simple and direct instructions.  This paper also reminds me to continue my ongoing efforts towards building a curriculum that not only furthers my students’ English language skills but is relevant to them as both social/cultural people and as unique individuals. 

 

Collado Impact Paper.doc

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.