Here's an outline of what I taught yesterday. A random day.
Throughout the week, we've been looking at how to DO science and how to WRITE about science (as contrasted with the LEARNING science we did last week.) We were discussing Reaction Time; I tossed an orange to every student and they each returned it to me. They had no idea what I was doing, and I had their full attention. We defined RT and discussed how quickly the brain can process the outside world.
I then introduced a lab - one that I did in high school. A partner holds a meter stick vertically, and student 1 puts an open hand directly below the ruler. Without warning, the partner drops the ruler and it falls toward the ground, through the student's open hand. The student squeezes his/her fist in order to catch the ruler. The distance that it falls (measured by where the student's hand catches the ruler) is a measure of reaction time.
Each student did this 5 times, then calculated their personal drop-distance (the average of their five catches). Then each student put their data on the board and all students copied the class data. Before we started the lab, students had to make predictions about their own drop-distance, the class average, and whether there would be gender differences. After they gathered the results, they calculated the averages and for homework, they each had to write a 1-page mini lab report addressing the hypotheses they made, their own/class results, and draw conclusions.
We've DONE two experiments and WRITTEN two lab reports this week; Friday in class we'll discuss issues of experimental error and sample size and data/graphs. Several of the kids has profound difficulties doing long division on paper, so it may be a challenging topic.
No class today; kids are on a field trip and there are a few of us left here to do work. tata!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
I Adore the Continuing Craziness!
Week Two: the Craziness Continues -- An Overview
Monday: A deceptively normal, quiet day. No tantrums, no spilled milk, no tears, no major disciplines.
Tuesday: Family Night (we all stayed late to present to and meet the parents/guardians/god mother etc). Relatively low turn out, but very rewarding when I learned that my students had talked about my class to their family and parents were particularly interested to hear about the upcoming sheep brain dissection!
Wednesday: Math Department Day (each dept has a day, well, an afternoon really, to organize events or stations or a carnival or whatnot to have each Village (aka "Advisory group") get pumped to do math or whatever the topic is). We chaperoned our Village through four stations, competing for points, and in the end, my Village triumphed. Surprisingly!
Thursday: Lesson Plans due for week 3 - which will be the best week yet. Drawing brains on swim caps, dissecting a sheep brain in class, and 20-Questions for brain functions. Also due: our student evaluations (aka 'report cards'). The kiddoes are all off-campus today for a field trip for Career Day; all dressed in Sunday-Best/Professional wear to shadow businessmen and professionals in Miami
I have a visitor coming for the weekend! Yippee!
Friday: Another day of normal classes; turn in my Peer Observation form. Celebrate another week completed! Adventure to find Cuban food with Travis (shouldn't be too hard; Little Havana/Calle Ocho is not far from where I live/work).
Typical days this week: up at 6:30, to school by 7:30, leave school at 6:00, back to the dorms for a run, then scavenging or foraging for dinners. Cup Noodles, PB&J or semi-stale Cheeze Nips have consisted of meals for some of us. Grocery shopping never felt so good!
A note to readers: I am deliberately NOT writing much about the content of my lessons. If you'd like to know more about what I'm teaching, drop me a Comment and say so. I'm happy to share, I just don't want to scare you off.
Monday: A deceptively normal, quiet day. No tantrums, no spilled milk, no tears, no major disciplines.
Tuesday: Family Night (we all stayed late to present to and meet the parents/guardians/god mother etc). Relatively low turn out, but very rewarding when I learned that my students had talked about my class to their family and parents were particularly interested to hear about the upcoming sheep brain dissection!
Wednesday: Math Department Day (each dept has a day, well, an afternoon really, to organize events or stations or a carnival or whatnot to have each Village (aka "Advisory group") get pumped to do math or whatever the topic is). We chaperoned our Village through four stations, competing for points, and in the end, my Village triumphed. Surprisingly!
Thursday: Lesson Plans due for week 3 - which will be the best week yet. Drawing brains on swim caps, dissecting a sheep brain in class, and 20-Questions for brain functions. Also due: our student evaluations (aka 'report cards'). The kiddoes are all off-campus today for a field trip for Career Day; all dressed in Sunday-Best/Professional wear to shadow businessmen and professionals in Miami
I have a visitor coming for the weekend! Yippee!
Friday: Another day of normal classes; turn in my Peer Observation form. Celebrate another week completed! Adventure to find Cuban food with Travis (shouldn't be too hard; Little Havana/Calle Ocho is not far from where I live/work).
Typical days this week: up at 6:30, to school by 7:30, leave school at 6:00, back to the dorms for a run, then scavenging or foraging for dinners. Cup Noodles, PB&J or semi-stale Cheeze Nips have consisted of meals for some of us. Grocery shopping never felt so good!
A note to readers: I am deliberately NOT writing much about the content of my lessons. If you'd like to know more about what I'm teaching, drop me a Comment and say so. I'm happy to share, I just don't want to scare you off.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Drag queens, Chicken and South Beach
Now, that is what I expected when I thought about Miami. Waitresses in leopard print bikinis, "men" in make-up and pink skirts who will kiss a girl's boobs for cash (yes, the ladies pay to have a photo taken with this strange she-man kissing/grabbing her) and banana yellow thongs...on a European man at the beach.
So that's not WHY I came to Miami this summer, but it is a bit more exciting that the territory around where we live in Coral Gables at the U Miami dorms. Relying on buses, it took us an hour and a half to get to SB, then we strolled along Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive - two of the main streets in SB, enjoyed a coffee, a bit of crazy window shopping, and hit the flat, flawless, fantastic white sand beach, the sun winking off small waves as the tide came in. We enjoyed the sun, the sand, the water, and the view for about an hour until the afternoon lightning storm hit; through blasting megaphones, the lifeguards demanded we all exit the bathtub-esque water.
With an hour to kill as the heavens angrily opened, we had lunch at an old-timey, over-priced deli. Meandering through the main strip, we took macabre photos at the Versace Mansion where the clothing mogul was shot on his front step a decade ago. The blood's gone nowadays.
Returning to the beach, we had a tournament of "Chicken". I had never played, and lost my first match but won the second. We had a peanut gallery of thirty-something men watching and betting on who would win. One exclaimed "I've got my money on the pretty one." As we all glared at him for such a rude comment, we added "so I can't lose- they're both pretty". Gathering what was left of their vanishing maturity, they departed.
Finishing our homage to the beach, we sought out a tattoo/piercing shop with ease. (Some parts of SB are similar to the trashiness of Myrtle Beach in SC). On girl in our group wanted a belly button piercing, so we found the least sketchy place (it's all relative) and she did it. We all watched and engaged in conversation with the tattoo-covered store owner. I never knew the s-word could be a synonym for so many basic English words. Our friend is fine, happy, and stylishly displaying her new addition.
Sunday is passing with a much more domestic scene: a 90-degree run, tanning at the pool while grading papers, and a much-anticipated shopping trip at the local mall down US-1.
So that's not WHY I came to Miami this summer, but it is a bit more exciting that the territory around where we live in Coral Gables at the U Miami dorms. Relying on buses, it took us an hour and a half to get to SB, then we strolled along Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive - two of the main streets in SB, enjoyed a coffee, a bit of crazy window shopping, and hit the flat, flawless, fantastic white sand beach, the sun winking off small waves as the tide came in. We enjoyed the sun, the sand, the water, and the view for about an hour until the afternoon lightning storm hit; through blasting megaphones, the lifeguards demanded we all exit the bathtub-esque water.
With an hour to kill as the heavens angrily opened, we had lunch at an old-timey, over-priced deli. Meandering through the main strip, we took macabre photos at the Versace Mansion where the clothing mogul was shot on his front step a decade ago. The blood's gone nowadays.
Returning to the beach, we had a tournament of "Chicken". I had never played, and lost my first match but won the second. We had a peanut gallery of thirty-something men watching and betting on who would win. One exclaimed "I've got my money on the pretty one." As we all glared at him for such a rude comment, we added "so I can't lose- they're both pretty". Gathering what was left of their vanishing maturity, they departed.
Finishing our homage to the beach, we sought out a tattoo/piercing shop with ease. (Some parts of SB are similar to the trashiness of Myrtle Beach in SC). On girl in our group wanted a belly button piercing, so we found the least sketchy place (it's all relative) and she did it. We all watched and engaged in conversation with the tattoo-covered store owner. I never knew the s-word could be a synonym for so many basic English words. Our friend is fine, happy, and stylishly displaying her new addition.
Sunday is passing with a much more domestic scene: a 90-degree run, tanning at the pool while grading papers, and a much-anticipated shopping trip at the local mall down US-1.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Lizards, Flaming Palm Trees and Optical Illusions
How could you NOT read it, with a title like that?
We've finished four days of classes, prep, meetings, panics, and battles with technology. The items in the title were the highlights of today.
I'm teaching a unit on vision and the eyes, so I hooked the kids today with a fun optical illusion. My first class followed along some really tough material and at the end, I got a simultaneous, audible, smile-inducing "AHAH! That's so cool!" from more than half of them. It was heart-warming. They really GOT it.
After I let that class go, there was a wicked loud fire alarm. In fact, the buzz alternated with an automated voice ominously saying "A fire has been reported in your building; please exit immediately!". We gathered the kids and scurried to the field, assuming it was a drill. It is a summer school, after all. Yet, we found out later that construction somehow led to a palm tree, aflame. I didn't see or smell it, but they are demolishing a building on campus, so there are a lot of odd smells, loud sounds and large machines.
Arrived at 7:30am; departed after a long staff meeting at 6:00pm. Returned home (aka dorms) to find the parents of one kid donated to us a bunch of Costco cereals and granola and such. Went for a run... returned after 8pm and the temperature was still - no kidding - 87 degrees. On the, run I encountered (read: was startled by and lept over) a foot-long green chameleon on the sidewalk where I run. There are frogs the size of two fists; small skinks and other amphibians and reptiles everywhere.
Class is going well, the days are long, the obligations are daunting, but when I get in the room with my kids (2nd period - 6 and 4th period - 9), time stops, fears vanish, and it's just me, my knowledge and their eager faces and minds. It's invigorating and I love it. So much work, but it's still worth it so far.
Tata
We've finished four days of classes, prep, meetings, panics, and battles with technology. The items in the title were the highlights of today.
I'm teaching a unit on vision and the eyes, so I hooked the kids today with a fun optical illusion. My first class followed along some really tough material and at the end, I got a simultaneous, audible, smile-inducing "AHAH! That's so cool!" from more than half of them. It was heart-warming. They really GOT it.
After I let that class go, there was a wicked loud fire alarm. In fact, the buzz alternated with an automated voice ominously saying "A fire has been reported in your building; please exit immediately!". We gathered the kids and scurried to the field, assuming it was a drill. It is a summer school, after all. Yet, we found out later that construction somehow led to a palm tree, aflame. I didn't see or smell it, but they are demolishing a building on campus, so there are a lot of odd smells, loud sounds and large machines.
Arrived at 7:30am; departed after a long staff meeting at 6:00pm. Returned home (aka dorms) to find the parents of one kid donated to us a bunch of Costco cereals and granola and such. Went for a run... returned after 8pm and the temperature was still - no kidding - 87 degrees. On the, run I encountered (read: was startled by and lept over) a foot-long green chameleon on the sidewalk where I run. There are frogs the size of two fists; small skinks and other amphibians and reptiles everywhere.
Class is going well, the days are long, the obligations are daunting, but when I get in the room with my kids (2nd period - 6 and 4th period - 9), time stops, fears vanish, and it's just me, my knowledge and their eager faces and minds. It's invigorating and I love it. So much work, but it's still worth it so far.
Tata
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Class Starts Tomorrow!!
We finished a ridiculously long day on Saturday; the week-long training is over and now we have class for REAL on Monday. A typical day begins with a short staff meeting, then we greet the kids as they arrive around 8am and take them to breakfast in the cafeteria. Academic period 1 begins at 8:30 and there are four classes before lunch. After lunch they have an elective (usually artistic or performance based) then an elective that is athletic (think: recess time) then a period like Advisory where there are 12 kids and three Teachers for half an hour. Kids are dismissed at 3:30 and we have another, long staff meeting to cover all business for the day. The week is also peppered with department meetings (holla, science!) or the teams to which we each belong (special events or academics or advising). There are also going to be professional development meetings and speakers etc. Oh man oh man.
I teach period 2 and 4; I have seven in my first class and eleven in my second. This may change a bit, but unfortunately one of the science teachers quit at the last minute, so all the kids are distributed over one less class (choices are Biology, Chemistry, physics masquerading as "Force and Motion" and mine), so they are all a little bit larger than the hoped-for size of 8.
I'm preparing for my first day, but all my lesson plans for week one are complete. Tomorrow I'll lead the kids through introductions, cover expectations, rules and consequences, and a brief discussion of what they know about the brain and what they hope to learn this summer. The fun stuff starts Tuesday as we launch into vision, the eye, and the brain. YouTube has some great videos; I have some cool labs planned (include a sheep brain dissection...yesss!); I'm borrowing from CA Biology and from my introduction to neurobiology from last semester.
I feel pretty much ready, but so much is up in the air -- how will the kids (in 6th, 7th and 8th) get along, how will they respond to me, will it make sense, will they be excited or overwhelmed... and more. Well, we'll see tomorrow. Typical days will find me awaking at 6:30, off to school around 7:15 and returning "home" (aka jail-cell-like UMiami dorms and 17 fun-loving crazy but exhausted fellow Teachers) around 4:30 to then do 1-3 hours of work. Ah the joys.
Wish me luck!!
Ciao
I teach period 2 and 4; I have seven in my first class and eleven in my second. This may change a bit, but unfortunately one of the science teachers quit at the last minute, so all the kids are distributed over one less class (choices are Biology, Chemistry, physics masquerading as "Force and Motion" and mine), so they are all a little bit larger than the hoped-for size of 8.
I'm preparing for my first day, but all my lesson plans for week one are complete. Tomorrow I'll lead the kids through introductions, cover expectations, rules and consequences, and a brief discussion of what they know about the brain and what they hope to learn this summer. The fun stuff starts Tuesday as we launch into vision, the eye, and the brain. YouTube has some great videos; I have some cool labs planned (include a sheep brain dissection...yesss!); I'm borrowing from CA Biology and from my introduction to neurobiology from last semester.
I feel pretty much ready, but so much is up in the air -- how will the kids (in 6th, 7th and 8th) get along, how will they respond to me, will it make sense, will they be excited or overwhelmed... and more. Well, we'll see tomorrow. Typical days will find me awaking at 6:30, off to school around 7:15 and returning "home" (aka jail-cell-like UMiami dorms and 17 fun-loving crazy but exhausted fellow Teachers) around 4:30 to then do 1-3 hours of work. Ah the joys.
Wish me luck!!
Ciao
Saturday, June 16, 2007
(nearly) done with Training!
So, I am completing my last day (Saturday) of Orientation and Training Week. On the whole it’s been effective; we’ve learned how to develop structured lesson plans, how to manage the behavior of our kids, we’ve learned about our kids’ background and several issues of diversity and working with adolescents. It’s been exhausting and we’re working roughly 7:30AM to 6PM. There are 17 of us living in the dorms, which is fantastic. It’s social, loud, cheery and so many fun people. I’ve met some great people who are somehow very different and more relaxed than Harvard folks (no offence to you all; I like you all too!). Unfortunately, we have to buy our own food each night; we have no kitchen in the dorm. We do have two microwaves and two mini-fridges and some granola bars etc that were donated to us by the staff here and the parents of participating students!
The kids come on Monday morning, which is exciting and oh-my-god-inducing as well! This will be a well-deserved half-weekend! Hopefully we can hit the pool again and rest a lot and prepare for Monday’s first teaching gig!
Off to another training session… tata!
The kids come on Monday morning, which is exciting and oh-my-god-inducing as well! This will be a well-deserved half-weekend! Hopefully we can hit the pool again and rest a lot and prepare for Monday’s first teaching gig!
Off to another training session… tata!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Orienting and Training
So it is the morning of Day 2 of training and I have a fleeting window of stolen, unsecured internet!
* if you've sent me email, I have gotten it, but can't yet reply. I'll reply as soon as I have regular internet through the dorms here (Wednesday?)
Sunday, we went to the beach, by bus which took about an hour and a half to go 5 miles, but it was great. Key Biscayne is beautiful and calm, and the white beach is laced with palm trees, singing ice cream trucks, and Spanish-speaking hot dog vendors. Sun burn ensued. There is a lake behind my dorm that is connected to a canal; there's a sign that says "No Swimming Crocodiles in the area", and yesterday several of my dormer friends (there are 17 of us in the UM Dorms) saw a croc chillin' on the grass next to the lake. Yipes!
Monday = day 1 of orientation. Campus tour of the school, meeting new people, introductions to the history of the program and learning camp cheers. The founder of Breakthrough spoke to us - she started the program in SF 30 years ago, so her words were very interesting. Last night I spent making my rough draft 6-weeks plan for brain science. Anatomy, mental illness, language learning and vision are my main topics, but it's way harder than I thought to put it together in a creative, engaging, and appropriate way!
I'm off to meet my carpool for my 3-min drive to the school for Day 2 of Orientation; we meet with our Mentor Teachers (ie people who are real teachers) to evaluate and give suggestions on lessons plans.
We're all tired from the mental workout of a 7:30 to 5:30 job + a few hours of assignments and prep each night, but this week and next should be most hectic. then it'll calm down after next week. Adieu!
* if you've sent me email, I have gotten it, but can't yet reply. I'll reply as soon as I have regular internet through the dorms here (Wednesday?)
Sunday, we went to the beach, by bus which took about an hour and a half to go 5 miles, but it was great. Key Biscayne is beautiful and calm, and the white beach is laced with palm trees, singing ice cream trucks, and Spanish-speaking hot dog vendors. Sun burn ensued. There is a lake behind my dorm that is connected to a canal; there's a sign that says "No Swimming Crocodiles in the area", and yesterday several of my dormer friends (there are 17 of us in the UM Dorms) saw a croc chillin' on the grass next to the lake. Yipes!
Monday = day 1 of orientation. Campus tour of the school, meeting new people, introductions to the history of the program and learning camp cheers. The founder of Breakthrough spoke to us - she started the program in SF 30 years ago, so her words were very interesting. Last night I spent making my rough draft 6-weeks plan for brain science. Anatomy, mental illness, language learning and vision are my main topics, but it's way harder than I thought to put it together in a creative, engaging, and appropriate way!
I'm off to meet my carpool for my 3-min drive to the school for Day 2 of Orientation; we meet with our Mentor Teachers (ie people who are real teachers) to evaluate and give suggestions on lessons plans.
We're all tired from the mental workout of a 7:30 to 5:30 job + a few hours of assignments and prep each night, but this week and next should be most hectic. then it'll calm down after next week. Adieu!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Day 1 and 2
Friday and Saturday were/have been great. Friday we hung out with other Breakthrough people in our dorm - we all live in the same hall, so it's our little dorm to ourselves. We explored a nearby shopping mall, and experienced our first major storm, which we weathered (shivering and wet) in a Wendy's. We attended the Orientation dinner, which turned out to be catered Chickfila and a Q&A (rhymes!). Today, we had Thai for brunch and went to the pool for the afternoon, and I have my frist TAN now! (Bye bye Boston colors!) Tonight, a group of us are gathering at the apartment of one of our fellow Teachers (she has a kitchen) and we're all making and sharing a dinner o bread, salad, and pasta.
By the way, we do not have internet in UMiami yet since our program wasn't yet approved by the IT folks; it should be resolved on Mon or Tuesday. I'm using the laptop of the girl who is hosting us for dinner. Otherwise, the people here are great - a very diverse group of Teachers. All's well (so long as my 'tan' does not turn into 'burn') .
By the way, we do not have internet in UMiami yet since our program wasn't yet approved by the IT folks; it should be resolved on Mon or Tuesday. I'm using the laptop of the girl who is hosting us for dinner. Otherwise, the people here are great - a very diverse group of Teachers. All's well (so long as my 'tan' does not turn into 'burn') .
Friday, June 8, 2007
Bienvenidos a Miami!
I'm here! I arrived last night, and departed the plane into sultry, steamy and somewhat suffocating Miami! I love it - I didn't hear English for at least 100 yards from my gate. The airport is huge, so my public transportation mantra of "follow every one else because they probably know more than me" didn't work; there were people everywhere.
No matter though; a Dean from the program picked me up and delivered me to my University of Miami dormitory home last night. I'm settled in, bags unpacked, photos pasted to the wall, and laptop into action. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the UM internet, so I'm using an unsecured wireless from a bank across the street. Hmm.
My roommate and some others from the program got in this morning, so a group of us are going to go forage for lunch in the area.
- post lunch -
There's a big student center here with a food court (including Panda Express, which I know will make Greg and Gibran happy!). We have a dinner/orientation training session at 4, but otherwise there's a group of 5 of us who are exploring and adventuring now.
No matter though; a Dean from the program picked me up and delivered me to my University of Miami dormitory home last night. I'm settled in, bags unpacked, photos pasted to the wall, and laptop into action. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the UM internet, so I'm using an unsecured wireless from a bank across the street. Hmm.
My roommate and some others from the program got in this morning, so a group of us are going to go forage for lunch in the area.
- post lunch -
There's a big student center here with a food court (including Panda Express, which I know will make Greg and Gibran happy!). We have a dinner/orientation training session at 4, but otherwise there's a group of 5 of us who are exploring and adventuring now.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome, all, to my blog which will record my inaugural teaching experiences and adventures in the balmy city of Miami! The program is run by Breakthrough Collaborative - a national non-profit that sponsors rigorous academic summer programs for middle school-aged students in 35 cities in the US. Participants are all gifted and talented, but hail from disadvantaged backgrounds. Each city's program is run entirely by college students; we comprise the Teachers, the Advisers and coordinate all field trips, projects, and performances. I'm teaching science, and bizarrely chose to teach neuroscience, so we'll see how it goes! There are 30 Teachers at my school and about 100 students; ab0ut 2/3 of the students speak Spanish as their native language. I'm living at Univ Miami which is about a 10 minute commute to the school, which is one of the oldest private schools in America, and looks pretty ritzy (both UM and the school have air conditioning...yess!)
I arrive Thursday night and partake in the welcome dinner and introductions. We then have the weekend free to explore and meet new people; Orientation and Training begin in earnest on Monday (Jun 11th) and we start teaching a week later (18th).
I'm simultaneously excited and apprehensive, but I'm sure it'll be a blast. I'm confident that I'll rid myself of my so-called "Winter Colors" kindly provided by Boston's eternal coldness.
Check back later for more details!
I arrive Thursday night and partake in the welcome dinner and introductions. We then have the weekend free to explore and meet new people; Orientation and Training begin in earnest on Monday (Jun 11th) and we start teaching a week later (18th).
I'm simultaneously excited and apprehensive, but I'm sure it'll be a blast. I'm confident that I'll rid myself of my so-called "Winter Colors" kindly provided by Boston's eternal coldness.
Check back later for more details!
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