If I had the choice, I would like to teach a lesson on the history of the United States. I have always loved history, and I specifically love U.S. History. When Bill Ayers talks about building bridges, I believe that he means for students to be creating connections; connections from what they're learning, to real world situations. One activity I could do is have the students create an alternative history. An example may be: What would history be like if Hitler would have conquered the United States during World War II? Here, they would have to think about what our world is like today and be able to foresee what would be different. They would need to look into current events and change them based on this different occurrence in history. This would make the students aware of what our current history is and force them to build bridges in order to see how history has impacted current events today. Further, it would help them to be able to predict what a different future may look like. Another activity that would help students build bridges within history would be to look into the building of this country and the changes that happen within our government. I could have the students review The Bill of Rights, evaluate it, and pull current examples of what it has done to form this country and change the history.
In order to teach my lessons well, and get the points I want to across, I need to keep my students intrigued. I need to be creative in what I assign and how I teach my lessons. I will be enthusiastic, because the students will need to see my passion for them and what I am teaching them. I need, and also want my students to feel that I am fully dedicated to helping them; that my job is to help them learn and succeed. I want them to look up to me, but not fear me. I want them to feel as though they can come to me for help on things other than just school work. I need to be open to all of the different cultures, languages, and situations that I will encounter. I need to make all my students feel welcome and comfortable in my classroom as well as my presence. I want my classroom to be a judge free zone where everyone feels they can act and speak as they wish, without fear of what others may think. All of these points that I have made, are points I learned from the readings of Freire, Ohanian, DiGiulio, and even Ayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment