Tuesday 1/21/03
Jack’s third and
fourth period class, Peer Mediation was a very different class. Composed mostly
of ninth graders, the students had a lot of energy and needed more time to settle
down at the beginning of class. In this class, they were watching Edward Albee’s
film called “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” which they would
watch for the next two to three days. Jack was very skillful in creating interest
in the film. In the beginning, he hands out an extra-credit worksheet which
has two questions which the students would need to pay attention to the movie
and analyze it to answer (1. Select the scene and describe the conflict 2. What
is happening under the surface of the conflict?). Jack gave an introduction
to the movie by describing the two characters, George and Martha, and something
about their relationship….he then asked students to think about the message
Albee is trying to tell his audience. Though I’m not sure what the students
had covered during the term, I had a feeling that the movie was a good way to
end the term. Students for the most part watched the movie intently.
During the fourth period class, Jack had to take one student out of the room
for behavior issues (e.g. he was moving out of his seat, and talking back disrespectfully
after being asked to cooperate). Jack was very smooth and effective in giving
the student a choice and removing the student quickly after his choice to be
disruptive, without creating much disruption or disorder in the classroom.
Wednesday 1/22/03
Again I noticed the class was more talkative, energetic than the earlier classes.
However, there was more of a classroom community atmosphere due to the increased
interactions and energy of these students. Jack again needs more time and assertiveness
to gain the attention of the class to start the activity.
Jack starts with a review of the movie and asks students for possible questions.
He introduces the concept of the “games” that Martha and George play
and who wins the games. He sets up the contrasts between the themes of love/hate,
truth/lies, real/games that are in the movie. I get a sense that he has to provide
a lot of scaffolding to help the students understand these concepts. The students
watch the film. As the film gets more intense and somewhat confusing, some students
do have trouble staying with the plot and understanding what is happening under
the surface. On the other hand, students are also intrigued and engaged in the
movie.
****
In general, I really enjoyed this class and also personally learned a lot myself. This class is Jack's specialty as he uses his natural storyteller abilities, sense of humor, practical wisdom, and wealth of life experiences to engage students to learn about themselves, to learn about their peers, and to learn about human nature in general. Jack used a variety of instructional techniques in this class such as film/media (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Mighty, Rage, Grand Canyon, etc), discussion in small groups and large groups, jigsaws, role-plays, skits, fish-bowls, daily journals/creative writing assignments, and sometimes lectures. Students worked in cooperative groups in almost every class getting to know their peers both informally and formally and being active participants in their learning. Jack was able to create a very relaxed, safe, comfortable classroom environment for sharing by modeling his own sensitivity and willingness to share personal stories. Students learned about passive, aggressive, and assertive behavior and learned to modify their behavior in various scenarios/situations. Students openly discussed thoughts, opinions, reflections and feelings about life, about their own experiences in school and beyond, about the class and topics learned in class, about society, and about the world. Students learned to different ways of approaching situations and resolving conflicts peacefully. I thought this class was successful in teaching students basic concepts, skills, and tools in an academic sense as well as in a social sense. Students would be able to remember and apply whatever they learned in this class to their own lives in the future and in a society that needs to cultivate these values.
BACK TO OBSERVATIONS | SEMINAR