Zinzer - Week 4

Lean into the Lesson.

It was a short week, only two days, but I'll take it as it was nice to have a break from the classroom to get organized for the edTPA, lesson planning and submission of assignments for seminar.

This week I've been doing a lot of prep work getting ready to teach Night by Elie Wiesel.  This is part of the continuation of Unit 4 which highlights war and global conflict.  One of the essential questions I'll be asking students is why do humans add grief to grief and aggravate suffering with cruel treatment of one another.  We've been exploring this question since the beginning of January.  I think the reading of The Book of Job, Linda Pastan's "The Imperfect Paradise" along with all of the discussions that took place around these pieces will be a great segway into reading Night as well as "The Melian Dialogue".  The lecture/discussing style works well for my cooperating teacher, but I plan on modifying this format to more of an interactive and hands-on learning environment.  Standard 4 - Instructional Delivery is a good fit here when I'm planning my lessons and classroom activities.  My cooperating teacher does not rely on classroom activities and has more of a lecture-style approach, but I feel like there are many benefits to interactive activities and collaboration.  I'm looking forward to the delivery of my instruction hitting all aspects of learning.  Next week, when I teach "The Melian Dialogue", I plan on using whole group discussion, small group discussion with sharing out components and a reflective writing activity.

I've learned that students need to lean into the lesson because it won't come find you.  I've also learned that this is the case with student teaching especially when it comes time to prepare for a lesson.  As stated earlier, I've been preparing for Night and I've had to search out various resources and research to help me strengthen my instruction and knowledge on the Holocaust.  Standard 2 - Content Are and Pedagogical Knowledge fits here.  In addition to other resources, I've listened to speeches and recordings of survivor's stories.  It's been emotional, and at times, heartbreaking, but the more knowledge I have about the subject matter, the better I can transfer the knowledge to my students.

I hope to learn and discover that the knowledge I have gained about the Holocaust and Wiesel's, Night is well received by my students.  It's a sensitive topic and I want to make sure I teach it carefully and give it the time it needs and deserves.  I've realized that it's all about timelines and due dates, but I want to make certain that we take our time on Night and explore everything we need to explore.  We might not have all of the answers as to why this horrific event happened, but through Wiesel's memoir, we can capture a sense of what he went through by walking in his shoes and feeling his pain.  Empathy is an important lesson for all students to learn.  Night will lend itself in a profound way as the students will be able to see through Wiesel's eyes, listen through his ears and feel through his heart.

As a side note, I received a text from my cooperating teacher last night about one of our students.  The message was to let me know that this student's father passed away.  My heart broke for this student.  Even though I do not know him well, this still had a powerful impact on me and the empathy that I feel for him is ten-fold.  It will be a learning experience as we navigate through this tough situation as a class.  This student will be on my mind and in my heart these next few weeks.  I will take into consideration all that this student is facing when it comes to instruction, pacing, extra time, consideration and just being there as a person with whom he can talk to.

~Kirsten