Above: Students at work in my 9th grade World History classroom.
A note on The Teaching Contexts
In order to teach my students in a way that is meaningful to them, I believe must know them, and some of those differences are worth noting here. In 2010 I audited the class of a graduate student of secondary education at the University of Minnesota who insisted that so-called “best practices” did a disservice to students and teachers, both. Even before I knew what it could mean, he insisted that the only way to know how to teach students is to know them—as individuals, as a class, and as a student body. This year, this task of getting to know my students has not been singular. I student teach in two different Small Learning Communities at the same large comprehensive neighborhood school in Philadelphia. This essay considers work from across both Small Learning Communities, but does not seek to compare the two communities. Nonetheless, I must note the distinctions that affect my analysis.
My three classes of secondary social studies students include one section of ninth grade World History and two sections of tenth grade African American History. (In Philadelphia, African American History is a mandated course, resembling a standard U.S. History course but examined through the lens of African American experience.) Initially I planned for my inquiry project to examine only my World History course, because it was the first class I taught full-time, starting in October, and the most challenging for me as a new teacher. But as the year progressed, I broadened my inquiry question to include both learning communities (and all three classes), as well as narrowing its focus in response to various discoveries.
At the 3000-student high school where I student teach, about nine Small Learning Communities (SLCs) break up the student population by either grade level, special interest, or special admission. My World History course is part of a small community for incoming ninth graders who have been pre-identified for behavioral intervention, enrolling about 100 students, some of whom are repeating the program for a second or third year. The “Focus on Success” program specifically targets students without Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and with basic or above-basic test scores, who have chronic truancy patterns and/or emotional or other disorders. The academic rigor of the courses taught in the Focus community is below other ninth grade classes in the mainstream high school—absenteeism is a significant factor, as well as classroom management and other behavioral issues.
Both of my African American History courses are in the magnet program, which maintains a culture of seriousness and rigor around academics that sets it apart from other parts of the school. Most of my students in those sections arrive to class with strong study skills, work habits, and high expectations for teacher preparedness, let alone a basic shared assumption that school is about books.
These differences affect my lesson design and peer relationships in the classroom. The culture of the Focus community values personal independence and personal accountability over collaboration and constructive peer relationships. Although I have experimented with full-class discussions and paired-work assignments there, I have found much more success among all students when assignments and projects require independent work. This is dramatically different than my African American History classes, wherein students sit in small groups, and work in pairs, groups, and independently during every class period. I respect the need for different methodologies in different contexts, but prefer the norms of the magnet community, in which most teachers—particularly English and Social Studies—regularly require students to collaborate with their peers regularly. I do not believe that my Focus students are incapable of collaboration, it simply is not the norm among that team of teachers to develop students’ skills for group work.
In my magnet classes, curriculum design also affects social relationships in the classroom. My classroom mentor’s implementation of Backward Design planning and project-based learning are a natural locus for group work (Tomlinson & McTeague, 2009). In the context of my inquiry project, peer collaboration becomes a meaningful component in students’ toolkit for historical literacy. “By working with others, students gain verification for and confidence in voicing their opinions and ideas” (Beach, 30), and their ability and willingness to share their own perspective is critical to orienting themselves in the study of history.
My three classes of secondary social studies students include one section of ninth grade World History and two sections of tenth grade African American History. (In Philadelphia, African American History is a mandated course, resembling a standard U.S. History course but examined through the lens of African American experience.) Initially I planned for my inquiry project to examine only my World History course, because it was the first class I taught full-time, starting in October, and the most challenging for me as a new teacher. But as the year progressed, I broadened my inquiry question to include both learning communities (and all three classes), as well as narrowing its focus in response to various discoveries.
At the 3000-student high school where I student teach, about nine Small Learning Communities (SLCs) break up the student population by either grade level, special interest, or special admission. My World History course is part of a small community for incoming ninth graders who have been pre-identified for behavioral intervention, enrolling about 100 students, some of whom are repeating the program for a second or third year. The “Focus on Success” program specifically targets students without Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and with basic or above-basic test scores, who have chronic truancy patterns and/or emotional or other disorders. The academic rigor of the courses taught in the Focus community is below other ninth grade classes in the mainstream high school—absenteeism is a significant factor, as well as classroom management and other behavioral issues.
Both of my African American History courses are in the magnet program, which maintains a culture of seriousness and rigor around academics that sets it apart from other parts of the school. Most of my students in those sections arrive to class with strong study skills, work habits, and high expectations for teacher preparedness, let alone a basic shared assumption that school is about books.
These differences affect my lesson design and peer relationships in the classroom. The culture of the Focus community values personal independence and personal accountability over collaboration and constructive peer relationships. Although I have experimented with full-class discussions and paired-work assignments there, I have found much more success among all students when assignments and projects require independent work. This is dramatically different than my African American History classes, wherein students sit in small groups, and work in pairs, groups, and independently during every class period. I respect the need for different methodologies in different contexts, but prefer the norms of the magnet community, in which most teachers—particularly English and Social Studies—regularly require students to collaborate with their peers regularly. I do not believe that my Focus students are incapable of collaboration, it simply is not the norm among that team of teachers to develop students’ skills for group work.
In my magnet classes, curriculum design also affects social relationships in the classroom. My classroom mentor’s implementation of Backward Design planning and project-based learning are a natural locus for group work (Tomlinson & McTeague, 2009). In the context of my inquiry project, peer collaboration becomes a meaningful component in students’ toolkit for historical literacy. “By working with others, students gain verification for and confidence in voicing their opinions and ideas” (Beach, 30), and their ability and willingness to share their own perspective is critical to orienting themselves in the study of history.