Empowering Students in the Classroom

Students becoming the Teachers.

Our current class project involves a change in roles. The students must become the teacher.

The assignment is as follows:

• They have an assigned topic relative to English.
• They have 1 hour.
• They must have a presentation of the topic that allows students to learn the subject.
• They must be prepared to answer any questions the students have.
• They must have an activity that measures how well the students understood the topic.
• They are in charge of classroom management and effectively handling disruptions.

It is amazing to watch. They have spent a lot of time and thought in how they will manage their peers' behaviors. Some of the solutions have been:

1. Sending them out of the room to write an apology.

2. Giving stickers and points to students with good behaviors.

3. Moving certain people to the front.

4. Giving more responsibility to overactive students

 The really cool part is how much more the overall class participates when their peers are leading the activities and discussions.  They have been respectful to each other, managed time effectively, and created some awesome activities that I plan on using myself!  

They're teaching me too!

In the picture on the right the group above created a grammatical scavenger hunt. Below is a student answering questions about synonyms.

Great Participation!

I have learned so many things this year about myself, teaching, and how important it is to empower my students. Part of the reason I love this project so much is seeing how they flourish when given the freedom and responsibility in the classroom.

Creativity in the Classroom

What I learned from our class Biography Project...

Recently my students completed a biography project.  One thing I have had trouble with is getting the students to read a book in completion.  They will read a chapter in the beginning, one in the middle, and of course the final few pages. They assume they have highlighted the main points.

I decided from the beginning that every book my students read, I would read too. (I must say it was rather enjoyable watching them squirm when I asked them specific questions).

Students enjoying new books!

At the school I teach at, we are required to do book reports with the students every term. I didn't want to do a typical written or spoken presentation of basic facts.  I think its boring. So I decided to spice things up a bit.

Dictionaries are crucial for language learning activities.

For our biography books I used the Who Was Series. I love the design of these books. They have highlighted amazing facts, added comics, maps, and in a way that makes a fast read seem even faster.

Instead of the traditional book report. I decided to make it a public event, inviting parents and colleagues.  I believe it is important to let kids see their efforts are appreciated. I also designed the assignment as follows:

• 3 newspapers articles had to be written as informative, opinion, and entertainment about their biography
• a cartoon depicting something that happened to the character
• 3-5 advertisements based on the same time period their person was from
• 2 minute presentation of their newspaper design
• dramatization with the 3-4 other biography characters from around the same time period
• a dinner party where they had to answer as the character with questions given to the parents, to ask during the dinner

Here are a few of our Biography Characters...

The children had a chance to eat and talk in character.

I learned about some amazing people in this project. The lives of Amelia, Twain, DaVinci, Monet, Tubman, Lincoln, Dr. Suess, and so many more.  One thing they all had in common:

Their passions mixed with their cultural-moment in time, produced movements.

Sure, it might have been more efficient and easier if I had done a traditional report, but I believe in meaning in education and I think that this project brought meaning, fun, and creativity to our English class.

Traveling and Hiking: Parque Tayrona, Colombia

Hiking, Beaches, and Outdoor Sleeping

I went hiking with friends over Semana Santa (Holy Week).  Our destination of choice: Parque Tayrona.

We left from Santa Marta on one of the worst "buses," I've been on. It was overcrowded, humid, and I believe 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. I cannot stand swapping sweat with people, which is bound to happen when you're squished so tight, you're not sure where your skin ends and theirs begins.

After a torturous hour of sweat-swapping, breath-sharing, and odious scents we finally arrived at the park entrance.  Now, I have a cedula, which is a residency card issued by the Colombian government, but because it takes FOREVER to get the i.d. they gave me a temporary one that is "supposed," to be accepted just as if it were the actual one.  This never happens. They always look at it weird and tell me, its not legit. Whatever. It really only bothers me in situations like buying my ticket at the park. I had to pay triple, just because of this stupid temporary card.

Suffice it to say, I was not in the greatest mood upon arrival.

Then, we arrived at our hike's entrance and all of the frustration melted away when I saw this....

Making our way through towering foliage and swaying trees our hearts pounded with every anticipatory step.

Bulging rocks led us deeper into the heart of the origin of life.

I could feel the proximity to Eden. Warmth and light filled our lungs, crushing away the doubt.

Blue. Green. Life Colors.

Every step, every breath, was leading us to this moment.

Eden.

Hope.

Joyous raptures!

The physically exhausting hike was worth every ragged breath when I walked out of those trees and beheld this.

We camped here.  I slept under the stars with the crashing waves lulling me to sleep. 

Love Love Love

I heart the ocean

Its the Aquarius in Me.

Hot Springs in Colombia's Coffee Region

Hot Springs in San Vincente

One of my favorite places to relax.

The best part of living in Pereira, is traveling to the nearby towns.  San Vincente isn't a town, it is a health spa on the top of a mountain surrounded by the jungle.  In short, for me, Heaven.

  I love going to Hot springs. For me, its pure bliss. The hot springs in San Vincente are especially my favorite because of their rustic surroundings and remoteness. I love being in nature. My dream home is far away from civilization. I also am quite fond of the reasonably low cost of staying in a cabin and the spa benefits.

  I stayed for a weekend and had two full body massages, a mud bath, and an exfoliation massage in mountain sand for 220,000 Colombian pesos, which is about $120.00 U.S..  It also includes transportation and two meals.                      AWESOME!!!

View on the Way.

Colombian mountain range.

View from my room at the resort.

You can swim until midnight!

Coffee and Rum: Manizales, Colombia.

WELCOME and BIENVENIDOS

The Juan Valdez Cafe is the Starbucks of Colombia. Of course, they claim they are the original Cafe coffee shop and Starbucks is the copycat.

A group of friends from school went to Manizales, Colombia for an art fair and International Fair.

Of course, Jesus was there as well!

There were some outdoor concerts, great food, and lots of artisan crafts.

We toured a Rum brewery and listened to the history of Ron Caldas. They had samples too! I wasn't really into it since everyone was drinking from the same set of unwashed glasses. Yuck! No thanks.

 Jesus met some very flavorful folks!

Enjoying the concert.

Manizales is a great day trip in Colombia's Coffee Region. The city is designed oddly because it weaves up and down the mountains. If you are going to walk around for the day, make sure to pack very comfortable shoes. You will be getting a ton of exercise going up and down the city blocks.

When you arrive you should take the Cable up to the top. It has a great view and it is the cheapest way to get there.  While you're riding up you can still see some of the destruction caused by the devastating landslide of 2011.

Creative Writing Day

Ants march.

Diligently, without interruption

Steady on, Steady on.

The Queen stays,

in her castle-Shouting

Commanding.

With Leadership,

the Species lives on.

Alike they move,

dancing the designs previously set.

And in the moment,

that one diverges,

Sets on a course

Un-previously known.

The Queen and her children,

being left with The Known.

And the Only 

Risk Taken,

Is from the One,

now on his own.

 E. Ward

Lessons from Colombian Kids

Ganar v. To Earn

I teach 6th and 7th grade English at a private school in Colombia.  There are many differences in our interpretations of what something means and how to translate it.  One of those, is the verb; Ganar. Which, in English translates as to win, earn.  They use one verb for our two. Now, with my Hoosier (Indiana born), culture the verbs, to win and to earn have two completely different meanings.

When I think of winning something, I don't associate any work going into it.  I think, WOW!, I won something. I feel so lucky and ecstatic that the "Odds Were Ever in My Favor," like the announcer's blessing in The Hunger Games. This feeling associated with winning something is like saying, God and the heavens have noticed my plight and decided to give me my own personal Passover. 

Best Seller and Awesome Movie!

I was active in the winning, because I either filled out some sort of form or participated in someway to be involved in the win, but I didn't toil and sweat to "earn it." 

On the other hand, when I earn something there is the feeling of my blood, sweat, and tears going into the achievement. I know the hours of studying, training, and passion I put into it and because I did my very best, I earned what I achieved.  It wasn't luck or chance that made the achievement, it was pure effort and passion.

When I think of how hard I have worked on a project or studied for an exam, I never consider winning as part of it.  My children on the other hand see the two as one. There is no difference. This doesn't just affect the mixed up translation, like when they say, "Teacher! I am winning the class because I won my note!"  It affects their ability to separate their effort from the "gift" or "win," that I supposedly helped give them.  Then when they ask me, "Teacher, why am I losing the class?" I try to explain to them it has nothing to do with me being fair or unfair, it's how much effort you have put into the class.

Translations and attempting to equivocate meaning and significance can cause complicated communication misunderstandings, arising from diverse cultural perspectives. 

My American perspective has taught me, homework, grades, and my future are a result of what I've earned. My rewards are better and brighter future, but is it really this simple?  I don't believe it is. By being born where I was, I had certain advantages and disadvantages in the journey of what I earned.  So, every time I had an unlimited choice of reading material, was that a part of what I'd earned? Or, by divine placement did I win a spot in the lottery of life, giving me extra help?

So, perhaps the Spanish language allows the speaker to pay diligent respect to the balance of winning and earning. Maybe my students have realized something I haven't, maybe they know that in life it takes a little bit of winning and earning to make the goal.

I guess the way I can best sum it up is through the lives of amazing people who have come before us.  In almost every biography I have read, the person accounts their success to passion and a wee bit of luck.  They usually describe it as, "that one breakthrough," or "the break I needed."  A bit of the "right time and right place," magic to make the struggle cease and the destiny begin.

So, with lots of sweat and a little bit of luck, I wish you success!