Classroom Sherpas

Last night, when I was avoiding doing bar prep - much like now, I came across a blog by a middle school teacher who inadvertently uses the 5E system.  I say inadvertently because she apparently didn't even know it existed.  In case you don't know what the 5E system is its a teaching method/strategy.

1. Engage - use something to engage student: incite their curiosity
2. Explore - students explore and postulate on what they've engaged in is or how it works etc.
3. Explain - necessary explanation (mostly correcting postulations)
4. Elaborate - discussion
5. Evaluate - self explanatory

Anyway, it got me thinking about my best teachers.  My best teachers haven't been teachers at all.  In fact, most of them have used the 5E system or the Socratic method in some form.  My best professors and teachers in all of the many years of school I've endured have been facilitators of learning, not teachers.  Not once have I learned the best when a teacher was shoving information down my throat.  I always learned the best when I engaged and had guidance with self-teaching.

I find this even more interesting because my highschool history teacher used to refer to himself as a facilitator and would correct people when they called him a teacher.  Looking back, he was right.  I was just too stupid to recognize the difference.  So, thanks Mr. B.  You were awesome.

More people should do it.  Come classroom sherpas, help the masses.

Back to work.

In honor of Presidents Day

In honor of Presidents Day I thought I'd share some links to some interesting facts and a great speach.  Enjoy, and God bless the United States of America!

Interesting facts about 5 interesting Presidents - Just something fun.

President Ronald Reagan: "We Must Fight" - While the enemy of his speech is no longer pertinent, the evils he speaks about still is relevant.  I don't really care about the video, but the speech is the important part.  This is why "we must fight" and not "face the final demand, the ultimatum."

A Bar Prep Rant

So, here we are less than two weeks out from the bar and I'm terrified and excited about it.  I mean, lets be serious, who wants to take the bar?  I've spent roughly 300hours to date (this is a conservative estimate).  When I say hours, I mean billable hours.  This doesn't include the bathroom breaks, the facebook stalks, the npr reads, the escapes via tv or pleasure reading.  No, this is hard-core studying.  I didn't even know I could study this much for 1 exam.  Psh.  Not to mention that I've done probably over a thousand (yes, 1000+) multiple choice questions and more than 30 practice questions.

Ok, so, I'm reaching or getting close to the "goals" set by the respective courses.  So, that means I should pass, right?  I can only hope. 

Anyway, here is my quick (and semi-biased) review thus far between Themis and BarBri.

                                                                               BarBri vs. Themis show down!

In full disclosure, I chose to use Themis for several reasons over BarBri even though the program isn't well known yet in Florida.  First, its about half of the price.  Second I can live "at home" and do the program.  Third, I can do the program when I want to, and since I'm a notorious night owl/have insomnia its perfect.  And finally, the program allows for different learning styles because of the integration of practice into the lecture and not just before/after lecture. 

Well, the Themis approach has you review material, watch a lecture in a 20-30minute break down do a quick 5-15question assessment of your comprehension and then move on to the next 20-30minute lecture.  This proceeds for about 4hours daily for the first five weeks.  Its tedious and the pace is slightly slower than BarBri. But, it really does hone in the material and nail it into your mind.  

There has only been once where I thought all was lost and I'd never pass.  I've only felt overwhelmed by the amount of work assigned on days where I was catching up from taking a day off.  Additionally, I did better on the practice MBE than the average BarBri taker.  So, after my initial woes and thoughts of doom, I was relieved. 

The last few weeks are spent mostly in review, memorization, and a lot of practice.  (Although, I've also done BarBri questions and additional essays for my school.)  So, all in all, the program is well paced and allows time for you to focus on your needs while still reviewing all of the material.  Oh, they also provide you with a coach that calls, grades your essays, and answers (within 24hours) any questions you have.  This I've found immensely helpful.  

Most, if not all, of my friends are using BarBri.  Everyone I talk to talks about how much they hate driving to lecture, about how the people in class are annoying and distracting, about how they hate watching lecture on tv anyway (although, one girl I know is doing a live session), and about how they hate how much material they're being forced to learn.  I mean, I understand their plight, but with Themis over half of that stress was taken out of the equation. 

One girl I know has cried a few days every week because she is so overwhelmed by BarBri.  Another girl I know is a walking monster because the stress of it all.  I don't think I handle stress THAT much better than them.  I mean, we all made it through law school ok, right?

Ok, BarBri has a coach for their takers, they do a lot of practice questions, and essays too.  Their lectures though are about 4hours long with only a lunch (or dinner if you're in the night session) break.  Thats great if you're a sponge.  I just don't know how anyone can retain that much information in that large of a lump-sum.  Although, if you're one of those geniuses or are more conservative, then go ahead, bring on the 4hour lecture.

Other than that, BarBri produces results.  Most people that use BarBri pass.  But, I've been right on par with their "goals" associated with the MPQs.  So, I think that means Themis works and is going to produce results as well.  The close to the day I get, the better I feel about it.  Maybe I can do this.  Maybe Themis worked just as well.  Maybe...  But, only time will tell.

In other news, I took the Kaplan Practice Bar, the 3-Day Final Review Course.  I scored higher than the average.  So, I feel good about my choice of taking Themis.

As far as I'm concerned, they both work.  They both produce results.  Its a personal choice.  So, future bar takers, weigh all the factors and try them out for the MPRE.  (I used BarBri for the MPRE and got great results)

So, thats my (bias) opinion. 

Vietnam vs. Iraq Lesson Plan

October 2008

Title	Vietnam: Like Iraq?
Subject Area:	American History
Grade Level:	11th
General Description:	The lesson is a follow up of previous lectures. It will allow the students to engage in a discussion that had been started on the wiki the night before and allow for connections between the past and present.
Materials Needed:	Computer with high-speed internet access, a general understanding of the history of Vietnam and its causes (from previous lectures), an general understanding about the war in Iraq and how it was started and what is going on now (wiki discussion), volunteers and participation from the students
Time Required:	One class period (50 mins)
Special Characteristics:	This is a class discussion in which the teacher acts as the facilitator and proctor.
Objectives:	SS.912.A.1.1 Describe the importance of historiography, which includes how historical knowledge is obtained and transmitted, when interpreting events in history.
	SS.912.A.1.3 Utilize timelines to identify the time sequence of historical data.
	SS.912.A.1.5 Evaluate the validity, reliability, bias, and authenticity of current events and Internet resources.
	SS.912.A.7.10 Analyze the significance of Vietnam and Watergate on the government and people of the United States.
Technology Performance Standards:	Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity - Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.   model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
	5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership - Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.  participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
Preparation:	In preparation for this discussion class the students would have had to keep up with their readings and homework throughout the week (assuming that this is done on a Friday).  Throughout the week the lesson and required homework would have the students read and outline the chapter from the text about Vietnam and Watergate. The students would have been having discussions on the class wiki (http://history4highschool.pbwiki.com/) about what they thought about what they were learning. They would also have been required to brush up on their knowledge of the Iraqi war (assuming some prior knowledge) and cut out an article from the local newspaper about the war and a response about how they felt it effected their community.  They would have been asked to post thoughts about it and then comment on at least two of their peers (networking - 21st century skills). Then on Friday they will bring in their outlines of the chapter and be prepared for the discussion.
Procedure:	To begin with the teacher will ask the students to hand in their homework from the week. Then they will ask the class to outline some of the main points that they learned about the origins of Vietnam, how it was represented in the media, and how did Watergate play in how the public reacted to it?  Then these points will be written on the board so that the students have a visual of what is being said. Then the teacher will step back and ask the class guiding questions in which the class will engage in discussion with each other (teamwork - 21st century skills).
	1.  How was the beginning of the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq similar?
	1a.  How were they different?
	2.  Did the media influence the public, in a negative or positive way?
	2a.  Why did the public react so strongly?
	2b.  How did/does the local community feel about it and what can you do about it?
	2c.  Why do you think that the reaction to the Iraq war was the way it was?
	3.  Do you think that President Bush will go into history books in a negative or positive light and why?
	3a.  How did Watergate effect the way we look at history?
	4.  Could these things happen again?
	**If the class does not get to all of the questions that is fine because these are just guiding questions to get the students involved and active. Something should spark their interest.
Assessment:	Participation will be assessed and the wiki will be checked to see if they did their homework from Thursday. These will be awarded 5 points each (0 not done and 5 completed). The rest will be informal assessment for the teacher to gage where the understanding of the topic is and where she/he needs to review in depth before the exam.
Extension:	The students can bring the discussion from the class into discussions with their friends or family. They might even continue the discussion on the wiki or during lunch or afterschool.
Resources:
Rationale	Since the students will have already been taught about the Vietnam war via lectures and readings from the text book and provided journals they will be doing something different. This will utilize different learning strengths. The students would have had to use technology to read the journals and they would have had to use it to discuss and collaborate before they came into the classroom. They could talk online/on the wiki about it later or perhaps take some of their ideas to heart when it came to how they could affect the community. This discussion is important because the students should be able to connect the information that they have learned to be able to make conversation and even arguments.  This should help solidify some of the information and concepts that they learned.This lesson is important because it allows students to talk about some of the more current evens in conjunction with an even that we are studying in class. The events have some parallels and in order for the students to make those connections they have to realize the intricacies of Vietnam and Watergate. They have to realize that Nixon was impeached because of Watergate and that if he hadn't recorded what had happened no one may have ever known. This can be applied to the Bush presidency among others.
21st Century Skill	Networking

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Developing Adaptive Expertise Presentation

February 2009

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The Zone of Proximal Development

The Zone of Proximal Development Presentation

October 2008

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