1. Five images (you can take them or they can come from the Internet [provide proper credit]). These images should reflect, in some way, what you imagine your classroom will look like once you are a teacher. Please annotate your images by providing a description of the image and how it relates to your future classroom.
Picture 1: Classroom has many windows. Each student has a computer so they can easily see and refer to what the teaching is saying. Because I will be teaching film, having a computer for each of my students is pertinent for relevant post-production work. Additionally, given the more costly nature of a film-production curriculum, I am aware of socio-economic differences amongst my students with some students more affluent than others and some less well-off. Therefore, depending on the school district and resources made available to me, I will have to carefully plan the numbers of my class intake as well (which may have to be a smaller class size as a result). This allows the students who do get admitted to have a more level-playing field owing to sufficient resources provided to them equally. The desk will also be kept big enough for them to write notes for any thoughts and ideas they might have during instruction.
Picture 2: There is sufficient space in between the grouped tables and chairs for the teacher to walk around and work with the students freely. The grouped spaces allow students to also collaborate with ease. Because of my increased awareness of special needs students, I also want to ensure sufficient space in between desks for wheelchair-bound students, or students who have some kind of an impaired movement. I will always require my student to rotate their seatings every two weeks so they learn to collaborate and build relationships with different kinds of people from different backgrounds. I think this is one of the best ways for young people to learn empathy for and from each other.
Picture 3: In my culture, we were always seated in a very traditional classroom layout. The teacher stood at the front of a huge class with columns and rows of students facing her. This resulted in a few problems. Not every student could always see the teacher while students seated in the back and corners were easily more prone to distractions or they felt isolated or neglected. Additionally, this contributed to bullying because the teacher could not always see what was going on. In my younger experience, I became anxious about being seated (facing forward) in front of certain students who were seated behind me because I did not know what they might to do me when the teacher wasn't looking. Therefore I definitely do not want a classroom layout where it is easy for students to target other students. I do not want any of my students feeling like they have to keep looking over their shoulder (literally). I am more aware now I may receive students who may come from difficult family and home situations, or other factors that already contribute to emotional anxiety. Thus I want to create a safe, open, and friendly space in my classroom through a careful seating layout where I will always be able to easily see everyone, whether it be grouped seatings like the one above or a U-shaped layout like the one below. A small teacher to student ratio will better enable me to know each of my students more personally and allow me to reach out to each of them.
Picture 4: I love the image of the globe on the floor. The open space and chalk boards creates a welcoming place for young energetic students to walk about freely to discuss ideas. This space would be used as a discussion haven. Many young students think with more clarity when they are able to move about. I also want to use this open space for class presentations. In particular, I would like to set aside time during the even weeks to let ESL students talk about a current film or one that everyone is familiar with but in their native or first language. Sharing something current or familiar allows students to make connections more easily with the content while also learning more about the native languages of their ESL peers. I will the set aside time in during the odd weeks for international or immigrant students to share something about their culture and a film made in their native homeland.
Picture 5: I would love to have an outdoor section of my classroom where students can also just go outside on good-weathered days to continue learning. The fresh air from the outdoors can also help students to focus better because very often young people just want to be outside moving around and not just stuck indoors for long periods of time - particularly with students with ADHD and other learning needs. Obviously I may not have the resources as pictured below, but adapting to the simplicity of nature such as just find whatever they can to sit on and leaving personal belonging (safely) behind in the classroom can help students feel a little less of the different socio-economic differences between them.
2. Imagine the surrounding in your classroom. What does the room look like? What resources are available for students? How are the resources used during the lesson?
Besides computers and film equipment, the walls of my classroom is filled with (as many as I can acquire) films and huge movie posters from different countries and cultures across the world - not just American ones. There will also be films and movie posters of different film genres as well such as documentary and avant garde films. I want my students to not only become well-versed in the production of film, and film history, but to also become cultured learners and informed about global cultures.
I also want to research and feature in my classroom stories and movies of successful filmmakers who came from humble beginnings, or were oppressed by society one way or another. I want my students of lower socio-economic status, minority, immigrant, ESL, and special needs to believe that they can also make it.
3. Describe the students in your classroom. What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? What are they doing during the lesson?
The students in my class are happy and enthusiastic, but also focused on their task at hand because they enjoy learning about film and telling stories that matter to them. They are learning how to work with each other and collaborate constructively. They are learning unique things from each other's background.
They come from a diverse combination of race, language, religion, economic status, family backgrounds and cultural traditions. They are interested in having a voice. They understand that there are important issues out there need to be heard and they know that film is one of the most powerful ways to do it. And film today has become so democratized!
4. Describe your classroom policies. What are you classroom rules? What is your discipline plan? What are your homework policies?
On the first day of class, we will discuss what it means to be respectful. I want to have this discussion because I realize that we all come from different cultures and upbringing that have conditioned us in different ways. So before I can even teach respect, we need to define it as a class so that we are all on the same page while also learning from each other. In my culture, respect meant never questioning authority, or the teacher. In Western culture, at least in my experience thus far, part of respecting the teacher is respectfully raising concerns and engaging in constructive conversation because you recognize that the teacher too is a person who is also still learning and growing, and you often respect them even more when they recognize to their own learning experiences.
Students will respectfully raise concerns and questions with their teacher and their peers.
Students will give constructive criticism when they participate and contribute to class discussions.
Students will gather and return materials to the right places, and clean up after themselves. This encourages responsibility and helps them to develop good citizenship both within and outside the classroom.
Students will be focused when in the classroom, and show sincere effort in completing their work.
Students will be punctual to class. When they are late more than three times, I will approach them to find out why because I want to know if I may be able to help them in some way, or if they have a family situation I need to be aware of.
I will also let students know they can come talk to me during my office hours, or schedule a time outside of it if needed. Before our conversations, I will remind them about my boundaries and duties and a teacher; I am not bound by confidentiality as a counselor is. Letting them know will allow them to decide carefully what they do or do not want to tell you, as well as help maintain a professional student-teacher relationship.
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If a student is late more than three times with no valid reason, he/she will stay after school for 15 minutes to help the teacher clean and organize the classroom. Ten minutes will be added to each additional tardiness.
Verbal warnings will first be given for excessive talking or disrupting the class. After three times, a student’s seat will be changed, followed by a timeout in the classroom, and then in an alternate classroom.
The first time bullying is detected, I will approach the possible to ask him how he is doing. I will also find out if he is aware that he is coming across that way. I want these students to know that I care about them too. I realize that given different backgrounds, students may use language that they do not realize is hurtful to other students or reflects more problematic perspectives (such as saying "That's so gay." without meaning to be mean).
However, if it happens again, a visit to the Principle’s office and possible contact with the student’s parents will result. I want to reinforce a non-tolerance policy for any form of bullying.
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Homework can be turned in late but at a 50% deduction penalty for everything up till a week before the last day of class. Homework can also be redone for a single letter upgrade. At the same time, if a student is constantly struggling to turn homework in, I will approach the student to find out why (e.g. family situation, adjusting to new school/life/country, bullying, emotional stress, gender/sexuality struggles, etc.), and recommend school counselors if appropriate to do so.
For ESL learners, I will offer extra credit to their peers as a option for them to set aside time to help these classmates. I will also stay back to help these students if needed. Depending on the seriousness of the situation and how many ESL students I have, I may also approach the school board to provide after-school tutors if the school doesn't have any.
5. Describe a typical lesson you will teach in your classroom. What will you teach? What is the topic? Why did you choose this topic? How will you teach it? What is the main thing you want students to learn during this lesson?
A typical first lesson as part of my film curriculum is to teach media literacy. The topic is how can students learn to personally critically examine information presented by different forms of media. I chose this topic because one of the major implications of the lack of media literacy is that students end up taking things at face value because it’s the easiest, and therefore end up developing an inaccurate ideas of life and the people and things in it. As educators, we cannot simply only be concerned with media that we have selected for quality or educational value but look for ways to engage critical thinking around students' everyday media uses. Truly these days, corporations are getting better than ever at packaging a false sense of reality and selling it to the masses, and it is the unknowing and uninformed consumers who eat it up the fastest. This ranges from fashion, food, products to unhealthy ideas about ourselves and about others. Therefore, media literacy is important so that our students do not become passive consumers, but instead active, critical thinkers who will know how to question what is presented to them. Further, this will also inevitably affect what they put out there.
As part of teaching media literacy, I will like my students to first pick an area that they think the media misrepresents. Some areas of life I would suggest is race, gender, body image, sexuality, food, consumer goods, vacations, etc, but students can come up with their own as well so long as they run it by me after. They will then write down what are their current perspectives are on these topics. After which they will do their own research on computers. Part of the research is to find images that the media uses versus images taken by lay people on the internet and compare them side by side in a presentation to the class, and discuss the implications of such misrepresentations. They will then write down new perspectives gained and what surprised them. I will also give immigrant students a chance to share how media is produced and consumed in their home countries so that the class can learn about the different ways other cultures approach similar issues in their media. This allows for global learning and only adds to the richness of perspectives.
The main thing I want my students to learn during this lesson is to realize that media and film are very powerful tools that can be use for good, or otherwise. And that is why I want them to learn media literacy first before I teach them film production skills. When students are able to think carefully about the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of what they want to create, it only adds meaning, value, and quality to their work.
6. Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson. What are you doing during the lesson?
I am speaking loudly, and clearly enough. I have divided the class into smaller groups of 4-5 students for initial class discussions. I do so because I recognize that for some (or many) students, it is less scary/more comfortable for them to talk and share their ideas and perspectives amongst fewer people (because it probably also means less judgement).
I use constructive language and give useful, specific feedback for the students' working ideas. I have also asked a few advanced students for permission and paired them with their peers who have learning difficulties or special needs so they can assist them in the assigned tasks.
While discussions are going, I am walking around my classroom constantly engaged with the different groups of students. Again, ESL or shy students may typically be not as keen to speak. Therefore, walking around allows me to note these things and subtly encourage or assist participation if I feel the student is up to it (or up for it). Walking around allows me to monitor the overall ongoings of my classroom and to ensure that students are doing as they should, and if they are not, I will then know to find ways to help them.
7. Imagine your students again, what are they doing during the lesson?
My students are having open and honest conversations about their personal views. They are learning from each other how misrepresentations in the media have shaped and influenced their own experiences. They are now talking about what they can do to be more critical about these misrepresentation and how they can contribute to more accurate representations in the media about things they care about.
Students are coming to me with questions. They are working on their research. They are engaged and interested. They are learning. They are sharing. They are smiling.
8. Imagine how you will assess your students' learning and achievement. How will you know they have learned?
I think one of the best ways is to have students talk about the work they have done - that way you can gain a pretty good idea about how invested they were in it. I would like them to talk about what they loved, what worked for them, and what they did not like about the assignment.
Another way is for students to present their findings to the class. At the same time, I will also require a short write up about things learned. This way, those who are good at speaking and those who are more comfortable writing will have a fair chance for me to assess their learning and achievement.
Reflective piece
I made the changes I did to further expound on the reasons for the classroom I had originally imagined. This time I drew a lot more connections to the topics we learned this semester and incorporated them into decisions I made, so my decisions felt even more purposeful, particularly in regards to the physical environment. In the process, I also mention how things from my culture have shaped the way I desire for my students to both learn and not learn. I learned that respect is defined differently in different cultures.
I also redid the entire lesson part because I felt it was imperative for my students to first confront their relationship with the media and better understand how they were being affected by it. I also reworked it to ensure the participation of other minorities in the classroom so they felt included.
At the end of the day, even though my students will be learning the art of filmmaking, ultimately what I hope for them to learn - is about life itself and good citizenship.
