Antonio Hamilton
ADVENTURES OF BOOT CAMP: an ePortfolio
In a summer like no other, with the sun beaming from a distance, Antham began his journey to becoming a TA. We proudly present...
7/4/17
- review from last week, just in case people forgot
- asking the class if they understand
- descriptive in explanation
- personable, life experiences
- writing on the board
- use of quizzes to check if home assignments were done
- class discussion
Notes 7/5
- going over announcements of what’s to come in the following 2 weeks
- giving the class a second chance for the quiz they took on Monday but it is not for extra credit this time
- group work
- incorporates humor into her lectures
Notes 7/6
- students worked on essays in class
- providing time allows students to ask the instructor questions about their essays if they have any
- this also will eliminate or cut down the need of some students to want to meet with you during office hours
Notes 7/10
- Group presentation
- I led lesson on research and how to make an annotated bib
- created a Prezi that went over how to research and how to evaluate your research you find
- went showed them where they can go to find credible sources
- had an activity at the end where I gave them sample research topics and they had to find one article and tell me why it was or wasn’t credible based off the criteria we discussed in class
Notes 7/11
- sleeping beauty group presentation
- definition of cultural relevance that the students came up with for homework
- discussing what is cultural relevant or timeless (this applies to their research papers that they will be writing)
- poetry section
+ tries to get people to read poems aloud, but students reluctant (quite hilarious), then she volunteered two people (coming up with ways to get students to not be afraid of reading aloud will need to be done when I teach)
+ have to answer questions pertaining to poems in their groups
+ came back together as a class to discuss their answers to the questions
Notes 7/12
- Cinderella group presentation
- Watched an episode of criminal minds and how they use fairytales
+discuss the representation of the Cinderella storyline
- I found this really interesting to show them an episode during class because while it may sound like a waste of time, for the genre class I don’t think it is because the writers of the episode are thinking about the same conventions of the genre that we are asking of the students (seeing if the can identify them is useful)
Notes 7/13
-Hansel & Gretel group presentation
- plagiarism lesson
+different forms of plagiarism
+had examples in presentation that made the students identify the best way to paraphrase a quote
- had them sign a plagiarism form that stated that they understand what plagiarism is and that they won’t do it
Notes 7/18
- Rapunzel group presentation
- taught lesson on quotation, punctuation, citation and incorporated a game at the end to test to see if they learned from the lesson
+went over Stedman’s article how to quote
+had a Prezi about citation and block quoting details
+went over comas vs. semi-colons vs. colons, detailing and providing examples of how they are different
+created a Family Feud type game that incorporated the lecture, seeing if they understand citation, quotation, and punctuation errors, as well as identify Stedman’s quotation annoyances (divided the class in four teams, 3 points extra credit to the 2 winning teams and 1-point extra credit to the two losing teams)
+they seem to really enjoy the game and responded well, I might use this when I teach in spring, and was a fun tool to get them to pay attention and to get them out of their seats.
Notes 7/19
- Rumpelstiltskin group presentation
- logical fallacies
+went of the different types of logical fallacies
+showed videos that where examples the fallacies
+personally, did not know that this is something that we need to go over, but I understand why now
Notes 7/24
- discussed the research essay briefly and how everyone did on it
+ said it was bad but wasn’t as good the first essay
+ comma splice and other grammar issues (it’s vs. its) she went over at the beginning
- composition & 3 genres project introduced, went over, briefly showed examples of:
+Modernization
+Satire
+Remediate
+Adapt
+Blend
+Take inspiration from
Notes 7/25
-Taught class
- went over examples of genres and had the class discuss:
+A Facebook Page/Facebook comment section rendition of fairytale princesses and their supporting characters
+YouTube SNL parody of fairytale
+A video of a Rap Battle between Cinderella and Belle
+Satire paintings of modern interpretation of Disney princesses
+A three video series of Disney couples in therapy (comedy)
Notes 7/26
-taught class without mentor there
-group activity – divided class into groups and had the groups to do the following:
+list 5 TV or movie genres
+list 1-2 sub genres of the main genres
+list 3 examples of each main genre
+detail 8-10 conventions of the main genre
+detail how one show/movie fits the conventions of the genre/sub-genre
+tell the main intent of 1 show/movie from one genre in the genre that they are in
Notes 7/27
-final day
-models and Disney princess comparison
-American’s next type model and reality shows, what goes on
-positive clips of antm and negative clip
-diagram: Disney princess and models
-definition of feminism
-write on piece of paper if they think antm is feminist or anti-feminist
-watch an episode of antm
-asked if they changed their mind on the feminist/anti-feminist stance (no one did)
- discuss the positives and negatives of the show and how it relates to their fairytales’ positives and negatives
Internship
Journal
Internship
Journal Reflection
Going into the internship I did not understand exactly how the experience was going to transpire because being that it was so early is the semester, I really did not know what I should be looking for. So, a lot of my journal is my observation on what the instructor had the class do and how the students responded. I also looked at the instructor’s teaching style and thought back to instructors I had in college just for comparisons sake.
From my observations, there where little things that my instructor did that I noticed the reasoning behind now that I am seeing it from a teacher’s point of view. For example, the students seemed more motivated to speak during class if they were in groups first before coming back to discuss as class. They also spoke up if the topic was something that relatable to them in some way, whether that was a video that was shown that was modern or involved social commonalities they are used to hearing. The two biggest showcases of this is when my instructor showed an America’s Next Top Model episode and when I had them read aloud the comment section of Facebook page. My takeaway is to try to bring in or filter readings/subjects through a lens that they will be more responsive to. Now, I understand that this is always going to happen, but it something to aware of when trying to inspire some motivation.
One of the most comforting things about the class was that the students where studios and not disrespectful. I know that this will not always be the case, but I think the worry of teaching is that the class will not respond, and to see that they do, just gives me some positive reinforcement. Also, as we discussed in class, my mentor had no problems admitting when she messes up in classes, and the students did not seem to care too much when she did become fluster sometimes. Little things like this is important because it establishes how you want to be seen by your students and depending on the group of students you have, it may or may hinder your ability teach. For me, I think that I would like to get a good feel for my students of the first few classes to gage what they will be receptive to, which should be easier for the fall and spring semesters because they are longer.
Furthermore, this relates to how my style of teaching will be. My instructor was very relatable in that she had no problems sharing funny stories that may relate to a conversation in class or just to kind of wake the class up at the beginning. I see my style be casual in a similar way to her style, but I do not see myself sharing as many relatable stories. I see the benefit of it in breaking down walls, but it is not my personality. Most likely I will be a relax instructor that makes jokes (whether they are funny or not), which I think shows vulnerability they can relate as well. But as far as the structure of the classroom, I feel that I want something that is a little more conversational and collaborative. So, while some have no problems with the desks facing the front of the room, I think it adheres to the standard that you are the only speaking and does not really inspire students to speak. I plan to rearrange the room to either be in groups or in a circle so that it is more communal.
In the coming year, I think that these past weeks will be important in giving me a reference point when navigating my teaching strategies for my first semester of teaching. This internship gives me an idea of how to structure a class and how to time everything out so that you have enough time to address everything. Before this internship I had an idea of how I would want to teach and what type of standards I would have my classroom, but after this internship, I have been given a better understanding when looking at the syllabus in conjunction with teaching and the goals that you set for the students to achieve. Ultimately, I believe that my pedagogies will continue to shift and alter as I gain more experience teaching, trying out new ideas, seeing what succeeds and what fails. Realistically, adapting to the situation and the needs of the students is what I see is going to work best.