Hi, if we have not met yet, I’m Mariko Ehrhart. I am planning on receiving licensure in Elementary Education with content areas of Middle History and Math. I studied history during my undergraduate and graduate studies. I studied mainly American History and ethnic history (Asian American and Native America). You will hear me use examples or reference different museums that I have worked in because I was planning on going into museum education. I feel that museums have a great deal to offer teachers and their students. Museums offer a form of interactive learning that may not occur in the classroom setting. I feel that museums can be a resource to teachers if the educational programs for students are aligned to state curriculum standards.
I found the last exercise in class where we were asked to create our own school was an interesting and entertaining activity. When I first looked at the assignment, my first reaction was “huh, how am I going to answer these questions by myself?” and was relieved to find out that we were working in groups. My group started slow with the discussion and by end of the activity time, the discussion was really hopping and we wanted to continue talking. The statements that I found to be most interesting and stimulated the most conversation were ““A clearly stated set of aims that inform what your school hopes to accomplish,” “A description of the curriculum,” and “A description of the student body it would serve (demographic, age, etc.)”’ These questions really made our group think about what should be the aims and focus of our school. As we worked thought the exercise our group throughout a wide variety of ideas and found it hard to compromise on the aims our school. I found these questions allowed you to really think about the ideals that you would want and the type of the school that you would want to work in.
Our high school aimed to reach a diverse population in the sense of race and socioeconomic status. One aim that I expressed was being able to make connections between the past and the present. I feel that this concept is important because without understanding the past it is hard to understand the present. Our student’s did not necessary have to go to graduate and go to college, but to come out our school with life skills. Life skills are important because they help give a person a starting point when they get out into the real world. That is as far as my group got with this discussion.
Hi Mariko! Good to meet you :o) I really like how you look at the past to help make a connection to the future. I was also relieved that we were able to work in groups for this exercise. I was definitely a little overwhelmed thinking that we would be doing this by ourselves. It absolutely allowed us to really examine what we want and where we want to work…things that I don’t think we necessarily think about, most of us just want to find a classroom to work in. One comment I heard was that a person felt like their hands were tied and they just shut up and put up with how the system is.
ReplyDeleteHi Mariko. Welcome to our group. Like you, I found the class activity interesting. It was frustrating at first to get going, as we had little time to engage in a conversation that can be deeply philosophical. To come up with a mock school that encompassed our beliefs about the purpose of education in a matter of minutes was challenging. I guess that was partly the point of the exercise.
ReplyDeleteYour appreciation for history is evident by your discussion about understanding the past and present and making connections between the two.
Ciao
Hi Mariko,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your posting. I like you how se the connection of an understanding of our past to the present. I think it's fantastic that you have such a comprehensive understanding of museums, and I can certainly see how beneficial that would be as a teacher in the classroom.
I found last week's activity a little frustrating at first. I generally dislike group activities in a classroom setting. However, despite my initial reservations, I enjoyed the process. It allowed me to get to know a few other students in the class, and we also developed a great "Academy" program for a mock high school. I could really sell the idea to potential parents!