JANTERM REFLECTIONS

Avery Harrison
Mountain Brook High School
January 2014

Monday, January 6th 2014

I am incredibly glad to be back at Mountain Brook High School for JanTerm. Last
semester for action research, I was placed in 11th grade American History at Mountain
Brook with Mrs. Cunningham. I decided to continue here since I have established great
relationships with the teacher and students as well as observed the obstacles in the
secondary high school classroom. Despite the delayed start and subarctic weather, my
heart was warmed by seeing familiar faces and meeting new people. Since it was the first
day of school for most of the students, we watched Peter Jennings The Century which
primed the students brains for the unit that Mrs. Cunningham was about to introduce for
the upcoming unit. As accountability for student learning, we made a video guide that
students needed to fill out while watching the video. Im not far removed from the
classroom, so I understand the moans and groans of the class as they are handed a
worksheet. Why cant we just watch a video without doing work? is shouted out
everywhere. From the teaching side of this, even videos are valuable in providing content
information. There needs to be someway to make connections aside from interrupting a
video to ask questions. Thus, a worksheet is a great tool. Another benefit to a video
guide is that it allows for an easy grade, and students can keep their answers to help them
with other assessments later in the semester.
Two other things of note occurred today as well. On a less captivating note, I
also alphabetized and filed the finals from last semester. I actually like doing organization
and filing, so it wasnt a problem to do when I asked how I could help today. Filing is
important for two reasons:
1) If something happens to the grade book, you have the actual copies on hand and
easily accessible.
2) If students have a question of concern about their test, project, etc, the file should
be there so you can meet individually and help clarify any problem.
I think it would be a unique activity to have students make their own file folder at the
beginning of the year with a collage or words or pictures about themselves. They could
give their boring files a nice, personal touch, and I could get to know a little more about
them. Is it bad that I keep thinking of how I want to run my own class?
Last thing of importance before I conclude the day. Today we had a Relay for
Life Assembly during 3rd period. This was especially close to my heart because of how
involved I am in Relay and how close cancer has touched my family. It was an amazing
experience to look around the auditorium and see the whole school community share
about Relay plans, their success of last year, and their hopes for this year. School is not
just a place to learn content to be graded on. School is a community where you
experience life together in unique and special ways.
Im praying for my students and time here. I hope my love for teaching grows even on
the bad days. Im incredibly humbled to be able to serve the Lord in this way.
Until tomorrow
Avery Harrison

Tuesday, January 7th 2014

Today might be considered a boring day in the world of teaching, but lectures
are necessary to provide content information. Mrs. Cunningham and I are strong
advocates of scaffolding instruction as well as explaining to students the expectations and
benefits to what is being studied. She posted the question To what degree were the
1920s a period of progress and prosperity? This allows for students to see what their
goal of all this busy work will be. It is so important to show the value and purpose to
assignments or more students would choose not to do it. As I flipped through the
PowerPoint, I constructed a chart of the 3 business presidents of this era: Harding,
Coolidge, and Hoover. They are key historical figures, so there needs to be some visual
for students to refer back to if they miss information in class discussion and lecture.
As a follow up to the lesson, a business cycle worksheet was assigned in class.
Its a good formative assessment, so we can know what information we lacked
clarification on. I graded them, and I also charted how the questions that were most
missed. It interested me why so many students got the same question wrong.Was it a
disconnect, laziness, or teaching error? We decided that tomorrow as a class to go over
them in detail.
Like extracurricular activities and the time of the day, I also learned that weather
affects students effort and attention in class. It was, yet again, another freezing cold day.
Mountain Brook was the only school in the Birmingham area that wasnt delayed again.
Students complained about that and how cold they were. It was extremely difficult for
some of them to remain focused (as it usually is with 15 year olds). I cant help but
wonder how to create a classroom conducive to all learning styles (as do all educators)
and to display the value of learning, not just history, but truly learning.
Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Another great day at the school as come and gone. We started the class reviewing
the business cycle handout. That took up the majority of the class period in 1st and 2nd
period, so we modified for the rest of the day in order to introduce an important concept.
One thing Ive learned from this experience as well as my other clinicals it to constantly
be flexible and open to change. We teach the same material but need to teach it in
different ways to different classes.
Mrs. Cunningham and I are really passionate about literacy in our content area. So
today we introduced a concept to note-taking. The Cornell Note-Taking System is
intended for students to take notes during lecture or an activity, write questions that a
teacher might ask, and then right a summary about the subject. It is divided into two
columns. They can cover up the notes and ask the questions and vice versa. Cornell notes
are intended to help with writing notes as well as studying for tests or writing research.
As educators, we are given so many resources and so many opportunities to find
resources that work. It never hurts to try new things. Some students complained about
Cornell notes, but others learned better that way. If Mrs. Cunningham didnt set aside
time to teach a certain method, there would be a huge disconnect to some students. I often
find that we teach to the middle to average student and dont give enough focus to

challenge the gifted or help the underachieving. Introducing notetaking might help the
underachieving and challenge the gifted to think outside the box.
Since I am here for 3 weeks, I also want to take advantage of my two free periods
to use to of course help Mrs. Cunningham but also to observe other teachers and their
styles. Today I went across the hall to Coach Webbs history class. He is ahead of Mrs.
Cunningham and her collaborative partner and teaching on the Cold War. He had an
activity in which he assigned students to different, imaginary countries in which the
bigger of the countries was invading the smallest. The class had to come up with a
strategic plan to either avoid war or enter into war. Basically, the lesson was designed to
model to nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia. I loved this lesson
because it was a great introduction as well as a simulation. I think that its so important to
change teaching styles in order to avoid monotony and keep students engaged.
Simulations are also a unique way for students to experience the struggles or triumphs of
a particular event. Coach Webb actually gave me the hard copy of this lesson, and I plan
to reuse it for my own class one day. Im so thankful to not only grow in be teaching
abilities but also grow my teaching resources.
Thursday, January 9th 2014
Each day brings new surprises and challenges. Today we had a sub since Mrs.
Cunningham had to be the pronouncer for the local Spelling Bee. Yes, she was asked too!
She only had to be gone a half the day though. As much as we want to be with our
students everyday, sometimes teachers have mandatory or unavoidable situations.
Flexibility is key, and when you teach, you sign up for more than just presenting
curriculum.
I was instructed to strongly help the sub since I know the rhythm of class, and it
would be a learning experience for me to manage the classroom on my own. We watched
a video today over a pivotal event in American History: the Scopes Trial. I lead the class
in a review and tried to lay down the background information in hopes they would
recognize the progressive and conservative tensions fabricated in the early 20th century
American society. As with most videos, Mrs. Cunningham and I found a worksheet for
them to look at and guide them. 1st period kept asking questions from their worksheet, so
I paused the video at least twice to question and regroup them. I felt that it was important
to sometimes interject or students might miss key information. From my own experience
watching videos, I easily can zone out and miss a few scenes. This can be true of those
who have difficulty reading. Students miss key information while reading because
passages are too long or are at a higher reading level. Documentaries have a lot of excess
information that can be easily lost in the big pictures. I wanted to make sure that they
understood the background information and connections to the rest of the unit, so I
guided them for most of the class.
After Mrs. Cunningham returned, I went across the hall to Mrs. Martins room to
observe her Gifted United States History class. (She also teachers American Studies
which is an interdisciplinary class between History and Literature.) Today, the class had
to present a mini-class project. In pairs, they shared metaphors between Thomas Jefferson
and Alexander Hamilton. They had visuals and a rubric of question they needed to
answer. I was astonished by the differences of a gifted class and a standard class. High

schoolers are high schoolers and enjoy socializing, but they actually listened to one
another and asked questions. Its important to observe and understand the classroom
atmosphere each student brings in. This project, for instance, probably would not have
worked in Mrs. Cunninghams 7th period without modification. Overall, I enjoyed
observing this class and arranged to observe the American Studies class next week.
Friday, January 10th, 2014
Today we went over the Business Cycle worksheet as a class. Even though the
assignment was only a homework grade, its important to understand the 1920s.
Homework already has the reputation of being unuseful, but walking through the
assignment strengthens the validity of it.
After we walked through the homework, we moved the students into groups and
checked the Cornell note-taking system. They were to go over the notes, questions, and
summaries then write the questions on the board so the rest of the class could see what
their peers received from the readings. They also needed to write down the questions just
in case they missed something from their readings. Again, we need to stress the
importance of note-taking and close reading.
Students are also starting to ask about the test and when it will be. We have talked
about doing a paper instead of a test, but regardless of the assessment students are curious
to how they will be graded and what they will be graded on. I want to do a review Prezi
or handout, but I feel like the Prezi might be useful to them since some students complain
about having too many handouts. It is also great to have tangible material to write and
highlight on. Having stuff alone is a generational thing. We are so use to receiving
information quickly. How do teachers teach to this generation? I dont want to lose the
nature of the traditional classroom, but I must also accommodate to the nature of the
class.
Monday, January 13th 2014
As soon as I walked into class, students bombarded me with questions from the
Scopes Trial worksheet. On one hand, I was extremely delighted that they trusted me
with content information, but I was also frustrated that this was given on Thursday and
they were still working on it to the last minute. Just as it is instructed in James to let your
yes be yes and or no be no, teachers need to stand firm in their due dates and
consequences for late work. Without deductions for late work, students would most likely
never turn in their work on time. Classroom policies are an evil necessity that every
teacher must have.
Today, I worked on a classroom and computer timeline. I used Prezi for the
digital timeline and had a blast showing Mrs. Cunningham how to use it. The classroom
timeline is a great reference for the class to see the chronology of events and connect
them to the rest of the world. Timelines are great in history classes because they provide
examples and evidence for material that cant be visually depicted from just listening.
They also provide relevancy. I also got to work on the bulletin board in class. When I
have my own room, I want to have a board I change for each unit, a calendar of events,
and a timeline comparing and contrasting world events.

Tuesday, January 14th 2014

Today the class was assigned a group project over the social and lifestyle changes
of the 1920s. This assignment will be a presentation and is intended to scaffold the
upcoming Document Based Question assignment. The expectations for the assignment
was written on the board and posted on Moodle to ensure that every student had the
guidelines to assist their work. I had the opportunity to walk around group and help them
while Mrs. Cunningham worked on grades. The advantage to this group assignment was
that is expanded their research knowledge and capabilities. They had information given
to them, but couldnt solely rely on it. They needed to use notes, and appropriate websites
to retrieve the information. There are also disadvantages to group work. One child
usually ends up doing the work 1) because they have that type of personality 2) they are
paired with students who latch on and are lazy. I walked around to keep the students on
task and constantly asked questions hinting on how to create a great project. There is a
time to let students pick group but there is also a time to be responsible and delegate roles
so one person isnt doing all the work. All those group projects in my education block
make more sense
One part of the project I appreciated, besides the use of technology, was the
requirement to make questions to ask the class at the end of the presentation. This gets
students to think critically and apply content knowledge (according to Blooms
Taxonomythe synthesis level). It also incorporated the method of Cornell notes which
strengthens to purpose of the painful and useless notes that students complained about.
This was the slide they had the most difficulty with, but they did a pretty decent job for
the amount of time given.
Wednesday, January 15th, 2014
Today, Im starting to get drained. Its exhausting waking up before the sun rises
and not getting to sleep until 15 hours later. Despite my physical fatigue, I am mentally
and spiritually alive. I love being in this season of constant learning and reflecting.
Everyday has a lesson that isnt pre-planned with an overview, standards, and objectives.
Even on the boring and repetitive days, there are still lives to touch and things to be
taught.
There will be plenty of days when I lack sleep, but I have to push through and
consider the students before myself. Today each class presented the PowerPoints they
worked on in and out of class yesterday. Its their first major grade/assessment for this
nine-weeks. I am constantly affirmed the value of both formative and summative
assessments. As I watched each class and different groups present, I observed the variety
of group effort and participation. Effort really depended on the students personality. My
only hesitation with group work is how to get an accurate grade for the whole group.
Usually, one person does all the work and speaking. I would have made the rubric like
this:
Content...5
Visuals5
Group Participation5

Presentation...5
Questions..5
I am learning a lot about how to make a solid rubric. It needs to be clear, concise, and not
subjective to particular students. I also think rubrics need to be given ahead of time so
students can use it to guide their work and set goals based off of expectations. Overall, I
enjoyed watching the presentations even though the information can be monotonous after
7 periods.
Thursday, January 16th, 2014
During 3rd period planning, I ventured over to Mrs. Martins room again to
observe the interdisciplinary class between literature and history. They were being
assigned an out of class project that would last all 9 weeks in which each student will
choose a historical fiction novel and create a presentation to groups of 4. I love the
concept of this assignment. First of all, alternative assessments are amazing especially
when students are not strong test takers. Projects give students at different levels and
learning styles the opportunity to excel or meet expectations. This project also engages
student with more than just content. There are social skills and critical thinking skills
needed to partake in the project. A reading assignment like this perfectly exemplifies
literature and history. Since the beginning of the semester, thinking historically has been
a major issue. Books can be dissected by historical evidence just like they can be
examined through symbols, grammar, and style. Students also have to utilize the media
center and the librarians, which encourages research and interaction with someone other
than the Internet. After observing the class, I talked with Mrs. Cunningham about
potentially using a similar project for one of the upcoming units. We both agreed this
would be beneficial to use in the World War II unit.
Most people would say that they know a lot about World War II or have at least
been exposed to it. Using a reading project would provide unique perspectives about
different experiences during the war: the Home Front, soldiers, the Pacific, and
minorities. The assignment would challenge each student individually.
Friday, January 17th, 2014
Today, I got to teach another lesson to the class. This time, I had no help. It was
the real deal. I had the honor of introducing the primary sources for the Document Based
Question which we have been scaffolding the whole unit. I started the lesson by
presenting five methods of historical thinking on the ELMO. Since close-reading and
analyzing information has been a difficulty for this class, I wanted to walk through the
basics of historical thinking. A Document Based Question is much easier than you might
think if you really understand the basics. After walking through these tips with the class, I
modeled the first document (out of 10) for them. I also hoped that our scaffolding since
last semester would help with their thought process when working on their DBQ.
Modeling is vital when assigning a major assessment that a student isnt familiar with
especially when auditory learning isnt their strong point. Depending on the class, I

walked through a few more documents to void confusion. As I was teaching, I tried to
make connections, question the students, and stress the importance of the assignment. I
received encouraging participation. After 20 minutes of modeling, I let the students work
on their own since the paper is to be done individually and based on their observation,
not a peers. I learned from this experience to be prepared for unexpected questions, and
that I have to modify based on the class. I also saw how important it is to reflect how I
teach. If I have to constantly explain something, is how Im teaching it or is it something
students just genuinely dont understand.
Tuesday, January 21st 2014
Today was catch-up day for everyone, especially those who missed school Friday
due to the MLK Holiday At the beginning of class, Mrs. Cunningham introduced the
Document Based Question topics. They were allowed to choose between two questions
which Mrs. C and I agreed would be more beneficial. Being interested in a topic really
does effect the effort someone puts into their work as we saw in the group presentations
last week. They were to finish the primary sources on their own which I was glad they
had to. This paper is about their opinions based on observations and historical evidence.
When they are in college, they wont have the luxury to be in all the same classes as their
friends and utilizing group work. They have to solve the problem based on their work.
Wednesday, January 22nd 2014
Well if today wasnt just a struggle in the teaching world, then I dont know what
the word struggle means. Looking back even a few hours later, Im actually glad this
happened. So, I got home from work around 10:45. Much later than I usually do. I guess
my body didnt want to wake up because I slept through my alarms and woke up in a
panic at 6:30. No time for coffee. Barley enough time for a shower and to pack lunch for
myself. I hurriedly got ready praying the remain humble and calm. I managed to look
presentable and bundled up by 7:08. Perfect timing.so I thought. I start cruising on 65
South and right before the 459 exit, there is a really terrible 5 car accident. I sit in traffic
for 25 minutes. Still trying to remain calm, I emailed my teacher to let her know I might
be late. (Thankful for technology in moments like these). Getting mad wont make me get
there faster, so I just thought about how I could prepare myself for the daywithout any
coffee I might add again. I finally get to school and get put to work organizing the
secondary sources for class. The whole day was a struggle. Mrs. Cunningham and I had a
hard time figuring out how to make the lesson enjoyable, but sometimes work needs to be
gritty.
We went over the primary documents for the Document Based Question. At first,
I wanted to just trust they did the best they could and move on to explain the difficult
secondary sources, but I realized how crucial it is for them to understand how to correctly
analyze these sources. This is whole assignment should focus on the process: closereading, analyzing, being challenged, instead of the product. These are skills they need to
have for the ACT, for other disciplines, and college.

We modified the lesson to a think, pair, share approach. This allowed for them to
bounce ideas off each other. Its okay to think for yourself and not think exactly like your
classmate. Students didnt want to do this and as a consequence, they have to finish
everything for homework and have their thesis ready for tomorrow.
Though I had a difficult day, Im thankful that even in the bad times there are
lessons to be learned.
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
Last day at Mountain Brook, and Im saddened to leave but thankful for the
experiences I had. Today, we went over the secondary sources and began organizing the
essay. If Mrs. Cunningham and I correctly scaffolded the essay, this will be a breeze for
the class. We encouraged the students to work on this individually and walked around the
room. Individual work is also beneficial to the student-teacher relationship. It allows for
us to work one-on-one with students who struggle and wont typically meet after class or
school. We can assess how their mind is working and give them timely, honest, and
encouraging feedback. Walking around the room also prompts students to ask question
they might be afraid to ask during large group discussion.
I cant believe three weeks have come and gone. I am incredibly thankful for the
relationships that were cultivated during my time here. I learned so much about my
teaching philosophy, teaching style, and passion to help students achieve their potential.
The students and faculty were encouraging. I cant wait to begin my student teaching
journey. Though I am ready, I still have so much to learn. Teaching is really learning
through experience. There arent enough books and studies in the world to explain the
joys and challenges of this field. Experience is the greatest teacher.