Personal Cultural Artifacts

The temple is a symbol of the mormon culture and it reveals many things about our culture. To LDS people it reveal that we are centered on family and that holy sacred places are something that we value. To people not a part of this culture it may reveal that we have a lot of money, that we spend it lavishly on expensive buildings instead of giving to the poor or that we are very exclusive and we don't let every one into our buildings.

Missionaries are another symbol of the mormon culture. To LDS people it reveals that we are a hard working people that sacrifice time from our lives to serve God. Also that we care about all of our brothers and sisters and we will sacrifice in order to give others the blessings that we know of. To people not a part of this culture it may mean to them that we are a pushy people that we want everyone to join us because we think that we are the best and that we are right.

To people part of a "techy" culture we think that we are advanced and progressive using the latest technology and always being up to date.

To people not a part of this "tech-age" they may think that we are not experiencing life to the fullest or that we are being rude while on our phones.

To americans, we perceive our culture as strong and free.

Other cultures may perceive the american culture in a generalized way assuming everyone here is overweight and eats unhealthy fast food.
Link to Article: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-are-obsessed-with-fast-food-the-dark-side-of-the-all-american-meal/

As a runner, we run because of how it makes us feel, and for adventure and to explore.

To people who are not part of the runner culture may perceive it as people who are doing it only to lose weight or because they were not good at any other sports.

As a girl we see ourselves as soft and smart and able to contribute to the world in unique ways.

Many people perceive girls as incompetent or stupid and too obsessed with how they look.

BYU is the no. 1 Stone Cold sober school for the 16th year in a row. 

Link to article:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=35787424&nid=272

Many members of this culture are proud of this and to us it reveals that our culture is strong in keeping our standards and living what we believe. To people not a part of this culture it may reveal that we are so strict and all we care about is keeping the rules. That we don't live life and that we don't have fun.

As and LDS women this photo reveals that our culture is to dress modestly. We think that we are looking clean cut and presentable.

However to people not a part of this culture they may see it as out of style, old fashioned. or over conservative.

Tevas are a symbol of a carefree and free spirit culture. I have noticed when I wear mine that people who are also laid back and adventurous find me and comment on them and it seems to be a clear symbol of that culture. However some people view it as lazy or sloppy when I wear tevas and casual clothes to class. 

I served my mission spanish speaking and now I consider that a huge part of myself but often times when I try to speak spanish with hispanics they dismiss me or don't pay attention or respect to me because they don't think that I actually speak it or when I listen to spanish music people ask why I am listening to it and they don't think that I speak spanish just because I am white. 

 My dad served his mission in norway so my family has a lot of norwegian traditions. Often times people ask why we have creepy trolls in our house (as bookends and decorations) and they don't think that it doesn't have to be creepy just because it isn't part of their culture.

I am a photographer and I rarely go somewhere without my camera. It is a huge part of my personal culture and I do feel I am a part of the culture of photographers.

Many people don't respect photographers and they often tell me that all you need to do is click a button. This picture represents often times the worlds view of photographers that it is easy and anyone can do it, just as everyone has an iphone and they think they can take just as good pictures using their smart phones.

Instagram is a huge part of the culture of my generation and especially me because I use it o get clients for work. It is actually really important that I use it very frequently because it gets me more clients but I often times get made fun of or looked down on because of how often I use it. 

I am a PE teacher and this is a big part of my culture. I am very active and I love sports but because I am in physical education people expect me to be the best at every single sport and when I am not I get made fun of or it is awkward. 

My own culture will greatly impact my classroom and my teaching styles and the more I am aware of that, the better. Reviewing my artifacts I can see that many of them have to do with technology which makes sense because I study technology Engineering Education and I will be teaching technology classes but this is really important for me to realize that not only is technology important to me but I have a big history with it and I am very comfortable with it as it is a big part of my culture. This could be a hinderance because I may have students who didn't grow up with their own technology and they may be behind the rest of the class I shouldn't make this assumption just because that is my own background but I should be aware of that and make sure all the students are keeping up on the programs and if they aren't then I will provide extra help. 

Another pattern I see is my religion. That is also a very big part of my life and this can be a help in my teaching because my faith has taught me good morals that I can pass on to my students but it could also be a hinderance because I may have biases or prejudices against things that are morally wrong according to my religion but not to the world and I should not judge any student or have any assumption about someone just because they have different religious views than me or possibly none at all. 

I can also see a trend of being chastised for "pretending" to be a different culture than I am. The same type of things happen with spanish music and norwegian traditions in my family. People don't think that I should participate in those cultures because I am white but those are a big part of my past and my memories. These experiences will help me to remember not to make that assumption or judgement about any of my students based on the way the look. I cannot know everything about someone just by looking at them and their culture may be completely different from what I would assume. 

Being "The Other"

Today I tried something new. I went to the Abracadabra Club at the BYU Clubs night. I had never been there before or even done any kind of magic before. I have barely even been exposed to it or been around people who do that kind of stuff.  I definitely experienced to some extent feeling like "the other" or different from all the other people there. I was the only person there who was not experienced in magic, most people that I talked to had been doing it for 10 or more years.

The environment was a small group of people (5-10). They all seemed like they knew each other very well and that it is the same group of people there each week, and I was the new one. By the end I found out they even have "no magic nights" where everyone in the club will go hang out and do something fun but no one is allowed to bring magic so that way they can bond and have a break from it where they can really get to know each other. I thought that was an interesting idea. It was so foreign to me that they would even have to make that rule that it is not allowed, which means it was that much of a problem.

When I got there they were all talking about tricks and then one person who was "featured" that week, taught us all how to do a coin trick. The others already knew the basic ways to handle the coins so I felt behind and embarrassed that I couldn't keep up.

Observation

When I walked into the room, the people all kinda stopped and looked at me and hesitated before they said hi. It was maybe only a few seconds but when you are standing there and everyone is looking you up and down then it seems a lot longer and you are wanting it so bad to be over. I also noticed some lingo that they were speaking that I had no idea what it meant. I also noticed a kind of culture that seemed a little proud and secretive. This may be a mis-judgement but this is my observation. 

Interpretation

They were wondering who I was, why I was there, and if I was like them. They were probably wondering if I had experience with magic or if I was good. They were probably surprised to see a new person because I got the vibe that it was the same group of people there each week. Many of the people there would not answer my questions on how to do the tricks because they didn't want others to know the secrets to their tricks. They also didn't like it when I asked to many questions. I think the reason they didn't want me asking was because that is part of the culture and not telling the secrets.

Feelings 

I felt a little uncomfortable and I was wondering if I was going to like it there and how the people were going to treat me.
I felt that I needed to defend myself. I would keep talking a lot explaining how it is my first time doing magic and that is why I am not good and I am not following along with the instructions. The culture of not asking questions made me feel really bad, because I didn't know what else to do. If I feel uncomfortable and wasn't sure what to do I naturally wanted to ask lots of questions but sometimes they were frowned upon or dismissed. 

How did you feel about being the other?

I felt a little behind and a little embarrassed but I didn't feel too bad. However, I am generally comfortable and confident in social settings. I did feel that I didn't belong, and even though I wasn't miserable I wasn't really enjoying the time and I was wondering when it was going to be over. I felt a mix of feelings. I did feel welcome because the people were being nice to me and saying that I was welcome there but I also noticed vibes and signals that I was not on the mark and doing things that are not on with the culture. 

How did you cope with your otherness?

I coped by laughing and joking. I felt like I was so bad compared to everyone else and I couldn't hide the coins as well as the rest so I wasn't able to do the tricks. I would just talk about how bad I was and laugh at myself to try to hide my feelings of inadequacy. This is a typical way for me to cope and I didn't realize this until after this experience and then I was able to apply it to other aspects of my life which was very discovering. 

What are implications for students in your class who are experiencing school as a foreign place?

Students who feel behind in class may laugh or joke about their inadequacy, but I can reassure them that they can do it, and make sure that they know it is normal if they have no prior knowledge about a new topic and encourage them. They may be extra sensitive to things that we would never imagine could be hurtful. I have noticed that when you are already feeling bad and out of place little things can hurt you that normally wouldn't because it all builds up and seems like a lot bigger deal when you are already sensitive. 

Cultural Artifacts:

here is a picture of one of the members teaching me how to do a card trick, along with a video of one of the guys explaining a trick.

Cultural Snap Shot: Russian Stereotypes in America

1. Photograph portraying cold and mean Russians
http://www.56thparallel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Russian-Stereotypes-d.jpg

Belief that russians are cold and angry people. Russia has some of the lowest temperatures in several northern cities around the world, and this leads to the correlation of cold weather with cold people.
I have a roommate who is russian and this is a stereotype that comes up almost daily to her as we meet new people. 

















2. Russian Spy in Avengers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4__mvTyL0
This scene in this movie supports the belief that Russians in America are spies. 
This is also a stereotype that I have seen in real life through my roommate who is russian. As we meet new people there are constant jokes made about her being a spy. And it may sound funny, but after you hear it every day, for your whole life, its not.

3. Post Cold War Movies with Russian Antagonists
Sex and the City, 2 Broke Girls, the Big Bang Theory, and the Americans
Sex and the City 
"While Carrie Bradshaw wasn't perfect (hello, affair with your married ex-boyfriend), she certainly didn't deserve to date one of the worst characters of all time; Aleksandr Petrovsky. "The Russian” was played by Mikhail Baryshnikov who was apparently a sex symbol back in the day."

2 Broke Girls
About two girls working at a restaurant with an overly flirtatious russian cook. There are many parts throughout with crude jokes and subliminal messages about russians. 
Video Clip of the perception of russians in this show through the russian waitress. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTJ0l6aZbCo

The Big Bang Theory
Link to The Russian Rocket Reaction Episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plCcmK1vjkc
The Russian cosmonaut lurks around every bend on the space station. Still referring to Howard as "Froot Loops," Dimitri pokes his head in to further take Howard aback while Wolowitz fears both rebelling against his domineering mother and displeasing his new wife with their living arrangements. He bluntly refers to Mrs. Wolowitz as a woman who says she’s Howard's mother but sounds like his father, as well as mutters to himself that Howard is just putting himself in a bind and that it is unbelievable Americans won the Cold War. 

The Americans
The Americans, is about the first hand account of KGB officers, following a KGB couple living undercover in Washington. Being in the perspective of Russian KGB associates is what makes these shows alike. However, even while the plot is about Russians themselves, they are still portrayed as enemies to the West, and gives the viewers of the shows a chance to be uncomfortable whenever rooting for the Russian characters. 

These are all examples of shows that were filmed post Cold War, but hold the Cold War enemy close to their script.

4. Anti-Communism Poster
http://the-artifice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Cold-War-Ads-How-Communism-Works-300x450.jpg













Along with its political agenda, American culture turned to its entertainment industry to further carry out the country’s ideals. Russia, the largest country in the world, had also become the greatest threat to the new American Dream idealistic society. The land and its people were marked as communist enemies of the west, and so naturally, this became depicted through American culture and media.

5. Alcoholism: The Pessimistic Drunk
The Big Bang Theory- The main Russian astronaut with him, named Dmitri, is pictured with a low husky voice with a thick accent, constantly commenting on his own superiority and ability to withhold a lot of alcohol and extreme colds.

6. The KGB
Belief that most russian men are affiliated with the russian mafia or the KGB.
Allegiance  
The show Allegiance follows a detective who is specializing in Russian affairs and has direct family ties to the KGB. The show follows the main character and his ex-KGB parents, and essentially covering up a plot to destroy America.
The Americans
The Americans, is about the first hand account of KGB officers, following a KGB couple living undercover in Washington. Being in the perspective of Russian KGB associates is what makes these shows alike. However, even while the plot is about Russians themselves, they are still portrayed as enemies to the West, and gives the viewers of the shows a chance to be uncomfortable whenever rooting for the Russian characters. 

7. The Prostitute
belief that a beautiful tall, blonde hair, blue eyed beauty is either caught up in the world of adultery or choose it for herself. (common russian genetic trait) this belief was also born from the high rates of prostitution and human trafficking in eastern europe and slavic countries

One example is a crude joke made in the show 2 Broke Girls,
"Putin it out!" uses a pun of using the name of the controversial Russian president synonymously with “putting it out” a slang term in modern culture which refers to a woman giving up her sexuality to a man.
Pilot Episode of CBS 2 Broke Girls

What message(s) (consistent or conflicting) are being sent about this cultural group through these artifacts? 
Consistent messages are being sent that Russians are:
-cold and angry
-slutty and/or prostitutes 
-sneaky and can't be trusted (and possibly are spies)
-most russian men are involved in the mafia or KGB
-persimistic and drunk


How might this message(s) impact how a child from this cultural group is viewed and treated in the classroom? 
How will Russian Children be treated and portrayed in the classroom?
Russian Children could be treated or portrayed following any of these stereotypes. Either for the child themselves or towards their parents or family. This is bad because when we are treated or expected to be a certain way often times we believe it and do become that way. This can have a very negative impact on the development of the children when they are assumptions made about them.


Why is it important for teachers to examine how cultural groups are represented in the media, curriculum, and policy? Why is it important for teachers to examine how cultural groups are represented in the media, curriculum and policy?

It is important for teachers to examine how cultural groups are represented in media in order to understand the bias that may already be in us so that we can be aware of them and set them aside. We need to get to know our student as who they and and what are their true needs and not what we think their needs and struggles are based on how their cultural group is portrayed in the media. It is also important to be aware of the perspectives we have on different cultures whether we have students of that culture or not because as teachers we should not give biases or support these stereotypes in our classroom.

Imagined Classroom

Each one of my students is different. Some are confident and some are insecure. Some come from a strong family who loves and supports them and some are lock and key kids who are on their own. Some know they are smart and some have always thought they were stupid. Some like sports, some music, and some video games. Some of my students are loud and rambunctious. Some are quiet and lonely. Some are eager to participate; some are distracted by the worries or excitements of life.

I will try my best to prevent behavioral issues by providing extra supervision during high risk periods, letting children know they can reach out for help, providing choices whenever possible and ensuring that the tasks are manageable. I will praise positive behavior more often than scolding negative behavior. Often times when a student misbehaves he or she is seeking attention and this way the student will learn that to receive attention they must act positively. However when behavioral issues arise I will handle each situation according to its circumstances. I will ignore it in some cases, promote apologies and teach good morals, or restrict privileges. I will involve the students in creating the rules and expectations so that they feel accountable. I will always accept late work with a percent deduction because the most important thing to me is that my students are learning, and to me better that they learn late than never learn that part of the material. I will assign a lot of projects that are open ended and creative, which you never really finish. This way the students can put as much time as they want into their projects but they will be personal and they will want to do it, rather than doing the worksheet until all the answers are filled in.

I am teaching the technical usage of a DSLR camera. This will be one of the first things I will teach my students in a photo class, because I want them to be able to get out there and start shooting from the beginning, to get as much hands on experience as they can. I will teach it by starting with a little history as an anticipatory set where we are inside a pinhole camera. I will cover the windows with black and only leave a small hole for the light to come in where we will see the image of outside projected on the wall. We will then briefly discuss the history of photography and then I will teach the technical and manual settings to the camera as a hands-on learning experience. The students will be taking pictures as they are learning how to manipulate the photo they want. I will adapt the lesson to available supplies. The main thing for my students to learn is how they can manipulate an image based on changing the light sensitivity, depth of field, and shutter speed.

            During the lesson I am carefully reading my students. Paying attention to their cues of when they are getting distracted, bored, discouraged or engaged. Ready to throw in an anticipatory set, or activity. I am using proximity to keep my students on task. I am giving positive and constructive feedback.

Some of my students are working hard on their worksheet. Some students are confused and discouraged. Some students are talking to their friends. Some are working on other things not from my class. I am aware of them all, and I am adapting my teaching to engage my students and to help them understand the content.

I will develop my own feedback forms and value the information from the students. I will adapt and change each year to improve and meet the student’s needs. Students will learn what we test for, if we test for facts they will learn facts, if we test for problem solving they will become problem solvers. My long-term goal is to learn more about and then to implement improved mechanisms for assessment of students maybe ability based or performance based. After Information is presented I will provide opportunities to for my students to apply it and then a way both the student and myself can evaluate their progress. One way I can know if my students have learned is if my tests are open ended where the students can tell all they know about the topic. This creates greater motivation to learn everything you can and not just “the answer”. I will provide a variety of assessment tools such as tests, projects, and reflections to accommodate to different needs. I will use written reflections, quizzes and tests, projects, and portfolios in order to evaluate and assess my students. Quizzes and tests will allow me to compare between students and understand the different ability levels. While reflections will help the students to be in charge of their own learning and inspire them. Project will allow for freedom, creativity and give them the opportunity to go above and beyond. Portfolios at the end of the year will help me to see the progress of each student and give them a grade that is fair based on their unique skill levels. I will use the national and state standards to base my curriculum while tailoring it to the interests of each unique group of students. 

Yellow

I first thought of the color yellow because that is the mood I want in my classroom. It symbolizes light, enlightenment, positivity, and fun.

Open Door

I chose this open door because I will always keep an open door policy that my students can come to me for help anytime.

Chameleon

I chose the chameleon because it represents change. I will change as I improve as a teacher and continue to learn more about my field. I will change with each new class because I believe each class and student is unique with different needs and styles of learning. I don’t want to ever do something the same way.

Circle Desks

I will have a circular desk formation or a set up that is familial and promotes discussion and engagement

Mac Lab

I hope to have resources available to my students that they will be able to work on projects in class and my curriculum will be project based.

Surroundings what does the room look like how are resources used during lesson

photo credit:
yellow: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/ICS_Quebec.svg/2000px-ICS_Quebec.svg.png door: http://www.fggam.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/open-door.jpg chameleon: http://www.lizardtypes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/chameleon-picture4.jpg circle desks: http://homesdesign2016.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/american-high-school-classroom-1.jpg mac lab: http://homepages.se.edu/act/files/2014/08/VA-iMac-Lab-Fronts.jpg

Dewey was right

Dewey was right; we learn from doing.

Today we taught the 6th graders part 1 of our media literacy and advertising lesson. We did stations with the kids. There were 4 groups of 4. This gave us the opportunity to teach just a few students at a time and also meant we would teach the same thing four times. I had planned out what I would do for my station many times and changed it, but once I had taught it once to the first group I could see so clearly the flaws and I knew how to fix them for the later groups. I was then able to teach more effectively and involve the students more. 

If we role play teaching before we actually do it,  lesson plans will improve. There are some things that we will not understand until we see them happen. 

Change the mood

The first day that we worked on our lesson our group was low energy and not a lot of positivity or excitement was going around. We weren't receiving any inspiration and we were all a little worried about it. 

Today was completely different. It started with food. Aubria brought chocolate covered almonds to share with everyone and immediately everyone was more happy and energetic. Then with a more open environment we were able to discuss the option of starting fresh with a new idea. Within 5 minutes we were further on the new idea then we were after 3 hours the first day.  The group was feeling excited and comfortable and new ideas were flowing right out. 

It is amazing the power our minds have to impact every moment.
In teaching and in our lives we need to find ways to improve the mood.
to connect with people to make them feel loved important interesting interested or just share your food. I should start bringing more oranges around with me. 

Active Learning

We were working in groups in class today and Geoff moved around to each group and sat at the table with us and worked on grading. He made himself available to us but left it up to us to engage him and get his feedback if we wanted.

I liked this method because it activated me in my learning I was thinking wow he is just going to sit here and if we don't say anything to him we will leave and not help us. 

I think I would try to use some of these methods by making a lot of resources available to the students but leaving it up to them to use them so they feel a motivation.

Simple

its simple

Geoff had a meeting today with President Worthlen, the president of BYU.
Right before he had to go a student needed his help.
Everyone came together to help, and I felt so much love today.
There was another man there helping who had to meet his wife and he was a little stressed trying to figure out how we was going to organize his complicated life. 
Geoff never mentioned anything about the meeting. 
He reached out.
I was impressed with simplicity of following the spirit.
Our video project wasn't going how we planned it and with unexpected difficulties it was becoming more stressful than it was fun.
We both felt after today that we should change our project idea and go with a very simple approach that will be a metaphor for our experiences and impressions. 
I feel peace.

its simple

I pray that we will focus on “the simplicity that is in Christ” and allow His grace to lift and carry us.
Elder Dieter F. Utchtdorf 

If We Forget Anyways, Why Even Learn?

Summarizing and Note Taking 
Verbatim Note Taking is the least effective.
Trying to record all of what is heard or said takes up so much of the student's working memory that they do not have "room" to analyze the incoming information, and they are not engaged in the act of synthesizing information.
Notes should be considered a work in progress reviewing and revising is a powerful activity 
Notes should be used for study guides for tests
The more notes taken, the better. 
(Research Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, Marzano)

Reflections
In Geoff's class we are able to review and revise our notes every week when we are required to write a reflection. I have noticed that I have retained and learned more in this class than other classes because of this strategy. In class I am already thinking what I can write about, and then later when I actually write it I revise it and think about it even further to take it to the next step.
We also use our notes as our study guides which encourages us to engage in them.

Study Journals by Topic 
I also keep a study journal where I record what I learn from the scriptures, the prophets, and the spirit. I have it organized by topic because this way I revisit a page multiple times a week and it has tiny bits that I have learned about that topic over years. I see them again each time and because of this system I have the majority of my study journal memorized, and think about it throughout the day.

In my class, I will provide opportunity to review and revise whether it is reflections or have the students teach back what we have learned to someone else in the class. This will allow them to refine their knowledge and switch it from their short term memory to their long term memory. 

I will continue to use study journals and reflections for my other classes even when my professors don't require it. I am starting a separate blog for all of my growing knowledge and I will record what is important to me that I have learned each day.