What Makes for Good Teaching

What makes for good teaching?

I believe good teaching is achieved by inspiring the learner to push forward and to trust themselves. This doesn't apply just to the education system it can apply to anything there is to be taught. Encouragement through critique both positive and negative can point out strengths while also showing where improvement may be needed. While watching the video by Ken Robinson, I saw how he used humor when showing specific points and used uplifting stories that illustrated his point of creativity. This kept me engaged thoroughly as it made me zone out everything in the background and listen intently to his words. Leading by example and teaching people using the abilities those people already have instead of concentrating on the abilities they don’t, will help them learn things they thought they might not be able to.  A good teacher can help a struggling student by relating to them on a personal level and that can build confidence in the student to help them learn what otherwise seemed impossible.

What makes for bad teaching?

Bad teaching is an easy way to teach. It’s easy not to try to relate personally to someone you are trying to teach. It’s also easier to hand someone a list of instructions and expect them to understand what you've given to them without your guidance or additional input. Obviously if you enjoy teaching you will be more apt to give attention to your students, more so than someone who only does it for a pay check or because they have to. 

English 101 Education Narrative (Final Draft)

                                   My Life with Six Strings

I began learning to play guitar when I had just turned 13 years old. I bought my first guitar—a beat-up old electric that looked like the 1980s threw up all over it, smashed it into pieces, and then reassembled it before it was sold as “slightly used” in a local pawn shop. I treated it worse than the family cat, which proved fatal to the guitar.  

Two big reasons I became interested in learning to play music were that my mom taught me some basic piano when I was young, and the majority of my family was involved with music in some way. Mom is a classical pianist who played quite often when I was growing up. I can still remember her playing “Chariots of Fire” as I listened intently from the other room. I idolized my Uncle Bob, who was in a band in Santa Cruz.  Other members of my mom’s family were musically gifted as well. Aunt Lisa sang the national anthem a couple times at professional baseball games when I was young, and I loved watching her sing. It was my family that helped establish my love for music and inspired me to learn to play guitar—a process that has been going on for almost 20 years.

I suppose it all started with my grandpa, who sang Frank Sinatra and other artists from a young age. He later involved his children in music and performing. Grandpa used to record music with my mother and her siblings on vinyl when they were barely school-age.  He was featured recently on a local morning news show about his love for singing and the fact that at 90 years old he still performs karaoke two or three times a week. He gets decked out in his Sinatra-style suit and fedora, belts out his vocals, and dances like a much younger man. Thinking of him, I am reminded of many Christmases where my family would get together and sing holiday songs. Wearing a huge smile as she enjoyed time with her children and grandchildren, Grandma would clap as everyone sang “Winter Wonderland” accompanied by Mom on the piano. Those times were among my greatest memories from childhood. 

My dad passed away when I was 12 and it was the saddest time of my life. I struggled for many years after his death, and I think music helped me cope with the loss. Not too long after he passed, Mom told me that Dad used to play Spanish guitar songs to her when they first started dating. I never actually saw him play, but looking back I would like to think that my decision to play guitar was influenced, at least in some way, by him.

After a few years had passed since my Dad’s death and before YouTube existed, I ordered videos on how to learn guitar. They helped me with some of the basic mechanics. However, over the years I started to pick up things on my own.  More often than not, I could be found sitting in my bedroom following along on my electric guitar to old-school Metallica and Nirvana playing on the stereo. I would lock myself in my room until my guitar sounded like it was perfectly in sync with theirs, ignoring friends as they played video games in the living room. I used to get so mad when I couldn't figure something out and would play the same thing over and over again until it sounded exactly (at least to me) the same as the song playing on my stereo system. 

Once I started playing with other musicians, I found myself learning from them as we jammed. I would pick up little things from each person every time we played and eventually would combine those things I learned into my own style. Many people that I learned from when I was younger were not very good musicians at all, but some of the things they taught me were invaluable. Learning something new can come from people you wouldn't expect it to, and even while you are helping other people to learn to play guitar, you can pick up new skills from them. Everyone plays a little differently, so no matter what skill level you might be at, you may still have something to teach.

In high school my taste in music slowly began to change and I started learning acoustic guitar riffs from bands like Ben Harper and Jack Johnson.  While learning songs by these artists I only recently had started listening to, I also grew to love the acoustic guitar. It’s been over 10 years since I switched to acoustic and I have been playing nearly every day since. Recently I was in a band called Will Work for Food with my cousin. We recorded songs we had written on an android phone with an app called “Tape Machine.” The sound was actually decent and we uploaded the songs to a music profile online. After a few people commented on how good the sound quality was, Chris and I joked about recording an album all in cell phone recordings.  

Learning to play guitar is a long, never-ending journey that can be trying at times. The first few years take a toll as you have to accomplish obstacles both mentally and physically. I used to play for so long that the tips of my fingers would nearly bleed and, after a long session of playing, trying to play the next few days would be extremely painful. It takes years to build the calluses and the dexterity in your fingers, and if you stop playing for an extended period of time, you may have to rebuild both. It is best to realize from the time you start learning that it is a lifelong commitment if you truly want to know the pleasure of playing an instrument.

Mentally, there can be plenty of hurdles to overcome as well. Some people develop tics like contracting their lips or tightening the muscles in their neck. For me, I had to constantly look at my right hand to ensure that it was actually doing what I wanted it to. Eventually the same tic that developed in my right hand would switch to the left hand as I worked to ensure I was holding the frets in the correct position, or watched as I moved up the fret board in different positions.  Those tics eventually subside as your brain adjusts to operating your body parts independently of one another. After a while, you can concentrate on other things like singing or different picking sounds as you get more comfortable playing guitar.

I play my guitar everyday and I couldn't imagine not having music as a part of my life. My plan is to continue to learn throughout my life and hopefully pass my love for playing an instrument down to my children. Along with family, friends, a good education and a career, music is one of the most vital aspects of being human.  The world as a whole would be a much better place if we all could have one giant jam session!

    

What I Wanted Readers to Understand About My Ed. Narritive

 I wanted to illustrate the importance of music but mainly I wanted to show my journey into learning to play the guitar. What parts of life helped me learn and what parts inspired me to pursue playing long term. Also, the important role my family's music background attributed to my learning and motivations. Their  influences in music played a role in mine as well. The time it takes to learn to play guitar was also a main point I was trying to get across.

Why I Learned to Play Guitar and the Importance of Music in Life - (Rough Draft)

                                                                                                        

I began learning to play guitar when I had just turned 13 years old.  Around my 13^th birthday, I was given a small trust fund for around $500 dollars. With that money, I bought my first guitar which was kind of a beat up old electric that looked like the 1980’s threw up all over it, smashed it into pieces, and then reassembled it before it was sold as “slightly used” in a local pawn shop. I treated it worse than our family cat, which proved fatal for the guitar. Don’t worry, the cat is long dead but it had nothing to do with me. He died in his sleep according to the doctors and they were never able to prove otherwise. 

A big reason that I became interested in learning to play music was because my Mom taught me some basic piano when I was young and the majority of my family was involved with music in some way. My Mom was a classical pianist who played quite often while I was young and I can still remember her playing Chariots of Fire as I listened intently from the other room. I idolized my Uncle Bob who was in a band in Santa Cruz, and other members of my family like my Mom and her siblings who were gifted with music in one way or another. My Aunt Lisa sung the national anthem several times at professional baseball games when I was really young and I loved watching her sing. It was my family that helped establish my love of music and inspired me to continue learning how to play and that process has been on going for almost 20 years.

I suppose that it all started with my Grandpa who sung Frank Sinatra and similar artists from a young age and involved his children heavily into learning and performing music. My Grandpa used to record music with my Mom and her siblings on vinyl while they were still young.  He was featured recently on a local news morning show about his love for doing karaoke and the fact that he is 90 years old and still performs 2 or 3 times a week. The biggest reason that my Mom’s entire side of the family is musically inclined in one way or another, is most likely due to my Grandfather.  Even at his age, he has so much energy and charm, that he gets fully decked out in his Sinatra style suit, belts out his vocals, and dances like a much younger man. Thinking of him, I am reminded of many Christmases where my family would get together and sing holiday songs. I remember my Grandma enjoying time with her children and grandchildren while clapping and with a huge smile on her face as everyone sung Winter Wonderland accompanied by my Mom playing piano. Those times were among my greatest memories I have growing up.

               

              My Dad passed away when I was 12 and it was the saddest part of my life. I had a difficult time for many years after his death and I think music helped me cope with the loss. Not too long after he passed, I heard from my Mom that he used to play Spanish guitar songs to her when they first started dating. I never actually saw my dad play, but looking back I would like to think that my decision to play guitar was influenced, at least in some way, by him. Often I think about how awesome it would have been if we would have had a chance to learn and write songs together. My dad was a very loving and intelligent person and gave his all to everything he did so I would imagine he was probably an amazing musician.

After a few years had passed by since my Dad’s death and before YoutTube existed, I ordered instructional videos on how to learn guitar and they helped me with some of the basic mechanics. However, over the years I became more self-reliant and I would start to pick up things on my own.  More often than not, I could be found sitting in my bedroom following along on my electric guitar to old school Metallica and Nirvana playing on the stereo. I would lock myself in my room until my guitar sounded like it was perfectly in sync with theirs. My friends would come over and play video games in the living room while I was locked in my room learning something new on the guitar as I played for hours on end. I remember I used to get so mad when I couldn't figure something out, so much that I would become anti-social and would play the same thing over and over again until it sounded exactly(at least to me) the same as the song playing on my stereo system.

Once I started playing with other musicians, I found myself learning from them as we jammed. I would pick up little things from each person every time we played and eventually would combine those things I learned into my own style. A lot of the people that I learned from when I was younger were not very good musicians at all, but some of the things they taught me were invaluable. Learning something new can come from people you wouldn’t expect and even while you are helping other people to learn to play guitar, you can pick up skills from them you may not have known before. Everyone plays a little different so no matter what skill level you might be at, you may still have something to teach.

In high school my taste in music slowly began to change and I started learning acoustic guitar riffs from bands like Ben Harper and Jack Johnson.  While learning songs by these artists I only recently had started listening to, I also grew to love the acoustic guitar. It’s been over 10 years since I switched to acoustic and I have been playing nearly every day since. Recently I was in a band called “Will Work for Food” with my cousin Chris. We recorded songs we had written on an android phone with an app called “Tape Machine”. The sound actually came out decent and we uploaded the songs to a music profile online. A few people commented on how good the sound quality came out after being recorded on a cell phone. Chris and I joked about recording an album all in cell phone recordings. 

Learning to play guitar is a long, never-ending journey that can be trying at times. The first few years take a toll as you have to accomplish obstacles both mentally and physically. I used to play for so long that the tips of my fingers would nearly bleed and, after a long session of playing, trying to play the next few days would be very painful to say the least. It takes years to build the calluses and the dexterity in your fingers and if you stop for any extended period of time, it can cause you to have to rebuild both. It is best to realize from the time you start learning that it is a life long commitment if you truly want to get the pleasure out of playing an instrument.

Mentally, there can be plenty of hurdles to overcome as well. I knew people who had ticks, like contracting their lips or tightening the muscles in their neck. For me, I had to constantly look at my right hand to ensure that it was actually doing what I wanted it to. Eventually that same tick would switch to the left hand to ensure I was holding the frets in the correct position, or to watch as I moved up the fret board in different positions.  Those ticks eventually subside as your brain adjusts to operating your body parts independently of each other. After a while, you can concentrate on other things like singing or different picking sounds as you get more comfortable playing guitar.

I play my guitar everyday and I couldn’t imagine not having music as a part of my life. My plan is to continue to learn throughout my life and hopefully pass my love for playing an instrument down to my children. Along with family, friends, a good education and a career, music is one of the most vital parts of being a human being. I feel the world as a whole would be a much better place if we all could have one giant jam session!

Confetti and Marihoochie: Good times

Confetti

Confetti is made of paper and magic. It was first discovered by the tiny mushroom people of Nova Scotia. Once it was discovered that confetti could cure cancer, it was bought up by Google and is being rationed accordingly. Other forms of confetti are made from baby’s tears. Not the sad kind, but rather the crazy laughing baby cute kind. Of course Google acquired the right to that confetti as well. Confetti saved a baby calf named Norman from being slaughtered, true story.

Marijuana

Most people think of Marijuana as a drug although it has many uses. It is commonly associated with being high but is also used for health care purposes. It is associated with hippies, rappers, drunken midgets, carneys and cancer. Marihootchie can be linked to healthcare, dumbing down your brain, making you laugh uncontrollably and give you a craving for funyuns. It is part of a national debate on legalization and drug smuggling. Old ladies call it dope. 

Travelling Alone

I thought the text was a very enlightening view of the pleasure of having time to your self while also recognizing that humans are social creatures. In one part of the article, the author explains that before she goes out on an adventure by herself she stocks up on social activities in the nights leading up to her departure. After her socializing from the previous week, she feels like some alone time as she starts to travel. I think my favorite part was the section “Do Weird Stuff”. To me it feels like the author knows that people have their own quirks that will feel normal to them but that may seem weird to others and it’s important to do those weird things that you like, especially since you’re traveling alone.

It seems more like a blog read than a formal paper, but the text organized and well structured. The article gives advice to readers based on her experience traveling alone and includes tips on how to make a lone trip exciting. In this way it seems more like a blog. It also relates to the paper as education narrative in the way it is structured and the order in which the advice she gives is ordered. Having several articles like this one and the previous articles we've read, can allow us to take bits and pieces of different writing styles and use them to tailor our papers into our own unique writings with many different influences.  

Comparing Articles Written By Malcolm X and Mike Rose

I read Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read” first. The title leaves open possibilities of what one might assume the excerpt to actually be about. Originally, I thought the excerpt was going to explain how Malcolm X learned to read. Others might have thought it would be about the importance of learning to read. I suppose that both of those theories would be correct, but what I took the excerpt to represent was an explanation of the reasoning behind his decision to become a civil rights leader. I also assumed the writing was a single article but after reading through it I realized it was an excerpt from Malcolm X’s autobiography.  How his learning to read influenced the view he formed of the world around him through countless hours of reading seems to be the focus of the excerpt.  I feel he eloquently explained his education in the prison system to support his narrative of the entire story he was looking to reveal.

The second read was Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average.” My first impression of the reading spoke to me from the word “Wanna” in the title. I assumed that the author was trying to imply just what he stated in the name of the article. After actually reading Part 1, I realized he was much more than average and that the title itself can easily mislead readers. The details in his writings are exemplary. He explained in vivid detail his surroundings and included a multitude of descriptive facts and behaviors about the people he encountered throughout his time at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School. I found myself looking up many words such as laryngectomize and platitudinous on merriam-webster.com because I had never heard of them. In fact, those two exact words came up under Google search results for a cha-cha question, “What does laryngectomize and platitudinous mean?” while I was searching for laryngectomize.

Both articles were written in a way that conveyed their messages to the readers. I felt they were both descriptive and kept the readers engaged.  However, the biggest difference I saw was that Mike Rose’s story painted an extremely vivid picture of the people and places around him whereas Malcolm X spent most his time explaining the reading he did. Malcolm X did offer enough details to explain the situation and his surroundings, but Mike Rose left a visual image in the reader’s head that lets the reader get lost in his or her imagination.    

My Experience(or lack there of) with Pre-Writing

           I used to write quite often. Most of the time, it would be about something I thought was humorous or a political satire related writing. I generally would come up with the initial idea and then write as fast as I could without thinking. After I reached a certain point, I would go back and read what I had written to see where I may have areas that needed to be rewritten or if there was room to elaborate on the subject. I would also look for words that could be changed to more effectively convey the message I was putting across. It seems the most recent writing experience I had would be long, irrelevant Facebook posts about random things that I found amusing. For example, I wrote a story about a Possum that ate itself to death from Del Taco hot sauce.

Most of my pre-writing up until now was mostly in my head. I didn’t spend much time brainstorming as I would usually just freewrite as an idea crossed my mind almost out of nowhere. I suppose that freewriting is my main pre-writing technique. There are times where I would sit down and brainstorm, write a draft, edit, write another and continue on until I was finished. Those times were usually related to school or, in some rare circumstances, work.  

After reading from the pre-writing section of the book, I am reminded that there are many techniques that pre-writing encompasses. One of the biggest aspects of this class that excite me will be practicing these techniques so I can become a more effective writer as well as a more appreciative reader. I look forward to using some of these methods of pre-writing on the first paper. 

Programming and Google Articles: How They Can Be Possible Models

After reading both “How I Learned to Program Computers” and “How I learned to Live Google-Free”, I went back through each article individually and examined the structure and order in which they were written. I noticed that each was a timeline of events in which there was an order to the story as it progressed to the outcome. Of the two articles, neither was jumbled and each presented a precise point for each section that the author was trying to put forth. Reading through both, I can see how having areas that are both explanatory on the subject as well as concise to the point really helps drive home the substance of the story while keeping the reader engaged.

The authors explained their purpose in writing their articles and they did it in way that the reader did not have to be an expert on the subject matter to understand. I can see that the articles are tailored towards a specific audience, but I still find for most that they would be readable and that even a “non-expert” would gather at least the viewpoint of the author if not more.

            Both of the articles presented a good template to use for the writing assignment due on 10/17. While writing the paper, I can use those articles and other writings as a reference point to compare the style and the substance that I am using. Once finished, I can look back and compare the paper I have written to decide if I feel I have conveyed my message in a similar way. Comparing the articles to one another, I can see different writing techniques I can include in my paper. I’m sure that many sources will ultimately help in my final draft but I think that these articles are a great place to start.  

Dissecting Educational Narratives

What do all of the Ed. Nars do?
-They all clearly inform the reader of a topic and sub topics.
-They all demonstrate a learning experience.
-They all all express the importance of the individual narratives to their lives.

 What are some of the features present in some but not in all?
-Some of them engaged the reader more while others were more “matter of fact”
-Some went into great detail. (Names, ages, descriptions of people and places) While others were very plain and straight to the point.
-Some were presented with a cause in mind. Looking to persuader the reader in a better direction. While others were just an event being described.

Why are all these distinctions important.
-Different points should have different features. To engage the reader or maybe to not overwhelm them. What do the variations do?
-They add depth to a story, or keep it simple & to the point. Which appeal do we like the most?

Which appeal to you the most? Why?

How I learned to program computers appeals to me the most because I work in the IT industry. Not necessarily the writing style involved but rather the subject matter is what appeals to me most. I do not work with much programming in my field of IT but it is close enough to what I do to make it interesting.