Artifacts

Artifact # 1 TE 808 Action Research
Goals: 1,2
Standards: 2, 4,5,6

Background
Last year was an incredibly difficult year for me as a professional. I was twelve time zones away from what had always been familiar to me, and I was swamped by a new teaching load. Given my class lists, I stared at the names and called them out to a sea of blurred faces. Finally, by the end of the year I felt like I was beginning to understand my students.

There were many things I learned about my own practices and behaviors, but above all, I saw that I desperately needed to find ways to elicit critical thought in high school English classes. Valiant as my notions were, my implementation lacked. I specifically struggled with creating a classroom environment which was open to discussion and thoughtful oral processing. I had grown accustomed to teaching at schools where I had to work my hardest not to spur thought but to monitor the heat of discussion, looking for ways to avoid having comments slung, insensitively, at the very core of my students' being. Last year, the temperature only rose slightly when, like my previous students, I seized opportunities to attack their faith and personhood, demanding their apologetics. I am not so sure that such tactics were further helpful in creating a comfortable avenue for orally expressed critical thought.  

In my darkest days--juxtaposed against the sunny tropics of Indonesia--my sister, saint that she is, slipped me a N.Y. Times article entitled "Building a Better Teacher," where a keen Elizabeth Green (2010) reports on the work of Doug Lemov. Skeptically ploughing through another educational article, reading about the same techniques masked by different names, my interest was suddenly piqued, piqued enough to welcome the possibilities of hope. The technique gifted was Cold Call. The technique, taken from Harvard Business School, has the teacher ask a question, pause while students rack their brains for an answer, the teacher then calls at random on the one who will answer the question, forcing every single student to do the work of figuring out the answer (Green, 2010, p.5).

Research Question
How does the use of Cold Call questioning relate to the collective representation of critical thought in a classroom?

Justification
As an educator, I must empower. My students, though quite gifted in the area of rote learning, struggle to find and produce their own answers. An overwhelming majority of my students will inevitably be attending universities and colleges in Australia, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. where independent thought is often a key marker for learning success. Independent thought is also highly useful in workplaces which value problem solving and the confidence of personal initiative. There is a great need for eliciting critical thought within my current educational context.

Admittedly, a teacher must do much more than implement a single strategy to foster and facilitate critical thought in the classroom, and I, no doubt, intend to confound my research with other methods of sound practice in a Language Arts setting. To ramp up the level of active, critical thinking in my classroom, and create a more thoughtful environment in general, I believe Cold Call questions may serve to be highly useful in my current situation. Furthermore, I hope to pinpoint this particular technique as a measurable, highly effective practice. I am specifically focusing on this technique to test its effects because so often we implement prescribed techniques without gauging their worth and validity in our classrooms. Why not test to contest the normally top-down structures, proclaiming the actual effects in the actual context in which they’re taught?

I think that my research will serve most useful within a given literature unit. Last April, upon my first learning about the technique, I haphazardly implemented the technique in a drama unit and used Cold Call as a method to summarize and draw conclusions from passages read. I found the technique useful, though I didn't use it for an extended period of time, nor did have any way to go about measuring effects.

When given the time to prepare a unit, I will be able to better prepare structured strings of Cold Call questions. I will survey my students’ feelings with regards to confidence in responding to questions, confidence in varying levels of text comprehension, and confidence in verbally expressing their individual opinions. I will conduct an initial survey upon the introduction of the technique, a survey at the halfway point, and finally a survey upon the completion of the unit.
Methods
I will use a multi-faceted approach to gather data related to my research question in attempts to implement the six techniques for mapping the process of change as outlined by the Mapping of Change in Schools: The Cambridge Manual of Research Techniques (1994) and Ainscow, Hargreaves and Hopkins (1995). I am mapping the process of change because I believe the Cold Call technique is best understood when considering the interaction of the data gathered at both the levels of the individual teacher and the school as an institution (Hopkins, 2008, p. 125).  I will gather data through documentary evidence, field notes, and questionnaires. My approach will help me gather valuable data while allowing me to remain an effective presence in the classroom on a day to day basis. The information I gather will adhere to the ethical constructs of informed consent and confidentiality.
Individual Teacher Level
Technique 1: The time line of change
The change will be observed for the duration of a unit focusing on Romeo and Juliet where the technique will be introduced at the onset of the unit. The technique will be measured primarily via field notes. I will keep a notebook containing the sets of Cold Call questions for each lesson. The questions are tailored for specific passages and lines within the text, and I will use the strategy every day.  After each question and question set in my notebook, I have designated space for immediate observations and reflections based on the nature of responses as well as the classroom atmosphere.
Technique 2: The experience of change
I will gather information with regards to students’ feelings through the use of questionnaires. Students will note their confidence in responding to questions, confidence in varying levels of text comprehension, and confidence in verbally expressing their individual opinions. I will conduct an initial questionnaire upon the introduction of the technique and upon the completion of the unit.
Technique 3: The initiation of change
The initiation of change will be based on my holistic reflections regarding the scope and significance of my action research, which will also include synthesizing and evaluating data gathered through the field notes and questionnaires.
Institutional school level
Technique 4: The culture of the school
I will craft letters to the senior staff of my school in efforts to document the culture of critical thought at SPH Lippo Village. Letters will be sent to the seven department heads of the senior school, who collectively represent over 70 years of teaching experience in this school. I will simply ask them to thoughtfully respond to the question: How would you describe the culture of critical thought displayed by SPH students in your content area?
Technique 5: The Structures of the school
Additionally, I will ask the department heads to respond to the underlying structures behind the culture of critical thought at SPH in asking them the question: why do you think our culture of critical thought is the way it is?
Technique 6: The Conditions of the school
Conditions of the school will be determined as plotted out by the Mapping of Change in Schools: The Cambridge Manual of Research Techniques (1994), measuring the school’s internal conditions and potential for innovation based on a holistic consideration of my collaborative documentary evidence (Hopkins, 2008, p. 126).
Findings
Individual Teacher Level
Technique 1: The time line of change (based on teacher field notes)
My personal notes reveal that students generally appeared apprehensive at first, requiring much more guidance via followup questions; however, once the method and expectations were thoroughly established students appeared at ease and much more ready to respond promptly and thoughtfully. I also noticed right away that certain students felt stifled by the method, students who typically answered questions at will in my class. My notes also reveal that upon questioning students seemed to grasp concepts independently if even with guiding questions. I also noticed that reviewing passages with the use of the method students began to pick up on key elements of the language and the play as a whole while being markedly entertained.

Technique 2: The experience of change (based on student questionnaires)
Initial reactions revealed that 40% of the students viewed the Cold Call method as being more intimidating than the normal methods used in English class; however,  31% of those who initially felt intimidated recorded that they felt more comfortable with the general atmosphere of the class after the method was fully established in classroom, and of those who reported feeling “the same” about the initial use of the method (33 students, 51%), a larger percentage of students became “more comfortable” (27%) with the general atmosphere of the class than those who became “less comfortable” (15%) while the majority of students (58%) remained indifferent.

The questions regarding speaking and listening to diverse opinions reveal that 66% of students reported listening to more different interpretations than previously experienced in the classroom while 62% of students believe Cold Call questions give more opportunities to speak for those who normally do not speak. However, students were less likely to report actually valuing the interpretations of fellow classmates, despite the fact that more students were speaking.  

With regards to thinking on an individual level, 68% of students felt that they understood difficult elements of the text more as a result of the questioning method.  Despite reading a Shakespearean text that they find quite difficult, 42% of students found themselves enjoying the text more than typically in English classes.  Furthermore, 51% of students felt they were able to understand Shakespeare’s text more independently than usual because of the method. Students (60%) also maintain that they were more prepared to respond to questions than normally in English class, and they also (63%) found themselves actively thinking more than normally while reading and listening.

Concerning the climate of collective thought in the classroom, 46% of students reported that the class as a whole enjoyed the text more than typically, and 68% of students reported that as a class, there was more thinking than when typically reading a literary text. 55% students report that the class was picking up on more of Shakespeare’s stylistic elements as a result of the method. Finally, 71% of students reported that as a class, they understood characters better as a result of the Cold Call method.

Technique 3: The initiation of change (Synthesis of findings—holistic reflections)
The method appears to have had generally positive effects on the classes. I think both the students and I found the general atmosphere of the class to more enjoyable than usual, and the learning did not at all seem to be compromised as a result, given that students reported generally more thinking at both individual and collective levels. The method appeared to demand thinking at both individual and collective levels, and such demands eventually became less daunting as the method became fully established. The method also notably provides an opportunity for all voices to be heard in the classroom.

Institutional school level
Technique 4: The culture of the school (Provided by way of documentary data in response to the question: How would you describe the culture of critical thought displayed by SPH students in your content area?)

Within the context of History and Social Science, my colleague Janet, who has seventeen years of experience at SPH, reports that the levels of critical thought vary widely. After a followup discussion, Janet provided that the degree of critical thought in her classes has more to do with being a part of global conversations than does with comprehending primary sources. For her, those who are engaging in the here and now respond more thoughtfully because they tend to care genuinely about the subject matter.

Jackie is an ex-patriot, the English Department Chair, and an Art Teacher at SPH. She claims that "overall, the culture of critical thinking is fairly poor," qualifying that there are a few exceptions. She goes on to provide that "I could tell my students anything and they would just blindly accept whatever I might tell them without questioning it or evaluating its validity."  In addition, Jackie believes critical thinking is a truth seeking endeavor in the classroom, something which is difficult to foster collectively when students inherently believe that critical thought is ad hominem. She states "it is contrary or detrimental to relationship," or "considered rude for a young person to express their opinion in the presence of an elder", and "if critical thinking involves disagreeing or debating or voicing your opinion with an authority it could seem that you are questioning the actual authority of the person rather than the issue they are discussing."

Tris, the science department chair, who regularly teaches physics and math, reports that in general "SPH students are strong critical thinkers (at least the ones I teach). I regularly field questions from students that ask why? What if? How come? etc. They are not content with knowing formulas and methods; they genuinely want to understand. "

Technique 5: The Structures of the school (Provided by way of documentary data in response to the question: Why do you think our culture of critical thought is the way it is?)

Janet believes that much of it has to do with varying levels of interest, and this interest is elicited by the time and effort put into understanding. Janet provides that in her class, “students who are generally interested in world and national events…are best able to critically contemplate issues from the past as well." She also believes that the level is critical thought is also related to English language capabilities.

Though unsure of an exact cause of the lack of critical thought, within an English setting Jackie believes students fall into one of three categories: They simply "aren’t actually thinking critically;" "They are just too afraid to voice their opinions and disagree with me (an authority figure who is ‘smarter’ than them or a classmate because it is just cruel to shut down a peer in class); or "They just can’t keep up with the language or communication." Within an Art setting she says that "they just want to make art and they don’t want to think about it." She also observes that in art "they do not have a strong enough foundation to even know how to start asking questions." She also supports the idea that critical thought "is rooted in several different aspects of the culture" because "it is pretty obvious that overall, in a broad general sense, authority and position is highly valued and respected in the cultures represented in our students. It is nearly something sacred."

From the math and science departments, Tris thinks “it starts with Brian [the Head of School], who regularly challenges our perceptions and world views” as well as the IB curriculum because it does not “default to content knowledge which is easier to test.” He also maintains that SPH is blessed with some excellent teachers in our school.

Technique 6: The Conditions of the school
The teachers report multiple concerns with regards to critical thought at SPH. Some of which are cultural, some of which have to do with effort and engagement, while others are a result of language barriers. Save for in the disciplines of math and science, the teachers report a general lack of critical thought.

Conclusions and Implications
Concerning the greater corpus of research on the topic of critical thought, both Cheong (2004) and Powell (1987) provide the benchmarks for characteristics of critical thought. Cheong states that critical thought occurs with "intense engagement in ambiguous tasks with no apparent answers or solutions, active and extensive applications of knowledge and abilities, and generation of new ways of perceiving a situation outside the conventional boundaries." Powell, on the other hand, maps out qualitative measurements of critical thought.  Both report criterion purported by the Cold Call method.

Specifically pertaining to the method, the findings at MIT maintain that "Cold calling can work if the instructor has instituted it as a norm at the beginning of the semester, if he calls on students equally over the course of the term, and if he helps students save face if they can't answer a question or answer a question incorrectly. But to begin to cold call out of the blue simply to get out of a difficult situation is changing the rules of the game on the students, which, I believe, is patently unfair" (1995). Establishing this technique from the onset of a unit appeared to be highly effective; however, implementing this technique off the cuff would be extremely difficult while serving as particularly daunting for students.

Effectively implementing the method requires a certain degree of planning, one that anticipates student responses, particularly those who struggle as well as planning which champions students as the ultimate source of higher thinking because most reliance on the teacher's authority and opinion debilitates the collective learning experience provided by the class as a whole. Those at MIT have also found that “changing the question--especially breaking it down into its component parts or simplifying it--can work, assuming the students are not answering because they don't know the answer" (1995). In consistently stifling those who typically speak in my classroom with aims to guide and wait for student responses, I found that patience with the method and ultimately with individual students elicited edifying responses. Pollack, (1988) also reveals the importance of varying questions for varying purposes, which echo my findings, in that open-ended questioning promotes independent thought while closed-ended questions hone referencing skills.

The Cold Call method certainly proved to be a good fit for this particular Shakespeare unit. I think one of the greatest benefits of the method was that the method demands that a class not just hear from the few eager students who are always answering questions. Experience tells me that students tend to become dependent on certain classroom figures to produce desired answers. Furthermore, students clearly responded both as individuals and as a class to the gains of the method with regards to critical thought.

One particularly frustrating finding, however, was that students were less likely to report actually valuing the interpretations of fellow classmates, despite the fact that more students were speaking and more were listening to a variety of opinions,  54%  reported that did not value or not value increased student interpretations. People spoke more. People heard people’s opinions more. Perhaps the fact that they are generally reporting that they thought more confounds their lack of value for peer opinions, but still, steps must be taken to teach students to value increased opinion and to learn in such an environment particularly in my own classroom.

Our school as a whole is looking to foster and develop critical thought in our classrooms. I think that the Cold Call method generally diminishes cultural concerns about authoritative opinions and "saving face" while prompting critical thought in the classroom worth valuing and appreciating, whereby a great majority of students, instead of a select few, gain the opportunity to be heard. Within SPH, the method seems as if it would bode particularly well across disciplines, particularly within language classes, the social sciences, and the fine arts.

Bibliography
Ainscow, M., Hargreaves, D.H. and Hopkins, D. (1995) Mapping the process of change in schools, Evaluation and Research in Education, 9(2): 75-90.
Bournot-Trites, Monique and Belanger (2005) Ethical Dilemmas, Journal of Educational Thought, 39(2), 197-215.
Cambridge University (1994)Mapping of Change in Schools: The Cambridge Manual of Research Techniques. Cambridge: UCIE.
Cheong, Agnes Chang Shook. "Thinking, Education for." Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science. 2004. SAGE Publications. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://www.sage-ereference.com >.
Green, E.  (2010, March) Building a Better Teacher, The New York Times.
Hopkins, D. (2008) A Teacher's Guide to Classroom Research.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1995) Newsletter Introduces New Regular Feature. In TLL Library. Retrieved September 28, 2010, from http://web.mit.edu
Pollack, H. (1988) Questioning Strategies To Encourage Critical Thinking, Insights into Open Education, 21(1).
Powell, Stuart (1987) Improving Critical Thinking: A Review, Educational Psychology, 7(3): 169-85.

Appendices
Cold Call Questionnaire
Gender Male Female (circle one)
Please thoughtfully and honestly circle your answers for the following questions. Read through the question once, then re-read and select your answer. Do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have.
• Upon first using the Cold Call method, you felt (less | the same| or more) intimidated than normally in my English class?
• Did you prefer the popcorn Cold Call questioning method (less | the same| or more) than when I randomly called names?
• Did you listen to (fewer | the same| or more) interpretations different to your own than previously experienced in the classroom?
• Do you feel as if you were able to understand difficult elements of the text (less | the same| or more) as a result of the questioning method?
• As a class, did you find us enjoying the text (less | the same| or more) than typically?
• Do you feel as if you were able to understand Shakespeare’s text (less | the same| or more) independently than usual?
• As a class, do you feel we were thinking (less | the same| or more) than typically when reading a literary text?
• Did you value interpretations of students who normally do not speak up in class (less | the same| or more) than usual?
• Did you find yourself (less | the same| or more) prepared to respond to questions than normally in your classes?
• As a class, did you find us picking up on (less | the same| or more) of Shakespeare’s stylistic elements as a result of the questioning method?
• Did you find the square/circular seating arrangement (less | the same| or more) comfortable than the typical rows and columns arrangement.
• Did you find yourself relying (less | the same| or more) on your teacher’s interpretations than previously in your English classes?
• When I randomly called names, was the class thinking (less | the same| or more) than when we used the popcorn Cold Call method?
• Did Cold Call questions give (less | the same| more) opportunities to speak for those who normally do not speak in our classroom?
• Did you find yourself actively thinking (less | the same| or more) than normally while reading and listening?
• As a class, did you find us understanding characters (less | the same| or more) as a result of the questioning method?
• Once the Cold Call routine was established, did you find the general atmosphere (less | the same| or more) comfortable than when it was first introduced?
• Did you find yourself enjoying the text (less | the same| or more) than typically in your English classes?
• Do you typically feel most comfortable responding in (math | science | language/humanities) classes?
• Do you prefer the Cold Call questioning method (less | the same| or more) than when a teacher asks a question and a student responds at his/her own will?



Artifact # 2 TE 892 Action Research HO
Goals: 1,2,3
Standards: 2,4,5,6

Comparing Grammars to Detect Passive Voice 


Context and Research Question

Context

Living in Indonesia has given me the unique opportunity to teach bilingual students. My students are adept speakers in both Bahasa Indonesia (BI) and English. Fluency is not an issue; however, my eleventh-grader’s explicit grammar knowledge in both languages is rather limited, making correction for both BI and English difficult. 

One particular area of concern in my classes is the use of passive sentence structures. They seem to be accustomed to BI sentence structures and generally unaware of the distinction between active and passive voice in English. Passive voice is commonplace in both formal and informal BI. My students, however, are tired of being punished in all subjects because their sentences lack agency. My project attempts to build my students’ awareness of passive structures in English and BI so that they might be able to recognize the contextual demands of each language. Up until now, I have seen little change or improvement in their writing with regards to passive voice. 

Research Question
How might a comparative understanding of BI and English grammars help my students become more aware of passive sentences structures?

Intervention

In order to better understand students' initial awareness of passive constructions, I had my students edit a passage embedded with passive structures and multiple grammatical errors. Students were not told what to look for; they were simply told to "edit the passage." I then told students to revisit the passage using a different pen and highlight passive voice constructions so they knew to look for passive constructions.

To improve students’ awareness I spent time explicitly teaching passive voice based on their prior BI knowledge. BI adds either di- or ter- prefixes to make verbs passive. We then discussed how BI does not necessarily put a high precedence on human subjects, often holding verbs in higher esteem because most grammar hinges on verb affixes. We then looked at ways in which to recognize passive voice in English such as by spotting “to be” verbs accompanied by past participles. After the intervention, students reviewed another passage to put the strategies to the test. The key findings are found below.

Findings

• Students originally detected only 42% of passive voice cases; however, when told to look specifically for passive voice they found 81% of the cases. Then, after the intervention, they found around 94% of passive voice structures.
• Using paired t-tests, the first gain was highly significant (at the .001 level) and gains after the intervention were significant (at the .10 level with a two-tailed test and .05 level with a one-tailed test.
• Due to time restraints I was unable to collaborate with my BI colleagues as much as I would have liked, but this brief intervention has motivated me to share my findings for further dialogue and future intervention. 
• For those who are teaching in bilingual students, do not be afraid to consider two languages simultaneously because the results may have a profound impact on your students’ linguistic awareness.

Recommendation:

Do not be afraid to consider two languages… the results may have a profound impact on your students’ linguistic awareness.

Related Resources:

Voskuil, J. E. (2000). Indonesian Voice and A-Bar Movement. In I. Paul, V. Phillips, & L. Travis (Eds.), Formal Issues in Austronesian Linguistics (pp. 195-213). Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.


Artifact # 3 TE 848 “An Eight-Year-Old...”
Goals: 2
Standards: 2,4,5

“An eight-year-old doesn’t always feel sorry”

As an eight-year-old boy, I lived many of my days on the wrong side of school doors. It's amazing I learned anything at all. When I didn’t do well to fit in the confines of the classroom, I was shooed out. When everybody went out to play, I was made to stay in. It’s a wonder I escaped the clutches of dystrophy. I was always asked to think about what I had done, so I spent a lot of time thinking of ways to convince my teachers that I was genuinely sorry and thinking of creative ways to have fun with my friends (which usually creatively landed me in the center of more trouble). I never spent time thinking of ways to change my actions, and I rarely ever felt sorry. Certain days were worse than others. Typically, I felt belittled and aggravated, sometimes my joy and entertainment outweighed a sense of remorse, but this day was different, this day was me at my worst.

"Dear Lord, please be with this child..."

It was morning break. My friends raced around me to stash their stuff, dash out the door, and slip in their giggles to boil my envy. I stood my ground, my teacher praying to God, wishing that I might get my act together. It was the public exorcism of a fourth grade boy, though I think she was praying for her own name's sake.
Also, in my humble opinion, she should have prayed to God in order to get her facts straight. King Uzziah couldn't possibly be the son of King Azariah, because they are in fact the same person. Amaziah is obviously Uzziah's (Azariah's) father.  So I made a smart remark? I don't see what's the big deal about pointing out untruths spoken about the very Holy Bible she wags around. I don't deserve this.
Periods four and five sailed smoothly. Michigan History and conductors and insulators.
After science was lunch. I wandered to the bathroom to relieve myself.
"Hey there Petey," I said to my friend. He looks like a cartoon character, tiny with giant eyes magnified by his bullet-proof glasses.
"Joel," he said, as he nodded his head to acknowledge my existence. We walked into the bathroom to do our business.
We squared up to our parceled porcelain. I think Petey was the only one in the whole school short enough to pee without bending at the knees.
Exercising the power of youthful prostates, we began, without question, to walk it back. Our streams neatly redirecting themselves into a spreading trickle, weaving their way down the trough, meeting the pink soaps at the bottom. We filled the room with laughter, amazement, and the smell of moth balls. Just when we thought we could pee forever, we both began our penguin-waddle returns.
"Creeeauk--" yelped the tired door hinge.
"Boys!"
Just when I thought it might be a good day.
Mr. Rogers walked in; he didn't want to be our neighbor either.
His words found their way through his teeth and grizzled facial hair: "Get over here." He grabbed our arms and marched the two of us straight to the principal’s office.
I wonder if he knows we haven't washed our hands.
Mr. Rogers tossed us at the front desk and stomped right through the principal's door.
Standing there, horrified, Petey started to cry, hot, wet tears. He had never been to the principal's office, not even for a student-principal luncheon. Upon realizing this, I was jealous because these luncheons weren't an option for my class; we even had to go in pre-assigned groups.
"Where would you like us to sit, Mrs. Bucholz?" I said, beating her to her line.
"Now boys, take a seat right over there." Her voice was full of the same sweet sort of anger my mom's was. I don't think Petey heard her sweetness. He was probably thinking about how confident I was. He assumed this was a familiar spot for me. Truth was, I've never been to the principal's office, except of course for the occasional mandated luncheon. Still, I knew how to perform, but to Petey, the part I played was troubling. His glasses were fogging up.
Drowning out his sorrow, I played my recital piece in my head "The Great Smokey Mountains." We chose the piece, my mom and I, because we love mountains and because it plays the lowest keys and the highest keys. Just like when I took a trip to the Smokey Mountains because on the way we stopped at the Mammoth Caves where Marky (my cousin who's five years older, just as tall, and no smarter than me) got the two of us lost. That was the low note, but then we got ourselves found, the high note.
"Joel, are you at all related to Ed and Leah?" asked Mrs. Bucholz.
"Yes, ma'am I am; they're my parents."
"So...April, Amber, and Amy are your older sisters?"
"Wow, you’re good!"
I expected her to ask me why my name was Joel and not Andrew, Arthur, or Archibald, but she didn't. She was a nice lady.
Meanwhile, Petey whimpered at the sound and thought of my cheeriness. His glasses were now off and he rubbed his tears back into his cheeks. He looked so different without his glasses. He looked uglier.
"My mom's going to kill me." he whispered dreadfully.
"Your mom loves you." I said aloud, reassuring myself more than him.
"It's taking a while." Petey whispered back.
I thought through my responses to him. "Things seem longer when you're crying like a baby," probably not the time or place. "Mr. Rogers is trying to convince the principal of his torture tactics." True, but that won’t help him either.
"They want us to feel sorry." I confidently delivered. I was fully aware of the fact that I was lying. Mr. Rogers wanted to see us in a sorry state. He already assumed we felt nothing because in his mind one thing mattered: we peed on his bathroom floor.
Fair enough, we walked out with the agreement that we'd clean the bathrooms every Friday for a month. I deserved this one and still got off easy. Not even a call to the parents.
I ate my lunch in period six and slipped in and out of Mrs. Braeman's class without any setbacks, mainly because I calmed myself by writing my informational desert flip book, which I was sure would impress. I've watched the Discovery Channel religiously, and I've already touched a Saguaro. I was way beyond the Road Running, Wile E. Coyote garbage that everyone else was making.
Period seven was gym class with Mr. Dick Vanderkamp, we all knew his first name and that in Dutch his whole name meant "Dick of (or from) the camp." I think his name is the reason why "dick" was the most popular insult of the year. Even Betsy Dyk had to spend a noon inside writing lines because it somehow crept into her vocabulary.
We sit, alphabetically by last name, across the baseline. I am first and hated the most. Mr. Dick Vanderkamp is Paul's high school baseball coach. Paul is Marky's oldest brother and my oldest cousin. Paul has an earring. Both Mr. Vanderkamp and I know that this is the reason he hates my cousin and ultimately the reason he hates me. I was born into this place, first in line and most hated.
We run our warm-up laps and return to our seats at the call of his whistle and boom of his instructions.
"Does anybody know what these are?" He asks directing his massive man hand towards the giant pads rolled out in the center of the gym.
"Tumbling mats, sir!" I blurt.
"Berends, did I call on you?"
"Uh—no, sir." Not a good start.
He casually walks over and kneels by me. I can smell his breath and sweat.  "Berends, if I ever want to hear from you, I will call on you, understood?" his proclamation soft but loud enough to reach everyone's ears.
"Yes, sir."
I never found a way to understand this man.
"Tami!" He bellows. "Show us what we're working towards."
"Um-- ok."
They stand in front of us like Bela Karolyi and one of his Romanian dolls.
He nods. She sheepishly walks to her mat and finds her happy place. Two people down from me I hear snickering, Kevin Bruinsma. The girls' "Shhhs" and glares subdue him for the moment.
Tami makes a few passes-- her nostrils flare which looks really weird and kind of scary. She is strong.
Our mouths are open, silently forming whoas and wows.
Tami jolts into a few more impressive passes. She successfully achieves honorary Romanian warrior status. Her dazzling efforts now borderline overkill because, believe it or not, we have to take that floor too.
The shy little prodigy then proceeds to hurl herself into the sky, only to fall one quarter of a turn shy of brilliance, which to us is the exact same as disaster.
Everyone laughs.
I join in.
Apparently, I have a really loud laugh.
"Ippel! Berends! My office! Now!"
When we get into his office, Lindsey Ippel takes a seat in his chair and kicks his desk. "Did you see her?" she asks me, but I don't even have time to respond. "That was hilarious!" Lindsey Ippel is the tallest girl in the whole school and my best friend that's a girl. "Hey, what's the matter with you?" she asks.
I stand silently with my arms crossed.
Lindsey continues without my approval or disapproval--that's just the kind of girl Lindsey is. "It's not fair that you and me are in here. Everyone else was laughing too. It's not fair!"
I try not to listen to her. A fourth grader's sense of justice is tantalizing. Still, I resist.
Mr. Vanderkamp walks in.
"Berends, sit down! What's your deal?" he snarls; he glares.
I can't respond.
"Do you two know why you're in my office?"
"Well, probably cause Tami fell and we made fun of her, but..."
While Lindsey is talking, I slip inside of myself and slink into the chair nearby. I can't explain why, I just do.
"...and that's just not fair!"
"Berends, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I remain. My arms, crossed; my angry, confused body, fixed in a green and white chair.
"Lindsey, get out of here, and meet me at the bar hang." She leaves.
He watches her make her way then turns to me. "So, Mr. Berends, is this the way it's going to be?"
I probably should say something, or even make an appeal to justice, but I can't. I always have something to say, but not now. I can't say anything. I can't hear anything. I can't feel anything. I am numb.
"Get out of my sight!"
"Gladly!" I hurl back at him.
So much for not having anything to say.
"Wait for me in the principal’s office." he says as I walk out the door, arms still crossed.
I arrive at the office door, distraught. "Mrs. Bucholz-- Mr. Vanderkamp wants me to wait for him here."
She nods.
I slink.
She shuffles a few papers then suddenly stops.
I notice.
"It's been a rough day, hasn't it kiddo?" she says, with searching eyes and a sad grin.
I let her search me while my eyes well up.
"Yes, ma'am."
I slowly avert my eyes, sit in silence, and look through my eyelashes. I see and feel my tears stream to the floor.

I learned something that day. I felt something that day. I'd say I felt sorry, but I had already learned to make 'sorry' one of my cheapest words. At that moment, I didn't need to think about what I had done; I knew what I had done. She didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. I had laughed, and for that I simply cried.



Artifact # 4 TE 848 Argument
Goals: 2,3
Standards: 2

One of my first experiences in Indonesia was my honeymoon. Don't ask me why, but Amanda and I went trekking on Mount Rinjani on the Island of Lombok; we are apparently too adventurous to gaze into each other's eyes, poolside for hours on end. Anyhow, on our way up I asked our guide, "why are there coffee and banana trees planted in a national park?" to which he responded, "so the government can make money." Fair enough. A little further up, Amanda and I were offered a hot meal, cooked over a fire made of kindling hacked from the nearby forest. Where we ate smelled and looked like garbage. Together with people from France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany we ate our hot meals and made our way up. Near the top, Amanda wanted to stop because at a nearby point clouds were lazily beckoning a photo opportunity. Little did we know that every single person who had ever climbed that mountain chose that very point as their kamar kecil. The ground was riddled with poop, petrified and ripe with strands of toilet paper to tangle anyone's smelly feet.
We made it to the top of Mount Rinjani, and it was indeed one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. We snapped our picture and made our way down.
My wife and I have had similar experiences in destinations all throughout Indonesia. In Bunaken, one of the most bio-diverse coral preserves in the world, we  were carried by the currents across a breath-taking shelf, only to later walk further down the beach, following the landscape shaped by the very same coral shelf to an oceanside dump-of-a-boardwalk where we looked out to see plastic bags of all colors ballooning in the waters like ominous jellies, truly men of war. In Bukit Lawang, I saw cigarette butts flecking the forest floor of one of two remaining orangutan habitats in the world, forests which daily compete against local and foreign interests in palm oil with the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service reporting in 2007 that Indonesia is the number one world producer of palm oil. Needless to say, my wife and I snapped our pictures of some of the remaining orangutans in Sumatra. Though now I regret not taking a picture of the cigarettes and trash floating in the Bukit Lawang's main water supply.
Tracking the amount of daily solid waste collected greater Jakarta alone is nearly an impossible task, yet Yayasan Kirai Indonesia (NGO) in co-operation with UNESCO, estimated that "every day the urban population of Jabotabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi) generates over 35,000 m3 of garbage (enough to cover a soccer pitch to a depth of over 5 m)." And in December of 2010, The Jakarta Post reported that "Jakarta produces around 6,000 tons of solid waste a day." Though in February of 2010, a representative from the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA)  complimented a North Jakarta waste management company, stating "there is nothing I can suggest. They should just keep doing what they are doing."
While the general Jakarta municipalities may be doing their job well enough to turn the heads of the EPA, and I do not want to minimize Governor of Jakarta Fauzi Bowo's recent plastic bag initiatives, but I cannot help but point a scrutinizing finger at the general public. People litter everywhere in this country. And, more so than the weight of garbage as determined by statistical methods, I believe the problem of littering should weigh on individual consciences.  
Surprisingly enough, the general disregard for maintaining cleanly surroundings are not limited to the abounding areas of beauty in this country, the disregard blares everywhere. I just recently had a friend of mine tell me that he's taken to crumpling his toll receipt and tossing it on the ground. What was most frightening was that he mentioned it as if it were a right of passage into Indonesian society or something.
To augment the horror, there was recently a billboard posted right near my school, commanding: "Keep Lippo Village Clean." Next to the passively active words stood a man in a typical gardener's (or outdoor custodian's) uniform, leaning on his trash picker-upper, smiling. This man's job is to keep the public spaces in the exceedingly wealthy village clean.  He and hundreds of others pick up trash in the limited community space, day in and day out. There are no public trash bins, only smiling men, which makes me wonder: Is this man on the billboard talking to himself? Is he a manager addressing his crew? Or, is he actually so audacious as to expect that we, the general public do his job for him? This is the public consciousness. In order for positive strides to be made in this country, people need to acknowledge the fact that its not always someone else's job to make a difference. As futile and cliche as it may sound, each and every person must do his or her part. Because while collective disregard may bring about societal detriment, individuals are equally capable of swinging the pendulum the opposite direction towards a more positive collectivism.  
I am an ex-pat committed to living and teaching in Indonesia. I am by no means an expert on the area, the language,  or the people and their practices. But if my voyeuristic snapshots have convinced me of anything,  it is that Indonesia is one of the most beautiful places in the world; rich with resources that have kept the West drooling for centuries and the kings of old before that; rich with people whose voices, hands, and hearts contribute  to an unparalleled spectrum of cultures, despite marring colonialist efforts. At both collective and individual levels, the people of Indonesia have refracting resilience in their past.
What scares me most is that people care so much about this country and they do well to preserve the nuances of language, foods, and music, while valuable environmental resources here seem to consistently slip through the cracks. And, in a time where the Indonesian motto "Bhinneka Tunggal lka," Unity in Diversity, is frequently cited for tentative political gains, the Indonesian people should look to unify over tangible matters, taking to preserving the proper pictures of this country with the same sort of tenacity and grit displayed in the spectrum of their culture and values. Because this land and its resources are yet another integral reflection of Indonesia's diversity, diversity worthy of a people's unified efforts.

Artifact # 5 Hx of Ed TE 818
Goals: 2
Standards: 3,4,5

No-ing is easy.
Look at that over there!
Isn’t that nice?
Isn’t that awful?
Isn’t this fun, boring, easy, or hard?
No, no, no, no, no and no.
Yes or no, multiple choice, true or false,
A voyeurism that is to last.
To come in last,
Because bleating fleeting
Facts and observations
Does not stick.
Should not stick.
What sticks?
Skills without the thrills,
Or meaning, or relevance, or context.
Lambasting images.
Go it alone.
Construct your own reality,
Unreal reality.
Neutrality,
Culture denied in totality.
Not only wrong,
But failing to adhere
To what keeps us strong.
And of course,
The Norm
To which we all conform.
Greed, not freed economy.
Nuclear, nuclear families.
Subjugation of imagination,
Death by linear logic.
The roots of education are rich,
From the rich,
For the rich.
These roots need to stop taking
And start giving.
Giving a tree,
Bearing fruit,
Fruit for all.
Our common schools:
No longer swarmed,
No longer formed,
By Wasps.
And, be warned,
Our females sting
Like it's supposed to be.
No longer rooted
In the incapability
Of social stability.
Keep the balance wheel rolling,
Weather wavering,
Taxing, or tolling;
Keep rolling.
Currently,
We're hexed by the vexed,
The increasingly complex,
Problems.
Everywhere,
If we dare,
Stop chasing shadows,
Seek the source.
Then,
Process, progress,
Make better, make new,
Renew.
To do so
We need to:
Braise our standards,
Raise our standards.
From the ones kids tested,
And teacher unapproved.
Instead be moved,
To a level, a level society
To wowing, equal opportunities
To teaching that is reaching,
Reaching all.
Too bad the power to change
Lies in the States
With nice estates,
At the end of pretty, petty drives.
We’re hungry
Because we’re not fed by the Feds.
Policies and practices are out of touch.
We need to touch,
(Appropriately of course)
Teachers,
Communities,
And students alike.
We need to farm our own ideas,
Plant the seed,
Weed the weeds.
Answer our own questions,
Questions of division,
Adding the opposite,
Thinking reciprocally,
For all.
Before it’s too late,
Before perpetuating our hate.
Changing our actions and our in-actions,
Addressing our implicit,
Explicitly.
Bridging divides,
From both sides.
Where bridges aren’t made to escape,
But to appreciate,
To validate,
To disseminate,
The gospel of all peoples,
All Races;
Religions;
Relations;
And Nations.




Artifact # 6 TE 811 Critical Thinking
Goals: 1
Standards: 1,3,4

“Where Those with Minority Opinions are not Heard, no Matter How Illogical or no Matter What the Context, Beware”

To begin, I have three stories, and--anecdotal as they may be--they have each had lasting effects on me. 


The Hated Patriot

I will never forget when me and my friends ganged up on Timothy DeYoung one day in eleventh-grade English. We--six of the most headstrong USA, Patriot Act-hating boys that a conservative Christian school could ever assemble in one class--were in the middle of The Grapes of Wrath: it was us against him. Him: an overzealous boy with a knack for clinging to the ways of his parents in submissive eloquence. The rest of the class was comprised of young women who did not audibly care enough to contribute and one other boy who must have been on our side because he--and the sweatshirt he buried his head in--were the ones to thank for the classroom’s weed potpourri. If he woke up to think about it, he would have been on our side.

Our teacher gracefully passes out a copy of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She tells us how the song had been used both in support of wars and against wars with the release of different versions, one being "Let us die to make men free," and the other "Let us live to make men free." She then proceeds to ask the class, “Which version do you prefer?” She must have lived through the Vietnam War. We mumble our responses. Then, He pipes up. His words stoke our waiting teenage angst. 

Slowly, we attack; each one of us spurred and backed by the one before. None of us sat next to each other. Perhaps our teacher had knowingly scattered us across the room after a go with the first seating chart so now we peppered the room.

All of us are politely raising our hands. Our teacher gives him chances to respond, but she keeps calling on us as well, perhaps secretly hoping for one of us to somehow end the attacks. 

I don’t think she knew who we were at the time; we didn’t know us. Eventually, Timothy--the lone voice for conservative capitalism--was standing up from his seat, screaming. Screaming to himself. No one was listening. We were all watching the tears streaming down his face. 

We successfully shamed him, his country, his family, his faith. Thomas left the classroom. I felt awful. I knew I pushed him over the edge. I knew and felt that something had gone terribly wrong. 

A Flattened World

In my first year of teaching eleventh-grade English, we came across a character in our novel who believed in a flat universe.
 
“Do people still believe in that?” a student asks. 

I explain from what I know: “People have held this view for hundreds of years and certain people, who maintain literal interpretations of the Christian Bible or the Jewish Talmud, still believe in this model of the--” 

“Rebecca’s a Jew, why doesn’t she tell us?” A student chimes in.

I am not expecting this.

To my amazement, Rebecca sheepishly presented an incredibly tight Talmudic argument, gaining steam as she went. She safely began with “Some Jews believe…” Then she went on to explain how the raqiya was formed, referencing religious texts and everything. Finally, she simplified it for us all by showing us that it was almost as if the chaos was collected between two hands that were pressed together, creating a flat earth with skies above and waters below. I was awestruck. Her friends and classmates were laughing.


A Stranger to Abraham

As a predominantly Muslim country, all of Indonesia honors the Muslim calendar. So, as a teacher, I was delighted to have two sizable holidays within the first stretch of my school year. New to the culture and very curious, I researched the significance of one such holiday but wanted to hear and learn more from the students, so I asked them in our first moments back in class, "What is the purpose of Eid al-Adha?" 

While clearly meeting the eyes of another student, as opposed to addressing me and my question, a boy stated, contemptuously, "It's where Muslims murder all the animals with split hooves." This definition was hurled at, Dakhil, the only Muslim in the class. 

Noticing the tension, I proceeded to explain the nature of the holiday to the class because they clearly did not see its importance. When I told them that Eid al-Adha was set aside to honor the faith of Abraham for his willingness to sacrifice his son, the students were dumbfounded because Abraham is one of the most significant characters in their own faith tradition. They were further baffled when they learned that the sacrifices of the wealthy Muslims’ sheep and cows were distributed as food for the poor.

*

Though not one of these cases uses real names, said Timothy and I have since become friends but what happened that day is still etched in my memory. Rebecca, however, shut down for the remainder of the school year despite multiple attempts to engage with her. Dakhil, on the other hand, frequently came into my classroom often on his own time to share chats about the latest European soccer fixtures. 

While one may have discrepancies as to what defines a critical thinker, one generally accepted aspect of Critical Thinking is the assertion of minority opinions. This is often depicted heroically, as in Fonda’s portrayal of the eighth juror in 12 Angry Men (1957). Minority opinions, however--not unlike juror number eight--receive a great deal of criticism often without even being heard or understood. I must qualify that not all critical thinking is represented by the expression of a minority opinion. I will claim, however, that regardless of whether or not a minority opinion is right or wrong, poorly founded or soundly supported, many suffer for “just saying it’s a possibility” (Rose 1957).

In the examples above, anecdotal as they may be, opinions are expressed in different ways. In the first and third examples, Timothy and Dakhil hold generally majority societal perspectives while in the hostile context of an oppositional majority classroom. Rebecca, however, provides a thorough and candid explanation from a differing point of view, one which is met with laughter.

One should also note that the premise of each of the examples is largely rooted in belief preservation, a characteristic which is generally frowned upon by Critical Thinkers. Tim van Gelder (2005) maintains that the critical thinker ought to be aware of his or her potential blind spots and either compensate for them or, better yet, eliminate them altogether (p.45). Perhaps these examples, in part, make a great case for a secular society because this is what may happen when one’s belief system threatens someone else’s. Yet, this is beside the point because the truth of experience reveals that this is how human beings, students operate on a daily basis.

Both Critical thinking and Critical pedagogues make a judgment call. They necessitate operating against that which is unjust or unsubstantiated. While I agree with the basic tradition of Critical Thinking, I am worried about what happens when the disenfranchised are the ones in the wrong such as in the above situations? What does the elimination of blind spots look like in practice? Must we then continue to work and move against our students' frameworks of thinking? Or leave them to their lack of heightened critical apparatus? As a teacher, does this mean I laugh with? Do I scold the terms of incorrect approach while silently ignoring the victim? Must I hold a series of side-bar conversations where I convince a student to cast of his or her beliefs and trade them in for a better, more critical approach?

I think my frustrations fester because many of our attempts to curb undesirable human/societal behavior are unwittingly riddled with a hidden agenda. Whether adhering to Critical Pedagogue, Critical Thinking, or any other traditions, we are driven by certain aims, and--admirable as those aims might be--the ways in which they’re posed in reality are undoubtedly complicated by circumstances as in the examples above. A proponent of Critical Thinking might write off any of those situations for being rooted in dusty dogma. Within the first case, a champion of Critical Pedagogy could even praise me and my liberally leaning friends for sticking it to the oppressor. This is not how I want to respond in practice. And, respectfully, I don’t think many theorists would wish to stick it to any ostracized students when in the moment of teaching, even if his/her premise was off.

In The Will to Power, Nietzsche provides: "In so far as the word 'knowledge' has any meaning, the world is knowable; but it is interpretable otherwise, it has no meaning behind it, but countless meanings" (1883-1888). In my opinion, practicing the ideals of Critical Thought and Pedagogy demands a sort of Perspectivism--or at least a genuine attempt at it. And, in order for students to better understand perspectives within any given class we as teachers must be keenly aware of the underlying frameworks posed, and we must also offer perspectives--to the best of our ability--with transparency.

So, within our classrooms we should operate with a variety of differing perspectives like lobbyists from different camps: made to question everything oppositional and support fervently that which is beneficial. While many view lobbyists with disgust, I think they are admirable in that they are generally unable to hide their motives. I much appreciate an unabashed sleaziness to a sneaky sort of sleazy. Classrooms need this sort of transparency.

I am one who would never deny the chance to learn from opposing perspectives, but there is a difference between learning through honest discourse and malicious attacks--something on which both Critical Thinkers and Critical Pedagogues agree. In the classroom, and society for that matter, comments need to be made and processed carefully otherwise learning will not take place. Education needs to be an illuminating process, one which confronts and evaluates differences sensitively as well as with a sense of appreciation. If critical thinking is at all represented by one’s ability to assert a minority opinion, then certainly, one’s ability to at least contemplate, empathize, and see the rationale behind differing perspectives must also be a mark of critical thinking. Students should be able to differ in thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, but they should not be allowed to construct derisive arguments that compromise the integrity of a safe, respectful community. These matters must be dealt with a great deal of thought as well as with a contextual understanding of power structures playing within the classroom and at large because such matters are often touching on what students hold nearest and dear: their way of thinking and operating in the world.


 Artifact # 7 TE 843 Slaveship to freedom road
Goals: 2
Standards: 3,4,5

Critical Literacy: “From Slave Ship to Freedom Road”

From the work:
Lester--"I wanted their eyes to be mine"

Hard to critique
a social critique.
What Lester and Brown afford
at its core, is an analysis
And what they abhor is:
complacent paralysis.
While providing, "the flesh
and the blood
and souls to past."
Addressing and redressing.
A critique of us all,
a coupled credibility
of sights and sounds
of words and visions
with fact and feeling.

That which was silent 
is Heard
That which was blotted out
is Seen.

Of Heroes, heroines, and antis
white, black; black, white.
Demystifying history; re-mistifying eyes,
eyes in the sky,
conversations: Eternal.
The words aren't minced,
the words do the mincing.
The words are loaded,
Pointed,
Fired,
with frumpy white men holding the rifles,
or cracked whips.
Suns set, storms brew
but brew to cleanse the sin.
God concepts:
black, white
meeting God in the dark
where dark is the light,
understood and not overcome.

History: yesterday's and today's,
art and lit that bring the grit.
Experiential, anecdotal, historical.
No conservation,
Without reservation
or self-preservation,
but confrontation:
personal and everyone's.

Facing fears

Honesty and perspective
all sails to the wind
to "the so-called free world,"
leaving in majestic wake,
black promises.
Not asking to feel good,
but to see, to feel, 
Something real.
Some weren't even given faces,
just stacked in communal coffins
an imaginative exercise,
of real-ism.
A demand for empathy.
Only: "how would I feel if that happened to me?"

Who am I? 
I have no say.

But I have to know--I am the 'they.'


I lived in belligerent luxury.
The middle class myth.
White--outside the city.
Flight--from Truth, Freedom.
Male.

Four Seasons,
symphonies and hotels.
Inheritance: equity, 
the kind with accruing interest,
despite not caring.
Unshakable, unmistakable,
Identity.

Choices abound
Luxury resounds
Private schools: 
Somehow made more Christian.
Abnormality
under the ruse


of reality, in totality.
Promise implied
before I applied.
Promise assumed.
Promises consumed.

Promise granted, 
taken for.

Spent the majority of my education 

getting in trouble or staring out the window.
But, a few teachers brought just the
Trouble I needed to be looking for
right on through many windows.

I,

A privileged, white male,
who took to sail
under the banner of Freedom
only to throw into the sea
or hold in captivity,

"Notes nobody would ever read."
Writing down the ideas of Freedom,
like Thomas Jefferson,
bound and blinded

by sin and circumstance.
I learned the freed
not the greed economy.
But, for all the Yankee Doodle-ing,
there was one teacher,

who, in a year of English and History,
brought me from slavery
through the Civil Rights
with an insurmountable more rights

than wrongs.

She cried when she read;
She cried when she spoke;

and laughed and praised,
if ever the world gave her and inkling of cause.
The same one taught me:
the emancipation's a sticky situation.

Abe is a hero
but there's more
that we must know.
She showed me the pictures,
the pictures Mamie Till wanted me to see

or why some might want to cast down a bucket
while others would want to kick one. 
The date slave importation ended, 1808, 


was and is etched in my mind
because nothing ended
nor was it the beginning
of an inconveniently black—or is it white? 
passage in history.