Pg. 101: "I knew that a media studies course would likely be met with skepticism by certain teachers at Quincy, who believed that any time in school away from reading, writing, and arithmetic was time wasted."
I loved this quote because it is so true and it's something I completely believe in with most "mandatory" content! I love the idea of a media literacy class, especially for this age group of students who spend half their days watching TV. It sparks interest from the students, engages them in topics they can relate to, and allows them to have a voice! The fact is, a majority of how the students behave and speak has to do with some form of the media. It is everywhere and affecting them in so many ways outside of school. I give Mr. Michie a lot of credit for taking on this course and creating it from scratch and getting the students involved in deep and meaningful thinking!
Pg. 104: "An important consideration in any media literacy course, I came to realize, is using programs the kids watch as texts for study."
I thought this idea to incorporate media programs the students actually watch all the time as their text in the classroom was brilliant. The students deal with assigned textbooks most of them probably don't even open in all of their other required courses. In Mr. Michie's media class, they are actually familiar with the "media text" before entering the room so they have prior knowledge on the topics that they actually care about and deal with on a regular basis. The topics Mr. Michie discusses allows the students to think even deeper about some of the television shows they watch just to watch for entertainment. In high school, I took a media literacy class that I was very passionate about because we discussed topics of interest for our age level and discussed popular media in our culture that we could all relate to. The students are much more engaged in the material when Mr. Michie can relate it back to media they are confronted with daily and have a degree of interest in. Mr. Michie turns a form of the students entertainment into meaningful schoolwork allowing the students to again, have a strong voice.
Pg. "There are times when I envy those teachers who always seem to be so sure they are doing the right thing with their students. It is rarely that way for me."
I smiled when I read this quote because I can picture myself as a first or second year teacher feeling the exact same way! I personally hate the feeling of not knowing what I'm doing in a situation or if I am even getting through to my students. Being a novice teacher with not much experience to begin with, I happen to feel this way all the time when I am surrounded by teachers who have "been through it all". It is nice to hear that a teacher as fantastic as Greg Michie feels this way too sometimes!
Essence Extractor
As teachers, we need to do our best to think “outside of the box” in order to create something magical.
A voice is such an important tool! Rachel you hit the nail on the head with your first comment - I love the idea of creating students who are going to speak their minds because they know they can, that they have a reason to and that they know its important to do so. Kids have so much more to bring to the world than we let them or give credit to them for.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteI felt comfort reading your 3rd quote as well. Especially after having one of those hectic days at school. Its nice to know that other people are feeling the same way, especially incredible teachers such as Greg Michie!
Hannah
Rachel your post on steph's made me remember... That top one is mine I forgot to sign!
ReplyDeleteKathleen