Takaki refelection

The first thing I did to prepare myself for reading Takaki was to read the front and back cover of the book to get a better idea about what the book is about. This method helped familiarize me with the book's topic and helped me better establish a framework for dealing with the text. By doing this, I activated my prior knowledge of multiculturalism and created a better contextual basis for reading.

The method of activating prior knowledge is something I do with my students before every lesson. It's called a "warm-up." The first thing my students do when entering the class is sit down and write a response to the warm-up question I have on the board. We then take a few minutes to discuss their thoughts or opinions. I then connect the warm-up question to that day's topic. This method is effective because by activating prior knowledge in students, students may be more engaged, less confused, and have some expectation on what the proceeding lesson will tackle.

After reading the cover, I read the author's note. I do this every time I read a book to get a better understanding of the author's purpose and background. By understanding the purpose and background to the text, I can create a viewpoint which makes the text easier to digest.

As I read Takaki, I paid close attention to the opening paragraphs of each chapter. I underlined the sentences that set up his argument and provide insight into the paragraphs that follow. As I read his supporting paragraphs, I would routinely flip back to his opening paragraphs and re-read the sentences I underlined. This process helped clear up any questions I had and added emphasis to the reading. Finally, I underlined the key sentences in the concluding paragraph to help me summarize Takaki's purpose and to reinforce what he investigated.

Takaki discusses multiculturalism and aims to tell the story of American History through the viewpoint of a "different mirror." Recently, I used the "different mirror" approach with my 9th grade US History students. Prince Georges County Public Schools has outlined the curriculum for 9th grade US History and requires teachers to model their lessons around what they prescribe. As I was starting the unit on Reconstruction, I noticed that the curriculum guide jumps from Reconstruction to the rise of Industry in the late 1800's. Even though the county sponsored text book had a full unit on Native Americans, the curriculum guide does require the unit on Native Americans to be taught. I personally thought that to not teach students about Native Americans was a travesty, so I decided to take a whole period to at least discuss what happened to the Native Americans and, more importantly, teach what obstacles Native Americans face today.

To activate their prior knowledge, I asked the class if someone had ever lied to them to them, and of so, how did it feel? Did they ever trust that person again? After a quick discussion, I played a 15 minute video which recapped the steps the US Government took to remove Native Americans from their land. Following the video, I presented the class with a guided reading excercise that highlighted some of the current issues facing Native Americans. I wanted my students not just to know what happened to the Native Americans, but to also realize the many problems Native Americans face today are due to past policies. Finally, I summarized the lesson by asking students to discuss the current conditions of Native Americans and how their condition might parallel the conditions of other ethnic groups. Did it change the world, probably not, but at least I can sleep easier knowing that I attempted to fix a wrong and exposed my students to a topic they may otherwise never consider.

For all you football junkies next weekend, it's the 0-2 Fighting Irish against the 0-2 Michigan Wolverines. I hate both equally, but even I am dismayed how terrible each team is playing. As an Ohio State fan, I don't win with this game, unless of course, the US Navy decides to drop a bunch of Tomahawk missiles into Notre Dame stadium. A boy can dream....

The Montalicious One