Confessions and Challenge

We must be approaching the end of the year if I am to open a blog entry with a personal confession. I stand before you as a man filled with a sense of relief as I divulge a portion of my identity that few (albeit now many more) will know.

I am a fan of the musical The Sound of Music.

And now that I have said it and actually don’t feel any better having done so.

However, I admit that I fall victim to its charms. From the opening sequence of the hills of Austria to the whole “I Have Confidence” montage to the stolen moments at the gazebo, to cursed puppet shows, I have to admit I love it all. When Captain Von Trapp sings, “Edelweiss,” and recalls a time of history that has long since past, I become overcome with emotion and cry without much shame. Hardly a moment can pass when I don’t fixate upon it if it is on late at night on cable or prominently displayed on network television. Yet, my favorite moments have to be when Mother Abbess counsels Maria with the song, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” When she sings that song in the shadows with the lost soul of Maria watching on, seeming to gain strength with each note replete with crescendo and accentuation, it is almost as if I am gaining strength with her. (I will not forgive any student who dares approaches me and compares me with the flighty Maria!) Yet, when Mother Abbess sings proudly about “climbing” mountains, “searching high and low,” and not relenting until one finds their “dreams,” I become moved.

For a while now, I have felt that this song represents both this experiment we call democracy in America (long live Alexis de Tocqueville!) as well as the journey of scholarship that many students have started with their entry into this class. This process of climbing mountains seems to be quite appropriate with the work we have done this week.

Our first week of examining Growth in America through different vantage points proved to be quite insightful and powerful. Students responded well to the idea of seminar teaching, identification of short and long term goals, as well as multitasking throughout different elements transpiring. I tried to “step out of myself” and examine what the class “looked like”. At moments, I was able to accomplish this and what I saw was a tapestry of students engaging in different modes of analysis, creating new paths for process and product, and carrying multiple dialogues simultaneously about different topics. It felt strange, on one level, but oddly enough natural on another. I thought that it was revealing to see secondary source people pouring through the book to find answers, or the Primary Source people attempting to configure the geography that enveloped Mark Twain, or how the group on Philosophy attempted to figure out the ideas of Locke and Mill. The other interesting point here is the self sufficiency I have seen out of our students. For the most part, I have seen students embrace the idea of working on their own and flying “solo.” Many students have embraced this level of tiered instruction where students demonstrate independence of thought and actions. When students frequently approach me with questions like, “When do we meet because I have some questions that need to be answered” or “Could we work while you are talking” or “Can we meet during lunch to make sure I am clear on these ideas.” The level of discussion emerging seems to be one where independent scholarship is placed at the forefront of students’ minds. If we can continue this trend, I believe that one of the primary goals of this unit could be met. Like the Von Trapp family at the end, the summits await as we cross one threshold and enter another.
In terms of planning for this week, I would suggest that all stakeholders examine the online syllabus, specific to the individual student choice. Secondary source students will start their process of composing their Top 10 Lists, while the Primary Source students will work on their second DBQ. The writings of Karl Marx greet the Political Philosophy students as they study chapter 12. I believe that challenge in the domains of content, process, product, affect, and learning environments will be evident. Not to quote the Mother Abbess, but examine the syllabus “every day of your life, for as long as you shall live.” (At least, until the end of the year, perhaps.)


Happy hunting and scholars of the world unite… at least, scholars of team 7-1! My best wishes to you as you learn how to effectively “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”

Mr. Kannan

Grazing upon intellectual fields and Reliving College Times: Embarking on the journey of student choice

The 7-1 student- led teaching experiences were extremely successful. If one wanted to use statistics (knowing very well that liars can figure and figures can lie), about 95% of the students on Team 7-1 will see A’s or B’s in Social Studies for third trimester progress reports. Given the time of year we find ourselves, this is an astonishing number. All teaching groups met their 70% class average benchmark. Finally, all students who taught saw their overall grade on the teaching assignment at either an “A,” “B,” or “C” level with the lowest grade turning out to be a “C+.” These are very impressive indeed, given the scope, required planning, and sheer anxiety ridden nature of students teaching their colleagues. From an anecdotal plane, success was also evident. Many students developed a newly discovered notion of metacognition, in terms of being able to clearly define which environments best support their learning styles and adaptations. Students began to understand the difficulty of reaching all students within instruction of concepts. However, the most revealing aspect of this experience was how students understood the notion of teaching being synonymous with community. The most successful examples of student teaching were ones where all students were included into the learning process. Never have I been more forcefully confronted with the reality of how teaching is an inclusive process than when I bore witness to these successful forays into the realm of teaching and learning.

With the successful completion of such an experience, I offered a day after where students were asked to “intellectually graze.” I considered it a generous gift of “down time,” something which is rare in my class. As I walked around the room, I found it so interesting to simply observe how some of our students conducted themselves. Perusing through different parts of the textbook, engrossed in a silent reading work, or simply constructing different aspects of their reality, it was insightful and instructive to not directly instruct. There was something powerful, almost entrancing, about it. It served as the confirmation of how we, as educators, need to provide an intellectual kingdom of ideas constructed upon the firmament of student choice. This field of academic freedom is where all of our students will find meaning and direct construction of knowledge and understanding.

This brings us to where we are now. This past week has brought a great many moments of “smile” to my teaching and learning. To hear students break down which choice best fits them has proved that many of our students have evolved in their thought. It was a true moment to hear students indicate that “this is the best for me,” or “I know it’s going to be tough, but I want to take the challenge.” As we have concluded the first day of in class work, I have been able to experience the very best of our students who are immersed in primary sources, analyzing modes of economic growth, or tackling the works of Locke and Mill. There is a genuine sense of maturation, excitement, and evolution that has taken hold of many emerging scholars on 7-1. My only hope is that this continues throughout the tenure of the unit.

As many of you know, I didn’t have many positive memories of my undergraduate experience. I spent much of it roaming through three different colleges/ universities, in search of elusive ideals. (That search still continues today.) However, one of the most special memories had to be my Western Civilization class as a first year student at Kenyon College. The course was entitled “Integrated Program in Humane Studies,” and it covered the standard “Plato to Nato” curriculum. The course met three times a week in a lecture hall that was a throwback to Oxford. Yet, the most distinctive aspect of the course was the three hour seminar each Wednesday night. This consisted of fifteen students sitting around Professor Brint’s office while he led us through the text and ideas of the week. Some of my most poignant memories in a year replete with challenges were in those seminars discussing economics, freedom, the limits of choice, and the pain that seems to exist at the heart of consciousness. Good times, indeed. In attempting to replicate some of those seminar moments, next week will mark the start of the mini teaching seminars. I will be meeting with different groups on different days, and our conversation topics will range from Industrialization, freedom, primary source based history, Document Based Questions, as well as the theories of Locke and Mill. This will be exciting and worthy of our students’ energies.

Some red tape items. The homework pane on the left hand of the screen and on the calendar will be deliberately vague, as there are different assignments for each group of students. In order to gauge what student assignments are, I encourage all students to download this week’s and next week’s syllabus. I have given students a sequence for the next two weeks. This scope will allow students to plan their time accordingly in order to meet all deadlines and expectations. I will also be emailing out students’ Social Studies grades this weekend and will be delivering a hard copy of student trimester grades on Friday. The last extra credit assignment will be due on Monday, 4/21. Finally, please allow me a shameless self promotional plug. I will be amongst the featured teachers speaking about the Middle School concept in front of community stakeholders, in a forum sponsored by the Julian PTO. I invite all interested members to attend. (Yes, there will be a powerpoint show.)

As we engage within a quest filled with student choice, seminar breakouts, and challenging content, our nightingales sing once again.

Happy hunting!
Mr. Kannan

The unveiling of what lies ahead: The choices and intellectual legacies of our students

Our teaching tasks have concluded. We now focus our attention on what lies next. I thought that I would enclose the letter that will be sent home with all students on Wednesday. It explains what students will have to endure, and eventually claim triumph over, for our next phase:

Dear Parents/ Guardians:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our upcoming unit on Growth in America. The focus of this unit is to analyze the development of Modern America from economic and social points of view. Some of the concepts addressed will be industrialization, immigration, social awareness, differing approaches to economic growth, Westward Expansion, as well as the growing divide between North and South with regards to the institution of slavery. The chapters covered in our textbook will be 11, 12, and 13. As with so much this year, change is a compelling concept. In past years, I have engaged in a series of direct instruction lectures designed to accomplish the comprehension of content in these chapters. However, this year I am proposing a different way to grasp the essential concepts that arise from these chapters. As with so much that we have done this year, this differentiation will rest on the broad shoulders of our students who will have to choose which option best fits their particular talent sets.
Each student will be presented with three options for their course of study and will have to choose one. These options are presented in more detail in the notes attached to this document. (Will be distributed on Wednesday). One of the options is a textbook based, secondary source analysis, another one is an American History primary source analysis, and the last option is a Political Philosophy primary source analysis. Intrinsic to all options is that, all students will have to read and absorb all the sections of chapter 11, 12, and 13. There will be individualized tasks within each student choice. The point values will be the same for all students, but the specific tasks will be different for different students. For example, a student who chooses the textbook based secondary source analysis will have a different set of tasks to complete than the American History primary source student. Direct instruction will be conducted by groupings, so not all students will receive directed instruction each day. Hence, on the days when students are not engaged in direct instruction, they will have class time to work on their specific task at home as well as time at home. Students will be asked to make a commitment to their choice on Thursday of this week.
I have outlined the three choices to all the students. The choice is going to be left to them. I encourage you, as parents/ guardians, to discuss which option is best suited for your particular student, your emerging scholar. While the problem here could be the choice, it could also be the source of liberation, as students can find their academic voices through an appropriate choice. I stress to all students that their choices are for them, and them alone, and they should choose what they think is best for them. These tasks will be done individually, so collaboration with colleagues will not be an option in the completion of each grouping’s tasks. As with all choices, it is my hope that students make the right choice, for the right reasons.
The last point I would like to make here is one based on the notion of differentiation. Over the year, I believe that I have taken special strides to differentiate the content in American History in order to reach every student. However, I have always claimed that a large component of differentiation of content is contingent on student choice. When students choose to find their academic voice, choose to inject their passion and zeal into their work, and choose to display their heart within the paradigm of intellectual discourse, differentiation has been accomplished as content has gained more purpose. In this particular unit, groupings have been offered and within each designation, further differentiation is even more evident. Yet, students will have to choose which task is best suited for them. Every student will be granted equal access to all options. All students are entitled to a pasture within which their intellectual sojourn can take place.

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at school or at home (__________________________). In the final analysis, as we begin our mad dash towards the end of the year and the Final Assessment, it is the choices of our students, your emerging scholars, which will be able to demonstrate the best chance of success.

Thanking you in advance,
Mr. Kannan


P.S. Students will receive the calendar of events, a sequence that lists due dates of all specific assignments, once choices have been declared. Our journey begins with all students reading chapter 11, so if students wish to move at their own pace, they could begin here. In the words of the great coach, “Is this fun or what?!?”

The nightingales will be singing new songs soon.

All best and happy choosing.
Mr. Kannan
P.S. What might be the last extra credit assignment in this class will be distributed out to students on Monday, 4/14, and will be due next Monday, 4/21.
Encourage your emerging scholar to test their academic will against this formidable and reflective task.

“I am trying not to bury the lead!” The brevity of this week’s blog

As we progress and conclude our teaching assignments, this week’s blog will be a brief one. All stakeholders should keep the following days in mind:
* Wednesday- All groups will assess all students on their in class presence and homework completion. Grades will be recorded by the end of Wednesday’s class.
* Thursday- In class review for exam on chapter 9. The use of a student generated, handwritten index card will be contingent on how students collaborate with one another this week.
* Friday- Take exam on chapter 9.

Taking from the news media, I am deliberately downplaying expectations and insinuation from this week’s blog because of what will lie ahead. Few can accuse of my burying the lead story, so tune in next week where more will be divulged about what lies ahead. Accordingly, I have not added a quote for this week and the Wacky Metaphoric Analysis has remained from last week. As always, these represent the fleeting opportunities for extra credit.

All best, happy teaching and hunting (after these assignments, some would say the two are synonymous).
Mr. Kannan