Day 16

Student contribution by Kou Tsuchiya

Overview of the Period

I linked an article from the Economist that contained two maps on the containment of polio. 

After the students opened the link, I handed them a four levels of map analysis sheet that Christina Classen generously gave to me. 

After the students wrote their answers, they debated their responses in the group. Afterwards, they shared out to the class. It was interesting to see their diverse perspectives on why the polio virus was still in certain parts of the world. In the last half of the class, the students worked on their own inquiries in an attempt to answer questions that they.

To what extent can I create classroom conditions that represent how people learn best while still allowing students to excel on the AP examination? (student response)

I think I am preparing well for the AP exam by taking this class. I know this because I am starting to view maps differently. I’m able to identify certain features of a map and how they affect the perspective of the person viewing the map.

I think that I have grown as a learner in this class. I am beginning to see different patterns in maps that I see in articles outside of class and I am able to identify what kinds of patterns they are, such as clustering, dispersal, and elevation.

I like that we were able to talk about different patterns with classmates so that I could discover features in maps that I didn’t catch, that my classmates did.

My Response

Kevin Modelski visited for the period. He is an English teacher and we share a number of the same students. It was great having him in the class and see the connections between the two courses. The two of us use similar language and having him in the room reinforced that to the students. It’s always good to have him visit. the vibe changes and we were exchanging ideas on how to integrate more between our two classes. 

He was impressed with what the students came up with for the polio virus. The “freedom” of the four levels of analysis allows for students to interrupt the maps on their own and not worry about a “right” answer. He was interested in the student led inquiries. We talked about combining their inquires in his class. I think it is a great idea and one we will have to spend some time figuring out how to do it.