Day 17

Student contribution by Natalia Villegas

Overview of the Period

We started off class by reading a reading about how Islam has changed over time and discussed any questions or interesting facts with our table groups. Here is a link to the article. Then we finished off the class by researching any topics that interested us in the 1200 time period.

How have you grown as a learner?

I have grown as a learner because I have started to realize how to take a broader topic and break it down into certain examples and I am starting to gain more interest in continuing to expand my knowledge. Unlike in AP Human Geo when I had a greater struggle on breaking down topics and when I didn’t find something interesting I would not want put more effort into learning more about it.

I do not like how our class work doesn’t entirely correspond with what we have to do with the homework and I sometimes get confused. I can improve by asking more questions when I do get confused.

I like how we use the whiteboard to help share and collect our ideas. I also like how you can pace yourself differently from the rest of the class.

My Response

The students’ responses to the spread of Islam article provided a small window into their global perspectives. The article’s stance is that people blended the teachings of Islam to their own local customs. The historians use the term localization to describe the blending process. The student’s born in the United States struggle with this concept since our culture is so pervasive globally and has adapted to local customs.

I love the discussions that follow reading an article that challenges them. Most students have little knowledge of past events and often simplify complex events or repeat verbatim what they have been told. However, in their groups and having just read, they go into those details so much more. They question what they believe about a topic. It enables them to look outside their own scope of the world. It was a good moment.

As for her comment about the homework, I struggle with that. There is so much to “cover.” The videos they watch do not always represent what we do in class nor what they want to research. If students have questions about the homework, they do so individually. I attempt to fold in what they have to know for the exam, but that is not always as frequent as some students want. As they navigate the course, I probe them so they can tell me what they know or make connections between topics. I want them to be able to do it instead of me always the one to make the connection.