Day 45
Student Contribution by Vea
Overview of the Period
Today in class, we learned what the Devshirme system was. The Devshirme system is the forced recruitment of Christian boys into the Ottoman Empire. Once we had finished the reading, we wrote down the effects of the system during that time period. As we continued on with the lesson we tied the effects of the policy during that time period to those of today. This later on developed into how we defined humans then vs today.
We prepare for the AP exam by doing reading and writing prompts everyday. This helps us as students as were all nervous for the exam. The allows us to get more familiar we are with the material, and what we need to do for the AP exam. I also believe it prepares us by giving us prompts that don’t always interest us. Many students struggle to write when the topic they’re reading isn’t something they have passion for. However, the more practice were given, the less stressful it will be when it comes time for the test.
I feel as though I’ve grown as a learner as I’ve made a lot more connections with the past and the present, and how it’s impacting one another. I’m a big advocate for change in the world, whether it be with the climate, the LGBTQ community, etc. As we continue to progress through the time period and what happened during then, the more I see how what happened then is still somewhat occurring today.
My Response
Not my best day. As we entered the second quarter, I wanted to spend a few days guiding the students through some historical processes. I was very teacher-centered. Which I know
On the positive of things, Vea is starting to form a narrative of history and relating the concepts of the past into topics she is interested in. I LOVE THAT. She has been motivated when she is allowed to work on her own line of inquiry. It’s nice to see it in action.
One of her comments was
I wished the topics flowed more smoothly together. I feel as though we jump around a lot between each topic.
This is totally my fault. This unit I moved things around based on the order the College Board had in the outline, but my normal flow was taught the Columbian Exchange before going back to Land-Based Empires. In the end, it will make sense, but I can see their struggle right now. This is one of the reasons I paused and went through a few of the historical processes.
As a side note, I was in a conversation around In Search of Deeper Learning with a few friends on Modern Learners. And I was referencing my manic state. They counseled me on how to find my center. I just wanted to thank them as they continue to work with me to helps students have the best educational experience possible.