Hi all, this is Alice, Christine, Lingge, and David reporting! We started off the day bright and early, leaving just after 6:30 to arrive at Muchin College Prep on time for the first bell. Each of us went to advisory periods to begin the day, then split off to our respective teaching-assistant posts.
Christine noted one interesting facet of the Muchin system in algebra I education: there are no proper lectures or PowerPoints given by the teacher. Rather, the teacher poses the problems to students openly, expecting them to arrive at answers through group deliberations. She found it interesting that students were relatively free to address teachers informally without reprimand, although this seemed to be confusing when juxtaposed with the fact that they were required to have adult escorts to go to the bathroom. Additionally, she appreciated the fact that advisory periods served as a forum for not only academic discussion, but also a time where students could relate to each other over four years.
In the middle of the day, Alice had the opportunity to attend a collegiate preparatory class, where teachers worked in similar roles to guidance counselors. They advised students how to file applications and follow up with colleges later on in the process. She was pleasantly surprised to learn of how common it is for Muchin students to receive merit award letters, but was concerned about the volume of information which both teachers and students needed to handle in the process. All in all, she felt that Muchin did a strong job of setting up students to achieve success, but wondered if there were more ways to give students the intrinsic drive to walk through the doors to college.
Lingge helped Mr. Madonna with his calculus and algebra II classes. She worked through problem sets with students and talked about quiz results with them. One tactic which she noted in the classroom was the grouping of students - often, it seemed that more driven students were assigned together, while those who struggled more were also in the same groups. On talking to students, she was excited to share in their aspirations for dream schools. However, she felt that they were not always aware of each other's interests, which might create a less united community.
David assisted with a junior U.S. history class, which took place on a notable day - the primary elections for Illinois state races! The day before, the class took a field trip to local polls, which gave eligible students the chance to vote, and the rest the opportunity to learn directly about the democratic process. The class discussed the role of political advertising and rhetoric through campaign mailers sent out in the city of Chicago over the last few weeks. He noted the creative use of these primary documents as an opportunity to cast historical U.S. campaigns in light of modern-day developments. During conversations with students, he found that many seemed interested in politics as it pertained to their day-to-day lives, but still had many confusions about the stances of political parties.
Altogether, it was a great day in Chicago, and we enjoyed learning alongside the students at Muchin!
Christine noted one interesting facet of the Muchin system in algebra I education: there are no proper lectures or PowerPoints given by the teacher. Rather, the teacher poses the problems to students openly, expecting them to arrive at answers through group deliberations. She found it interesting that students were relatively free to address teachers informally without reprimand, although this seemed to be confusing when juxtaposed with the fact that they were required to have adult escorts to go to the bathroom. Additionally, she appreciated the fact that advisory periods served as a forum for not only academic discussion, but also a time where students could relate to each other over four years.
In the middle of the day, Alice had the opportunity to attend a collegiate preparatory class, where teachers worked in similar roles to guidance counselors. They advised students how to file applications and follow up with colleges later on in the process. She was pleasantly surprised to learn of how common it is for Muchin students to receive merit award letters, but was concerned about the volume of information which both teachers and students needed to handle in the process. All in all, she felt that Muchin did a strong job of setting up students to achieve success, but wondered if there were more ways to give students the intrinsic drive to walk through the doors to college.
Lingge helped Mr. Madonna with his calculus and algebra II classes. She worked through problem sets with students and talked about quiz results with them. One tactic which she noted in the classroom was the grouping of students - often, it seemed that more driven students were assigned together, while those who struggled more were also in the same groups. On talking to students, she was excited to share in their aspirations for dream schools. However, she felt that they were not always aware of each other's interests, which might create a less united community.
David assisted with a junior U.S. history class, which took place on a notable day - the primary elections for Illinois state races! The day before, the class took a field trip to local polls, which gave eligible students the chance to vote, and the rest the opportunity to learn directly about the democratic process. The class discussed the role of political advertising and rhetoric through campaign mailers sent out in the city of Chicago over the last few weeks. He noted the creative use of these primary documents as an opportunity to cast historical U.S. campaigns in light of modern-day developments. During conversations with students, he found that many seemed interested in politics as it pertained to their day-to-day lives, but still had many confusions about the stances of political parties.
Altogether, it was a great day in Chicago, and we enjoyed learning alongside the students at Muchin!
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