Ben Kutz

3/13/22

What is a teaching and learning situation that would challenge you and/or your peers in your
content area(s)?
- Writing Goal: Help the reader clearly understand your challenging teaching and learning
situation.
- Provide one or more descriptive paragraphs of this situation. 1-2 sentences do not help
me understand your situation.

I would be challenged by a student who does not see the point in studying history. I
know that history is very useful today because of how we can learn from the
achievements and mistakes of historical figures. However, this could be a difficult topic
for some students to understand, especially younger ones. Society is very different than
it was even 50 years ago when focusing on social media. So much of students’ lives
happen on social media. Social media is always focused on what is going on now or what
is next. Students today might not see the point in studying the past because of how
social media has affected them. If I can’t get a student to see the importance of studying
history and engaging in class, I would feel like I cheated them out of learning context
relatable to their lives.

Why is this situation challenging as you consider specific variables on the Teaching and
Learning Variables Grid provided on the previous page)?

Specific people such as witnesses to the events in my content area would probably feel let
down if I didn’t get my students to engage in the content regarding the history that they lived
in. They most likely feel it is important for students to understand these topics and I want to
reflect that to my students. For example, a Vietnam War veteran might feel let down if my
students weren’t engaged in class material concerning the Vietnam War.

My own fears make this situation challenging because I am not sure if I will have the ability to
make history interesting enough for students to fully engage in the material. An easy and
reliable way to make class material more interesting is to use the internet and assign
computers to students. Many schools use Chromebooks to assign to students. I’ve never
been very good at using computers and I’m not sure if I’d be up to the challenge of facilitating
a classroom where each student has a personal computer.

A characteristic of learners that could make this situation challenging is Cultural background.
Students come from different cultures, and I might feel pressure to make sure all students
understand where certain cultural stereotypes come from. There are certain historical events
that have caused racial segregation (Slave Trade, 9/11, etc.). I want to make sure these
events are covered accurately and that students engage in the material. Having students
understand where the stereotypes came from and why they are incorrect is important.

Another variable that adds to my situation is the instructional approach – Whole Class. I feel
like I am more talented at instructing students in smaller groups or one on one. I wasn’t bad
at my public speaking classes, but it wasn’t one of my best classes. Speaking the right
dialogue that keeps the whole class engaged could be a challenge for me.

In the content area grid, there is a variable that could be challenging to me – Current debates
in your topic area. Concerning history, it can be challenging to relate current events to
historical ones and have the students understand the relation.

Use multiple questions listed here to help you discuss “Why”.

- Why do YOUR OWN fears and concerns make this situation challenging?
- Why do specific people, listed on the grid, make this situation challenging?
- Why do specific characteristics of learners, listed on the grid, make this situation
challenging?
- Why do specific instructional approaches, listed on the grid, make this situation
challenging?
- Why do specific learning contexts, listed on the grid, make this situation challenging?
- Why do specific aspects of your content area, listed on the grid, make this situation
challenging?
- Why do peer interactions among learners, listed on the grid, make this situation
challenging?

Answer 5 or 6 of these questions

Discuss the possible resources and describe why in this second table:

The “What?” = What are some possible resources from the Teaching and Learning Variables
Grid that can help a teacher in this challenging teaching and learning situation?

See the Teaching and Learning Variables Grid above on page 2.

Use multiple questions listed here to help you discuss “What” resources.
- How can specific people, listed on the grid, serve as a resource for teachers in this
challenging teaching and learning situation? How can an understanding of their
experiences and strengths help teachers in this challenging teaching and learning
situation?
- How can specific characteristics of learners, listed on the grid, serve as a resource for
 teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation? How can a better
understanding of learners’ needs, “truths,” experiences, perceptions, and strengths
serve as a resource for teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation?
- How can specific instructional approaches, listed on the grid, serve as a resource for
teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation?
- How can changes in the specific learning contexts, listed on the grid, serve as a resource
for teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation?
- How can specific aspects of your content area, listed on the grid, serve as a resource for
teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation?
- How can peer interactions among learners, listed on the grid, serve as a resource for
teachers in this challenging teaching and learning situation?

An instructional approach that could help with my situation is small groups. Splitting up the
whole class into small groups can help me interact with students. When they are in smaller
groups it will be easier for me to teach them the material more personally. Along with that, it
could help participation. There could be students that don’t want to share their thoughts
with the whole class but are willing to do so in a smaller group.

A person I could look to for help is my dad, who is a teacher at a private grade school.
Because it is a smaller school with limited funding, they just recently were able to supply
students with personal computers. My dad has never really been a tech-savvy person either,
but he was able to have the students use the computers without running into too many
problems. Talking to him before talking to a computer technician could be a more practical
way of learning.

To confront the issue of letting witnesses to historical events down, an effective way to get
students to engage in the topic is to have a witness of a certain historical event come into
class. I would meet with this person beforehand to ensure they are willing to speak about the
topic and to make sure what they will say is relative to the class material. I could also give
them suggestions as to what to focus on to keep the students engaged. I think this resource
could be extremely effective because I can still remember in 7 th grade when we had a woman
come into class who lived in Germany during World War II. She explained Nazi propaganda to
us and how different it was immigrating to America.

Along with my dad, I also have more family members that are current teachers. I have several
cousins that are teachers, and my sister is currently taking classes to become a teacher. I
think these family members can be a useful resource to bounce ideas off on and get ideas
from because I already have a personal connection with them that will make it easier to
exchange ideas. I have a few cousins that teach history, and it could be very useful for me to
ask them how they keep students engaged in their material.

Another variable that could be a resource to help me is individual learners. Having one on
one meetings with students can be very useful in figuring out what ways of presenting
material are working for them, and which ways are boring to them. Sitting down and talking
with them will most likely bring about better results than a vague survey. It would be best to
have these meetings with as much of the class as possible to ensure most students are having
their opinions shared as to how well they are engaging in class.

WHY are these things resources for teachers, considering the Cultural Interfacing
Principles?

I am looking for you to cite specific content from my lecture notes to discuss at least 4 of the
6 principles.

You need to reference these by their formal name as you discuss your chosen Cultural
Interfacing Principles:
 Philosophy of Community
 Knowledge Construction
 Multilevel Strategies
 Comprehensive Approach
 Modeling Health
 Protecting Cultural Knowledge

Using a witness in class is a good way to engage students in class considering Philosophy of
Community and Protecting Cultural Knowledge. Philosophy of Community states that
interaction builds community when we recognize and appreciate each other’s perspectives.
Having a witness come into class and “speak their truth” will create a stronger, more
educated community. This also applies to Protecting Cultural Knowledge because it
acknowledges that someone else’s experiences can contribute to the teaching and learning
environment.

Using my dad as a resource applies to Multi-Level Strategies. He has taught in urban settings
before and is currently teaching in a rural setting. Even though his classes are smaller than
most schools, there is still diversity in his classrooms, and he understands the importance of
minimizing culture clashes and how academic achievement issues can be challenging. He
could also be a good asset in learning how to motivate learners.

My other family members are a resource to me, considering the Comprehensive Approach.
They could be very useful to me for actively collaborating and seeking teaching solutions
outside of conventional ways of thinking. It would be more effective than using fellow
teachers from my school I already have a connection with them which would lead to a
smoother exchange of ideas. Along with that, having a wider exchange of ideas will only lead
to the possibility of more ways of thinking.

For the individual learner, this relates to Modeling Health. Building a personal relationship
with learners will lead to a socially healthy learning environment. Establishing trust, having
the student be able to feel vulnerable, realizing their needs, and sharing cultural wisdom are
all good ways to set up personal connections that will improve learning conditions.