Session 1: Content Knowledge

• One of the outside school experiences that has expanded and deepened my subject area content knowledge of math, specifically value, budgets, terms, turnover ratios and margins, has been working at Forward Motion Sports, a small retail running store for the past 4 years. Being a sales associate has enhanced my understanding of monetary value and (math) especially through out this time of recession. Customers are no longer buying the plus 1 item, as in the past, and only buying what they came into the store for. Customers are more aware of what they are spending and make their decisions based on is it worth it versus practicality and/or comfort; they are always looking for a discount. On that basis has affected our buying as a store. We have scaled back on the variety of apparel, accessories and gear we stock both because the demand is down as well as our profit. One specific experience that deepened my subject area content knowledge in math was recently when placing a Nathan (outdoor accessory company) purchase order (P.O.). Prior to placing the order, I had to determine the turnover ratio for each item we typically order by answering the questions: What was our current stock position and how many had we sold in the last three months? Additionally, I had to determine the total cost of the PO to see if we (the store) would be able to pay the invoice in full with in 30 days (terms). Working at the store has enabled me to apply the math I learned in the classroom to a real life experience, ultimately deepening my understanding of math.       

• My initial judgements and opinions about Ball's article, "The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers," aligned with our class discussion, being that subject matter knowledge is multidimensional and needs to be taught that way. Classroom experiences shape understanding, interest and impact of the subject matter at hand. Hearing people speak about their past classroom experiences both positive and negative further emphasized not only the importance subject matter knowledge in teaching plays as well but how the content is taught as well. A teacher may know a lot, but not know how to teach it. I had two contrasting undergraduate history class experiences, which has ultimately shaped my interest level in wanting to learn more and exemplified Ball's article. I took German 59 - Holocaust: Film and Literature, a class I will never forget. The class was about the Holocaust and the professor used film and literature from that time period. While watching films he explained the how cinematography used ultimately shaped peoples perception of the Jews, it was the first time I truly understood what propaganda was. In order to teach this class successfully, the professor had to know a lot more than the subject matter. He had to know about cinematography, different aspects of literature (we read Maus, powerful literature written in comic book form) and most importantly how to connect with his student. He was able to present the Holocaust where conclusions could be drawn on reasoning versus memorization. Contrary to this experience, I took a History of Islam course in which the professor may have known a lot but was not able to convey his knowledge beyond the scope of the text we used. The class became just another box checked off of my GED requirements versus one that held meaning. As a result, my personal experiences, hearing peer experiences as well as reading the Ball article, my opinion that both subject matter content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge are equally important has not changed. 

• At this point, I have started to develop and pursue a line of inquiry about how to integrate visual arts into the core curriculum, the importance and why they should be. I have always had a passion for the arts and still remember many of the projects I did in school as well as what I learned. I am a kinesthetic learner and feel that our current education system/design addresses one style of fact based learning. While I have not finalized my question, I have four that I am trying to combine in someway. Each question targets an area of visual arts and core curriculum I want to investigate further. Why does the hierarchy of subject matter place visual arts on the bottom? Does the hierarchy of subject matter with in the education system, progressively educate kids out of creativity? How can integrating visual arts into the core curriculum promote curiosity, creativity and problem solving? How can visual arts can be integrated into the core curriculum?
• I know that there is a lot of research available in the area, especially in the area of arts and cognition. My main area of interest is the how based on the why, which  I am having a harder time finding resources outside of project based learning. Possible ideas I have for experiential learning experiences are visiting the MOCHA (Museum of Children's Arts), watching a series on PBS called Art 21as well as observing students work at a local visual arts summer camp.

• During my first class of the St. Mary's credential program we watched a Ted talk titled: "Education Kills Creativity," and a youtube clip titled, "Cain's Arcade," both highly influential in my decision to pursue my arts inquiry. Dr. Suess has also influenced my decision. While looking through one of his books, I found two quotes that support how I think and feel: "I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope. Which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." "If you don't get imagination as a child, you probably never will." The act of art enables creativity, imagination and the learning of perspective. One of my favorite books is Eric Carles, "An Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse," in which I used while teaching/doing an Eric Carle art lesson with my first graders. I asked them the question, "How do you know this is a horse?" Listening to their thinking was fascinating, they were trying to work through and articulate how they knew the blue horse on the cover even though it was blue. At that moment I realized the impact of the arts in education. My student's were trying to make sense of why.  

I responded to:
Taylor Terhune
Michelle Graffis
Kaitlyn Vignocci- Sparks