BlogPost8: Building Bridges

My teaching and student learning experience that I hope to one day install within my classroom is that of connecting lessons that are taught within the class to real world examples in which the students are able to see the direct relationship between. This is only possible through Building Bridges, a term used  by Bill Ayers which refers to the linkage of course material to the students at hand. My opinion of Ayers' term, is that of getting information that is taught by a teacher, into the minds of a student in an understandable way through various teaching techniques. This allows students to understand what is being presented to them in school in a much broader and inner understanding sense. Techniques used in Building Bridges would vary based on the teacher, the material and the students. Let's say I would teach the topic of American Government. My job for the day would be to help students understand levels of government. First, I would build a bridge and use examples of government which they would be familiar. Perhaps I would talk about their student council president and his or her duties. I would then ask students who the mayor of their city is and ask what his or her responsibilities are. These examples, young students would understand and relate to. Then as an educator, I would work up to higher levels of government as students slowly understand roles in which they play. It would make no sense for me to just start rattling off facts and responsibilities of members of congress. Students should be slowly integrated into new ideas and concepts through real world examples in which they can first understand. 

The below methods would be those in which I would place most emphasis on when teaching


Teaching Guide
1.) Care deeply about my students-DiGiulio
2.) Allow for the students to teach me, the teacher- Freire
3.) Self criticize myself to better my teaching skills- Ayers
4.) Incorporate Stir and Serve lessons into my daily schedule- Ohanian


1.) I as a teacher need to care not only about my students as people, but their learning experience as a whole. It is my sole responsibility to make sure that their full academic potential is reached. If it is, a students full potential as a person can be reached as well. This also must entail mutual respect between and educator and his or her student.

2.) As a teacher, my ups and downs in my ability to teach must in fact teach me. I must learn from success and failures in the classroom just as the students must. A teacher cannot be closed minded in the belief that their teaching style is the best and that they themselves cannot adapt within the learning/teaching environment.

3.) Teachers must be just as hard on themselves as they are on their students. If a teacher is satisfied with any negative results within a classroom in the regards of grades or the environment for students, then they themselves are not doing their job and reaching their full potential as educators.

4.) Stir and Serve is an idea created by Susan Ohanian. This idea is one in which teachers are constantly striving to find more efficient ways to teach and create bridges between course material and the students. This idea is one in which creativity in the classroom is vital in. A class will only go as far as the creativity which is provided to the students.