MWWP Demonstration The Revolution will be Written

1. MWWP DemonstrationThe Revolution will be Written Matthew D. Kobialka

2. About Me • Teaching Assistant at UPRM • Teacher of Intermediate and Beginner English • Prior experience teaching nearly all English levels • High School History teacher • I have been teaching over 5 years in a variety of levels and settings

3. My School • University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez • My classes are held in Chardon • Simple classroom with board, projector, and computer • Air conditioning for some of my classes • Typically 20 – 30 students in each class • Mostly freshman and sophomores, depending on the course • Some international students (typically S. America) and Americans

4. My School • UPRM • Land, Sea, and Space Grant institution • Heavy science and engineering focus • Officially bilingual • ~12,000 undergraduate students

5. My Community • My students come from all over the island, but most are from the Western part of the island and the San Juan metropolitan area. • Many commute quite some distance • Available resources include the Biblioteca General and the English Writing Center

6. My Teaching Philosophy • At the core of my philosophy of teaching is the belief that all students can learn. This is true regardless of past student performance or socio-economic background. Not all students are geniuses, but all possess the ability to learn given appropriate guidance and relevant classroom materials. • Based heavily on the ideas of constructivism and the works of Paulo Freire, and Constructivism. I believe that students must be at the center of the learning process. The classroom is not a place solely of lecturing, but also a place where students must work together to build their own knowledge by critically analyzing and thinking about the material being presented. The role of the teacher is one of a guide in the pursuit of knowledge rather than as a giver of knowledge that students are expected to memorize.

7. Writing in the Classroom • Writing serves as a means of both creating knowledge and self-empowerment • By synthesizing information from the lesson into the student’s own words, the student comes to better understand the material. • Writing serves as a means of constructing identity, both in forming the student’s self-identity and the identity that they present to others.

8. Theoretical Framework • Constructivism • Von Glaserfeld (1989): Responsibility for learning should be largely the duty of the student. Students should construct their own understanding and not just mirror or reflect what they read. • Vygotsky (1978): Most important moment in intellectual activity occurs when speech (interpersonal world) meets practical activity • Critical Pedagogy • Friere (1970): Praxis- Reflection and action. Rejection of “Banking Method” of education

9. My typical Class • 50 minutes, 3 times a week • Announcements and attendance • Lesson • Connecting activity/Activating background knowledge • Presentation of new material • Writing activity (individually or in groups • Due to time issues, writing activities are often started in class, but finished for homework.

10. The Revolution will be Written • Objectives • Expose students to counter-culture and African-American literature from the 1960s and 1970s • Engage students in critically thinking about their world and how they would change it • Involve students in writing poetry through scaffolding • Can be used as an English or History lesson

11. Procedure • Activating background knowledge • What is a revolution? • What do you know about the 1960s and 1970s? • Reading • Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution will not be televised” • Vocabulary/references (allusions if English class) • Listen to audio track and reread • Writing • Sharing • Groups or in front of class