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Synopsis: This film is based the experience of high school math teacher Jaime Escalante at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California, a poor and violent section of the city. His belief that his students would rise to higher expectations motivated his demand that he teach Calculus to academically unprepared students who he believed mostly needed the “ganes”, (the desire) to learn. His mission was to impart this desire and build his students confidence that they could learn and absorb the knowledge to pass the AP Calculus test and earn college credit. Ultimately, they could achieve a better life than pumping gas or frying chicken. The Film Stand and Deliver and the Master Teacher
Film Content Connections • I took the scenes in the film and broke them into pieces of activity. • I assigned these activities to domains. • Some activities I assigned to more than one domain because I saw them as applicable to more than one domain.
Domain I: DESIGNING INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT TO PROMOTE STUDENT LEARNING. • The teacher understands human developmental processes and applies this knowledge to plan instruction and ongoing assessment that motivate students and are responsive to their developmental characteristics and needs. • ongoing assessment: • Each class begins with a ten minute quiz based on the previous day’s lesson. • motivate students: • Teacher introduces himself to class by building self-esteem with a historical reference to their Mayan ancestors who were the first to comprehend and use the concept of zero. Be proud of this and use this ancestral connection as a basis to believe they too can successful at math. Math is in their blood. • Takes students on field trip to data center to see possibilities open to those who apply themselves to their studies, particularly math.
Domain I: DESIGNING INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT TO PROMOTE STUDENT LEARNING. • responsive to their developmental characteristics and needs: • Teacher determines level of basic math knowledge. Dressed in apron and foot service hat, using and a cleaver, he has cut several apples into portions to determine if students understand fractions. His exercise lets the students show themselves they know what few credit them with knowing. Instead of basic math 1A, teacher decides to start teaching them Algebra instead. Knowing basic math only prepares one to pump gas. • Teacher issues 3 textbooks to one student so he can keep one at home to do his homework, one in his locker so he can show he does not care enough to take his book to class, one to keep in class to actually use.
Domain II: CREATING A POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE CLASS ROOM ENVIRONMENT. • The teacher knows how to establish a classroom climate that fosters learning, equity, and excellence and uses this knowledge to: • create a physical and emotional environment that is safe and productive: • Teacher moves students with weak English to the front of the room. He understands their inclination to remain quiet, not participate, and wish to be unseen by sitting in the back of the room. • Does not overreact to disruption of gang members attempting to challenge his authority in classroom.
Domain II: CREATING A POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE CLASS ROOM ENVIRONMENT • The teacher is competent in planning a lesson to encourage self-directed thinking; • Teacher uses real world priorities of the high school student to build an algebra equation about how many girlfriends 3 boys had. • Concept of zero. Dig a hole. The hole represents a negative number. The sand removed from the hole is the positive. Fill the hole with the sand taken out. • Teacher drills with rhythmic, repetition of the phrase “a negative multiplied by a negative equals a positive. • positive learning environment: • When the gang members made grand entry to classroom, the teacher did not overreact.
Domain III:IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE, RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. • The teacher understands and applies principles and strategies for communication effectively in varied teaching and learning contexts: • Teacher reminds students they are descendants of the Mayans. • Tough guys fry chicken. • The teacher monitors student performance and achievement; • Ten minute quiz daily. • Turn in homework. Comply.
Domain IV: FULFILLING PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. • The teacher understands the importance of family involvement in children’s education and knows how to interact and communicate effectively with families: • Teacher visits the restaurant owned by one of his student’s family because she left school to work in the family business. Her father believed she did not need further education. Teacher told the father his daughter deserved to make her own decisions and could graduate and was a top student who could graduate from college and return to run the restaurant. Though the father was offended, he let his daughter return to school.
Domain IV: FULFILLING PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. • The teacher understands the importance of family involvement in children’s education and knows how to interact and communicate effectively with families: • Teacher is sensitive to one of his more troubled student’s situations which drives the student’s erratic behavior and unpredictable attendance but after exhausting all the teacher’s patience and good will, the student is denied entrance to class. During Christmas break the student appears at the teacher’s home with his grandmother to plea for reentry to the class. It works. Student subsequently scores 5 of 5 on AP Calculus test
Domain IV: FULFILLING PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. • The teacher understands the importance of family involvement in children’s education and knows how to interact and communicate effectively with families: • Teacher has parents sign contract that their student would be available for the extra study sessions at the beginning and the end of every school day, weekends and during holiday breaks to learn Calculus in preparation for the AP Calculus test.
Domain IV: FULFILLING PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • The teacher enhances professional knowledge and skills by effectively interacting with other members of the educational community and participating in various types of professional activities: • Teacher runs a night class for adult learners of English. • Teacher offers the Physical Education teacher who is being utilized to teach a math class any help he needs to improve his math teaching skills and math knowledge. • Teacher visits junior high schools to better prepare students for high school math.
Domain Specifics Not Addressed in Film • Domain III: • There was no technology available in this school. The teacher’s assignment was to be a computer instructor at the school. • BUT • There was no budget to buy computers. Teacher was assigned to the math department to teach Math 1A Basic Math (a level of math to prepare to pump gas or fry chicken).
Main Focus was Domain IV in this Film • The dominant domain in this film was Domain IV. • Teacher visits the restaurant owned by one of his student’s family. The student was a top student, could go to college, realize her potential. • Teacher runs a night class for adult learners of English. • Teacher offers the Physical Education teacher who is being utilized to teach a math class any help he needs to improve his math teaching skills and math knowledge. • Teacher visits junior high schools to plant he seeds to better prepare feeder school students for high school math. • Teacher has parents sign contract that their student would be available for the extra study sessions at the beginning and the end of every school day, weekends and during holiday breaks to learn Calculus in preparation for the AP Calculus test. • Teacher is sensitive to one of his more troubled student’s situations which drives the student’s erratic behavior and unpredictable attendance but after exhausting all the teacher’s patience and good will, the student is denied entrance to class. During Christmas break the student appears at the teacher’s home with his grandmother to plea for reentry to the class. It works. Student subsequently scores 5 of 5 on AP Calculus test
Master Teacher Teaching Qualities • Positive learning atmosphere • Be an inspiration to students • Respects students and their families. • Motivate the students. • Always willing to learn. • Models educational resilience • Has students work together to stop negative influences and achieve educational success. • Insists on excellence. • Models how to avoid bias,. • Responds to bullying. • Be who you teach your students to be.
