Structures of Power & Authority
In this mini-lesson (the lesson plan can be viewed HERE), I created a vocabulary lesson in which I highlighted two integral words relating to our understanding of the world: Power & Authority (as highlighted in the video which can be viewed HERE). The reason why I chose these two words in particular, is due to the fact that power and authority are the roots of problems that occur within our community and society as a whole, these two dynamics of rule cause certain policies or injustice to happen within our world, and if we are truly to make our world a better place, we must first understand how to approach these two type basic, yet profound types of rule.
This lesson, and the unit of “YOUth in Charge” as a whole is primarily entrenched in the notion of building upon our knowledge and understanding, while also applying this understanding to take action within our community in meaningful ways. I believe this lesson connects to P.C. 8.2, because I attempted to help students think about power structures within our world, and having them think critically about our vocabulary, as well as understanding when governments/leaders are acting through legitimate authority, or acting egregiously through power and corruption. Being able to recognize the difference these two quintessential concepts allows students to be able better point out when the government, or other people in general, are committing injustices against citizens. This is the core of being a civic citizen, and this application of vocabulary will allow students to be more aware of how they can approach making a beneficial difference within this world. Vocabulary goes beyond the dictionary definition, “power,” and, “authority,” significantly affect the world in which we live, because it is power structures that every single person experiences every day of their lives.
Through teaching this lesson, I learned both positive and negative aspects about my methods thus far. In terms of the positive, I find that I have a calm, and relaxing presence that may make students feel less anxious about being in a classroom. I really try to ensure that there is a positive community and culture that is fostered within my class, because I want every student to feel like they belong, because they do in fact, belong. Secondly, I find that I am able to consistently build off of ideas that students say on the spot, which allows me to connect their participation to central themes in the unit, as well as clarifying how their thoughts connect to both the academic world, and the world at large. In terms of methods/concepts I absolutely need to work on, I need to be more concise and clear about the directions and instructions for activities. I know I have a tendency to be long winded, which has the ability to lose people, and I am really trying to condense what I say to the bare essentials, that way, students can better understand concepts that can either be daunting, or tricky to learn. Additionally, I need to be better about connecting the vocabulary to ideas I was presenting in my slides. I failed to connect Power and Authority clearly enough to the idea of who determines how others are seen in our society. My original intent with the celebration vs. riot slide was that I wanted to highlight how the media and government often times is able to control the narrative of events in our lives, and how perspectives can be skewed in subjective/biased ways. This is an example of a gov’t/organization acting as a source of power and corruption, because they are acting against the interests of their citizens. I have no one else to blame but myself in this failure to connect, but I do feel that time was certainly an issue with being able to connect this central theme to the vocabulary.
Reflections & Moving Forward
I think that I was able to teach vocabulary in a very engaging and somewhat unique manner. I created my own strategy for vocabulary called a “vocabulary tree,” in which the root of the tree is the definition that students put in their own words, because that lays the foundation for the rest of the tree. Additionally, the trunk is the bloodline for the tree, it's what influences the branches and the leaves, so I thought it would make sense to have the trunk represent who/what influences their original definition. Finally, the leaves each represent one unique component of the tree as a whole, and in this particular case, I had each leaf represent an example of the vocabulary word, or how this concept is viewed in our society. Each component of the tree is dependent of the other two parts, there is interdependence, and being able to create these connections in a way that allows students to be imaginative, allows for a more engaging, and meaningful way of understanding vocabulary and being able to apply it into their daily lives.
My next step is to ensure that I am more brief and clear in my directions, and this comes with practice and rehearsal. I prefer to talk/instruct somewhat off the cuff, because it feels more natural to interact with students in that way, whereas if I create a script, I feel that if I deviate, I lose my place, and I lose a sense of natural flow. It is essential that I rehearse the key themes to the lesson, and prepare a couple of connecting questions that align with my standards, but anything else instructional wise I believe works better for me if I do not rehearse constantly.
