Session One Blog (MAiT 402-3)

1)      Outside-school experiences have helped tremendously in deepening my understanding of a lot of my subject area content knowledge. A great example of this is when I have taught World History, I have traveled to Europe twice and been fortunate enough to travel with friends that live in the countries that I have visited and been able to get a better understanding of the culture and history of those locations. When I visited Berlin, Germany and saw the history of WWII and the Cold War really brings to life the content knowledge and having the stories from the locals and pictures have really helped bring my content alive for the students. The ability to step beyond the textbooks and tell more personal stories I have found the students are more likely to be engaged and have the content stick.

2)      Based on the discussion on Ball’s “The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers” my initial opinion has not changed, but more so been re-enforced. Re-enforced in the prospectus that as a teacher it is our responsibility to be continuously bettering our own personally understanding of the content that we teach. I personally have found that my earlier educational experiences from secondary school and earlier all played a role in setting the foundations for me to be able to succeed in school and life, where it was not until college and post college (outside-school experiences) that my knowledge of the content has grown immensely. So, as Ball tries to prove that most of a “teachers’ subject matter learning occurs prior to college,” I wouldn’t full agree. There is a base of learning that sticks with you from prior to college, but I would say that the majority of the subject matter learning occurs in the years that you decide that you want to be a teacher and continues to the day you no longer care, because as long as you have a passion for your subject matter you’ll always continue to accrue new knowledge. To just point out a passage from the Ball reading, “their own intellectual qualities are critical. Teachers must care about knowing and about inquiry.” As educators it is our responsibility to constantly challenge our students and ourselves.

3)      The question that I am working on developing for my inquiry is based around World War II and the home front within the Bay Area. I want to look at the impact that World War II had on the Bay Area for the different groups of people that the Bay Area represents. Looking at the social inequality of African Americans as represented at Port Chicago, Japanese Americans with the Executive Order 9066 and the Internment camps, and women as seen with the shipyards of Richmond and all around the Bay Area. So, looking at the social impact of World War II on the Bay Area and to look for experimental learning sources I plan on going to Mare Island, Vallejo to check out the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum; Richmond to go to the Rosie the Riveter Memorial; International Museum of Women in San Francisco; and the Japanese American Resource Center Museum in San Jose. I believe that this will give me a good starting point to gather the information needed to tell the story of what it was like to live in the Bay Area during World War II and what sacrifices people had to make in the response to a global war. My inquiry may also lead me to Alameda to research Neptune the boardwalk that had to close during World War II to see what impact the War had on children too.

4)      Some quotes of WWII

“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.” - General Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.” - General George S. Patton, Jr.
“I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, upon learning of the success of the attack on Pearl Harbor


Commented on the blogs of: Andrew Eckloff, Juliana Wegher, & Tom Coughlan.