Lindsay Clark

Wisdom, Respect, and other Values

Today, I had the gratification of listening to Selina Everson, Linda Belarde, and David Katzeek. The journeys of their ancestors, children, and communities exposed many emotions and I am grateful to have listened to the people of Southeast Alaska. Just by listening and observing the interactions and communication between our guests, I could feel the power of respect and their passion of place…I hope to use their words and apply them to my teaching.

There was one experience that stuck to me the most as a means to understand students. Linda, a long time educator at an alternative high school, described a circle with the teacher (her) on one side and any particular student on the other side. A line was drawn down the middle of the circle as the divider of knowledge, background, and experience. She then proceeded to describe the interactions between her and the student as arrows that stopped at the half-way mark, but then continued on the side of the receiver. This struck me because it portrayed the amount of control a teacher will have on a student. As teacher, we can deliver advise and our words of wisdom as best we can, but in the end it is the student who receives it and can interpret it in his half of the circle. I hope to connect with my students in many ways while understanding their half of the circle.

It was inspirational to hear that our education has made an effort to integrate Native language, arts, and include specialists in the schools. This is part of our Alaska history and I believe Tlingit values should be incorporated into all classrooms. We still have a long way to go, but I hope to be active in my part as an educator inside and outside of the school.

Where I’m From: Juneau, Alaska by Lindsay Clark

Where I’m From-Lindsay Clark – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Haiku Deck is a technology that is new to me. Although similar to PowerPoint, it is a shortcut that accomplishes simplicity and relevancy. This assignment incorporated self-directed learning as well as website navigation, which is scary to me. However, finding my way through the class website and going at my own pace allowed me to re-watch lessons and collaborate with my table peers. I know that I am less competent in technological skills than others so it is possible that I would not keep up with the pace of the lesson if taught in a lecture setting.

There are many aspects of this lesson I enjoyed. First, we got a choice of doing a poem through Haiku Deck or a map of places through MyMaps on Google. Allowing me to pursue to my own interests catered to me as an artist and a poet. It was also be helpful to have a self-directed choice because students may have already had experience with one of the options and would be bored otherwise. Our teacher was available for individual questions or directed us to a place where our questions could be answered. This is a great way to provide differentiation in a lesson.

I would use flipped-learning as a way to utilize class time for engaging discussion and my own website as an avenue for class collaboration. One example of how I would use Haiku Deck or MyMaps in music is by making at-home lessons as a way of navigating through music history. Students could pick a composer or time period and teach their peers through an online visual aide. Students would be able to teach each other while giving their peers and teachers a window into their cultural background and/or interests.