Brian's+Page

I have a wife and two daughters. My wife and I have been marriedf thirty years and live in Yorktown, VA. Both of our daughters are getting married this summer. Our youngest daughtere was married over the Memorial Day Weekend and our oldest daughter will be married over the Labor Day weekend. I am currently teaching as an adjunct professor of religion at Regent University and Bluefield College. I teach both online and on campus classes. I also serve as a church consultant in helping churches become organic in philosophy of ministry. I am currently writing a book on the seven signs of the Gospel of John which seeks to help churches understand missional thinking and ministry.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON YOUR PAGE (you may wish to add answers below to share with the rest of the class as well)

1. What is the most uncomfortable question you can ask and why? How does your religious worldview impact your view of the world. The question gets at the basic foundational beliefs of how we see ourselves, our world, and pursue truth and meaning. However, the question also has the potential of leading to a classroom war on religious views and beliefs. 2. Why is it important to meta-cognate? The practice of thinking about thinking is the deepest level of thinking itself. It forces us to get to the very "soul" of the thinking process. It is the highest form of reflective thinking and is the point at which we attach meaning to life. 3. To what extent is POV the essence of the social studies classroom? Every person lives out of and sees life from a particular point of view. The POV shapes the way that we interpret life and assess meaning. Most individuals are not aware that thier interpretation of life is filtered through a particular POV. We need to help students understand ther POV so they can understand the way they see life. 4. To what extent should the social studies classroom be the venue for a writing workshop? Writing forces us to put thinking into a form that is coherent and logical. Although the primary function of social studies is not necessarily to provide answers, it is a pursuit of truth. As such, this pursuit needs a form of articulation. 5. Is reading truly needed in today's society? Reading is necessary because it gives us the opportunity to engage ideas, events, and worlds. This engagement is essential to the pursuit of meaning.

Nuance: shades of meaning Cold historian: just the facts, no moral judgments Acceptable question is any question asked with honesty Techniques dealing with controversy: observe class expectations; get a second teacher; calm the situation When people are in harm's way Iceburg model: events (what, who); examples (where, when, how); reason (why) Point of View: bias, validity, motivation, social position, world historical context six traits: organization, ideas, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, presentation Socaca? supported, observable, clear, arguable, comprehensive, analytical one element at a time, write thesis statment

GG happening. ATL Braves playin N1. INMO r best team in NL East. My M8 is a QT but likes Chic Cubs. That’s NMP. Thinks their uniforms are KEWL. IMS but that’s not good NUFF. AFAIC that’s ridiculus. AYK she’s not n2 sports. Going to game TOM in DC. I’ll be OOTO. If need sales report SMEM. Really! WC? GL. GTG.

Describe the perfect teacher. Role etc. The perfect teacher is one who exhibits mastery of a content area and is committed to using every means possible in facilitating the journey of others as they begin to attach meaning to information. This teacher realizes the importance of relationships in this process. The quest is not just one of information dissemination but is also one of exploring and attaching meaning. A perfect teacher, although having master of content, is also one who is on a learning journey and leads the class as the "lead learner." In this sense, the teacher models the learning and growing process. Students are exposed to more than data and information. They are exposed to larger issues of meaning and significance. A perfect teacher is also one who practices and inspires life long learning among the students. In the classroom setting, this teacher helps facilitate a climate of community and corporateness in the learning journey. A teacher is innovative, creative, and helps people go to other worlds. Creates an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. The contract between teachers and students is a contract based on relationship. Teachers need to command respect rather than demand respect. This begins by respecting oneself. Teaching is a coaching activity. Perfect teacher does not get into power struggles with students. Prepares students to be successful in life.

Rebel teacher - teacher who goes against school culture. Sometimes have to do this. Is a very difficult position to be in. Know your school culture. Push the envelope if you are allowed. A rebel teacher is one that is leading a group of rebels (may be the administration, another teacher etc..) Rolling your eyes may be effective strategy. Translate the rules to the students and translate the stduents to the administration. What are you actually rebelling against?? We are an island, but that island is part of the world.

Tool Box concept. Know what tool you are. Be nice to subs - give them a video or something that does not make them interact with students. Subs do not have the advantage of being part of the team.

Need to know students well to properly tease them.

You want to do as little discipline as possible. Use positive peer enforcement. Discipline as a team. Send talkers to the hall, but not as punishment. Classroom is for academics and learning. Talkers are stealing others of an education. Kindergarten rules apply in all grades.

Never answer the question, "Why do I need to learn this?" - what students are saying is that they are bored Don't Say: Because I said so. (acting like authority figure) It is on the test. (just for extrinsic value) You need this in life. (not really)

Simulate the dark side. Play "I'm offended." Let the students do the teaching. Give authority and responsibility to the students. It's easy to blame an adult authority figure, it's hard to blame a peer.

Don't forget that you have teacher bias.

Set your own rules. Have the students go home and come up with their own rules. They are typically more rigorous on themselves. As a teacher, take out as much of the authority figure as possible.

Contract with Student: 1. command respect 2. respect others, self, property, other's opinions, learning process, content of subject 3. respect content above all 4. team effort - all in this together 5. shame and blame - disrespecting the content and team

1. [] a. Describe what took place in China in recent days. Deadly riots in Xinjiag b. What steps has China taken in the technology fields to curb violence? security clampdown; phone, twitter, Internet shut down c. How does the violence today compare to Tibetian violence in the past? violent protest; shutdown

2. []

A. What are the reasons that are fueling the desire to have non-muslims in government? globa economic crisis B. What is the muslim community doing to show that they are part of the Netherland community and calming any fears? C. What are the youth doing to help or hurt the political situation? The global economic crisis is fueling another surge in support for far-right candidates in some European countries. Parties running campaigns against immigrants and other ethnic groups made gains in recent European Parliamentary elections. In the Netherlands, the anti-Islamic, nationalist Freedom Party did better than expected.

3. [] In what ways has the media shaped Iranian American understanding of changes in Iran? Many Iranian Americans watched the 1979 revolution in the streets of Tehran. Now, they watch the violent crackdown from their living rooms in the U.S. Iranian Americans talk about what the changes in Iran mean for them.

4. []

5. []

Facilitator (vs Deciminator) and Networker

Global Nomad Group ([|www.gng.org/]) teleconferencing technology

What products are worthy of showcasing (showinig products to outside source)? Arts (video, painting, projects), drama, interviews, interpretive dance, bulletin boards, websites, reenactment, radio/tv broadcast, podcast, world w/o declaratiion of rights, wiki space, e magazine, play, writing, filming, poetry, rap music, poetry slam, simulation, waterboarding "activity", candid camera, jaywalking, essays

What does student get out of it? scholarships, tasks,skills, education, recognition, identification, self confidence

Day of Human Rights (December 10) 1. teacher knowledge 2. Theme: ideas for the future...state of human rights 3. each school has own focus / clusters 4. human right articles, comparisons, examples in which upheld and violated, question: how are rights a shifting baseline 5. individual projects (each school gets 10 minutes) right to rest and leisure - interviews with people from several various cultures

Things to Avoid in Video Conference: 1. lack of listnening 2. redundancy 3. embarassment

Video Conferencing Etiquette: 1. State name and where from 2. When finished say "Thank you" 3. Have a moderator 4. Monitor student q's (repition, appropriateness, beef up q.) 5. Don't use laptops (on camera) 6. Don't use brigh colors (tend to blend in background) 7. Do not comment on technical difficulties 8. Help students realize it takes a lot of work to do a video conference 9. Appropriate posture 10. Avoid antagonistic/personal attack q's

Essential Q's 6. Students are deprived of the process and journey of discovery in learning. Creates climate of arrogance and authoritarianism. The expert may not be open to learning from others. The expert cannot compete with the internet. 7. Every student has a different gift or skill set. Technology offers tools for the various skills, interests, and gifts to be maximized. Offers multiple resources for students to be engaged in the learning process. 8. Sources that do not contain content expert information/material. Sources that are not germane to learning in the content area or subject matter. Sources that are not recognized as credible sources - are not expert in content matter. These sources do not advance knowledge of the content and typically lead to misinformation or misinterpretation. 9. Students will perform for both peers and teacher if the team concept has been modeled and is a reality in the classroom. A negative public display may make a product appear to be not thought out, not well informed, disinteresting and boring, may show lack of respect for self and team, and ultimately may lead to embarrassement. The product will not be taken seriously.