PhilWP Portfolio

In one of my graduate classes a few years ago, the professor had us learn more about the ethics behind biotechnology by analyzing the 2014 Ebola epidemic from different perspectives. We each had to play a particular role in the round-table discussion about how to best control this epidemic-- as a doctor in Sierra Leone, a burial boy, a family member whose mother was sick, as a member of Doctors without Borders, etc. Another teacher in the group decided to try this model out with her middle school students, found that it worked really well, and recommended that I also try it with my high school students. The most difficult part about this role-playing discussion is trying to get students to see a problem from a particular viewpoint that may not be the same as their own. They don’t fully understand what it means when I tell them to “take a stance” or “argue from your character’s perspective”. As an introduction to the round-table debate this year, I’m going to try this “Take a Stan

As a science teacher, race doesn’t come up often, and if it does, it’s often mentioned in passing as a comment to something or someone. Thus, it is something I usually talk about with students privately, just one-on-one, either in the hallway or during advisory. However, I can see the benefit of addressing questions and comments about race with a class of students. So I will keep in mind some of the notes I wrote down from Summer Institute on July 26th, during Ebony Thomas’ visit and subsequent discussion: (1) Don’t be afraid of open dialogue. If I’m uncomfortable leading the discussion, tell my students why I feel this way and then just keep going. (2) Frame shared experiences to help students be more empathetic. (3) Unpack the statements made by students by asking them further clarifying questions: “What do you mean by that?” “How do you know?”

When we start talking about human impact on the environment, I often show students the original Lorax video on Youtube and then ask them to write a response. The story and corresponding video are engaging, but I feel the boredom streaming out of their ears when I ask them to write about the main message and to make connections to what’s happening in our modern society. Perhaps one of the reasons why my students hate writing this response is that they don’t really know what to write about. I don’t give them an official time to brainstorm beforehand-- I just ask them to go right into to writing. This is why I really liked the character silhouette activity we did this summer. With this activity, students can work in groups (so multiple people can contribute to the writing or drawing) and really think about this character and how he/she fits into the overall narrative. This will in turn help them in writing a response to the story/video, as they will have had time to discuss with