Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Journal 7: Write a response to this Ted Talk in the Comments section

http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx
Bronx educator Stephen Ritz

Use your notes from the film and  responsd to the film:

Requirement: Use one direct quote from the film somewhere in your response.

IDEAS to get your response started:

What struck you the most?

What is well done or effective in this pedagogy?

What might be a weakness of this pedagogy?

How might the students in Mott Haven or at schools like Hobart Elementary in L.A. benefit from this style of teaching?

Did you have hands-on learning in school?  How did it affect you?

What did you learn about food or food production in school?  Is this important?

Etc.  Just share your own ideas and best reflections on the TED talk! 




23 comments:

  1. The thing that struck me the most was that some of the kids in his video were the first to ever have a bank account or use an ATM. In our town we basically all have bank accounts and have money flow. The things he brought to our attention was effective. The way he put so much information into a small amount of time and made jokes made me want to join and help to be apart of their community. One of the weaknesses of the video is him talking entirely way to fast. I think this style of teaching benefits the students from mott haven i think because they can relate. I didn't have hands on learning in class. Everything was vague and boring. I the only thing we learned about food production in school was about obesity and our school tried to give us healthier choices in the lunch room. It is very important to have healthier choices so that obesity won't continuing to occur. I think he needed to slow down the way he talks. i didn't get much from the video but what he's doing with the bronx community and the students is great. i wish their were more people like him willing to help out.

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    1. I agree with you on his speaking way to fast. It was amazing on how they got to have a bank account and getting money for doing good and what they love. I think schools should have a little community garden in the playground or in even in middle school squeeze it into the learning program, because you can have so much fun doing it!

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    2. I agree with you, the fact that most children in their families were the first to use a back account or ATM was crazy to hear. Most kids in our community do not recognize the privledges that they have. The fact that they can have their own money, or even have an ATM account is awesome. My school did not do much with promotiong better eatting habits either. The only action that was taken place was when Michelle Obama made the schools have a healthier luch plan.

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    3. That's great I loved how he spoke fast because it made you listen better and you just got his energy by watching him. With the energy that he has that would be great in his school and it would help the kids learn and want to be there.

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    4. I also liked that about the film. The kids had such a great opportunity open up for them, because of Ritz and what he had started. They could have never been able to experience making money and putting it into a bank account with an atm card. His jokes kept people’s attention even though he was talking fast. I also learned about food production and growing while I was in school. I thought it was important to teach kids to make healthy choices.

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    5. He did talk way to fast but I think his energy is a reason the kids were so interested in his class. It's crazy how we take things like bank accounts for granted, yet this kids have never even had one.

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  2. The thing that stuck with me from this video was how the attendence went from 40% to 93%, thats really good and it is showing us that he is really getting the kids involved in what they are doing. He is keeping them off the streets and get them ready for what they want to do with their life. He also said that most of his kids are below the poverty line and they are homeless but now he has them going to college and some are opening a bank account and using ATM's and that is great it shows that he is getting them healthy and helping out with their lives.

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    1. the percentage of kids attendance is such a shock! and the fact that they're off the streets and in homes using bank accounts blows my mind!

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    2. I like everything you said. It also gives these kids a sense of accomplishment. A strong accomplishment at a young age can go a long way.

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  3. what struck me the most was that he is teaching his students about growing food, and not just teaching but getting involved with them also. He has done this very well because he has spread the green outside of the classroom bringing it to the community around them and helping others less fortunate, he also showed that there are people out there that are willing to help in anyway possible all they have to do is keeping working hard and look and someone will find them to help them spread the word. I did not come across any weak factors of his teachings, cause he is involved. The students in Mott Haven and in Hobart benefit because they have the teachers that are very active in their teachings, showing the kids new things and to help others and that there is more to life than cruel, there is love and caring people out there. I have hands on because I have my own vegetable/fruit garden and tend to it daily. I feel that i learned to grow my own because i was taught of the chemicals that we put in our bodies when we eat them, that and it is so much cheaper over time.

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    1. Yeah, Its cool how the whole idea errupted and everyone wanted to be a part of this program. People are willing to give money to a program that has great potential. It gets these kids involved and bring awareness to the community about eating healthy.

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    2. I also agree with you about Ted's style that when the teacher is active and making the lessons fun to learn then the students win out in that aspect so that they do not get bored and will learn the lesson better than the traditional method.

      I agree with you. I do think that growing your food can have its own reward and in the long run does end up saving a lot of money. That's great that you already have a foot hold in growing your own vegetable garden. I hope it continues to grown in size for you.

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  4. One of the things that initially struck me was the ultra high energy that Ted had. People tend to gravitate towards high energy motivated people. So he is able to grab these students attention right off the bat. Add on top of that, a hands on project were students can learn and you have a winner. I liked his choice of using gardens. The use of a gardens and growing plants, gives these kids results that they can see. It is nice to feel like your rewarded after you put a lot of effort into something and the growing progression of a garden is uplifting to these students.
    Ted used a statistic that his attendance went from 43% to 93%. You cannot argue the effectiveness of his program. I do not see any weaknesses in his pedagogy. If you can give people a reason to want to learn than you have completed your task.

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    1. he really did grab the students attention with his high energy and i believe that he motivated them because he had such high energy as well!

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    2. He did a great job by letting the students get involved more in the school and out. He let them do what they wanted to do as in ideas. The motivation would want me to go to that as school as well!

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    3. I agree with you Sam! I loved his personality and energy. He was talking about a serious manner but also had time to make jokes. Although he only talked or about 13 minutes it felt like he really got to say what he wanted to.

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    4. I completely agree with you! His teaching style does give his students hope, something to look forward to and show them that they can do anything.

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  5. What struck me the most was the amount of energy that Stephen put into a 15 minute presentation. I could imagine that he would probably put more into the classroom to really capture the kids attention.

    I did think that the fact that he admitted right away that he was not a farmer and did not know anything about planting and growing and thought that was well done the way that he admitted to it instead of hiding or omitting that fact from his presentation.

    A weakness, I would say may also be his strength at the same time was the fact that he was a fast talker. Because of the amount of energy that he puts out, there was nothing really wrong with it, but I could see how it could be distracting and hard to keep up with at times. He even said "I am the oldest sixth grader you will ever meet as I get up everyday with a large amount of enthusiasm."

    I would think that the students in Mott haven would benefit from knowing that they may live in the one of the more broken down neighborhoods in the South Bronx but there is always learning that can be done without leaving the home and to make something positive outcome happen instead of waiting for something to happen to you.

    I did have hands on learning in elementary school and high school. I feel that I learn better when I am actively doing the steps in order to understand the process better and makes it better for me in the long run as I remember it better vs sitting down and having the information told to me as I scramble to keep up in notes.

    The only thing that I can remember that I learned in school was the fact a lot of fast food places do not use real meat in some of the burgers. They use a composite mixture which is suppose to save money for the bigger chains. I thought it was interesting when I was told this because at the time I was big on McDonald's and it made me debate about the food I was eating and loving was even real food.

    I did think that the TED talk was packed with information in such a short window. I could see the pride in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he talked about the kids that he has worked with over the years and how he was unintentionally instrumental in getting their start in the work force.

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  6. This was a GREAT film! It really opened my eyes to the great things that are happening in the south bronx and how far their ideas are coming. With growing the plants the students are being able to learn a work ethic, if they have not been able to have a job before this. This movement also pushes the students to want to persue their goals or dreams and with their idea widening, it shows them that it is possible to achieve their goals. It was a heart warming film to see all of his students enjoying planting and to see them raising money in the process. To see a neighborhood that is known for bad influences, make such a good influnece on their city and also cities around them is an amazing moment.
    In my school we did do some hands on learning. It was mainly in elementry school, but in middle school we did go outside and plant flowers around the school. With the South bronx doing this it can cause a chain in positivity and maybe spark a passion in some of the kids to want to persue a job in this kind of work or as a chief , anything regarding plants or healthy living.

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    1. Very well put! the students are learning work ethic and how to work together as a team. The students are also setting an example for the community. I think schools just need to have a hands on approach about health and not just lectures because we all get sick of lectures its in one ear and out the other.

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    2. This is exactly what I think too, and it was such a good way to incorporate both work ethic and learning. They kids had fun and learned valuable life skills that they will be able to use and have an advantage over others. Also, it was amazing to see a neighborhood with such a bad reputation end up looking great and green due the students.

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  7. What was most interesting when watching this was that he used growing your own plants and food to give the kids a second chance. They may never have been able to see and do all of these things if it was not for Ritz. I loved the fact that he got the students involved in what they were doing, and not only involved but hand on in every activity. They were able to put aside there differences and grow something together. The only weakness I can see from having kids hands own growing things to learn life skills and do better at school is that other may disapprove.
    I think the students in Mott Haven or Hobart Elementary would benefit from this by getting them excited about learning and having them connect with things, places, and ideas outside of what they are used to.
    I only had a few teachers that used hands on teaching techniques, but it made learning easier and I was more likely to remember what I learned. I had one class that was required to take by all students about cooking and growing food. I think it very important that I had that class not only because it was a good skill but it taught you new ways of self-sustaining. In today’s world I think we get to dependent on going to the grocery store and buying food because it’s more convenient. We do not think about all of the chemicals and growth supplements that are put into our food and how it will affect us. Also, it gets us outside and doing something that is healthy and gets us to slow down.

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    1. I agree with you, while Ted did say that when he started this project, his main focus was to work on the something that would get the kids actively involved within the class. I know he did not intend or even dream of the possibilities that opened up for him and his students in doing a project like this. But it was good that the community took a lot of interest in what the kids were coming up with and reward them by giving them a job.

      I agree with you about the hands on learning is a good technique that I wish more teachers applied to make things easier for me. But I know the possibility is dependent on the individual teacher and how they were taught. But sill one can dream.

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