Big Idea

Modeling

While reading chapter 12 from the book Sparks of Genius, I instantly thought of the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Chapter 12 of the aforementioned book discusses modeling techniques used during military training. The first strategies of modeling dated back to King Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The Kings used miniature toy figurines to teach the soldiers outcomes of actions and different movements. The Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama afforded me the opportunity to duplicate King Louis soldier figurines. Through functional, theoretical and imaginary modeling, my son and I had an opportunity to reenact the first trip to the moon without leaving earth. The aforementioned model provided an opportunity for my son and I to make accessible lessons that would otherwise be difficult for him to comprehend.

Professional Insight

Real modeling can serve as a serious means of bridging the gap of academic disparity that exist between majority and minority students. For instance, The Office Cultural and Academic Transition sponsors a six week bridge program designed to provide future Michigan State University minority students with an opportunity to get acclimated to the university. The challenge however, is that the program does not is not a true modeling because the program is in homogenous environment. That is, the program consists of all minority students which is not a true reflection of what the learning environment looks like once the students arrive to the university.

As a professional, I can employ modeling as a part of my teaching philosophy. It is a means of becoming more intentional about placing my students in heterogeneous environments, i.e., study groups, social networking opportunities or minority student-to-majority student engagement. This is critical because a number of minority students reframe from taking advantage of academic opportunities outside of the culture because of fear. Modeling, that is, providing minority students with smaller, less threatening opportunities with majority students and professors could potentially provide minority student with greater insight.

Dimensional Thinking

I cannot claim to be a prolific writer but I my writing skills have improved. Several years ago I was able to transform my thinking with regards to how I visualized the writing process. I begin to see writing as an argument. I removed myself from the classroom and journeyed to my childhood neighborhood, where I frequently debated. Specifically, I reflected on an argument regarding Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. I was able to understand the concept of writing because I realized both required a thesis, supporting evidence and a solid conclusive statement.

Professional

As a professional, I can use the information I take from the interaction between minority students and majority students and multiply it. That is, explore the student-driven academic strategies that I find effective and use them to support a larger number of minority students.
In addition to my personal use, my hopes are that minority students may be able to integrate the information they ascertain from their personal experiences or my findings of the interaction between minority students and majority student to other aspects of their learning experience.