Blog 7/8: Building Bridges

In the reading, Ayers uses the metaphor, building bridges, to describe how to get to common knowledge to a more complex knowledge of something. When starting this "bridge", you have your basic knowledge, and as the bridge continues to grow, or reach the other landing side, you began to create deeper meaning of the content and establishing new ideas. Both, the teacher and the student, are learning together on this journey across the bridge they build. The student learns by the teacher asking him or her questions to think more about the topic rather than the basic knowledge. The teacher learns because he or she is taking the students ideas and thoughts and creating new viewpoints that they probably didn't see before. The two patterns I saw in the reading was growing together by asking questions and forcing the students to think critically. Also the transition from childhood to adulthood.
  If giving the chance to teach my own lesson, I would teach a lesson on a controversial topic, for example, gun control. I would start the lesson by making each student write down on a piece of paper what all they know about it or have questions about. I would then let the class divide themselves into two sides, one side that is for gun control and the other that is against it. Then, we would have a class debate. I will use the comments and questions that the students wrote on the pieces of papers to spark up discussion and debate. I will make it mandatory that each students makes at lease two responses or comments during discussion that way I am sure everyone is involved. Also I will add in some questions of debate if we do not reach all the areas I want covered. There will be a bonus point for the team that can support each point given, which I will determine making sure to keep an unbiased viewpoint. Once I get through all the topics, I will make the students write a paper or do a project on their viewpoint of gun control, also making the student do research and further understanding of the controversy, building a bridge of learning on this topic.