Guest Speaker Mr. Fassold during SS350 9/6/22

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 During our class session, we were able to meet Fishers Middle School social studies and We the People director Mr. Fassold. Mr. Fassold enlightened us with his classroom strucutre, his rules- or lack thereof-, the concept of content manipulation, interview tips, classroom management, and qualities in a good student teacher. 

Class Structure

  • Mr. Fassold uses a grading system that consists of no Bs and Ds
    • students are expected to do the work you tell them to do
    • if students fail or don't do up to par on the assignment students in his class do lots of redo work
    • A+ = show piece work; thoughtful, insight is clear. thoughts communicated clearly
    • A = Excellend work; found the main points from the reading, communication is clear. 
    • A= great work; small problems found, but the keys are here
    • C= clear your worked, but you missed some key points
    • F= work is shallow and incomplete
    • Mr. Fassold is constantly asking "why" in terms of the questions students ask, and the amount of work students are putting into their assignments. 
  • His classroom is skill-based with a cultural literacy focus and he only has 1 rule.
  • only reward thinking and hard work!!
    • no discipline procedures that would send kids into the hallway or to the office, it is taking them away from the learning process. 
  • hook students with emotional bait. 
  • constantly reminding himself why/how he stays motivated and loving his job
    • he answers that by saying, "never lose focus on the kids, 
    • make kids think 
  • which students are working in the classroom?
  • what and who are asking questions?
    • hand raising, Mr. Fassold does not have students do.
      • believes that only certain kids who want to talk will raise their hands
      • he calls on students, makes it known to others who will be called on so they have time to prepare and think about their answers. 
  • innovate with proof (formative)
    • prove to yourself that it is worth doing (the activity, or content) and are students getting the point?
    • don't innovate with feelings, "basically I am unconcerned with 'fun', I am concerned about engagement". 
  • use of assessments 
    • show knowledge 
    • he does not cover all standards 
  • teacher desk?
    • Mr. Fassold does not have a teacher desk, he sits with the students each class period and rotates where he sits. 
    • more involved with students he believes instead of having a distinction between student seating and where the teacher is. 
    • "ease of communication"
  • opens up class with solving problems
  • start calling and emailing caretakers the first week of school
    • building connections
    • relay positives to caretakers that he is seeing in students 
Manipulate 
  • show knowledge by manipulating it to show that as students they truly understand it. 
  • think rethink manipulate
    • ex: religions, overlap where each has aspects that show up in another religion and manipulate that information back to the teacher. 
Interview Tips
  • do research on the school corporation beforehand
  • look at the extracurriculars they have and offer and see what you are interesting in supporting or being involved in. 
  • you MUST separate yourself from the PACK!!
    • find qualities in yourself that others do not have
  • emphasize something that you as a teacher would be able to offer the school corporation
  • be prepared to specifically address your views on instruction and assessment!!
Classroom Management
  • "Every student has a story. Fair is not always just"
  • greet students at the door every morning
  •  acknowledge students during passing period and interact with them
  • start class through engagement
  • get rid of your desk- sit and walk among the students 
    • personally, I am unsure how I feel about implementing this into my own classroom 
  • address the small things with a calm voice
  • engage before you take attendance, it can wait a few minutes
  • know your students names. This is so very important
    • not only knowing their names, but knowing how to pronounce them correctly
    • work to know your students
  • your voice should honor the good things you want to model for your students
  • laugh at your own mistakes, we aren't perfect and we can't expect our students to think we are. 
What are some ways a student teacher can make a good impression on school administration and department members to potentially get a job in that school system? 
  •     be visible; supervise, be with kids, arrive ear;y (30 minutes), leave no earlier than 15 minutes after 'the crowd'
  • be helpful
  • find the best teachers
  • create a binder of BEST practices that you have witnessed. Ask questions and collect copies. Be intentional 
  • show up to events. Beware forced virtue is false virtue. 
  • be a sponge. Write a reflection EACH day on what went well, what needs to be better, and make changed to forms/ PP/ notes. 
Mr. Fassold also has a blog, which I will be linking it here: 
https://mikefassold.com/2022/09/05/ball-state-university-social-studies-methods-class/


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