Well, here it is. A few months ago, my BYU professor, Dr. Dawan Coombs, invited me to send in a proposal (along with a few other new teachers) to present at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference. The conference is in Boston in November 2013...and guess who will be going to the east coast this year?... Yup, ME!!!
I am still in awe that we were chosen to present. Here is a part of the email we received:
Dear Maichael Mayans:
Congratulations! As President-Elect and Program Chair, I am pleased to invite you to participate in the 2013 Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English to be held November 21-24 in Boston, Massachusetts. Your proposal was selected from more than 2,000 submitted for this year’s convention.
It's official. :)
It's also daunting..and nerve-wrecking...and an honor...and so many other emotions that I can't even name.
Now I need to apply to their diversity grant. The provide a few grants of up to $500 to first-time multicultural presenters. (Thanks Dad for that Cuban blood!). I'm also going to try and see if my district and/or school will help pay for some of the expenses. I have the flight, hotel, food, and frivolities to think about.
And if you want some more information on what exactly I will be presenting, here is our proposal write-up for you to enjoy:
And if you want some more information on what exactly I will be presenting, here is our proposal write-up for you to enjoy:
Description:
What can new teachers contribute to the teaching of
classical texts? This presentation highlights ways four new career teachers
have re-invented traditional approaches to texts that are classroom staples in
most schools. These teachers explore how pop culture, simulations, technology,
and real-life connections to controversy help students see why these texts matter
so much to us and why these texts should matter to them.
Kate Goodwin, a high school teacher in an urban
district in Virginia, will explore how applying Web 2.0 principles makes
studying Julius Caesar and Othello dynamic, interactive, and
accessible to students fluent in new technologies. By demonstrating strategies
used in her own classroom, such as remediation of the texts through social
media and interactive reenactments, Kate shows how ideas behind the latest
technology can guide and transform the way students read and interact with
classic texts.
Kristen Lofton, a second-year teacher at a growing
suburban high school in Georgia, will showcase strategies she used to make the
plot of Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A
Mockingbird relevant to students over 50 years after its first
publication. By making connections
between the modern world of her students and the world of this text, both the
plot and the themes of took on new life in her classroom.
Maichael Mayans, a first-year middle school teacher
in a rural district in Utah, will showcase how simulations and experiential
learning helped her bring The Outsiders
to life for another generation of tweens.
She will demonstrate and discuss how these hands-on experiences helped
her students consider what it means to be an "outsider" and an
"insider," as well as what happened when students pushed social norms
in their community.
Lea Rackley, a high school teacher at an
alternative school in Tennessee, exposes thematic connections between Romeo & Juliet and The Hunger Games that hooked her most
disengaged students. By teaching Romeo & Juliet alongside portions of
the Hunger Games film, as well as
through the use of theme-tracking charts, her class discuss the theme of
star-crossed lovers, made connections between these stories, and analyzed the
tools each medium used to communicate this theme.
The presentation will involve audience
participation and hands-on experience with the activities. Participants will
leave with specific lesson ideas and handouts to help them apply these ideas in
their own classrooms as well as new ways of thinking about the teaching of
classical texts.
