I think that the way we approached the issues in class the other day with the standing up assignment was very productive. In order to really get to know what people are coming from and what they have been through, we have to be willing to share. It is so important that we share our experiences and backgrounds in order for us to be aware of all the different situations that we have come from, and ultimately where our students will be coming from and what they will have to go through. I also think this activity would be good to use in an older classroom (perhaps with a few alterations) to help encourage and embrace the differences between students. It is a way to "celebrate ourselves" in a non intimidating (at least I didn't think so) manner. With the knowledge this activity provides, it is easier to relate to people and to communicate with them more effectively. It will also be helpful in teaching students as well, if you know their background, their thoughts, and their experiences. This will help you adapt your teaching style to their learning style to be most effective.

I agree with you Chelsey. I enjoyed the activity myself. I thought it was actually fun and was incorportated well into the lesson. I was very surpised to see how many students in the class had at least one parent that had a four year degree. Which I think was great. It was interesting to see who stood up for what. I think it would be something great to use in classrooms with older students like Chelsey said.

I've done activities such as this in classes before. Usually though you stand in a circle and step forward or backward rather than standing up. I did it in an elective I took in High School and it is always interesting to see where people stand. I was surprised about the ones where nobody stood up. I showed some differences that we have in the class beyond those that are visible. I also liked that there was no pressure not to stand if you didn't feel comfortable. I really enjoyed the activity in all.

I agree with all of you. As a teacher, it is extremely important to know where your students are coming from and this activity is great for that. Like Abby said, if you don't feel comfortable then you don't have to stand up, and that is what's great about this activity. It allows students to become comfortable with their classmates backgrounds without stress or embarassment and will definitely create a more successful and understanding learning environment.

It was a cool activity which works well in a college setting, but I do not know if high school students would feel comfortable enough to be honest in that situation. Also, I thought the questions about our families education was particular important. I know my parents reminded me a countless number of times that getting good grades and going to college is the most important thing for me, so what does a parent who didnt go to college say to their child? Another question I would have liked to ask is whos parents have masters, specialists, and doctorate degrees. I dont know if a lot of us would have still stood up but I could be wrong.

Having a sociology concentration, I found it interesting to see how the group interacted with this activity. I expected for people to be more timid in a class where not everyone really knows each other. I think it says something to the self confidence and pride in ones' self and family. I agree with Zach that not all students even at the high school level would feel comfortable coming out with some of the things that this activity asked. It would take a very comfortable and safe environment that fostered the students' individuality. I can't help but think of the movie Freedom Writers when I think of this activity. There's a point where they step up to the line when asked questions about their upbringing and neighborhood that revealed a lot to their teacher. A student's background definitely affects their interactions and this is a non-threatening way to show how similar and yet individual everyone can be within the classroom.

I think this activity was a good one and I agree with the positive points made by others. I think that a way to adapt this activity for the high school classroom would be to mix in less intensely personal questions, such as sports team preferences, or common experiences (like "Have you ever had the chicken pox?"), or add humorous questions to break the ice. Then you could slip in the questions that the teacher is interested in the responses to. This way the students feel more at ease and maybe don't feel as intimidated to share such personal information if they work up to the tougher questions.

I agree with Zachary about the fact that this activity may not go over so well with high school students. In high school everyone seems to want to blend in, and I could see a lot of students being highly uncomfortable with the questions that we "stood up for" in class. Also, socioeconomic status is a touchy issue for most kids that age, so that might create some tension as well. We wouldn't want to alienate any of the students. However, I really like Maria's suggestion that the teacher should start with light hearted questions to break the ice. I think that if I was going to do this with high school students I would use it as a type of "get to know you" activity and not go as in depth as we went in our class.