Monday, May 7, 2007
How do I start thinking like a teacher?
The assignment we had to create our own school with a group as well as creating rubrics for good teaching skills and the tables assignment the first day of class, were the three assignments that jumped out at me when I read this question. I think that these assignments taught me the most about what it was like to think like a teachr instead of a student. The very first day of class I was already wondering; How will I arrange the tables in my class? Will I have tables or desks? Will it make a diference? What do I do if it helps some but hurts others? There was just so much going through my mind i was overwhelmed that a simple assignment could have such an impact. Then there was the creating our own school assignment. We were allowed to think outside the box for this one but I think you got to see some great things because you got to see the different ways people viewed it. Kurt, Tyler and I did the private Science and Math school, others did the alternative ed school, then there was the Sunny Dale school, and even though I missed the presentation there was a communist school apparently. then there was the rubrics we had to create from the brainstorming we did. That to me was great, obviously they weren't something to live by but it was good that we as a class were starting to think about traits we thought a good teacher should have.
Which theories and historical influences should most impact the school's we'd like to have
It isn't much of a historical influence since it's so new but I guess it kind of fits the theories aspect; expeditional learning. From everything I have learned about it in this class I would love to see it in action once and possbily integrate it into public schools if it really works as well as people say. From all the research I did on my educational shift and the Colubine shooting along with the Virgina Tech one I certainly believe that those two events should never be far from our minds and they should be there to remind us that it could happen at anytime anywhere. Court cases like the scopes monkey trial and Brown v. Board of education should remind us that things are constantly changing and we need to be read when it comes. Teachers need to be some of the most flexible people out there because our profession is constantly evolving, the more we learn as a society the more we have to pick what to teach and what not to, it's tough. My question would be how do pick and choose what to teach and what to skip over because the scope of what I could teach a class is so broad, how do I go about that?
How can I use knowledge of the learner to become a better teacher
This class has taught me so so much about this question. I have learned a lot from the Ruby Payne readings, the whole hidden class rules subject was new to me but was a great thing to read about because I had never thought about that before. I always knew about different learning styles but the very first day of class, the table assignment, I didn't realize what an impact that had upon learing until we started moving them around and trying things out. Then there was the educational shifts wikipages and all of the great things people did for that plus what I myself researched and came to realize. Again I don't have any real questions or concerns but this suggestion ties into my last one, perhaps you could do one wikispace with the entire class and do an educational shift with the entire class where everyone contributes something.
How can I be successful at UMF
I think that to be successful at UMF I need to involve myself in a lot more extracurricular activities. I might be shy at first but once I get to know people I really begin to break out of my shell. I took the first step of doing that earlier this semester by joining the rugby team and it has been one of the best experience for me the entire year. I am hoping to join the political science club next year as well. My main goal and what I think will help me the most during my time here is involving myself in as many things as possible and getting to know as many people as I can. I think thise course has done one of those things very well, meeting the people. I feel like I could carry on a conversation outside of class with at least 3/4 of the people in that class this year. This isn't really a concern or topic but more of a suggestion for the class, next year do a project with the entire class together instead of groups or individual things.
How do I become a teacher
Since I am posting this after the class is done I have the benefit of having already done the teacher certification assignment so at least I know what to expect when it comes time to do that. I think that becoming a teacher involves more then simply getting your certification and passing all your courses. Sure that means you can teach, but I don't necessarily think that means you're a teacher. I think I learned more about this in SED 125 then I did in this course. Hearing the panel of teachers speak and asking them questions was eye opening, especially when they spoke about teachers who were there simply trying to catch kids doing things wrong and should have gone into law enforcement instead. I guess my question would be how do I know when I've become a good teacher?
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Symposium Reaction
The Symposium presentation which I went to see were about Democracy and different aspects of it. What I liked about it was the variety of topics. To be honest I could only remember what 3 out of 4 of the people presented about. Kurt presented about Democracy and self-interest, another was about the Grange's and a third was about Democracy and morality.
The one which interested me the most was about Democracy and morality. It was mostly about how our religions dictate our morals and in turn our morals shape our government, therefore; by removing either our eligion or our morals our goverment will fall. I had never heard an arguement along those lines before and his train of thought was a little rough but his points were good and they made sense if you stopped to think about it.
The second presentation was quite interesting as well, it was about the Grange organizations. Before this presentation I had never heard of them but they seem to be a fascinating group of people even if they ave lost a lot of their original power over the years. They were a typical grassroots organization formed by farmers and awhile back they apparently had a lot of power but over the years they have lost it. I like the fact that they took the initiative to get things done for themselves since their government would not help them.
Finally Kurts presentation on Democracy and self-interest was also good. Everyone thinks of Democracy as being what is good for the whole, he argues that it functions because of self-interest. People's interest in their property and what they own and what they have a stake in is what they are willing to die for. This is how the government survives, people believing they have a stake in the land and that some part of it is theirs and they must defend it.
If I had to do a presentation during Symposium I think it would also be about Democracy as well. Since I want to be a history teacher and my concentration is in political science it is an area that really fascinates me. I would probably do something about the president's role in the government and how it is now compared to what the Framers originally intended it to be.
The one which interested me the most was about Democracy and morality. It was mostly about how our religions dictate our morals and in turn our morals shape our government, therefore; by removing either our eligion or our morals our goverment will fall. I had never heard an arguement along those lines before and his train of thought was a little rough but his points were good and they made sense if you stopped to think about it.
The second presentation was quite interesting as well, it was about the Grange organizations. Before this presentation I had never heard of them but they seem to be a fascinating group of people even if they ave lost a lot of their original power over the years. They were a typical grassroots organization formed by farmers and awhile back they apparently had a lot of power but over the years they have lost it. I like the fact that they took the initiative to get things done for themselves since their government would not help them.
Finally Kurts presentation on Democracy and self-interest was also good. Everyone thinks of Democracy as being what is good for the whole, he argues that it functions because of self-interest. People's interest in their property and what they own and what they have a stake in is what they are willing to die for. This is how the government survives, people believing they have a stake in the land and that some part of it is theirs and they must defend it.
If I had to do a presentation during Symposium I think it would also be about Democracy as well. Since I want to be a history teacher and my concentration is in political science it is an area that really fascinates me. I would probably do something about the president's role in the government and how it is now compared to what the Framers originally intended it to be.
Ruby Payne Reaction
Understanding & working with students & adults from poverty:
I never really dwelled upon this subject before but after reading this it does make a lot of sense to me. It does not provide a complete answer, in my opinion, as to why these children have trouble but it is a big part of it. The part that stood out the most to me was the end, about how relationships are key. Since almost everyone goes through the school system and is in contact with teachers, we have the best chance to make an impace on their lives.
Building learning structures inside the head:
I'm not sure I understood the majority of the information in this section, it seemed very technical, but I did get the gist of it, giving kids the tools to learn is better the ncramming their heads full of facts. I completely agree with this sentiment, we will not amke it anywhere if we have kids who are trying to cram facts and memorize concepts rather then we as teachers are not doing our jobs. In my opinion is isn't enough to simply know something, you need to know why it's important to know because if it isn't worth rememberig then whats the point?
Working with students from poverty: Discipline:
I liked this particular section a lot because I always wondered how I woas going to keep control of my own class and this section helped explain that a bit. The analogy of the rules of a video game to the rules of the school put in in perspective for me as well because I'm a huge video games fan and I could relate to that. I always knew that your tone of voice impacts a conversation and someones perception of what you're saying a lot, but labeling them parent, child, and adult voices made it easier for me to understand which tone would give which reaction.
Campuswide interventions that improve student achievement:
What jumped out at me in this section are the many ways in which there are to measure a students progress. I particularly liked the rubric because I thought it was easy tounderstand andwould be easy to use as well but still give good information about the student.A student could be placed on their performance anwhere from one side of the spectrum to the other and anwhere in between. Especially being a new teacher myself ,I think that these are valuable tools to help me improve not only my students performance but my own as well.
I never really dwelled upon this subject before but after reading this it does make a lot of sense to me. It does not provide a complete answer, in my opinion, as to why these children have trouble but it is a big part of it. The part that stood out the most to me was the end, about how relationships are key. Since almost everyone goes through the school system and is in contact with teachers, we have the best chance to make an impace on their lives.
Building learning structures inside the head:
I'm not sure I understood the majority of the information in this section, it seemed very technical, but I did get the gist of it, giving kids the tools to learn is better the ncramming their heads full of facts. I completely agree with this sentiment, we will not amke it anywhere if we have kids who are trying to cram facts and memorize concepts rather then we as teachers are not doing our jobs. In my opinion is isn't enough to simply know something, you need to know why it's important to know because if it isn't worth rememberig then whats the point?
Working with students from poverty: Discipline:
I liked this particular section a lot because I always wondered how I woas going to keep control of my own class and this section helped explain that a bit. The analogy of the rules of a video game to the rules of the school put in in perspective for me as well because I'm a huge video games fan and I could relate to that. I always knew that your tone of voice impacts a conversation and someones perception of what you're saying a lot, but labeling them parent, child, and adult voices made it easier for me to understand which tone would give which reaction.
Campuswide interventions that improve student achievement:
What jumped out at me in this section are the many ways in which there are to measure a students progress. I particularly liked the rubric because I thought it was easy tounderstand andwould be easy to use as well but still give good information about the student.A student could be placed on their performance anwhere from one side of the spectrum to the other and anwhere in between. Especially being a new teacher myself ,I think that these are valuable tools to help me improve not only my students performance but my own as well.
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