Refelction 8

I just finished my last observation this week and I have learned some good things.  During the class, I talked with the teacher about grading and he makes half of the students grade based on being on time, participating, and cleaning up.  I thought this was great for tech teaching because if the majority of their grade consists of these aspects, the will have to participate, and when you participate you learn and begin to enjoy learning. So it is a crafty way to help students get envolved in their learning.

Reflection 7

Teaching for knowledge is not what I want to teach for.  I wan t to teach for application and evaluation.  Teaching towards application of principles will help kids grasp the concept and the knowledge will be gained through their own evaluations and experiences with applying learning.  I need to stretch myself to plan lessons this way and innovate new ways to engage students to learn.

Wasatch High Observation

For my first high school observation I went to Wasatch High School in Heber City, UT.  It was a great experience to see the great video and broadcasting program that Jon Moss has established.  His pedagogy was very simple.  He tells each student to treat his class like a job.  He give out projects and assignments that need to be done, and expects the kids to help each other to get it done.  he had a fun atmosphere in his classroom which helped kids learn.  Even though I don't want to teach broadcasting, I learned the value of passion.  Mr. Moss is very passionate about his teaching and told us that in order to teach kids what you want you need passion, and a long term plan of where you want your curriculum and teaching to be.  It is inspiring to see someone start with just 2 cameras and a vcr, go to a class full of computers and high end broadcasting equipment.

Jr. High Experience

Last week we were able to wrap up our observations with the Jr. High Schools.  I had a great time learning from the kids as well as the teachers.  I was able to observe a variety of subjects and ways to teach them.  One thing i noticed is that teaching in the Jr. high's is like organized chaos.  Kids are younger, less mature, but still eager to learn.  from talking with the teachers about what they like and what they would like, it was easy to see that the passion was there for that age group.  I like the Jr. High's because there is a wide array of topics that can be taught to help kids figure out what they want to do in high school.  Helping kids find a passion for something at a young age would be very rewarding.

Teaching Observations

I was able to go and observe Jay Anderson at Vista Heights Jr. High today.  It was so much fun watching and learning how he teaching and how his classroom functions.  It really put some anxiety to rest that i have had about teaching.  I don't know why i had such anxiety, but actually seeing how others teach in a real situation, brought confidence and motivation to me.  I can truly appreciate the effort it takes to capture the attention of middle school kids.  they can't sit still for longer than a minute.  Jay did a very good job of relating to the students while keeping them in line.  once the kids got onto computers to use google sketch up, they were very active in their learning.  from what I gathered the students were taught briefly of some requirements for their project and had to figure out how to do it on their own.  I think that is one of the best ways to learn is by going in head first.  while some students may struggle, teachers can be there to help guide when needed.
I want to be able to get kids motivated to learn by being excited myself, and showing how what I am teaching can help them in their lives.  Teaching and learning with the students is most effective because it lets everyone grow together and when people grow together, exponential learning is achieved.

Learning How to Teach And Learn

From class and the readings I came across many helpful insights.  In class we played the game with 20 pennies in which there are 2 people playing and each person takes turns and can choose 1 or 2 pennies.  The person who takes the last penny wins. There is a formula to winning that correlates with learning.  The formula is break the pennies into groups of 3 and you can win every time if you keep it that way.  From this game I realized that when you know the formula to winning, nothing can stop you.  This is just like exponential learning.  learning exponentially is a goal i have for me and those who I teach.  To accomplish this everyone involved, both teacher and learner must learn from each other and teach each other.  If there is desire to learn, and desire to teach, learning flourishes.  To create this atmosphere a teacher must tap into the students to unlock this potential in them.  In Walter Gongs book he discovers this and implements it into his classroom.  He teaches towards students gaining experience in a topic by having the students teach each other and the professor.  When students can teach they learn, when a professor can learn from students, they will teach better, and both will grow and be edified together.  Its going to take some pondering and careful planning on my part if I want to do this with students

Reflection 2

            The Book, The First Days of School, has been pretty forthright in highlighting certain aspects of being a successful teacher. In part B and C most of what I gathered was about how important it is to dress and act for success. 

            In chapter 8 it mentions how dress affects the work, attitude, and discipline of the students.  Dressing in a professional manner helps you as a teacher in four areas.

1.     Respect

2.     Credibility

3.     Acceptance

4.     Authority

I can agree with this because I’ve noticed that when a teacher who dresses professionally has taught me, it’s easier to learn and trust what they are teaching.  I have seen this principle work in my life when I served a mission.  No one would trust some random 19-year-old dressed in street clothes to teach them about the gospel. That’s why missionaries dress the way they do and are can posses the 4 characteristics mentioned earlier.

            In chapter 8, it also briefly mentioned that teachers need to prepare students for the world and to think globally. I feel this can be done by constantly teaching students how technology affects them and the world around them. In TEE, technology is what we teach, and showing kids how that technology is used in other countries will expand their scope to from school, to the world.

            In the end of section B and most of section C, the book explains the importance of being and inviting individual and providing an inviting atmosphere.  Just as a person who looks sad and depressed is uninviting to approach, so is a teacher if they act similarly.  Always be happy, excited, polite, address kids by name, and much more.  Having this kind of attitude will help you manage your class because kids will respect you, and want to learn from you.

            Relating to attitude, in class earlier this week Geoff talked about morals and how we as teachers need to decide if we are just there to teach them a subject, or to help them become better morally as well as teach your curriculum.  I tend to agree with Geoff’s point of view here because if you can help someone become a better person and visa versa, there is a connection and bond that exists that will edify and uplift both student and teacher, just like it says in D&C  50:21-22.

            In class we also learned about 3 different methods of teaching: cognitivivism , behaviorism, and constructivism. These three learning and teaching styles will help reach all types of learners. And it will take some practice and some more observing from me to know best how to use these styles.