When
it comes to what I have completed within this class, I feel like I did well on
the book talk, mini lesson, and the unit plan. I am not only referring to the
grades which I received, because those could have been better, but rather the
effort I put in along with how I felt I did on each assignment when it comes to
learning and how I can use it in the coming years. When it comes to the book assignment
I felt that reading a book and being able to talk through it to the class
helped set up what was to come with the mini lesson along with the three week
unit plan and this I thought was a great set up and helped the class move
assignment to assignment smoothly. Now after completing the mini lesson, I
should have studied the TPA format better and followed the format. I will say
for my first time overall I was extremely happy and believe this is one more
step closer to teaching and that is an eye opener along with excitement all
mixed together. The assignment was very exciting and challenged me as I had no
idea what I would teach for my lesson plan and it took me a long time to figure
out. I decided to attempt to be as creative as possible because I feel like one
of the qualities I would like most as a teacher is that of allowing my students
to be very creative as long as they can support what they feel. This mini
lesson showed me that everything is not based on teaching the lesson, but the
planning and TPA lesson plans as this shows your planning and overall look for
what is to come in each unit. If I could do it all over I would spend more time
on my lesson plan itself, but I feel like overall my unit was successful and
the class enjoyed it. Now about the three week unit plan, it was definitely a
new experience as there was much more work then I could have ever expected
within this unit. I really enjoyed being able to work with James and found it
to be very educational as James has had much more experience and provide to
have great knowledge throughout this assignment. This was a great experience
and is what I expect to be controlling my own class to be like. While this
assignment took hours upon hours to complete, I felt like this assignment has
been the most helpful towards my career choice and has made me excited and
ready to teach.
When
it comes to the theories and concepts within the course this quarter, I felt
like everything we learned in the beginning helped us throughout. I felt like
everything in the beginning of the quarter from the book “I Read it But I Don’t
Get it,” to “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” helped us as we entered all of the assignments
I have listed above. I remember that when reading about “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,”
that this related well to the Common Core State Standards as it comes to our
roles as teachers. I felt that these linked in the roles as the shift is
happening from strictly lecturing to that of guiding and introducing self
discovery. Throughout this quarter to me what I used most is how we discussed
about how students and teachers alike are both learning from one another. I
never would have thought about how much I could learn from students while also
teaching them. One of the best things I took from “Pedagogy…,” was that of
learning through discovery which speaks to both students and teachers alike
again. Once we are on our own as teachers I feel that self discovery of teaching
styles and how to better our teaching to students will rest on our shoulders
and I related well to this throughout this quarter. When it came to the
concepts throughout the quarter, I found myself identifying best with that of
differentiated instruction. I liked this topic so much because I have been in
several classrooms where this falls by the way side and if you can not learn in
that setting you get left behind. This is a concept that is required within
classrooms now and I feel will be a challenge throughout my career as a teacher
to improve upon and ensure that all students are able to learn the best way for
them. While these are only a couple of things we covered within this section of
class, these are the topics that I felt I related with best and also want to
instill within my classroom throughout my career.
When
it comes to my participation within the class, I feel that I participated
enough to bring up good points along with asking questions that my classmates
might have been thinking as well. I do feel like I did not over participate and
take away from other classmates, but I do feel like in certain situations I
could have talked more and possibly asked more questions. While I may have not
always asked questions or answered questions, I feel like by listening to my
classmates I took in a ton of information that is going to stay with me from
now on. As it comes to relating participation to my teaching, I feel like my
style as a student will transfer over to my teaching when it comes to being
laid back, always willing to learn more, and wanting the best for everyone in
the room. Even as a teacher I will know that while I may not always join right
in on conversations, but I will be learning none the less and always be willing
to take in more information.
