I have learned a lot from the first class meeting and am glad to be taking it this summer. Turns out, I actually have encountered a lot of this material before, but had received it in different ways; it's nice to see somewhat familiar concepts being framed from the viewpoint of applied educational psychology. I like the ideology of having a cohesive class existing as a community of learners. I believe that many classrooms are changing, becoming more interactive and thoughtful in their instructions versus the old-fashioned way of doing things. I still believe that the old ways of teaching still have value in them, but I do not believe they hold as much relevance today.
I was glad to hear about different ways to avoid going into the "bad" teacher zone. I think that professionalism and reflective practice are good ways to combat that. With professionalism, I think it just helps you remain objective and keep a good head on your shoulders. Not only are you expected to behave professionally as an educator (although quite a few teachers have broken that rule) it's also unfair to behave unprofessionally towards your students. They don't need to receive the brunt of your stress. As for reflective practice, I hope that I don't ever lose sight of that. This is probably one of my biggest fears as a prospective teacher. People have commented that I am open-minded. I don't want to encounter the day when I stop being open-minded. I am aware that reflective practice requires much intentionality, so I hope to continue exercising that muscle for the overall benefit of everyone involved in my teaching career.
A little tidbit on research: I love it, I think it's great. I don't always have enough time to catch up on the recent trends or findings in research, but I will need to in order to identify the best teaching practices. I am all for action research and would love to execute that in my own future teaching environment.
Touching on what we discussed about instructional strategies in class, I still resonate with Discovery and Inquiry the most, but I also recognize the necessity of all three working together. Personally, I am a thinker; I am good at and enjoy pondering things deeply and perhaps that ties into this approach well. Realistically though, I feel that I should include more interaction and collaboration in my teaching. I am good at facilitating class discussions, but also feel that I am a bit more weak when it comes to collaboration.
I was glad to hear about different ways to avoid going into the "bad" teacher zone. I think that professionalism and reflective practice are good ways to combat that. With professionalism, I think it just helps you remain objective and keep a good head on your shoulders. Not only are you expected to behave professionally as an educator (although quite a few teachers have broken that rule) it's also unfair to behave unprofessionally towards your students. They don't need to receive the brunt of your stress. As for reflective practice, I hope that I don't ever lose sight of that. This is probably one of my biggest fears as a prospective teacher. People have commented that I am open-minded. I don't want to encounter the day when I stop being open-minded. I am aware that reflective practice requires much intentionality, so I hope to continue exercising that muscle for the overall benefit of everyone involved in my teaching career.
A little tidbit on research: I love it, I think it's great. I don't always have enough time to catch up on the recent trends or findings in research, but I will need to in order to identify the best teaching practices. I am all for action research and would love to execute that in my own future teaching environment.
Touching on what we discussed about instructional strategies in class, I still resonate with Discovery and Inquiry the most, but I also recognize the necessity of all three working together. Personally, I am a thinker; I am good at and enjoy pondering things deeply and perhaps that ties into this approach well. Realistically though, I feel that I should include more interaction and collaboration in my teaching. I am good at facilitating class discussions, but also feel that I am a bit more weak when it comes to collaboration.
