Reflection #4

This week me and Jenny went to observe a Junior High School technology class in Pleasant Grove.  Mr. Frey was so nice and and gave great advice.  He was a great example in that he had really good classroom management.  I was very impressed how the students came into the class and knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing even after Mr. Frey was gone the whole week due to an illness.  The students got out their projects and were sitting at their tables.  The teacher went to the front of the classroom and went over the objectives of that day's lesson.  He was really personable with the students as well and was continuously praising them and encouraging them that they could do better.  For example, the object of that day's lesson was to construct a bridge on a software program using a maximum of $230,000.  It was easier for some and they finished a lot earlier then every one else.  Instead of just signing them off, Mr. Frey gave them a new goal of getting under $210,000.  It was harder for others to get it under that amount of price, but they eventually got it because they played around with it.  Because of his high expectations, Mr. Frey didn't give away much on how to make a cheaper bridge.  Instead, he gave them some direction and praise, and he let them loose.  Sometimes that is the best way to learn.  The kids were on task the whole time and you could just tell they were having so much fun with it.  I learned so much that day.  Teaching became a reality to me and it hit me hard.  These are real life human beings and they are going to be put into my hands.  It is up to me how I am going to mold their minds and to make sure they are learning-- not just learning it, but also to be able to teach it back to a peer or to their parent.  

I also finished the Gong book and I have to agree with Geoff that it is life-changing.  I think the exponential growth section really hit me hard.  No more just doing the bare minimum to pass by through life.  If we do that then there is no meaning to our purpose here on earth.  We need to reach that point where we want to learn more and have that desire to be constantly improving our minds as well as our hearts.  I really liked the story when a daughter told her mother that she didn't think her church was true.  Instead of getting upset with her, the mother told her daughter to go out and explore other churches and when she finds the true church then they will both join it.  I like the quote that the daughter gave: "It was the first time I realized that it was up to me to seek out the truth in my life-- that my parents had been generous sharing their belief with me, but that they were willing to recognize my questions... that they wanted me to find out the answers to my questions."  Basically, it is up to us to find the truth and not depend on others to find it.  

I think the last couple of pages summed every thing up.  In order for us to reach exponential growth we need to have that desire and that drive, but we also need to put our whole heart into it.  This ties into the three-person model and love.  Giving love in the context of learning is the key to the multidimensional growth of the three-person model.  Stephen Covey talked about the amazing reality that when people in a system are working well together, the results are greater than the sum of the parts. The book defined love as the emotions, desires, and goals that contribute to growth and well-being.  Love grows as it passes from person to person and nobody has to be thrifty love.  There is no such thing as too much love.  Love is a universal things.  It can be a love for your child like how my mom always tells us kids that she grew another heart for each kid she had.  It can be a love for your students if you are a teacher.  It can be a love for someone that bothers  or annoys you.  If we develop that love then any thing can be accomplished.  When a teacher has valuable knowledge and abilities, and when learners own their learning role, and when they understand that the teacher cares for them more then himself, learners will flock to the teacher to receive his knowledge and skill

Reflection #3

I have learned so much this week concerning teaching and how it is a two way process.  It is not enough to just stand in front of the classroom and lecture or even present.  Instead, we need to interactive with the students-- ask them questions, make sure they are understanding the material, ask for feedback, have them teach it back to you or to a peer.  I learned from Gong's book, Learning and Teaching for Exponential Growth, that in order for someone to learn we need to be teachers as well.  The power of  the number 3 was greatly emphasized in the first chapter, starting with the penny game.  He talked a lot about the three-person model and how if someone does something 3 times then that is when you understand it the best. Any model without all three components will be incomplete, which are the attributes of roles, knowledge, and experience.  The experiences which need to happen are to capture (between student and teacher), expand (the student independently), teach (between the student and others), and finally to evaluate (a process that underlies the whole series).  Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced.

I loved when we talked about our exponential growth.  When we reach that point when all we want to do is gain more knowledge and be more like God, then that is when we reach exponential growth, instead of having linear growth and not progressing.  I liked the metaphor of a person growing by pushing outward on his own boundaries.  As the circumference of the circle grows, it increases exponentially.  I learned from this that I will and must reach that point in my life because that is when everything in our life comes together and it makes sense.  We came here to this earth to gain as much knowledge as we can and this is what I want to do.  I want to be passionate about what I teach and always be willing to learn new things. 

Reflection 2

This past week I have learned about different strategies and approaches to teaching through different philosophers through out the ages.  It was quite interesting to learn about all of the different philosophers and there contribution to the way we see the human mind.  I learned about the differences between behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism and I believe that they each build and rely off one another.  Behaviorism has to do with the reward system.  Cognitivism has to do with rational understanding and the logical approach.  Constructivism has to do with building upon prior knowledge.

From Wong's book I learned about the differences between rules and procedures.  A rule is a challenge for someone to break.  A procedure is just something that you should do.  We have to teach procedures by explaining them, then rehearsing them, and then reinforcing them.  I also learned that the ineffective teacher begins the first day of school trying  to teach a subject and rest of the school year chasing after them.  The effective teacher spends most of the first week teaching the student show to follow classroom procedures.  I think that it depends on what grade level you are teaching.  I think it is very important for elementary teachers to do this, however, for middle school and high schoolers may not be as important.

Reflection 1

I have learned so much in this class already.  I realized that teaching takes a whole lot more than just giving the children information.  You need to present the information in an engaging way.  I really like how the book describes the four stages of teaching.  The first stage is fantasy where the teacher thinks all they need to do is be a friend to the student and just have fun activities.  I know I will struggle with this stage wince I want the kids to like me and want the to have fun.  There should be a balance.  In this stage, they do not talk about standards, accountability, or student performance.  The second stage is survival where they only view teaching as only a job.  They whine about their work conditions and they give the students busy work and basically come in to baby sit.  As I read this, I realized that I had several teachers like this through out my school years.  I do not want to be one of those teachers who are not passionate about what they do.  If I learn one thing about this class it would be to have passion and to show that enthusiasm to my students.  The third stage is mastery where the teacher has learned to manage their class room.  They set high expectations and they reach to make a difference, but never fully arrives.  The fourth stage is impact where the teachers are effective and actually make a difference in the students' lives.  These are the teachers whose students come back years later and thank them for influencing their lives.  This is the stage we need to all aaim for.  It will take some time, but if we truly care about making a difference then we need to put in that effort and follow through.

The three characteristics of an effective teacher are:

1. need to have positive expectations for student success

2. are extremely good classroom managers

3. know how to design lessons for student mastery

The words please and thank you are vital for a well managed classroom and makes a huge difference in how the students' respond. 

Overall, I think I have a long way to go to becoming a good teacher and I am willing to do that no matter how discouraged I may get.