Ch. 3 Discussion

Today, our group had a very good discussion on Ch. 3. It was very thought provoking and we touched on a lot of important issues. One main theme we focused on seemed to be the extra work you need to put in as a teacher. Teaching isn't only the science of providing kids a learning environment with the proper information for them to take in, there are many things we do in addition to that. One of those side things we must do in zoom in on each student and investigate the things that make them "tick". As a teacher, I feel that it should be expected that you know quite a bit of background information about your students. There is a science to a child's behavior, and if things aren't going quite well, it may be quite apparent it is due to something happening outside of school. We talked a lot about reading into the behaviors of a child and using that to identify what could be the underlying reason for that. For example, a bully at school may not be receiving any attention at home, or perhaps is being abused. If you better understand the ins and outs of your students at school, it may help you gear certain activities to better suit their needs. This doesn't just have to be with behaviors, but also maybe some kids perform better at math then reading, and you need to have a variety of things to let every student shine. At such a young age, it is most important for kids to build up their positive self-esteem and to prevent them from feeling in superior. Of course, it's impossible to let this never happen, but the best you can build them up, gears them for a brighter future of possibilities in their lives. We discussed in our group how teaching really doesn't have a defined job description, it always requires you to be on your feet, ready to dive in and try something new. And as future teachers, I feel this is something we should all be ready to take on!

Chalk and Wire

Erin's presentation about Chalk and Wire was very effective. Before her presentation, I had no idea what Chalk and Wire even was and now I feel much more educated on the ins and outs of the program. Chalk and Wire seems like such a good idea. I'm very excited to start using this program to build up my online portfolio. I feel it will serve as such a good resume in my future. I like the idea of organizing and storing all the activities and assignments I have done throughout college in the folders of competencies. This way I will feel like I have completed everything and know where it is at when I am finished! Jennifer's part of the presentation was also very helpful. It's nice to just be reminded again of important information and dates. It also helped me know what exactly I need to do to apply to the Education Department, and other important things such as that. I feel that the Education Department houses many staff members that are excited to see us excel in our careers as teachers from Luther! It is really great to have so many people rooting in our favor and I'm very excited for the future of my teaching career!

Better Grades in Less Time!

http://www.totalsuccess.com/

I chose to write my reflection to the campus presentation on the presentation of "Better Grades in Less Time!" by Gary Tuerack. This took place on Sept. 16, 2008 in the CFL. Gary started with a very interesting approach to this presentation. First off, he showed a slide show about the college life, which was quite comical. Then he chose a random person to win a prize. This prize was not told, but she was to jump as high as she could on the wall and put a mark on the paper. After she jumped her highest he put a ten dollar bill right above that line, and told her that if she hit it another time, she could keep it. Better yet, if she could hit above the ten, she could have a twenty! And of course, she did. She was motivated by the money, and even though she jumped her highest the first time, she was encouraged to jump way above that line. This simple illustration shows just how we can be with learning. When we have a specific goal in mind, it is much easier to see our improvements and totally accomplish that goal. Gary went on to talk about many things. His main focus was on reading faster, just as effectively. We did what he called a 4 minute reading test, where you tried to read faster each time, and it honestly increased your reading to almost two times better! It was incredible. There was much value to what Gary told us, but the main thing I took away from his lecture was his hints about how to get a 3.7-4.0. Those hints were these: Practice this 4 minutes reading test about 3 times a day, when reading your textbook ask yourself questions and write in the margins, review your notes within 5 hours of taking them for greater retention, make use of your wasted time, and get AT least 8 hours of sleep each night! Gary was very passionate about his program, and it was obvious that through his previous experiences this was something that really called out to him. I felt very inspired by his enthusiasm for the subject, and felt myself get fired up to do better in school just from his 2 hours of encouragement. It was a very useful program, I'm very glad I had the chance to attend.

"Lions for Lambs" Reflection

Lions for Lambs was a great movie. I thought it was very attention grabbing, but also had a great message. I feel like the main theme of the video was taking the extra time to reach out to students of potential. Like we discussed in class, it is far too often that the students who are doing best in school are ignored. In the movie, the boy who is starting to slack on his actual potential is targeted. I think this was a very neat thing to show in a movie, because I feel it reminds us that we need to catch students being good. As teachers, like Robert Redford states, we are salespeople. We need to sell the students to themselves and convince them of their underlying abilities. Also as teachers we need to ask ourselves, what are our motives to teaching? I feel once we have that established, it's much easier to teach students to reach their true potential. Good teaching is a variety of assets, but this one is one of the more important I feel.

Introduction

Hey! I'm Katie, and this will be the start of my Ed. Psych class blogging! I've very excited about this class and getting into more education classes for my major! I have wanted to be a teacher ever since the day I can remember, it's something I'm very passionate about. I love kids so much and can't wait to work with them for the rest of my life!!! More later...