First movie viewing session

It was interesting to see and compare the imovies that were created by other groups. There were a few imovies the other night that were hard to understand. I had an especially difficult time figuring out how the first imovie related to education. My confusion was cleared up when we had a mini discussion on their imovie, but overall I did not think their imovie did a spectacular job of explaining/proving their point. The second imovie was better, but was still a little confusing at first. I was also surprised as to what the "teacher" was wearing in the video. I am not trying to be too critical, but teachers dress professionally. They do not wear little tank tops that reveal a lot of skin. This imovie could have been really good if this group paid attention to small details, such as their attire. I thought the third imovie (KEDU NEWS) was the most successful imovie when it comes to accurately demonstrating what they were trying to get at. Their interpretation of Mountains Beyond Mountains was very easy to understand and intriguing. I really enjoyed this imovie.

I know my groups' imovie is not perfect and some people may question what we did in it a little, but I feel that we put a great amount of thought and effort into it. I also think we did a nice job of tying our book into our presentation.

Guest Speaker- Tuesday 2/3

This blog is long overdue, but never late than never I suppose. The guest speaker from Singapore began by saying "overseas education is one of the best kept secrets in the world." I think it is very important for educators to experience some sort of abroad teaching. I would love to teach abroad for a few years right out of college. In his presentation, he said that the key is to find the match of the things you are interested in and what the schools have to offer. This is very important because why travel to teach somewhere that you are not interested in going to and learning about submerging yourself in the culture. That is what this is experience is all about. I thought it was really interesting when he talked about the number of students expelled in the U.S. school he taught (19 in one year) in compared to the number of students expelled in the school in Singapore (1 in 15 years). Another thing I thought was interesting was the renewal of teacher contracts. If a teacher is not performing, their contract will not be renewed. The are not given an extra year to show that they can perform. I think this is a good thing because it keeps teachers on their toes and wanting to teach and do their jobs. This guest speaker was very helpful to me because I am interested in teaching abroad.

Brain Development Presentation

The presentation on brain development was very informational. It was interesting to learn the different developmental stages because I did not know that your brain developed for a while then stopped, then develops more later. I always thought our brains were continuously developing. This presentation also makes me never want to go near alcohol in my entire life. It was really scary seeing what alcohol can do to your brain development. I knew the effects of alcohol when you are pregnant, so that was not surprising. It was just astonishing what alcohol can do to your brain. I also thought it was very interesting to hear the facts about men and women reaching maturity. 30% of women mature by the age of 23 and 30% of men mature by the age of 30. This explains why people always say that women mature so much faster than men. I never thought that was actually true, so it was interesting to learn about. Overall, this presentation was a good experience.

Role Play

I thought the role playing activity was very interesting because scenarios and questions were brought up that I have been curious about. However, it would have been nice to role play for a half hour and then have discussion about points that were brought up. I had some questions, but it was hard to ask them because we were acting for the duration of the class. I thought Dr. Knick and Dr. Langholz did a great job of bringing up issues that we would most likely be dealing with in the school(s) that we teach at. Dr. Knick was intimidating at first because he disagreed with many people's thoughts on the group and topic they were representing. However, this was what made this role playing beneficial to participate in because it was real life like. This activity made us think about real issues that teachers deal with every day.

Chalk and Wire

I have seen many presentations given on Chalk and Wire so I feel pretty comfortable with using it. The only thing I feel a little uncomfortable with is writing rationales. I have already written about 6 or 7, so I am getting the hang of it. I think having online portfolios is very helpful because it keeps all of our artifacts organized and you don't have to worry about losing any of your work.

Culture and Education in Vietnam- guest speaker

I thought it was very interesting to hear learn about the culture and education in Vietnam. I thought the most intriguing part of the whole presentation was the part about taking an entrance exam to get into a university in Vietnam. I did not know that it was so competitive there. This strategy does not give many people an opportunity to become educated and strive for a better life. I am not a good test taker, especially when it comes to standardized tests, so I know it would be hard for me to score a 28-30 on that entrance exam. It just seems that people who are very intelligent, but poor test takers may be overlooked. I think to require an entrance exam is an appropriate requirement, but I do not think it is fair to require such high scores on the exam.

Chalk (last half)

I thought the best part about Chalk was the Spelling Hornet part. Although, something like that would probably never take place. I think it was a good way to show that the teacher's were trying to get to know their students on a more personal level. That is an important aspect of teaching because teachers need to make those connections with their students. Overall, I thought the movie was really funny, but at times it was very unrealistic. The conflict between the administrator and the gym teacher was not resolved in a professional way. Also, the way the teacher discussed the "Teacher of the Year" award with his students was very unprofessional. However, those little incidents are what make the movie very entertaining.

Chapter 8

During our group discussion, we looked at the question, “What is attention?” To pay attention in class means to stay focused and concentrate on the subject matter that is being taught. All teachers have a different way of teaching lessons. In general, elementary teachers use a lot of hands on activities, whereas high school teachers use more of a lecture-based approach. We discussed how it is easier to pay attention when different approaches are used throughout one lesson. We agreed that when we were young students, we were more likely to pay attention for a longer period of time because elementary teachers must use many different approaches when teaching a lesson because they are dealing with young children because their attention spans are much shorter. It is much harder to pay attention for long periods of time in higher-level classes because many teachers use the lecture-based approach. We agreed that in lecture-based classes we would pay attention for roughly the first ten minutes, then our minds would wander for most of the remaining time in class. High school teachers and even college professors could change this by using more hands-on activities in their classrooms. I think many teachers see hands-on activities as juvenile and the lecture-based approach as a more mature way of learning. Personally, I have had two teachers at Luther use the hands-on approach to teaching and I have retained more information from their classes than I have from the classes with professors who simply lecture.
Developmental changes also have an effect on attention. As we get older, the more we are able to pay attention for longer periods of time. Young children spend little time focused on any one object or event and like to move from one activity to the next. Santrock’s textbook talks about a study that was done on young children’s social skills and how their social skills are related to attention. This study suggested that, “young children who have difficulty regulating their attention are more likely than other children to experience peer rejection and engage in aggressive behavior” (267). We were not exactly sure as to why this was, but we though maybe it was because children are judgmental at that age. We all talked about experiences that we had in elementary and/or middle school that were related to kids being mean to other kids because they were “different” or “not normal.”
Our group also discussed the question, “What is memory?” We thought this went along with the topic of attention because in order to retain information, one must pay attention to the information being taught. If lessons are not taught in a way that will capture the attention of students, then they will most likely not remember much, if any, of what was taught. Capturing the attention of students is more easily done by using the hands-on approach to teaching.

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker on Monday night was very beneficial because it really opened my eyes to other opportunities that are possible through obtaining a teaching license. However, my dream is to be a teacher and change the lives of young children. As of right now, I am not very interested in doing anything other than teaching in an elementary school classroom. Our guest speaker only taught in the classroom for one year. I want to be the teacher who teaches in the classroom for my entire career, but also try to seek other positions on the side. I could not imagine only teaching for one year and then moving on to other things. But, what is right for one person may not be right for the other. I know that being a superintendent or a principal still allow you to change the lives of children, but I feel that it is different. I want to be able to connect with my students and build lasting relationships.

Panel reflection

The three teachers that were brought in to speak to us were helpful in certain aspects. It was interesting to hear about their first couple years in the classroom and how they had to deal with specific students in certain situations. However, I grew up in the Twin Cities and plan on teaching there when I graduate. I attended public schools for most of my school career, and found that from participating in Ed 115, schools in rural areas are much different than schools in the city. Schools in the cities are much more diverse, and there are more behavioral issues that must be dealt with. These teachers grew up in Decorah, went to Luther, and now teach in Decorah or surrounding areas. It was hard for me to compare what I think my first few years of teaching will be like compared to what theirs were like mainly because I know I will have a more diverse class. Most likely, these teachers did not grow up with much diversity in their schools, and probably do not have much diversity in their own classrooms now. Also, I went to a private high school that provided laptops for each student to use inside and outside of school. We used our computers to take notes, tests, make movies for school projects, and research, etc. Our school was very technologically advanced and I think technology is very important in young children's lives, especially in today's society. I think it would have been more helpful to hear one teacher from a rural area speak and one teacher from the city speak because then we could have compared the two. I know it is hard to get a teacher from the city to come to Decorah for an hour to speak to a class, but I think that would have been more beneficial than having three teachers who grew up in a rural area and now teach in a rural area speak.

Paper Clips movie response

After discussing, we agreed that Dewey’s theories would be most closely aligned with the paper clip project because he argues that children learn best by experience. This project allowed the students to learn through a meaningful experience. The professional teaching knowledge and skills that we identified in the movie are the constructivist approach and the direct-instruction approach. The constructivist approach was used because the teachers did not use lecturing as their main approach to teaching the topic. The teachers encouraged the students to explore their world, discover knowledge, reflect, and this critically. The direct-instruction approach was used because the teachers had high expectations for the students and their progress.
Our group agreed that this project was developmentally appropriate for middle school students because the teachers have the ability to choose which information they think is appropriate to teach to specific age groups. Not every detail must be revealed when the Holocaust is being taught, however, it is important that children learn about this tragic event in history.
This project proved to be very successful, however, we do believe that assessment is important. It is crucial that students learn through experience, but it is also important that they are able to retain the information that is being taught. Something like tests or projects would be a good way of making sure that the students are taking an in-depth look at the topic being taught. The method of research that would be most effective would be a group project where each student has their individual responsibility within the group.
There was not much technology used during the paper clip project. The students recorded every address by hand and filled up many binders with information they gained. One way technology could have been incorporated is by recording all the information on a computer. This helps the information to stay more organized, and also helps the students to become more comfortable with computers and technology.
The commitment and motivation of the teachers and the principal is very important for a project like this. If the teachers and the principal are not motivated, then this project never would have been as successful as it was. The teachers and the principal are looked up to and must demonstrate motivation in order for the students to want to work hard and be successful.