Category: Uncategorized

During the course of the semester in our Educational Psychology class, we have talked about many things that I found very interesting and useful to know. I would have to say that the most interesting thing that I have learned is how useful technology can be in the classroom. If the technology is used the right way, and can fit with the unit at hand, it can be a very useful tool for inviting student collaboration, incorporating games to keep student interest, all the while preparing students for a technology based future.

Collaboration is a very important aspect in school. Student teamwork is very important as learning how to be a part of a team is a skill set they will most likely be a skill set that they will need to know to be successful in their career. Group projects push children to cooperate, improve their social and interpersonal skills, and help them to better understand the material at hand through discussion while being able to reciprocate the material with peers; which can build confidence. Students must communicate effectively, work together, and demonstrate self-discipline while working collaboratively with follow students. This, in turn, can increase their learning and make the most of their educational experience. As Megan Cicconi points out in her article “Vygotsky Meets Technology” in the Early Childhood Education Journal, she says “Collaboration is a powerful tool that aids in deliberate decisions and forms effective strategies. It is so powerful that Vygotsky’s theory of learning necessitates social activity”(pg 57)

Years ago, that whole last paragraph I just wrote would without a doubt seem like it were only referring to students meeting face to face to accomplish it all. But with today’s technology, we are able to connect student’s with computer programs and apps in a way that was once never thought possible. Students can group collaborate on projects while using programs like Google Docs; being able to add their idea’s and research to a group project from the comfort of their home.  The “Flipgrid” app uses video to create and post questions.  If students have the same teacher, but are in different classes, they can still contact each other while asking and answering questions with each other after class time is long over. With the Evernote app, students can create electronic notebooks and manage the information they learn in class, as well as keep track of sources they find online. Project work can be done, and students also have access to group work. The following video shows a newer(more expensive) piece of  technology for the classroom called a “Smart” screen which enables students to engage it with their smartphones and by physically touching it!

There are even classrooms collaborating and connecting with other classrooms on the other side of the world! As NMC/CoSN mentions in their” Horizon Report:2016 K-12″, “students and teachers in New Zealand and Singapore are using platforms such as WhatsApp to establish an online partnership to bring forth a greater understanding and perspective of the importance of each culture to one another”(pg 12). That is so cool! And it makes me wonder of where else our future with technology will bring us! The following video talks about how some different technology such as ipods are used at North Elementary, and also shows how 2 classes from different states get to see their pen pals through skyping them. It looks like they had a blast!

 

 

Technology is also used in the classroom to keep students engaged in the learning that is at hand, and a good way to accomplish this is to incorporate the material in a game using technology! In class we played the game “Kahoot!” a couple of different times after a lesson was taught. Thinking back, I remember being excited because it had fun music, and there was a competition aspect to it to see who could answer the questions right the quickest. And it made the actual lesson more effective because I knew I had to pay really close attention if I wanted to do good during the game. The short video following this paragraph shows a 9th grader who is intently watching to see if he answered a question right on the “Kahoot!” app. You can visibly see how engaged every student is, especially the boy who the camera focuses on. And that’s just it; that’s the kind of engagement technology in the classroom is capable of.

Technology in class also helps prepare students for the future. Nowadays, you can do just about everything online while on a computer, smartphone, or iPad; so it is very important that children learn how to use these devices eventually.  We live in a very connected world with today’s technology, and student’s may have to stay up to date with it in order to be successful. Many students that we will teach will eventually go to college, and here at Whitewater we use a lot of technology. I know from our Educational Psychology class we accomplished many things with online technology. D2L itself is in ways a backbone to keeping many classes organized. Another way we used technology to communicate our thoughts with each other all semester long was our blog posts, what you’re reading right now! Blogging can also potentially help future employers get to know someone better through their thoughts online, and could possibly give them an advantage in getting a job. We also used Google Docs in this class while collaborating with each other for the Module 6 online activity! All of these different ways of communication will eventually need to be learned by our students in the future to be successful in certain high school and college classes.

Not everything is completely fine and dandy with solely relying on technology in the classroom though. I believe that too much communication via technology and not enough face to face collaboration can eventually affect how students engage with others; while not having adequate social skills within a group. It can be less personal, so you can’t see a smile or here a laugh which can be part of the experience in a group. Also, there can be a problem when one person isn’t pulling their weight online for the group. In his article “Seven Problems on Online Group Learning”  Tim Roberts calls this problem “the Free Rider Effect”, and  goes on to explain, “The free-rider effect is probably the most commonly cited disadvantage of group work; that is, when one or more students in the group does little or no work, thereby contributing almost nothing to the well being of the group, and consequently decreasing the group’s ability to perform to their potential”(pg 261). We have all had one of these people in our groups in the past, and I think it’s even easier to not contribute online it someone doesn’t want to. Also, another problem that can arise, as we discussed in class, the digital divide that can occur with some students not being able to afford certain technology. This can be avoided if teachers take the time to have back-up plans if this is the case(which it most likely will be). A good example of this was when Professor Weber allowed us to do an extra credit opportunity with our smartphones using the “Goosechase” app but she also had a  backup plan for those who may not have a smartphone- and sure enough, some people didn’t.

Even though technology in the classroom will have certain flaws, for the most part it is becoming very useful in education, and is helping with student collaboration, student interest, and preparing students for their future with today’s society becoming so technology related. Thank you for reading!

 

Roberts, T. S., & McInnerney, J. M. (2007). Seven Problems of Online Group Learning (and Their Solutions). Educational Technology & Society, 10 (4), 257-268.

Adams Becker, S., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, C., Cummins, M., and Yuhnke, B. (2016). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Cicconi, M.(2013). Vygotsky Meets Technology: A Reinvention of Collaboration in the Early Childhood Mathematics Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(1), 57-65.

https://youtu.be/SK8InwlWkYg

https://youtu.be/BWLoPOx8K7c

https://youtu.be/UpTEg5lEKlI

There are many things that can make a teaching effective. Some of the ways could be good communication within the class and also while correcting papers and giving feedback, having good classroom structure where the flow of the class is smooth with transitions and the professor is well prepared with their material, assignments are straightforward and explained thoroughly for clarification, the instructor is enthusiastic about their material, the instructor creates a sense of mutual respect with the class and also creates a comfortable learning environment. On the first day of class I think my thoughts were more geared towards how the teacher is socially, or how they are when they are actually talking/teaching the class, opposed to the attributes like class structure and good assignment feedback. So I definitely think that my definition of effective teaching has changed.

I just mentioned how a class should have good structure- this video highlights some points on why it is so important to have good structure in a classroom- and the point that stuck out to me was routine. The speaker in the video mentioned how a good routine is comfortable. When I am involved in anything- a basketball practice, a day camp, my normal week at my house- a routine is comforting. You can mix around what happens within the routine to make it exciting, but the generalized structure can stay the same which can be really reassuring, and like I mentioned, comfortable. I believe that structure can make the day go much smoother for the students, and especially the teacher.

I believe that taking this class has helped us be prepared for standard 4-Teachers know how to teach, and standard 6- Teachers communicate well.  I believe that this class has prepared us to know how to teach for the fact that we learned that there is all different learning styles and some students will learn better when a lesson is geared more towards that learning style. I also believe that this class has taught me how to communicate well. It is more by a first-hand observation from how Professor Weber was very informative about what we did well with the material and then also with what we could have done a little better.  I believe this is important because it promotes better direction for the students to do their task better in the future.

I think that the most significant thing that I learned this semester was how to use the backward design method of teaching. The more I got into the assignment that we did with our lesson plan, the more I could totally see myself using this in the future because it removes all of the unneeded material that may be interesting and a fun, but wouldn’t pertain to the actual goal of the unit/lesson. It’s “starting with the end in mind” and that train of thought would really keep me organized in the future.

I believe that being able to keep my online identity going would be a great way to get future employers interested in me for a potential job. In general, I feel more comfortable with someone that I’ve chatted with and someone that has opened up to me a little or has allowed me pick their brain a little bit and see what their thought process is. I believe a blog post is exactly this, and allows future employers become comfortable with you and know you better. If they like what they read, essentially they like you as a person because they are reading your thoughts- which could be huge in getting that job. So first I will get a picture where I am well dressed and have that as a profile picture, and I will most likely post about things pertaining to my future job, which is physical education. That would be most likely what I post about anyways! And I think when you write something, you really need to know your material at hand before you post it, so I think this would allow me to learn more about my future career also.

 

I am going to be a physical education instructor, and I will have minors in adaptive PE and health. While we were going through module 5, I thought a lot about how it would pertain to me teaching PE in the future.

Since I will be able to teach Health class, I will be able to teach classes in the classroom and in the gymnasium for regular PE. We talked about establishing rules and expectations, and also a flow to the classroom- which is very important and should be established early on. Many parts of module 5 I can see pertaining to my Regular PE classes, along with my health classes too. Although many parts of my Physical Education classes will be instructed with teacher centered learning in order to explain an activity or game, I will incorporate many student learning activities also. Some of the ways I will do this will be by having an cooperative learning unit in my curriculum. These are activities that require students to work together to achieve an outcome that requires physical fitness but may also require strategy to complete the task. Sometimes students will need to all think together, and sometimes students will have to divide up jobs/tasks to complete the activity. The students will achieve positive interdependence, individual accountability, face to face interaction with peers, interpersonal and small group social skills, and group processing skills. Below I have a video that shows some examples of cooperative learning activities in which students need to work together to figure out good techniques to accomplish their goals.

https://youtu.be/hCJMEXfLdlM

Speaking of goals, I think a good technique that we went over is making the goals clear and well known to students. I may even give them shortened lesson plans as we do new units so they can keep on track and they will know what’s expected. And if they are successful in what we are trying to learn, they could be rewarded with a student choice day, choosing between 3 activities that have had good feedback. To assess how the students did, I could do a number of different assessments- A formative assessment  such as an exit slip, or asking a few questions pertaining to the lesson. I could also do a summative assessment which would be something like a written text at the end of a unit.

Keeping students motivated is also very important. As Anita Woolfolk explains,”Motivation is usually defined as an internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains behavior.”(pg 476) You can achieve this by doing student learning activities, including technology in your lesson, involving students in your planning for certain activities, encourage peer assistance/ help so they can help teach, giving in depth feedback so the students can see what exactly they did well and what they need to work on to better themselves, and keeping the class structured and well thought out to where there is many activities to keep the students interested- which in turn keeps their motivation levels up. I want to teach in a way that the students are intrigued and want to learn, and don’t want to just get a good grade.

Incorporating different design works and principles can add a much needed structural element to class that can not only help the students, but help the instructor to stay organized. Backward Design is great for this! First you identify your desired results, then determine acceptable evidence, and finally plan your learning experience and instruction. I personally like this backwards way of planning because it can keep you focused on your main goal instead of getting a bunch of material that may be good, but doesn’t pertain exactly to your original goals for the students. I will definitely use this a lot while teaching.

We had the opportunity to use the Backward Design on our lesson plans, and I really liked using it a lot. While learning a subject with Blooms Taxonomy, the  design requires students to master the material in stages to fully grasp it- Remember the material, understand it, apply it, analyze it, evaluate it, and then finally be able to create their own work from what they have learned. I believe that this was accomplished in my lesson plan.

My lesson was Healthy Relationships.

Stage 1- I established my desired goals for the students which were to Compare and contrast the characteristics of healthy relationships and be able to demonstrate communication skills that foster healthy relationships. The students will understand things like ways to handle difficult situations in relationships and which relationships are unhealthy. Along with answering some questions like “Who can I go to for help about a relationship?”

Stage 2- I would be able to see my students understanding of the material during my performance tasks. These included playing a game where the students must read off scenarios given on the board , and contemplating their own ways to best take care of the situation. The students also would write down characteristics of a healthy relationship in a small group, then talk about their input to the class. They would play “Kahoot!” and do a worksheet both having to do with healthy relationships.

Stage 3- I used a variety of different methods to teach in my learning plan. It consisted of using videos of real life situations pertaining to the main goals, a question box in which a student could anonymously get any appropriate question answered by the class, and role playing scenarios. I believe that these are all very different ways of learning the material and would satisfy a lot of the students who may be diverse in their learning styles.

As I have mentioned why I really liked using the Backward Design- It just really keeps me focused on the final objective at hand. I think that it kept me from straying off into different topics and unneeded material. I will be sure to use this framework in my future.

 

Woolfolk, A. (2014). Educational psychology: Active learning edition. (12th Ed.). Pearson.

https://youtu.be/hCJMEXfLdlM

Bloom’s Taxonomy

 

In the near future I will be a physical Education Instructor, so I will encounter many different types of individuals; Students with disabilities, some who have different cultural customs and have maybe moved from another country, and some unfortunately with bad home situations, ect. There will be many students with many different backgrounds. The key to preparing to be ready for these differences in my opinion first starts with being open and conscious of these differences. But in order to do so, we must be educated about them. So in my opinion, it is very important that we as students take everything we are learning seriously because it will help us be that much more prepared for future situations. I also believe it is very important for a teacher to acquire flexibility with lessons and how they go about instructing them.  So for example,  if a student is from another country, I think it would be really interesting to collaborate with that student and if at all possible, include a lesson which teaches the  other students about a certain custom from that individuals home country. Some examples could be bringing a certain snack and talking about food, teaching a native dance, or playing a native game. This would do a couple of things- It would make the new individual not as nervous and feel more at home while it would also most likely make the other students more interested in asking them questions about the new students customs, which could help break the ice for them.

Along with my Physical Education degree I will graduate with 2 minors in Health and Adaptive PE. A difference I am preparing for in some future students, which I am about to get more in depth about, is visual impairment/blindness. Visual impairment and blindness can be considered a handicap or a disability depending on the severity(blindness is a disability). As Anita Woolfolk explains the difference between the two- “A disability is just what the word implies- an inability to do something specific, such as pronounce words or walk. A handicap is a disadvantage in a particular situation, sometimes caused by a disability”(Page 130).  With that being said, it will be up to me to figure out the severity of the visual impairment and then go from there on how to incorporate different approaches with it.

Let’s say that I learned the severity of the handicap/disability. Next I will have to mentally prepare/plan for how I am able to make that students experience a lot like the other students. This may mean that I will have to do certain things like order a book in braille, choose games that can be adapted for them to participate like the other students, choose equipment with high contrasting colors, and explain things more clearly such as explaining everything I’m writing on the board in a very descriptive manner. All of these things are sure to make the student’s experience much more comfortable.  But while keeping all of that in mind, I will also have to cognizant of not allowing things to be too easy or too hard for that student, finding the ZPD would be key, as this could drastically affect their whole educational experience with me.

 

 

I really liked this video. This adaptive physical education teacher took her time to point out many different materials someone could use for instructing someone who has a visual impairment or is blind. She didn’t have to make the video but she took some of her own time to inform others like myself, and now you! I really liked how she took all of the senses that the students will use into account when explaining the equipment such as the size of the hockey blade, the vibration response of when the puck is hit, and the sound the makeshift puck makes while it slides across the floor- all of these things will really allow the student use their other senses to accomplish the task. In her other examples she also used strings with bells to tie onto balls or pins, balls with different textures, goals with electrical sounds, and equipment with high contrasting colors.

There will always be those who are different from ourselves, but in my opinion, in order to separate yourself from being a good teacher to a great teacher, it is about being ready for these differences and wanting to embrace them the best that we can.

 

References

Woolfolk, Anita. (2014). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 12th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education Inc.

https://youtu.be/PB9eCkh4Ryk

Being able to learn is one of the most important things in life if you think about it. We all need to be able to learn to be able to do anything new, and to function throughout life. Two of the most notorious approaches are the cognitive perspective and the behaviorist approach.

As mentioned by Woolfolk(2014) “According to Cognitive view, knowledge and strategies are learned, then changes in knowledge and strategies make behavior possible. According to the behavioral view, new behaviors themselves are learned”(pg.312)

The cognitive view has the information processing system that entails sensory memory, working memory, and long term memory. All of these systems work together at the same time. Our sensory memory takes in information, the working memory holds the information temporarily and is very limited- and works to get it to our long term memory, while also presently using the help of the long term memories previously stored data to help. Sometimes it may only make it to our short term memory, but the goal is to make it to the long-term memory so that we can draw from this information later in life.

This video was kind of long, but I think it did a great job of really illustrating a very wide range of topics of the Cognitive Processing Model with the time allotted. I really loved the drawings and explanations and I thought it was a great representation of that cognitive model.

The behavioral approach believes that people learn from doing actions. With reinforcement, these actions then become learned. There is positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when a stimulus is reinforced after a behavior. This then trains our brains to want to do that action again. Negative reinforcement is when an action stops or avoids something unpleasant, then that action is likely to occur again.

Both the Cognitive View and the Behavioral Approach are very important for teaching because they are the most proven ways to teach/learn something. I know I will apply these methods to my instruction, but the trick will be when to use what approach. But these approaches do have their limitations, and knowing those limitations can be the deciding factor of how one will teach. With Behaviorism, some psychologists believe that positive reinforcement will “cause students to lose interest in learning for it’s own sake”(Woolfolk, 302). Doing this could potentially make a student who is genuinely interested in a topic become uninterested at the end of the reward system.

As for the table to see who’s views of learning I would most likely emulate- I would have to say Piaget’s Constructivism. I really like how this view really challenges the student to contemplate the topic at hand to have a complete understanding of it. I think when someone has a complete understanding of something, it become’s much more useful for a much wider range of venues for the students future. And I like how much it make’s the student really work for the goal of achieving understanding, because I’ve always found this learning to be the most satisfying and self rewarding once learned. Since I have had great experiences with this type of teaching, I think it would be very smart to utilize when necessary.

 

References:

Woolfolk, Anita. (2014). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 12th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education Inc.

https://youtu.be/uxr29NWQxEA

There is a lot that goes into someone learning and constructing knowledge. There have been many theories as to how this is possible. One of these theories is Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development. Piaget believed that we all go through four stages; Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational- as he believed we go through all of these in the same order, but approximate ages. Then came along Lev Vygotsky, who elaborated on the Sociocultural Theory to which he believed lots of the learning we do is by children being taught from someone older and more knowledgeable. Zone of Proximal Development is the area of learning where it is just out of reach for the child to comprehend, but the can grasp it with instruction. Vygotsky believed that this is the area that is most successful for teaching and learning something. Erik Erikson had a psychosocial theory that describes how specific tasks are accomplished at different stages of life-which, according to Erickson, there are 8- and these topics result in being positive or negative.

All of these theories do have some limitations. With Piaget’s theory, it lacks consistency with the idea of conservation. It also underestimates children’s abilities- the problems that he gave to the younger children seemed a little tough and they probably could understand more than assumed. Vygotsky’s theory seems to exaggerate the role of culture with child’s learning- we are born with more cognitive space than Vygotsky predicted. He also seemed very vague on with his Zone of Proximal Development- there is no way to compare children’s ability’s with those of their age using this, and that is hard because no scale exists to measure this.

These theories can be a guide to help us to teach in the future. One example is scaffolding,which is derived from Vygotsky’s theory; We can be a foundation of learning for the children and help them through a problem while they are giving the actual answers and doing the thought process. Going hand in hand with that strategy is Vygotsky’s other theory of  “Zone of Proximal Development” which is the are of learning where the material is just out of grasp for the children to get, but close enough to where they will be able to understand it. This is an ideal teaching/learning target zone. If we could find the ZPD of the children and then use scaffolding to teach them the material, that would be a great combo. But even before all of that stuff- we need to  be able to find the ZPD- we have to be able to observe and record(or take a mental note) of what learning stages these children we are educating stand within these theories. All of these theories can intertwine together and we can keep all of them in the back of our minds to help with knowing where the children stand. We can also pass on this information to future educators or parents so that the learning is prosperous instead of stagnant.

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Biological Model of Human Development helps us understand the concept of our physical and social contexts and how we interact between the two. the different systems include the Microsystem – Most immediate system- home, school, afterschool programs. Mesosystem- the interaction between the different systems. Exosystem- Mass Media, child’s school, parent’s workplace. Then Macrosystem which is the broadest system- Cultural values, beliefs, customs, laws.

There are also different parenting styles that can have an effect on child development. Authoritative Parents-High warmth, high control. Authoritarian parents- Low warmth, high control. Permissive Parents-Low warmth, high control. And Rejecting/Neglecting parents- Low warmth, low control.

I will give an example of an authoritarian set of parents using a TV show example. A TV show I used to watch as a kid was Home Improvement-my dad couldn’t get enough of it! But Tim “the Toolman Taylor” and his wife Jill were authoritarian. They were loving but at the same time cared about their children enough to be involved in all phases-along with giving the children their space when they need it. They also showed the interaction of the family between Bronfenbrenner’s different systems. they showed how the family interacted(Mesosystem) at home, friends houses, and school(Microsystem), and many times at their dad Tim’s workplace(Exosystem)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information literacy is something that I think could be a very important aspect to being an educator. I think this is the case because for a lot of people in this world, when they pour their heart into something(especially something like teaching someone something) they want what they are doing to be done at a high level, and they want it to be done the right way. This is where things can get difficult because what is “the right way”? Well, that is constantly debated, I think with everything in life, but I believe that’s a good thing.

As stated in the “CEE Position Statement” provided as one of our class readings, they state, “The ultimate goal is to enable teachers, teacher educators, and institutions to make sound decisions about educational activities and experiences that will best serve students”. This sentence pretty much sums up what the goal should be in linking research and teaching. Will this be easy? Not always. It may take time and effort.

The reason this will take time and effort is because if you have a question about your something having to do with your teaching-lets say you question a philosophy in your own classroom, and want to try and figure out if you believe it is a valid philosophy, you will need to put in extra time and effort to finding a credible, trustworthy source, who’s experimental studies match the same question in which you are trying to decipher for classroom.  CEE adds, “It is important to note that the extent to which a study may be judged to be trust worthy depends not on the theoretical orientation of the study but the extent to which the methods are used are appropriate to the question asked and the extent to which the chosen methods are rigorously applied.”

If an educator takes it upon themselves to answer their own questions and put the time in to research valid information from other studies, they will have a greater confidence in their teaching method. If a teacher is able to have more confidence in their own teaching, then they can be more elaborate and colorful with that confidence, which in turn sparks interest with students, allowing them to learn better. In the end, that is our goal as educators, isn’t it?

The beauty of it all is that when educators take all of these concepts they have found to be reliable for their own philosophy, if their teaching methods were to be studied by someone else, they have now just become part of the same system that helped create their own.

I think that this video perfectly shows the importance of Information Literacy and shows it in a sense of looking at real scenarios. Since information literacy was not taken into account in these examples, the repercussions were serious and not good for the employee involved, and also their companies.

As for the post to parents from Mrs. Brandy Young, I personally like the idea, but I don’t think homework should be completely abolished. I would think that if she wanted to lessen the amount she could, but not to completely disregard it. I believe that, even though homework is not always fun, it can get students to be able to think and problem solve on their own. Also, it’s not always fun for the student, or easy to do, which can put stress on them, but it’s bettering them for the future.  In her article “Meanings for homework and Implication of Practice” Pamela Coutts mentions how students are more focused on the now and wanting to spend time doing things other than homework, where as their parents are focused on preparing them for their future, which homework does this by giving them tasks that are mentally challenging and require the students to be able to manage their time well.

I know one big problem without having homework assigned would lead to not as much reading. Unless Mrs. Brandy Young will set aside decent blocks of time for the students to read, I don’t see this happening as much as it should. Fischer & Frey’s article “Homework and the Gradual Release of Responsibility: Making “Responsibility” Possible“, they state, “Current neuroscience research suggests readers must develop fluency, or automaticity, with decoding, site words, word recognition, comprehension strategies, and the like so they can free up working memory for making meaning”(2008).   I know with myself, sometimes it is more difficult to concentrate on reading with a room full of students. I like to read in a quiet area by myself. This would definitely not be an easy task for someone with ADHD. Students need time by themselves to think in a different mindset, and homework allows this.

Sometimes I believe that its not the fact that homework is given out, it’s the instruction for the homework that lacks in direction or motivation. We need to try new ways to get students ready to accomplish their homework. IN Lewis Newby’s article, “can research provide a vehicle for learning science lessons?” students aged 13-18 did a new way of research homework  for multiple weeks and then  gradually incorporated the AFL(Assessment For Learning) technique, and it turned out to be very beneficial to student learning. Students evaluated their own work and were able to compare it to certain standards and were able to see how their work changed after the multiple weeks, in which in was very much improved

In Fischer and Frey’s article, “Homework and the Gradual Release of Responsibility”, they too talk a lot about how the problem with homework not being successful is because the teaching does not follow through with the homework in efficient way and/or the homework itself is not allowing the students to reflect in an appropriate fashion.

-I’m really sorry this was way passed the word amount!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone! I’m Luke Popovich, I am attending Whitewater with a major in Physical Education and I have a double minor in Health and Adaptive PE.  I am still really trying to figure out what age group I want to teach. I could see myself teaching elementary, middle school, or high school. There are pro’s and con’s to all, so I will have to figure that out.

I want to teach Physical Education because I believe that being able to be physically active(however a person chooses) is very healthy, physically and mentally. I have always been one to stay physically active so it’s nice because I will be getting to teach something that I love. I also love to help others when I can- so that’s two in one! I know some Physical Education teachers can tend to focus more on the athletes, but I already know that I will be spending a lot of time focusing on the students who are not as athletic. I want everyone to be able to feel free while being physically active. I am an athlete, but I have grown up in a household full of non-athletes who were interested in things other than sports. But as I have grown older, I have seen some of my family members take to a lifestyle that involves more physical activity- and when they have, they just seem happier. That drives me to want every student to feel that. I know not everyone will, but I want to try my best to have it happen.

I have had some pretty great teachers in my past that have inspired me in different ways. Many different characteristics pop out at me when thinking of my past teachers that I have enjoyed, but I have to say that having enthusiasm for the subject they are teaching is the best quality that I have seen.  My 8th grade English teacher was the most influential teacher I have ever had because she had lots of enthusiasm about the subjects she taught, and it really made me want to do all of the activities that she chose. She also never took herself too seriously which was nice, but she had control of the classroom because we knew exactly when she wanted us to pay attention. Enthusiasm is something that you can sense right away, and its contagious. Not everyone has the luxury of having this, but when a teacher does, it’s awesome! I hope I have great enthusiasm when teaching so my students can get the most of it.

This is actually pretty funny because I just watched the 2 video clip links after writing what I have up to this point, and the clips have to do with enthusiasm, exactly what I was talking about. Robin Williams in The Dead Poets Society was definitely a better teacher- he was full of life and he was enthusiastic about the subject he was teaching. You can tell the students were having fun, and were genuinely interested in what Williams was saying. They also seemed very inspired.  Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on the other hand was drier than camels forehead.  I think by just taking one look at any of those students faces, you can just feel the boredom oozing from them.

 

The video above has many aspects to it, but enthusiasm is definitely part of what is trying to be said here . I believe the term “magic” is used in place of enthusiasm and inspiration. I think that Chris in this video really makes some good points about how many teachers learn all about concepts and standards but don’t always learn how to be engaging to their students.  This is a skill that I don’t believe comes easy, but can be learned. This is something that I know I have to work on, but its most definitely a skill that I wish to gain- being able to deliver my enthusiasm for PE teaching in an inspiring way.

I am really excited to take what we learn from Educational Psychology and apply it to real life scenarios in the future. It seems like a class that will be very beneficial to any kind of teaching that we choose to do. All of the methods and philosophies that we will talk about will be great tools in the future. Some examples of these would be applying learner-centered methods and applying theories of learning to instructional strategies. there will also be many others we will learn about which will be very beneficial to student learning outcomes.

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