Reading thorough my old posts I have written during this term, I realized something interesting. When I read articles and had to write reflections on them, I found them quite interesting but did not really reinforce those thoughts in myself. I thought they all had great ideas, but I did not pay attention afterwards. As I worked on various assignments for the course, including the math art project, two micro teaching lessons, and the final unit plan, and as I experienced many different teaching philosophies and styles of other peer TC's, I gradually became more adaptable to accept and change. Like other courses that have emphasized diversity in the classroom, the EDCP 342 course has helped me to accept others' opinions and behaviours.
I liked how we had chances to experience different aspects of teaching almost every class. The class activity where we discussed how formation of desks affects students' learning was very inspiring. It allowed me to think about other possible formations that could maximize students' learning depending on which activities they are doing. Micro teaching assignments were a great opportunity to look at how others teach and realize how comfortable I can be in front of people. Number of presentations that we had throughout the course allowed me to become more comfortable and confident in front of people.
Overall, the EDCP 342 course has been a great experience for me that let me explore about myself. Thank you for such experience, Susan!
Thanks for this thoughtful response, Yeni! It is interesting to hear the contrast between learning from readings and learning from interactive experiences. The differences you experienced might also apply to your students' learning in math class: learning by being told or by reading something can be interesting, but less deeply meaningful than learning from active exploration, interactive experience and fuller engagement.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have learned a lot this first term from all your classes. Hope you have an excellent second term and long practicum!