A section of chapter ten that caught my eye was when the chapter suggested the teachers steer students toward summer and enrichment programs. The chapter discussed how summer enrichment programs can be a great resource to further educate students as well as stimulate their interests.
This section of the chapter caught my eye because I have done many summer programs that have allowed me to explore many of my interests. My favorite enrichment program was a course computer programming which I did in middle school. I remember for a project we made our own digital pet that we programed to do many things. I regret not exploring computer programming further because of how much I enjoyed it that summer.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Chapter 9 When Things Go Wrong
A section of chapter nine that jumped out at me was when the chapter discussed how teachers should never give up on their classes. The chapter gave an example of a teacher in a wheel chair which students targeted with relentlessly bad treatment. However, instead of giving up on the class, the teacher changed some students classes and eventually won over teaching his remaining students. This teacher did not give up when it could have been very easy to do so.
The section of chapter nine jumped out at me because it reminded me of my seventh grade math teacher who did give up on my class. For some reason the students in my seventh grade math class and my teacher did not get along. Eventually the classes outburst made the teacher resort to harsh punishments and very basic teaching styles. Eventually the teacher just gave up on our class and continued to handout busy work for the rest of the semester. This was insulting to me because I had never had a teacher do that to me before.
The section of chapter nine jumped out at me because it reminded me of my seventh grade math teacher who did give up on my class. For some reason the students in my seventh grade math class and my teacher did not get along. Eventually the classes outburst made the teacher resort to harsh punishments and very basic teaching styles. Eventually the teacher just gave up on our class and continued to handout busy work for the rest of the semester. This was insulting to me because I had never had a teacher do that to me before.
Chapter 8 Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English
A section of chapter eight that caught my eye was the part where a student was defending himself speaking Spanish with other students who could also speak Spanish. The student claimed that if they did not understand what was being said in English they would converse with other students who could speak Spanish to help understand what was being said.
This section of the chapter caught my eye because I disagree with it somewhat. I feel that students learning English should try and distance themselves from other students who can speak their native language because this separation will help them learn English faster. While this is frustrating to students in the beginning, they will eventually gain functional use of the English language enough so future learning will come much easier. I feel this way from observing two German exchange students within my high school. They had all the same classes together and could always be seen whispering in German between each another. By the end of their stay in Maine they had made little progress in developing their English skills because they had rarely spoken English in normal contestation.
This section of the chapter caught my eye because I disagree with it somewhat. I feel that students learning English should try and distance themselves from other students who can speak their native language because this separation will help them learn English faster. While this is frustrating to students in the beginning, they will eventually gain functional use of the English language enough so future learning will come much easier. I feel this way from observing two German exchange students within my high school. They had all the same classes together and could always be seen whispering in German between each another. By the end of their stay in Maine they had made little progress in developing their English skills because they had rarely spoken English in normal contestation.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Chapter 7 Teaching Difficult Academic Material
A section of chapter seven that jumped out at me was when the chapter mentioned how teaching out of the textbook can successfully be done. The chapter suggests that when a teacher assigns a reading it should have a point to it and it should involve what is being taught in the classroom.
The section of chapter five that discussed textbooks jumped out at me because it reminded me of a history teacher I had who did a very good job of including the textbook within the class. About half of his classes consisted of a short reading assignment involving what was being discussed in class. While the reading was usually met with a mixed response, he asked us to do it because the textbook had a very different interpretation then what we learned in class. Using these multiple interpretations the class got a much bigger perspective on what they learned.
The section of chapter five that discussed textbooks jumped out at me because it reminded me of a history teacher I had who did a very good job of including the textbook within the class. About half of his classes consisted of a short reading assignment involving what was being discussed in class. While the reading was usually met with a mixed response, he asked us to do it because the textbook had a very different interpretation then what we learned in class. Using these multiple interpretations the class got a much bigger perspective on what they learned.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Chapter 6 Motivation and Boredom
A section of chapter six that caught my eye was the part where a student named Diana was discussing about how it was difficult for her to accomplish her homework at home. However, if she stays after school she can get her homework done with little issue. Diana suggests that it is difficult for many students to be motivated to do their homework in their home environment.
This portion caught my eye because what Diana says is very true amongst middle/high school students. It is difficult to expect students after a long day of learning to do more schoolwork because of how distracting their home environment can be. Homes are full of distractions like televison, video games and the internet which make getting work done very different. Even when a student is doing work on a computer they are frequently being distracted by instant massages from their friends. A good example of this is that in the time it took me to write this short response I had a conversation with four people over instant messenger.
This portion caught my eye because what Diana says is very true amongst middle/high school students. It is difficult to expect students after a long day of learning to do more schoolwork because of how distracting their home environment can be. Homes are full of distractions like televison, video games and the internet which make getting work done very different. Even when a student is doing work on a computer they are frequently being distracted by instant massages from their friends. A good example of this is that in the time it took me to write this short response I had a conversation with four people over instant messenger.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Chapter 5 Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group
A section of chapter five that jumped out at me was when the chapter mentioned about participation being a part of a group assignment. The chapter suggested that within groups there be roles assigned to different group members that effect the grade of an individual.
The participation portion of chapter five jumped out at me because it reminded me of many group assignments I have done throughout my education career. I feel that participation grades are very important in group assignments because of students who don’t do any of the work. Within highschool one student slacking off was expected in just about every group assignment. This caused me to do more then my share of work for my “group” assignments. Grading participation makes a lot of sense because it allows diligent and prepared students to get a grade for the work they did.
The participation portion of chapter five jumped out at me because it reminded me of many group assignments I have done throughout my education career. I feel that participation grades are very important in group assignments because of students who don’t do any of the work. Within highschool one student slacking off was expected in just about every group assignment. This caused me to do more then my share of work for my “group” assignments. Grading participation makes a lot of sense because it allows diligent and prepared students to get a grade for the work they did.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Chapter 4 Creating a Culture of Success
A section of chapter four that caught my eye was when a student named Andres was discussing how he had made fun of students who did well at school. Andres obviously felt bad for their decision to make fun of a student for academic achievement, which he admits was due to anger.
This section of chapter five jumped out at me because it reminded me of myself within school. However, unlike Andres, I was the one being made fun of for my academic achievement. Unfair pressure because of my academics would come from many of my friends but mostly from members on my football team. I was one of forty football players to consistently make honor roll throughout highschool. That fact alone would have probably caused them to leave me alone, however, for most of the football teammates their bad grades were affecting if they would be able to play in games or not. The team would rarely decide to press this issue on me within school because my other more academically inclined friends would usually back me up and destroy their argument with simple logic. However, on the practice field they were generally relentless with the insults about being smart. Even my coach would get in on it if I made an incorrect block. I realize now they were all just being ignorant and I did the correct thing in not slacking off and continuing my education.
This section of chapter five jumped out at me because it reminded me of myself within school. However, unlike Andres, I was the one being made fun of for my academic achievement. Unfair pressure because of my academics would come from many of my friends but mostly from members on my football team. I was one of forty football players to consistently make honor roll throughout highschool. That fact alone would have probably caused them to leave me alone, however, for most of the football teammates their bad grades were affecting if they would be able to play in games or not. The team would rarely decide to press this issue on me within school because my other more academically inclined friends would usually back me up and destroy their argument with simple logic. However, on the practice field they were generally relentless with the insults about being smart. Even my coach would get in on it if I made an incorrect block. I realize now they were all just being ignorant and I did the correct thing in not slacking off and continuing my education.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Chapter 3 Classroom Behavior
A section of chapter three that really jumped out at me was the part where students were discussing accidently falling asleep in class and putting their heads down. The chapter discusses how teachers should react to sleeping students and what is the most polite way to wake them up.
The sleeping section of chapter three jumped out at me because it reminded me of an incident I had in highschool. During my senior year I had a difficult time sleeping occasionally. After one rough night during a video in physics class I accidently fell asleep in class. My physics teacher saw this and reacted very poorly and unlike what the chapter suggests should be done. She jabbed my shoulder with a ruler until I woke up and then lectured me about how disrespectful it is to sleep in classes. This was embarrassing for me because of how she had chosen to deal with that problem. A more appropriate way to wake a sleeping student is lightly tapping them on the shoulder and asking if they want to go wash off their face or something. After that incident I lost respect for that teacher because she had punished me for something I could not really control.
The sleeping section of chapter three jumped out at me because it reminded me of an incident I had in highschool. During my senior year I had a difficult time sleeping occasionally. After one rough night during a video in physics class I accidently fell asleep in class. My physics teacher saw this and reacted very poorly and unlike what the chapter suggests should be done. She jabbed my shoulder with a ruler until I woke up and then lectured me about how disrespectful it is to sleep in classes. This was embarrassing for me because of how she had chosen to deal with that problem. A more appropriate way to wake a sleeping student is lightly tapping them on the shoulder and asking if they want to go wash off their face or something. After that incident I lost respect for that teacher because she had punished me for something I could not really control.
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