EDU 270 Knoles Journal Reflections

Now that you have created your own blog and used it through the previous eight lessons, describe in detail how you will use your blogging skills in your classroom. I have actually already started having my students write their daily reflections in a blog. They write down what they learned, what they did, how they felt they performed, how they think they can improve, and what they are looking forward to. Basically any information they can think of about their day in a daily blog.

After reading and pondering the debate about teens lacking adult reasoning capacity, yet being held to adult consequences, what do you think this means for you as a teacher? I think as a teacher this means we need to constantly aware of our students developing brains and their highly social and emotional state. I can remember as a teen blurting out without even thinking something very hurtful to my teacher. I felt so guilty afterwards, it felt like someone had taken over my words and just said it for me. I went to her class after the bell and apologized to her. When I was apologizing I started to cry. I have never been a very emotional person (my students call me a robot sometimes), and this was very strange territory for me. I remember her reassuring me it was okay and explaining that I was growing and that I would sometimes not reason well and be highly emotional. It is funny thinking back on it now but I am glad I had a teacher that modeled the right way to handle that situation. ...

After watching the videos on Math and Music, how does this information impact you as a teacher? I did not realize how important estimating is in later math skills. I guess thinking back now, I know how important it is but I did not realize the importance as a teacher. I want to really make my students estimate more and justify their answers to their estimations.

After watching the videos on Language and Reading, how does this information impact you as a teacher? I felt that as I watched the videos on language and reading I learned the importance of the sensitive period. This made me feel that we need to do more to address the three million word gap our english language learners face and we need to provide more early childhood education for low income families. I think if we can increase students exposure to language in the sensitive period by even educating parents on how to speak with their children to develop language during the sensitive period would be an effective method for closing the opportunity gap.

What does it mean to be relational as a teacher? How will you interact with your students to accomplish this? As a teacher I believe that being relational with students means building positive and meaningful relationships with students. These relationships are individualized and personal. We as teachers are striving for individual students success as a human not as a statistic. We are aware of their hopes and dreams, their desires and fears, and the way they feel valued and successful as learners and people. I enjoy talking with my students about music and sports, or television and video games, whatever it is that they may be interested in. It is my favorite when students come to see my in their free time and they just want to chat and hangout. One thing I did with students this year to establish this more relational style of teaching is I brought my original Play Station to school with all the retro games. I allowed students to come in before or after school and at recess and play g...

After watching the videos on Attention, Emotions and Learning, describe how this information impacts you as a teacher. I feel that from now one I will be watching my students attention, emotions, and learning all more closely looking for some of the warning signs that were discussed throughout these videos. I will also make sure to challenge my student's attention with reasonable expectations, providing them outlets to express energy and retain focus on the lesson. I will also be looking to establish positive interactions every day with my students because for some it may be the only positive interaction or interaction period that they get that day.

After watching the videos on Vision and Hearing, describe how this information impacts you as a teacher. As a teacher I plan to be much more aware of the possible visual and auditory my students may have that have not been properly identified yet. I also plan to be more considerate of the impairments that have been identified and making sure that I am providing the proper scaffolds and stimulus that those students needs. I also plan to create classroom that is both visually and auditorily stimulating. I don’t want to have a classroom with all white walls and silent 100% of the time. I believe there is a time and place for intense focus and concentration but I also believe that the learning environment should be fun and engaging.

After watching the videos on brain architecture, plasticity, and understanding the impact of the environment on a child, how does this information impact you as a teacher? The brain is an amazing organ. The fact that has as many neurons as there are stars in the galaxy is amazing. Also understanding how the brain has different areas that serve different functions is very interesting. Lastly, understanding that learning occurs through connections in the brain and that infants will actually have more connections then their parents was also shocking. Combining all of this information I have realized that it is a difficult but important task to be the sculptor of young brains and it is my job to make sure that I am preparing my students to develop their brains fully giving them all the necessary developmental exposure that they need.