EME2040-Reflection#10

I have learned a lot in EME2040, a lot that I would never think I would. I never knew there can be so many types and styles of lesson plans to begin with. I would have never known that there is a constructivist, behaviorist, or transpersonal lesson plan. I thought there was one framed out that every teacher had to use. It has really helped me to do a lesson plan myself. It puts me in the position I would be in if I was a teacher. My definition of what is a lesson plan has changed a lot since the first day of class. I have really learned more about them and having to make so many different ones really has shown me and helped me discover something new. It’s not every day we have to come up with a lesson and put it in a way that will attract the students and catch their attention which is the most important thing. Another thing I also learned is the very important role technology takes in the classroom. It helps students perform, learn, and communicate better. It also makes things quicker for teacher and more resourceful. The most valuable thing I have learned is that teachers have to do more work than it is put out for them. They have to prepare everything in a classroom for the students and think on a fast forward basis on what would be best for them. I never knew how to make a digital story and that the fact that that would even be part of a lesson. I never knew there were so many different styles and ways students can learn. Most of the time collaborative learning is best for them to learn in. The telecollaborative lesson plan is also something that impacted me. I never knew classrooms would be based on communicating with different children from other parts of the world. This is a really unique way to learn and incorporate more than one thing into the lesson because you are also learning in a personal way. I have learned about different phobias and the big difference between a phobia and a fear. I never knew this could be able to be made into a lesson plan. The most valuable experience was being put in the shoes of a teacher and having to come up with different activities, creativity, and group ideas for the students so that they may learn at the same time. I have learned a lot that will help me with my career choice. It will help me know what teachers have to do and the planning part has to be planned well for the learning to take place.

EME2040-Reflection#9

I have learned that technology plays an important role in the instruction of education. It is the main delivery of how information is given out from teachers to students, or students to students. It is the main source of delivery for example this includes email, instant message, and web sites. When I was younger technology was never used through teachers or anyone. Teachers would send letters home or write something on the board for students to show their parents. I usually got my tests sent home and graded by hand. For example, in EME2040 technology is very important in instructional delivery. We use our emails to receive our grades and ask any questions we may need to ask. There is a web site that delivers all the information that needs to be turned in and also specifies the date it is due and an explanation of the assignment. Another perfect example would be the telecollaborative lesson plan which is a lesson plan that involves the communication through the internet with other students around the world. This is a great way of sharing and learning new information with other people. In today’s world, almost all tests are graded electronically with the test done by scantrons. All grades are either posted on the school website or emailed to students, we can almost never receive the hard copy of the test. Also, anytime news needs to be given to students they send an email to the parents and/ or to the students. I have learned that when becoming a teacher the use of technology is really important. Also, it is important for your students to know and understand the use of technology because everything around us is revolved around technology. It is important for everyone to know how to use it. For example, pretty much everything in EME2040 is based on technology. The only thing that is concrete is being in class. This shows the importance of technology and how it is used in the world around us daily. It does play an important role, which I have learned a lot about and different ways of it becoming a delivery of instruction. It changes everything and makes things faster to do especially for the teachers, giving them more time to do other things that require more time in the classroom. It is a facilitator in the classroom, and the technology will become more advanced in the future.

EME2040-Reflection#8

The area I scored the highest in my educational philosophy survey was Progressivism. In education, Progressivism is when you learn the best doing things in a concrete way, rather than abstract. Learning based on experiences and in a visual manner. I believe this is the way I learn the best. I learn best by seeing things visually and actually performing them. I seem to always grasp and remember the concept better this way. People that believe in this form of educational philosophy follow John Dewey’s model of learning. My second best score was the process of essentialism. This method is used to teach the basics of math, English, and science. It teaches a moral lesson and is usually with a much disciplined setting. It is said to be seen a lot in private or parochial schools, which I am a product of. It requires some competition among the students and the students are rated upon their scores on tests. For example, in my High School and K-8 school before that, we were always tested on regular things, and based on that they had different levels for each subject. They would have Honors English, Average English, and Skills English which would be the lowest. I believe this process can be effective because the student learns at the pace that is best for them. In a regular classroom they may be teaching something very quickly and there may be some students completely lost on the material and just lose complete interest. This process became popular by William Bagley. Finally, my last top score was Behaviorism/Objectivism. It derived from John Watson and it was the belief that the mind or conscious wasn’t associated with psychology, therefore studied objectively. Skinner rejected this idea and came up with operant conditioning which I do believe is effective and something that does happen. It is how are minds are made up. The way in which we behave or act has to do with how it affected our past which alters our behavior. The same way that everything we do is affected with experiences from our past. For example, we may be afraid of something now and have a phobia of it because may be when we were little we had a bad experience with it. As we get older, we realize this is why we have certain views and ideas on things. I believe this survey was accurate on what I believe is the most affective way of teaching.

Extra Credit 2

What do you see in him?
I believe this is saying this person is bad for you. He's jealous about someone (which is the women of his desire) is with someone thats bad for her. It is also saying the writer thinks he is better than the other man she is falling for.
Amour Mortelle
This poem is about a woman being obsessed with a man. She was so overly obsessed that she stabbed him and he died. This shows that sometimes people get too caught up in the act and act wrongly.
Treacherous Tender traps
He is trying to break up and end the relationship he is having but there is something that keeps pulling him back. It is keeping him entangled into a trap. A friend of the girlfriend continues to seduce him.
And I Lost You
You love someone but you find yourself losing that person in ways you dont intend to. There are certain things you are doing to that person without intentions that keeps pushing them away. But, you love them, and you don't want this.
consider a bedraggled obatala
There is a person that is a drunk, and when his children come he will have to worry about ending his addiction and caring for his children. He will have resolve this and also about his children that he will hopefully love as much as he loves to drink. Sometimes we give things more importance in life when they don't deserve it.

A digital story is the modern way of expressing ancient art in a story. Many of the stories made have been because of digital technology. A great example is different video clips teachers use from online resources. Digital story use images, sounds, music and etc to make their stories come to life and made vivid. It uses the materials from the internet or computer to put everything for the story together. There are seven sections that make up a digital story. These elements are: point of view, dramatic question, emotional content, gift of your voice, power of the soundtrack, economy, and pacing. A perfect example of a digital story is what we watch on the television, or movie etc. It tells a story with pictures, sound, and voice. They are mostly influenced with the computer and technology; these are two main factors that have an impact on it. It makes teaching easier, and helps students express themselves in different ways. These digital stories helps people stay connected with each other and learn different things from each other also. With picture images and sound with voices it gives us a better explanation on whatever the story is about. I believe this is an effective way of teaching because it provides voices, sound, and images for the students. Unlike the usual lecture that is spoken and the students have to come up with a mental picture or story through their imagination. It helps shape personal and emotional situations. It also helps widen technology for the students and their classroom. It also helps students learn in a collaborative way about each other, kind of like with the exhibits. Students also learn to become more comfortable speaking in front of a classroom. It enhances their vocabulary and writing skills. I have experienced this type of teaching with a few of my teachers. It is effective because it keeps the subject interesting with pictures as examples that helps us visualize things better. Most students learn better visually, including me. Teachers need to lecture and also provide this type of assignment for students to learn more about each other and back up the lecture. Digital storytelling does just that, it backs up the lecture with a story that provides pictures, information, and facts. Digital storytelling is like a personal narrative that helps teachers work within their classroom.

EME2040-Reflection#6

The telecollaborative lesson plan is a constructivist lesson plan which requires activities that are used through internet based resources. The teacher guides and teaches the students to ask questions and response by entering them into the computer and showing it to other classmates. But, unlike the simple constructivist plan this one is done online. It uses the internet to solve problems. It uses exchange of information and enhances critical thinking skills. It helps students process what was taught during the lesson. It is something different for the students that motivates them and helps them use different technology and advance in it. It also helps them with individual learning and gives them opportunity to take action in their own learning and goals. It provides unlimited communication through the internet through different students just like them from different places. It helps the students explore different things than what they are comfortable with by learning from others. For example, the example of telecollaborative lesson plan that was given about the students in Israel shows that this type of lesson plan not only helps the students view things in a different perspective in a deeper level but also broadens their knowledge about things. It also helps the students become more familiar with technology and how computers work. When I was in grade school I used to love computer class because we would do different activities online, but never communicate with other students through it. I never had a teacher that did a collaborative lesson plan with my class. Students learn different experiences from each other and it pulls what they both know together. Students aren’t only learning something concrete as they would in a face to face lesson, but they are learning something abstract because they are learning from real past experiences which puts it in a deeper level. It requires more doing than a regular face to face lesson. There must be questions that want to be asked and recorded, this way teachers can see how the students are doing. Sometimes these group projects help students learn best. Some students require to work together with others rather than working individually, it makes it more fun for them sometimes. Telecollaborative lessons help everyone learn about different cultures and different people. It helps students see what else is out there and how different out lives are from other people out there in the world.

EME2040-Reflection#5

Collaborative learning is when students get together as a group and discuss a question, or work on a project. Cooperative learning on the other hand is a type of collaborative learning. It is when the group is given an activity to work on. It helps students work together as a team, each having an important role. The students are assessed on the group work given and also individually, they each have a role in the group activity not one person is doing more than another. When students are put in these small groups they can help other students with their strengths and weaknesses. It puts the student in a more relaxed environment with no pressure. In cooperative learning within small groups questions are asked, teachers learn from the students and students learn from each other, everyone is given the respect they deserve, goals are challenged; strengths and weaknesses are identified, etc. These two approaches are completely different than the usual traditional form of teaching because it is done in groups versus the others that are mostly individual. Traditional approaches and collaborative and cooperative learning include very different traits when it comes to learning. Depending on the lecture and objective, sometimes these two work best. It is said that cooperative learning helps the students have a deeper understanding of the material being taught, and they become more confident about the material. I believe this is true, because sometimes you learn better with others, maybe they have different tricks or methods of doing things that may help you learn how to do the content better or faster. For some lessons, it is the best thing to do, putting the students into groups. It is better than having them sit at their desk doing work, because some activities require interaction, and open discussion. It depends on the situation. Some people believe small group discussion isn’t accurate with teaching because it gives the teacher a break from not teaching, it avoids great critical thinking with the students, and sometimes gives some students more responsibility than others. For cooperative and collaborative learning it is advised to be a rubric and watching the student’s progress throughout the lesson. Cooperative learning and collaborative learning are successful for some teaching methods, depending on what it is. It is a great way to build team building skills that will become useful in the future in any job or career .

EME2040-Reflection#4

Inquiry based learning is being a part and involved on what is being taught rather than just listening. By becoming a part of something you learn from it better rather than forgetting it by just listening. Inquiry means seeking for truth for information or knowledge. The process of inquiry begins with gathering different information by using all of our senses which are hearing, seeing, smelling, and touching. This process is used the second we are born. As soon as we are born we begin to use this process of inquiry. I believe it is very true that schools are becoming less prone to using the inquiry based process. Most students barely as questions in classrooms and just say and answer what they are expected to respond, and don’t share their own voice or opinion on things. Effective inquiry is when an individual asks a lot of questions in deeper level and uses the knowledge he/she intakes as important information. Inquiry is required to find solution for things because most of the time they don’t have answers. It helps us apply ourselves more and examine certain things. It helps you know more about your field inside and out even if they change the information around a bit you would still know what you are talking about. It isn’t just about knowing certain facts, but knowing the information in depth. A good well round education can give you knowledge and different circumstances and perspective of things around the world we live in. Inquiry learning helps us accumulate all the knowledge we have learned from grade to grade and apply it as we go. Everything learned, something newer will be learned after. Inquiry learning helps us have a better comprehension about the world around us in all the different ways possible. Traditional learning is more focused around the teacher and more focused on how to pass to the next grade level, or knowing the one right answer. Inquiry based learning is learning about something and asking questions, and becoming a part of what they are learning (participating) and actually learning it rather than just memorizing. It is about leaving it more up to the students, rather than the teachers leading the entire class. It helps students get more involved and give questions and suggestions on what is being taught. When something catches the attention of students like this, it helps them remember things and actually learn them. I believe this is very true because it has happened to me in only a few of the classes I’ve had in my life.

EME2040-Reflection#3

Constructivist lesson plans consist of six different elements. It is a plan based on real life experiences, thought based. It is a measurable change in behavior. These six elements are: situation, groupings, bridge, questions, exhibit, and reflections. It also has precedents that follow the six elements. There is a situation in which you put the students to explain the situation, some examples are is it going to be problem solving, answering questions, making decisions, etc. The way in which you are going to make them participate in the activities either as a whole or individual work which this is called grouping. You also have to see how you are going to group the materials that are going to be used. Bridge is when you connect the prior knowledge the student knows previously with the one they are learning. It is connecting the before and after. Constantly engaging with the students with their views on certain experiences and constantly asking them questions to introduce the new lesson, arrange different groups, and keep the learning mood going. In the exhibit students learn from each other’s work, and see new and different perspectives. Finally, the reflection is when the students reflect and express what they have learned in the new lesson, including when they saw their classmates exhibits also. The teachers in this lesson plan guide the students into the right direction but the students think for themselves first. It involves the point of view of the students as well as more detailed learning about the different subjects more in depth. In this lesson plan students also learn from one another. They observe each other’s opinions and views on the new lesson. It helps the students learn the material on their own first and for them to try to break down and do critical thinking. The constructivist lesson plan also helps connect what you know from the past with the material that you are learning that is new. It also helps the students interact with each other and learn from each other in a good way. By seeing the work of others they notice and open their minds to different ways of seeing certain things. It helps them become more experienced and also helps them learn more. It is important to use open ended questions for the students, have materials for them to use, using critical thinking, and making sure to give them a good understanding of the material before asking certain questions.

EME2040-Reflection#2

A behaviorist lesson plan is a way the teacher comprehends the lesson and how the students will learn it, and the objective of it. The behaviorist lesson plan has eight different steps. It includes the purpose/objective which explains the purpose of the lesson, anticipatory set which is a small activity to grab the students’ attention before the lesson begins, input is the things that need to be known in the lesson, modeling shows the students how something is supposed to look concrete in a visual way, guided practice the teacher shows the students the correct way of doing it, CFU to make sure students are understanding the material correctly, independent practice the teacher lets the students work on their own to see if they can do it, and lastly closure is the review of the entire lesson. The constructivist lesson plan is a more revise version of how they’ve been used years ago. It consists of six important elements. It involves: situation which has to do with what the students will have to deal with, groupings which specifies how it will be done either as a whole classroom or individually, etc, the bridge connects what they knew before with the new material they will be learning, questions will be done to challenge the students on what is being taught, exhibit is making a visual image/concrete thing on what was being taught so they can see each other’s different opinions. Last, reflection the students will express what they thought of each other’s exhibit. Through a constructivist plan everything is subject to change. On the other hand, a behaviorist approach doesn’t allow any change to happen, everything always remains the same. For example, the constructivist idea is used sometimes for punishment because there will always be a different punishment used when the child does something wrong depending on what it is that they did, this is obviously something that would be subject to change. I believe the lesson plan I would use would be the behaviorist one only because I am an organized person and like to do things as a routine. Once you do things as a routine, your students will begin to get used to doing things the right way and it will stick with them. If you are always changing, then there is no pattern of organization for them. Of course the lesson plan is also more detailed and consists of two more steps than the other one.

EME2040-Reflection#1

A lesson plan is something that is used by an instructor or teacher that you plan to do when teaching a lesson. A lesson plan is something very important because it is what the teacher uses to guide herself on how to demonstrate things to the class. It is the plan for the day for the students, because if you don’t keep the students entertained then they will be a mess throughout the day. You need to have a plan for them to do at all time. A lesson plan has the approximate time the material or lesson is going to take, and the order in which it will take place. It is sometimes more difficult to plan than to preach the lesson because you have to know what the students will be thinking and the point you are trying to make across. It contains all the points needed for the students to learn and interpret. It is based on how the teacher sees the behavior of the class to know when is the right time to teach or do certain activities. It helps the teacher stay organized and stay in track. This way she knows what was the last thing taught or where she left off on certain material. Children learn best on a routine basis when things are done the same way and form all the time. A lesson plan helps creating this. It is a form of document that a teacher uses to demonstrate her plans. It explains the procedure to use when teaching the material of a lesson. A lesson plan that is developed well is based on the needs of the students rather than just focusing on what is best for the teacher at that time. It is where she decides if the assignments are going to take place in a group or single. Everything has to be well thought out before writing these lesson plans because it is the guide that will be used when teaching the new material for the kids. Teachers also have to make sure the students are tested on the material they were taught to see how well they learned the material. Not only that, but each lesson plan needs to be evaluated to make sure the material, testing, assignments, and materials needed for each activity are used correctly. You need to make sure you don’t leave anything out. If someone comes to observe your classroom they will used your lesson plan as a guide and they will make sure you are following it correctly. The material must be demonstrated the same way it is being put in the lesson plan. This is why lesson plans are an important part of being a teacher, it also helps you stay organized.