Chapter 12

I think the real reason to evolve as a teacher is to improve your teaching with varied and interesting approaches to content and concepts. I realize that state regulations and educational research necessitate change, but sometimes in the past these things have been more fad than helpful. The constant is students, needing to learn, and teachers, striving to engage them. I don't think you can go wrong if students are excited and learning in your course. Nothing is more important. There is no greater accomplishment that instilling a love of learning in students.

One strategy I plan to use is the exit question/comment/idea/suggestion/whatever is on your mind/student reflection. I subbed in a classroom last week where students fill out one sheet a week. There are five sections and students fill out one for each day. The teacher reads them at the beginning of the next class and responds, then hands the paper back at the end of class for the next comment. It worked well, even though many students just asked to play more bingo!

I starred the section about how being a teacher of process in addition to a teacher of content has led to high success rate in her classroom. This in turn has led to a decrease in discipline problems. It is all interconnected, with the root being student success. I think that success is a big motivator for students. Another important point is how teachers need to share ideas and collaborate and how important this in creating a community of learners. The students aren't the only learners we are talking about--the teachers are learners too. Take risks, try new ways of doing things, stay fresh and always be on the lookout for ideas and strategies to use in the classroom.

Chapter 11

I like the top ten job skills. 1. Teamwork 2. Problem Solving 3. Interpersonal Skills 4. Oral Communication 5. Listening 6. Creative thinking 7. Leadership 8. Writing 9. Computation 10. Reading. There is a disconnect between group work in the classroom and teamwork on the job I believe. It was my experience working in telecommunications that individuals on a team each did their own work--with consultation for advice as needed. Responsibility for your part of the job was yours alone. Teams do meet to coordinate tasks, but the actual work is done on an individual basis. My husband, an engineer who works as a plant manager, has had the same experience: Group work in a school setting does not mimic actual work done as a team on a job. I would like to figure out how to better organize group work in the classroom. I never liked it, my husband never liked it, none of my 4 children liked it, and no one I have ever spoken with has liked it. (I'd love to hear from someone who did enjoy group work in school--and please tell me how it was organized!) I would like to get to the bottom of this, because much of the education theory promotes group work. I am not giving up on it, I just want to make it work better than it did for me...and if we are doing it because 'teamwork' is an important job skill, we need to set it up more as it would be in a job setting.
There! Got that out of my system! A little off topic, but it will be worthwhile if I get some feedback.
This class is a little too good to be believable, and I hope they do have a little content included in between all these ambitious projects. I like the practice writing business letters and also the interdisciplinary ideas. Overall this is a worthwhile book with lots of good ideas.