Since this is the same outline used for the Linguistically Diverse Students class, and I wrote the reflection for this just a few hours ago, I’m going to leave the majority of the answer the same, with changes as to how it affects this class at the bottom.

Four Major Strands of Work

       Communication:  When I first began my UNM classes, I tended to be shy and reserved.  I began to get to know the people around me and feel more in my element when communicating with them and bouncing ideas off of them than I do very nearly anywhere else at this point in my life.  I do feel like some of that comes from the kids.  I absolutely love working with kids and figuring out best practices.  Being around my peers and realizing that they have the same passion that I do has really opened me up as a person.  I have also noticed that I am much less intimidated by the teachers that I work with.  I realize that they are knowledgeable but not unapproachable.  They won’t mock the ideas that I have.  They welcome them and help tweak them.    Another thing that I’ve learned quite a bit about in this class is an appreciation for literature circles.  This has actually had a huge influence on me since I’m currently reading the Twilight series, as is my sister and about 3-4 people in my classes this semester.  We have been getting together before or during classes, and in the case with my sister, texting every chance we get to discuss the book.  John Piper said that the way to truly appreciate something is to share it with someone else.  This is so true with the lit. circles.  Mulling over different aspects of the book with others has definitely encouraged my appreciation of the series.

Research:  I will be the first to admit that research has never been the highlight of my schooling.  My classes this semester have shown me that research is anything but boring.  It is a life long thing that I need to do for the benefit of my students as well as myself and my personal and professional career.  I think this semester it has really hit home since I’ll be doing my student teaching next semester and I want to make sure that I have as much background knowledge that I can have.  Research has impacted this class mostly because of the research needed for the WWII unit we’re doing with our Tibbetts kids.  It’s important for us to be knowledgeable of the subject in order to answer any questions the kids may have regarding the topic.

Technology:  Ahhhh technology.  It is in my top five favorite things in the world at this point.  It makes research bearable, communication more effective and quick, and my organization skills that much more accurate.  I’m also learning more and more working with my cooperating teacher this semester how I can incorporate it into the classroom.  Technology is kids’ second language and it needs to be treated with as much respect and know how as any other language.  Technology has really impacted the way that I see technology (especially in the upper grades) this semester.  All of the students have their own laptops and it;s really interesting to see how much more research and communication can be available since they have this technology at their fingertips.  I think it;s great!  I look forward to learning new ways to use this in our small group.  We are currently sending each of the students an e-mail each week about our meeting and an interesting WWII fact.

Collaboration:  I think that collaboration with my peers and even my students goes hand in hand with each of the other strands that I have discussed.  It is essential to effective communication.  Research is needed for accurate collaboration and communication…and what is one way in which to organize the research, communicate, and collaborate information into projects?  Technology.  This is the key.  I’m learning more and more through the specific classes I have this semester that it does me no good to be a control freak.  I need to loosen the reigns and realize that the people I am working with are capable individuals and each of their opinions and ideas is master level work.  As far as this class goes, it has been…interesting collaborating with the group that I’m with for Tibbetts.  I was so sure that all of us were on the same page as far as how to run a literature circle, but I realized that there was one person that had a very, VERY different idea about what we were doing.  It takes a lot of restraint and trust in order to work through this and come to a solution that is acceptable to everyone involved…and all of that while not losing who this is really for…OUR STUDENTS!

Five Dimensions of Learning

Confidence and Independence:  This is an ongoing process both for myself and for my students.  I need to have confidence that I do know what I am doing.  I have studied and have a sense of how to work with children that comes naturally.  It scares me that I will be out of control…but control doesn’t mean that the kids are sitting in rows working quietly.  Things get noisy and that is ok!  I need to know that for the sake of my kids learning to be true learners, I need to cut the apron strings and allow them to be individuals.  They need to be independent.  I also need to learn independence.  That sounds weird, but I have been a student for a very long time and the idea of being on my own is frightening!  I need to learn, through confidence in my abilities, that I can be an accomplished teacher!  I don’t need to hold my instructor’s and cooperating teacher’s hands throughout my entire career!  Confidence and Independence has affected the way that my group is working with our Tibbetts students.  We need to realize that the lit. circles are really  not about us.  It is about equipping our students with the knowledge needed so that they can take over the group and get out of it what they are able.  They need to learn that they won’t look stupid just for having the right answers.  They are all very independent thinkers (which sometimes gets lost in the middle school years) and I think that giving them the opportunity to exercise that in a safe zone such as a lit. circle is an absolutely brilliant idea.

Knowledge Content:  I feel that the older I get, the less I struggle with this aspect of teaching.  I had such a hard time in school.  I was very quiet and for this reason, many of my teachers thought that I wasn’t smart…and I began to believe it.  The older I get though, the more I realize that I am strong in the content areas.  I do know what I am talking about.  Yes, I will definitely need to brush up on many areas before I present them to kids, but that’s ok.  One thing that really impressed me hugely was in the orientation for the UNM program.  You, Frances, said that I cannot expect my children to learn anything that I have not yet mastered.  And this semester you continually say that you will not expect us to do anything that you aren’t doing yourself.  WOW!!  That is so huge.  It has guided my pursuit of knowledge in a way that is unparalleled to very nearly anything I have learned.  In our Tibbetts group, Devin has really had a chance to shine in this area.  My only fear though is that he is so focused on the content that he is missing the emotion and depth of this book.  I think that one of the most major ways for a student to get something out of a hard to read historical novel is to first get the feel of what the people are going through.  This helps them to become interested in the events surrounding the hero/ine in the book.  It’s a very thin line and I hope that we can find that balance.

Skills and Strategies:  This is so huge.  I am so so so thankful that I am working with Laura Shepardson for my student teaching.  She is so full of ideas for effective learning.  She is always doing something new and innovative with the kids while keeping a homey atmosphere in her room.  The more I research into children, the more skills and strategies I am learning that will benefit my students.  As many kids in my classroom as there are, there are that many ways times a thousand to teach them.  There is no need to get stuck in a rut when teaching!  This has really taken on a new meaning with our Junior Highers.  Valerie, Amber, and I are constantly talking over text, e-mail, and in other classes about how to involve these specific students that we are working with.  Junior High kids are fascinating to me.  They are longing for acceptance and independence at the same time and I think that that definitely affects the way that we should approach them as educators.  We need to collaborate on a consistent basis to find new and exciting ways to bring them into the story.  We are trying to do this by sending them interesting WWII factoids during the week over e-mail and also by reading the book together and stopping to discuss at the interesting parts.

Use of prior and emerging experience:  This concept goes for me as well as my students.  For me, I can only bring to the table who I am and what I have/am learning.  I need to remember that my kids are the same way!  I need to provide them with ample opportunities to experience different aspects of life and learning so that as they go up through the grades, it will be an easier and more meaningful growth on their part.  Prior and emerging experience also needs to be central to the instructor’s practice.  They need to be grouping with other teachers in order to come up with new ideas for their students.  Since we have all come from different backgrounds, that teacher next door or that you are working with can have insights into certain students that you may not have realized beforehand.  That’s why I am loving collaborating with Valerie and Amber in particular for the Tibbetts project!

Reflectiveness:  This is something that I initially fought coming into the program.  I have always considered myself a writer and a thinker and sentimentalist to the core:  Here is the problem.  I learned that a lot of my inspiration for writing came through being melancholy.  I couldn’t reflect and write without that.  Coila’s class has taught me that I do not need that crutch.  For me to be an effective teacher and for my students to get meaning out of their learning, they absolutely need to reflect on the things that they are learning.  They have so much information coming at them and they need a safe way to process that.  They need to learn that being reflective will help them sort through problems and ideas that they may not have known existed!  We are really trying to incorporate reflectiveness into our Tibbetts group.  We are going to be allowing them 5-10 minutes at the end of our time together to process what they have read.  It is such a heavy subject, and in order for them to really understand what the story is about, they need to think about it and even how it relates to their life.

Estimated evaluation in terms of grade:

        Being the perfectionist that I am…I would say a B.  I always think that there is room to improve.  I have to admit though…this semester I have worked harder and studied more thoroughly than I have in my entire college career.  No lie.  I would have to say that objectively and in comparison to my previous schooling career…I would say that I deserve an A.

Suggestions for your own further development during the remainder of the semester:

Don’t give up!  I tend to have a major burn-out mid semester.  I need to learn to push through that and realize that there is more at stake than just being tired…well…exhausted for a few days. 

Suggestions for class activities or for the professor to better support learning:

Let me preface this by saying that I am organized…abnormally organized. But I have a hard time keeping up with this class.  It may be that I get this one confused with the children’s lit course.  The thing that would help me the most though is that there wouldn’t be quite so many e-mails during the week.  It would be easier if any new additions to the syllabus or homework were given during class.