Boys and Girls Learn Differently

I thought this was an excellent presentation. You provided a great array of information and then helped us to reapply all of it. I thought the two spectrums were a great tool, as this really showed how important it is to understand the way our students think. We can not merely assume that a student will learn in a certain way, thus it is important to inventory for such learning needs. I also thought your group did a great job of presenting information and allowing sufficient time for student response. I never felt that the information you taught was pushed upon me, but instead that you were merely exhibiting a number of scenarios and asking for individual responses to each of these.

The various stations really helped me to understand the concepts of the lesson, while thinking about each topic on a deeper level. Each station gave me a far deeper knowledge of the topic considered, and it was nice to reapply everything you taught us. The video presented at the bullying station really made me think about the challenges our students will face on a daily basis, and the ways to meet this head on to ensure a minimum amount of bullying. Overall, this was an excellent lesson.

Accountability for High Standards

Abstract: This chapter made me incredibly nervous initially, as I deeply felt for this student. When I began reading, I could not understand why the teacher would push the student to such a level of discomfort, yet this proved to be an effective method. Once the student was able to relax and work his way through the presentation, this became effective not only to this lesson, but as a long term skill. I think this was my favorite chapter that we have read so far. I was very interested in the various ways of holding students accountable without being harsh or overbearing. I think my favorite part of this chapter was the discussion of moral accountability, with the primary guidelines used to help students determine whether they are acting an a moral manner. Whether a student or a teacher, I think this is an excellent guide to acting in a manner that one would be proud of.

Synthesis: One thing that provided me with a strong sense of conviction was the idea that we must stop thinking that standards ruin creativity. Although I understand the significance and value of standards, I always feel bogged down by incorporating them into my lessons. The checklist gave me a much better sense of how to implement standards without allowing them to over power learning. Another striking moment in this text was the student’s account of how a particular teacher always permitted him to hand in work late. I loved that he was able to rationalize that while this seemed great at the time, it hurt his learning in the long run. I feel that nearly every student longs for the ability to hand in work whenever they please without consequence, yet it teaches students absolutely nothing. I know that I will hold my students accountable for their work at the time it is due in order to instill a good work ethic that will help them in later years of school as well as in future jobs.

Becoming a Whiz at Brain Based Teaching

I found your presentation to be very useful, and I feel that I learned a great deal that I did not previously know. Your packets and connection to "Pinky and the Brain" were very useful in perpetrating the information needed, especially because I had no previous knowledge of the brain or how memory was retained. The connections that were made were excellent and helped me to actually understand many elements of science. As a person who is not strong in logic, it is nice to be given easier methods of understanding science.

This lesson was highly interactive and I enjoyed the ability to reflect upon my own strengths and weaknesses in relation to teaching practices. I was happy to consider how I can work on my own role model practices and the areas that I need to work on to be a successful role model.

After your presentation, I would be interested in reading this book.

Brain Research Applied to Middle School

Abstract: The beginning of this chapter was great as it showed the importance of multiple intelligences. While we have been working to activate as many intelligences in each lesson throughout our lesson planning, it is interesting to think of this process in terms of lemon meringue pie example. When we are exposed to the pie, or any other object, our memories work to track down the taste, feel, smell and experience associated with this object. We compartmentalize each object, thus delving into each intelligence offers us the opportunity to reach students on multiple levels. Chunking sounds like a great method of association. This way, students are not forced to recall one specific detail, but instead can learn a great deal about the topic and, in theory, relate back to this information when it is time to think about the designated topic. The author then teaches a mini lesson on plagiarism, showing the severity of plagiarizing another individual's work.
Synthesis: I would really like to try the triad response method within my classroom, as I feel that this would be an excellent method of encouraging a number of students to speak in a manner that will help them to keep track of the conversation. I think it would be helpful to provide students with a test run of this process before doing this as a whole class. To do this, I would present students with a question, ask each student to write his opinion and then to pass the paper to the left. I would then ask that the next student comment upon the first response, and decide whether they agree or disagree. I would have the students pass it to one more peer, who will again decide whether they agree or disagree, and then ask students to pass the paper back to the original commenter. I would happily reenact a lesson such as the plagiarism mini lesson, as this had an excellent impact on the students and they reacted very well.

Book Talk: A Whole New Mind

In response to the opening activities, my summer job really can not be outsourced. I work for in home as a care provider, and am an employee of a Maine based company. While I am sure that it is possible for such companies to be moved over seas, I do not see this as a possibility. I'm sure that teaching could technically be "outsourced," but I feel that the teacher would need to make the choice to move to a developing country, with the intention of helping those in need. I am absolutely right brained, as I am led far more by emotion and impulse than by rational decisions.

While reading through the six steps presented within the book, I was interested but not overly engaged in the design step, yet the linguistic step would have been a favorite for me in the classroom. I love the idea of taking the first line of a novel and writing a story based on this one line. The next idea was symphony, creating a connection using something that others would not recognize. Empathy was the next category, where I toke the Multiple Intelligence and Fake Smile quizzes. Upon taking this Multiple Intelligence quiz, my top three categories were interpersonal, linguistic and intrapersonal, in that order. This is very true to previous Multiple Intelligence quizzes I have taken, and I thought the descriptions were very accurate. As for the "Fake Smile" quiz, which I thought was really cool, I identified 15 of the 20 of the smiles correctly. Very interesting!

The next step was play, which I think is great in the classroom. Students should always be permitted to play and enjoy themselves in the classroom, and teachers should be able to build this play into a great deal of lessons. The final step was spiritual, so I took the spiritual quiz. The quiz revealed that I am relatively stressed out, so I need to work on my spiritual well being.

This seems like a great book, and I would be very interested in looking into these ideas.

Chapter 13: Outdoor Adventures

Abstract: Wormeli highly praises outdoor adventures as valuable learning experiences for all students. Students are able to create lasting bonds with peers that they might not have otherwise been able to socialize with. Additionally, it is interesting that students tend to gain a greater sense of autonomy through these experiences, as they are forced to clean up after themselves and to prepare themselves for each day of the various adventures. One interesting aspect is that Wormeli discusses a moment where he propels through the air during an adventure and somehow manages to inspire a leadership moment through his own dangerous action.

Synthesis: I want the opportunity to take my students on outdoor adventures, but I feel that it would be necessary to do this during advisory periods as opposed to just during the school year. I hope that I work at a lenient school where outdoor activities are possible, but even if they are not I would be interested in at least bringing students outside during classes. My middle school science teacher led a science camp a few years after I had him as a teacher, thus he enabled students to learn with him outside of the classroom if they were interested.

Chapter 4: Active Learning

Abstract: This chapter focuses upon getting students moving within the classroom. Adolescent students are uncomfortable when forced to sit still throughout an entire class period, thus it is important to get them up and moving during each class. The concept of converting abstract ideas into concrete ideas through movement is an excellent idea. The chapter offers example after example of how students may be actively engaged, whether learning in the classroom or in moving a lesson outside. I feel that I will work to teach as many lessons outside as possible, as this is an excellent way to keep students moving while still conveying the necessary information.

Synthesis: I love the idea of building movement into the classroom. This will not only help students to focus on individual lessons, but to become more actively engaged in the class itself. The chapter suggests having students stand up in class every ten to fifteen minutes, even if it is just to hand in papers or move desks. While I support moving that frequently, I would rather have my students get up and do something more active than merely moving to the front of the classroom for a minute. I liked the idea of having students stand up and converse with a classmate, and I think that this could even be taken a step further by having each student discuss the topic with two students, rotating through the classroom as they discuss.