Teaching and Learning: A Reflection Kimberly Doi EDUC 430, Dr. Cecille M.

De Pass October 18, 2013

1 Reflecting on my education now, I have a much greater appreciation and admiration for the teachers and schools I have been fortunate enough to encounter. I have Turners Syndrome, which can have a wide variety of implications. For me, it meant I was very small and had different struggles than most of my peers. I have always worn glasses, and in junior high I started to wear hearing aids. At twelve years old I was diagnosed with arthritis. I had difficulty with math, which is common among girls with Turners syndrome. These struggles have been formative, and give me insight, empathy and understanding. My artifact folder includes a short informational video about Turners Syndrome. In a discussion about learner-centered education, Henson (2009) points out Learners have unique differences, including emotional states of mind, learning rates, learning styles, stages of development, abilities, talents, feelings of efficacy, and other needs. These must be taken into account if all learners are to learn more effectively and efficiently (pp. 1). As a teacher, this experience will undoubtedly make me more sensitive to the unique needs of students. I was never great at math, but even in elementary school I was a fantastic reader and writer, ahead of a lot of the kids in my class. Having a disability does not mean that a child is weak or incapable; it may just mean they have to work a little harder at some things and find what makes them special. I will always be different than my peers, but that doesnt mean that my fate is to be disadvantaged. I embrace the opportunity to help a child gain confidence and find their unique talents with patience and understanding. I want to help students recognize their talents, since students who think that intelligence is a fixed entity are more likely to be performance oriented than learning oriented (Bransford et al., pp. 23).

2 Upon reflection, it occurred to me that much of my learning has happened outside of school. I have hobbies and interests that inspire me to explore and learn on my own. Theatre and music have always been important to me, and I have been lucky enough to engage in these interests on many levels, whether exploring them through school clubs like band and drama, or going to concerts and theatre productions. I want to give students opportunities to explore their interests and help connect their learning with them. Particularly young children are so curious and excited about the world. This is what the quote Dont ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive represents. Crdova (2008) writes about helping children to bring their life experience into the classroom and vice-versa, pointing out that The separation of home, school, and life literacies signals a major problem for schooling in general and literacy education in particular. We continue to see those worlds as discrete and unfortunately some young people experience them as having nothing to do with each other (pp. 20). As a teacher, I want to facilitate the merging of these worlds for students, and give them the space to realize that they are already equipped with valuable knowledge and perspective. I realize that There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring this to a learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students changing perception as instruction proceeds (Bransford et al., pp. 11). . Exploring personal interests is represented by the photo of artifacts I have collected from various trips, and show tickets from plays and concerts I have been to.

3 I have had fantastic opportunities to travel around the world. I have spent time in Japan and Hong Kong, visiting my aunt, and go on a high school trip around Western Europe. I even participated in a group study trip to Colima, Mexico, with the Sociology department and lived with a local family for a month. This was a great learning experience both through the work that I did and through immersing myself in another culture so different from my own. New experiences in travelling also encourage personal growth and developing as a person. This is expressed by the pictures from my travels. As a teacher, I want to inspire my students to explore and not be afraid to have new experiences, and to show them that the world is an exciting place filled with infinite questions for them to encounter. This is represented by the poem by Shel Silverstien. In my education, learning has been a social experience. Having friends who excelled academically, who were focused and disciplined was a central aspect of my school experience, and who I am now. For me, being smart and working hard were just part of that group membership. Having the emotional and academic support of my friends was an important part of why I was successful as a student. School never seemed as easy for me as it was for them, but having their support helped me to not give up. My high school also offered a program called Academic Team, which was structured much more like university, with lectures, and then free time to do our work as we chose outside of the classroom. This responsibility for my own learning encouraged me to develop meta-cognitive skills, or sense-making, self-assessment, and reflection on what worked and what needs improving. These practices have been shown to increase the degree to which students transfer their learning to new settings and environments (Bransford et al., pp. 12).

4 We were able to use that time to learn in ways that suited us. This environment allowed me to succeed by opening up time to work with my friends and develop a strong support network. This is represented by the pictures of my friend and me studying together, and by the picture of my friends and me participating in a school theatre production. This principle is supported by Brophys, who describes an ideal learning environment where Students are taught to ask questions without embarrassment, to contribute to lessons without fear of their ideas being ridiculed, and to collaborate in pairs or small groups on many of their learning activities (pp. 8-9). Brophy goes on to assert that Cooperative learning promotes affective and social benefits such as increased student interest in and valuing subject matter, and increases in positive attitudes and social interactions between students who differ in gender, race, ethnicity, achievement levels, and other characteristics (pp. 27). Research findings by Wookfolk et al (pp. 321) reaffirm positive academic outcomes for students with strong social networks. As a teacher, I want to open my class to interactive learning. I know that being able to talk through a problem or compare answers with my friends has been crucial to my success as a learner. I want to encourage strong communities and networks of support for the students in my class. I was privileged to go to a school that strived to create a safe and respectful learning community. It is so important that learners feel safe and comfortable at school, and that they feel protected. As a teacher, I want to ensure that my classroom as well as the school are safe environments where bullying is not tolerated. This is a cause that is very near to me personally. School culture plays an important role in preventing bullying. Stolp and Smith come to the conclusion that the culture tells people in the school what is truly

5 important and how they are to act (pp. 14). Contributing to a collectively nurturing school environment is important to me. This is why I included the anti-bulling graphic. My background in Sociology and Psychology are important to how I will practice as a teacher. An awareness of issues around gender, race, and class will inform and enrich my teaching. This will help me to teach in a way that is socially aware, and fully realize the power that a teacher has in terms of teaching young children about the social world, and encouraging them to examine and question the social order. Being a student in the social sciences has forced me to ask bigger questions about issues that affect my everyday life. I want to help my students to ask the same kind of questions. Culturally responsive teaching was a really intellectually engaging and exciting idea to get to discuss with my classmates. The notions that Banks et al. present about the hidden curriculum (pp. 241) and informal systems that operate in schools are enlightening. I feel that my background in sociology and psychology becomes even more relevant in a climate where it is important for me to look around me and see unintended consequences of the informal operations and interactions in my school and classroom. The way that the education system can disadvantage people subtly and perhaps unintentionally are critical for me and every other teacher to be aware of, in order to do our job. I find a lot of meaning in the substantial role I may have in changing this system to be more inclusive and to practice in a way that will serve the interests of every student. Understanding the subtle cues of a school, down to the way desks are arranged is also discussed by Stolp and Smith. The sociology graphic represents my commitment to being a social advocate and minimizing stratification in my classroom.

6 References: Banks, J., Cochran-Smith, M., Moll, L., Richert, A., Zeichner, K., LePage, P., ... & McDonald, M. (2005). Teaching diverse learners. In L. Darling-Hammond and J. Bransford (Eds.), Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (pp.232-274). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bransford, J., Brown, A. & Cocking, R. (2000). How people learn. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Brophy, J. (2000). Teaching. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. (An adaptation of Brophy, J. (2001). Generic aspects of effective teaching. In M.C. Wang and H.J. Walberg (Eds.), Tomorrows teachers (pp.3-45). Richmond CA: McCutchan.) Crdova, R. (2008). Writing and painting our lives into being: School, home, and the larger community as transformative spaces for learning. Language Arts, 86(1), 18-27. Stolp, S. W., & Smith, S. C. (1995). Transforming school culture: Stories, symbols, values, and the leaders role. Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. Woolfolk, A. E., Winnie, P. H., & Perry, N. E. (2012). Educational Psychology (5th Canadian Edition). Toronto: Pearson Canada.