Spring Quarter Reflection

Last quarter got a bit overwhelming at times!  Taking 29 credits was no easy task, but I ended up earning all As in the end.  I think the biggest challenge was that I focused only on school, and took little time out of my day to focus on myself.  It was all worth it though, and I feel like I got more out of my experiences last quarter than any other.

My Kindergarten Curriculum class gave me good insight on developmentally appropriate practices, and reasons why a good educational foundation early on is essential for positive attitudes toward school later.  I think my favorite memory from this class is the day a few of us volunteered to help with kindergarten classes touring the campus.  During the visit, we surveyed the kindergarteners, asking them to give us advice  as future teachers.  Most children provided thoughts like: "be nice," and "Talk about flowers."  Some students gave meaningful feedback like: "ask me for my help," or "come out to recess with us."  Above all, my favorite comment was from a little boy.  With a tone of sincerity, he raised his hand high and said, "Every teacher should try to do a back flip."  That piece of advice was a good reinforcement of a lot of things we had discussed in class about the age of kindergarteners, and made me smile thinking of how much fun they can be.

It is difficult to think of my favorite part of math class because it was all very thought provoking.  In elementary school, I was not taught using a constructivist approach, so many instructional approaches were new to me.  The presentation of math using meaningful literature, games, and real-world scenarios help create meaning, and make the subject fun for students.

Literature class provided us with the opportunity to participate in book circles, something I was grateful for because it had been a long time since I had read anything that wasn't a textbook.  My group read "Night" by Elie Wiesel.  Our assignment revolving around the book was to write a passage from the perspective of the author five years later. 

Our theories class, focused on theorists that influenced education, was very enjoyable.  Our cumulative project was a lot of fun.  We were to take a theory or theorist and present the information to the class in a fun and interesting way.  I took a special interest in Albert Bandura, and choose to focus on his Bobo doll experiment.  In the spirit of fun, I recruited my siblings to help me make a reenactment of the experiment, and turned in a DVD as my project.  I also posted the video to YouTube to assist in my presentation.

Despite the mounds of stress presented to me last quarter, I had a blast!  I am a little concerned, but mostly excited, for the challenges that will be presented to me in my summer classes.

Creating a Culturally Complex Atmosphere

Between the ages of 2 1/2 and 3 1/2, children begin to absorb socially prevailing attitudes.  By the time children enter kindergarten, they can distinguish, and ask questions about physical differences.  Cognitively, they are able to understand explanations of these differences, and many use their idea of fair and unfair when solving problems.  My Kindergarten Curriculum class emphasized ways of creating classrooms that are culturally complex and curriculum that identifies the need of multiculturalism.  Four goals of an anti-bias curriculum were addressed:
1) Construction of a knowledgeable, confident self-identity
2) Comfortable, empathetic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds
3) Critical thinking about bias
4) Ability to stand up for herself or himself, and for others, in the face of bias
The lesson reminded me of the multiculturalism class I took last quarter that focused on Dr. James Bank's 5 Dimensions: content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering social structure.

Vygotsky vs. Piaget

Yesterday's class revolved around Vygotsky's influence on educational practices and the constructivist approach.  His Social Cognitive Theory was influenced by Marxism and opinions of people like Engels and Piaget.  Interestingly, Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896, the same year Piaget was born in Switzerland.  Vygotsky had access to Piaget's publications, but Piaget was unable to study Vygotsky's work because of the Soviet government ban from 1936-1956.  In the most simplest term, the difference between the two theorists is that Piaget believed development causes learning which leads to language, while Vygotsky claimed language is the mechanism of change which leads to learning which causes development; a chicken and the egg type argument.

After a brief lecture on all of this, the professor showed the class a youtube video of twin babies carrying on a conversation.  Sitting in one big circle, she demonstrated the Paideia seminar format, and posed the discussion question of what would Piaget say was going on and what would Vygotsky interpret from the video.  We were then told to pick a side, and the discussion began with everyone defending their favorite theorist.  I believe Vygotsky's theory that language drives learning and development is true, mostly because metacognition is an internalized form of self talk which narrates intended actions.  This belief will drive my future practices within a classroom, and create an atmosphere that is rich in language. 

Manipulatives & Math Games

Yesterday was my "Teaching Elementary School Mathematics" class.  This class focuses on methods to help students bridge the gap between concrete knowledge and abstract concepts.  During the first portion of class, we used commercial manipulatives (tools to illustrate problem solving, like base ten blocks) to solve word problems involving fractions.  I really enjoyed the hands on opportunity this lesson offered.  Being able to see instructional objects put to use creates more meaning than simply hearing about a particular teaching method.  That is one of the many things about my program that I am grateful for; the classes strive to give us experience before we enter the field as professionals.

We spent the second portion of class learning about, and playing with, math games.  Math games help build fluency with concepts by offering non-threatening situations.  Games that combine a cognitive challenge with an element of luck will produce high student engagement.  After our lesson, we were able to experience a few math games first  hand, and connect them to specific state learning standards.  Most games took a fair deal of strategic planning or numeration calculations, and all were very entertaining. 

An assignment for this class is to produce a math game, and share it with the class.  This activity helped cement my concept of what a math game is, and why they are used.  I am still working on refining my game, but it will revolve around a subtraction Performance Expectation for kindergarten. 

Introduction

My name is Kim, and I am currently in my third quarter at CWU-Des Moines.  I am junior standing, double majoring in Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education and minoring in Business Administration.  While this blog is intended as a personal documentation of my experiences, I hope it will reach aspiring future educators. 

A brief introduction  to my program:
Central Washington University offers convenience and affordability through their University Centers.  I am enrolled at the Des Moines campus, where my classes are arranged in a cohort style.  About 25 students are accepted every Fall, and we take pre-arranged classes as a group.  I consider the cohort model to be a very supportive atmosphere.  The school emphasizes a constructivist viewpoint, and the professors have all taught at the elementary level in the past.  The program is highly involved in the community and local school districts.  More on all of this later!