Week 2 T2P Essay & Statement

T2P Essay

We began with Morning Meeting which is a way for the teacher to check on how the students are doing, letting them feel that they are important to her and that she understands that there is so much more to life than just the classroom. There are so many influences on a student and learning does not take place in a vacuum but within the context of the larger picture so by connecting with the students at the start of class a teacher is able to determine if there are other factors or stresses that a student is dealing with that mind hinder his/her ability to learn the subject content that day.

I also observed that the teacher made sure to include all the students in the class throughout the day by asking questions of students who did not share their thoughts. Saying "do you have anything to add?" gives them an opportunity to ask a question or add an idea which they may not volunteer for. Using think/pair/share allows students to bounce ideas off each other before they need to do so "publicly."

Metaphors are a great way to ask the students to express themselves and understand what they are feeling or how they see something. This communication can help students express their ideas in a different way. Some students may not be able to articulate their thoughts but would be able to use a metaphor.

Case studies allowed us as future teachers to look at and think critically about how and why teachers teach the way they do. Considering what we like about this teacher's method or why we think a teacher may be employing this in a class room will help us to develop our own educational goals. As a teacher we need to be aware of what we bring to the classroom and the degree to which that influences our students. If one of our goals is to foster democratic thinking then we need to model that in the classroom.

We can not force students to learn or process information but we can present ideas and information and ask them to think critically and explore the ideas we present. When a student makes meaning out of the information then learning has occurred.

The concept maps were an evaluation tool which show how our thoughts and ideas about learning have changed over the past week and what learning or meaning we have made out of the ideas and information we considered. Learning is not passive, it requires action by the student to engage in the process and make meaning out of content.

Reflections are another evaluation tool. The teacher can see how well the student is understanding the concepts and ideas that are taught to determine if more time needs to be spent on a subject or if more clarification is needed. They also help the student to clarify and put together what it is he or she has learned.

New T2P Statement:

If a student engages in a subject matter and explores it to the point of finding meaning then learning will occur because learning is a process which the student must be actively involved in to make connections and purpose in his/her own life.