EDUC 404 is the semester where Teachers-in-Training take their Methodology Courses. Over the 404 semester, I enrolled in the following courses:
EDUC 326: Classroom Management and Discipline
EDUC 472W: Designs for Learning Elementary Language Arts
My initial reaction to this 6-week intensive course was nerves. But after a lot of hard work, reading and countless trips to the library, I LOVE this class. This class has a very critical approach to children's literature and the professor makes you work for your grade, if you don't mind critically analyzing your beloved Disney movies and children's books.
The best thing I took away from this course is do develop what Leland, Lewison & Harset (2013) call a "readerly identity." I thought this concept was so important that I included a page to my book list that helps me develop my readerly identity. Feel free to look at it by clicking on the link below:
The best thing I took away from this course is do develop what Leland, Lewison & Harset (2013) call a "readerly identity." I thought this concept was so important that I included a page to my book list that helps me develop my readerly identity. Feel free to look at it by clicking on the link below:
EDUC 475Q: Designs for Learning Elementary Mathematics
Teaching mathematics has completely changed from when we were kids! The days of doing mathematics the "teacher's way" are long gone because there are a variety of strategies and methods of teaching mathematics and ensuring that your students understand it. There are so many different strategies that I am actually struggling to comprehend them. It's mind-boggling!
EDUC 476: Designs for Learning Elementary Science
"Science is all about exploration and inquiry" is what our professor told us on the first day of class. So far, he has kept that promise. Each science class starts with an activity that fosters our scientific curiosity and it concludes with a group work period where we create a mini science unit.
So far we've explored the outdoors with jewelers' loupes, taken a field trip to Science World, hands on learning/teaching at a local year-round school, and experimented/played with water's surface tension
So far we've explored the outdoors with jewelers' loupes, taken a field trip to Science World, hands on learning/teaching at a local year-round school, and experimented/played with water's surface tension
My Individual Final Assignment:
For this semester's final assignment, we were given the chance to illustrate what we learned about Elementary Science throughout this semester in a creative way. I immediately thought of writing a story or a poem, but I wanted to create and present something that embodied the theme of the course. So I came up with a cube.
The idea of a cube or box seemed to be perfect because there is something very interactive with a cube. You can hold it within your hands, spin it around and play with it and it just looks cool. The idea of the cube also represents my previous perspective of teaching Elementary Science: I used to look at the same thing through different perspectives, but the new perspective is not very new, it's just a slightly different perspective.
The idea of a cube or box seemed to be perfect because there is something very interactive with a cube. You can hold it within your hands, spin it around and play with it and it just looks cool. The idea of the cube also represents my previous perspective of teaching Elementary Science: I used to look at the same thing through different perspectives, but the new perspective is not very new, it's just a slightly different perspective.
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I wanted the cube to encompass inquiry-based learning, hands-on learning, creativity, and most importantly: science is play time. I purposely created the cube to literally and physically represent my new perspective of teaching Elementary Science: outside the box thinking.
I believe the cube does a good job of illustrating this. The more you see my cube, you become curious and wonder what is inside. You turn the cube, you flip it, drop it, shake it, and essentially play with it until you discover how to open it. Once opened, you find all these different things about the cube that your scientific curiosity has led you to. "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." Each face on the inside shows what I've taken away from this course. Our Professor allowed us to direct the conversations, discussions and our activities the way we wanted to. Whenever we had an activity, the professor just allowed us to explore and inquire about the world.
Inquiry-based learning leads to the main idea of outside the box thinking. Outside the box thinking led me to consider things in new perspectives. Like the cube that has opened, science is exactly the same way. Our curiosities about the world allowed us to consider the world in a new way; ways that are outside the box. |
To read about what I've been up to, please click the button below:
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Please click on the link below to see pictures from 404!
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