Perspectives On learning

 

 Course Evaluation

    Course subjects

       One of the easier assignments in this course was the one about reinforcement and talking about classical conditioning. Hilariously, all three of my required education classes talked about reinforcement and conditioning. Everything about the topic was fresh knowledge. What helped was that this class went far in depth with conditioning, instead of going through bits of psychology rapidly. This gave me time to learn and process this information with a firm idea of how it applies in a classroom environment. 

    This isn't confirmed true or false, but I am imagining that when I have to make a discussion with three other people portraying as different psychologists is going to be hard. Not because of anxiety, which seems to be brought up by my peers a lot. It's the fact I have to research three characters and learn about their backgrounds. I also have to portray my own character, John Dewey. Having to think like him without improvising answers that don't reflect his way of thinking is going to be a high standard to meet. If I can retain the information effortlessly, the assignment should be a cakewalk.

    Classmates/Peers

    I don't like calling out negative behavior on other students, but I don't believe every student made it their priority to actively listen to the discussions. I won't lie and say that I had acted the same way for a few days, but it was a phase I broke out of shortly afterward. When it comes to participation, I believe that most students exchanged ideas for the prompt. Sometimes, too many people had ideas that had to be passed due to class time being cut short. Regardless, when so many students want to exchange their thoughts, it shows their willingness to participate in the discussion. Even if we learned that we have different opinions on big topics, it didn't escalate to verbal harassment. Nobody was cut off. We each listened to each other's opinions and thought about it before exchanging responses. That's how debates should be. Openminded, and prepared for conflicting information. That's how students (or people) learn.

    To name one problem from my recently assigned group, they didn't seem interested in going up to present their thoughts. We didn't necessarily decide how it was going to be done. I suggested, "Why don't we split the answers three ways, each of us sharing one on each topic?" One student laughed and said "Good one." Followed by an awkward silence. When asked who was coming up, I just accepted the fact I was the only one who wanted to present and came up by myself. It sucked in the sense we didn't make the decision together, and every other group did their presentations together.

    Personal Reflection

      To reflect on myself, I have been more willing to participate in discussions and represent the group. I have also been actively listening to discussions whether I was part of the inner or outer circle. When we had a guest speaker, I sat, faced him, and listened to show his time here is valued. I also respected my peers and greeted them whenever we were paired to discuss. If I want to add something to the discussion, I wait for the speaker to talk. That's how I would want other people to respect me if I was talking.

    Final thoughts

    This class has given me a lot to think about when it comes to teaching a classroom of students. As hard as it is to accept, I can't depend on "one-size-fits-all" solutions. Minds think differently. I want each student to have a chance regardless of how they process information or what background they come from. Favoritism and unconscious bias are hard thoughts to break out of, but I want to do what it takes to give each student an opportunity. I would especially like to make each student overperforming at their grade level, as it sets them up for more opportunities without distancing them from each other. Though it's easier said than done, that shows how confident I am to teach students in art class.