Teacher Panel

On Monday, there were three new teachers that came in from the Decorah area. They tried to explain to us their prospective on their new experiences with teaching. It was very interesting to learn their views toward teaching after just newly experiencing it. A couple of them came from smaller school districts and therefore were more than just teachers. It was neat to hear how the male teacher was involved by being various head coaches, special ed teacher, as well as the athletic director. His stories were neat because at his school, all of the students have lap top computers. He explained to us how internet sabby they are, considering everytime they had a break or free time, they would all check their email and get on facebook at a young age.

It was also interesting to hear Jess Tangen talk about her recent expierences. Jess is my track coach, so I haven't ever gotten the opportunity to hear about her stories. It was nice to finally get to do that.

Overall, I thought it was good to hear what the new teachers had to say. It gave me an idea of where I want to go in the future and different things they wish they would have known before where they are at now.

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In our small group first meeting, we discussed how the movie "Paper Clips" is directly related to chapter one of our reading. The teachers in the school used the constructivist style of teaching, by allowing the students to have a hands-on experience. The Holocaust project involves a lot of interacting with other people, in order for the students to get first hand knowledge. The teacher's attitudes toward the project was so positive that in influenced the students to become more involved in the project. They got to write letters, draw posters, and be interactive with speakers. By using the Dewey approach, it allowed the students to learn more and be influenced in a more positive way.

In our second group meeting, we discussed what development is, why understanding development is important, and how development related to chapter two of the reading, and well as the second half of "Paper Clips." We decided that development was age-related but is not age-dependent. This means that depending on how fast an individual matures and develops, doesn't necessarily depend on their age, but is related to how old they are. We also discussed the stages of development, and the appropriateness of teaching students certain skills depending on how developed they are. The appropriateness of a hands on experience was perfect for the age level of the students. They were the right age to get involved and the activities made learning fun for the students.