Recent Changes

I think to be human means to be a little vain. We learn what is of interest or of importance to US. I may sit in a classroom and be a model student, but unless I actually care about the topic, there is no way that I am going to incorporate that knowledge into my current schema. P.S. I totally looked up Narcissism Personality Disorder and I'm not that bad, so don't judge. I just have healthy self-esteem.
Being human means being creative. We exist to create. We exist to make a difference. We exist to share our lives with others. Of course, to share with others, you have to start with believing you have inherent value, worth to be shared (hence the little vanity...it's good for the soul).
that choice. I will mention this in further detail later, but we have the responsibility to be informed, engaged, productive citizens, wherever we might be.
DFTBA.
Back to home.

Learning also does not happen in a vacuum. Humans are social creatures and we learn best in groups.There is a social aspect to the learning process that cannot be ignored. Each person brings to the table a whole variety of wishes, hopes, dreams, skills, weaknesses, cultures, affinities, tastes, prejudices, and personalities. To learn is to take into account this variety and allow it to add to your own understanding. A number of theorists played into my understanding of the socio-cognitive approach to education. Dewey, with his idea that school should reflect society. Vygotsky and his Zone of Proximal Development, which means that teachers must take into consideration what the student already knows to determine where further learning must take place. Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner's classroom is similar to Montessori's in the sense that both encouraged a rich classroom environment, Montessori in tactile ways that children could explore and learn, Gardner in a more metacognitive sense.
{renaissance man.jpg} The Well Dressed Renaissance Man
would be? If being human means constantly learning, surely the best human would be one that has been exposed to lots of different fields and different people, places and things.
The Colbert Report
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{pink so what.jpeg}
WhatSo what now? What does this this class?
Well, this means that I actually know what I'm talking about. Even if nothing else changes about my pedagogy, I'M more aware of what I'm doing, and the first step to change is awareness.
It's been so fascinating to think over my practice and actually assign names to ideas or examples from my teaching experience. I look at early childhood development in a completely different way.
Some things I want to change:
I want to offer more real choice in my classroom in assignments, rules, etc.
I want to be more open about my personal theory of teaching and learning and discuss them with the kids
I want to share what I've learned with my PLC and make my department the best thing since sliced bread.
I want to help my students understand the silenced and misunderstood perspectives like Freire argued.
I want to make noticeable change in my pedagogy, not just sit on these thoughts.
And because we all need a little more Pink in our lives:
Back to home.
Back to What does it mean to be human?
Back to What does it mean to learn?
Back to What does it mean to teach?

So if knowledge is a series of immeasurable moments that lead to monumental change than what is teaching? Is it the unloading of information from one receptacle to another one?
NO.
ToSo if teaching is more than just standing and delivering to willing receptacles, what should teaching involve? I think it means actually getting to know your students as people. I think it means being human with them in return. I think it means saying, "I don't know, but let's find out."
To teach means on. I admire what Dewey taughtdon't think that school and societyteachers should mirror each other. When we cease to do so, we are no longer preparing our students fordisappear from the outside world.classroom altogether. I think teachers play a vital role in students' construction of knowledge, but I would rather be a help than a hinderance. To teach as students. I'm a sharer and a large part of my teaching philosophy is tied up in that fact.
This class helped me see why I teach and give it a proper name and attribution.
Theorists I resonated with:
Dewey
Vygotsky
Gardner
Freire
Ann Brown
Back to home.
Back to what it means to be human

{descartes.jpeg}
Learning also does not happen in a vacuum. Humans are social creatures and we learn best in groups.There is a social aspect to the learning process that cannot be ignored. Each person brings to the table a whole variety of wishes, hopes, dreams, skills, weaknesses, cultures, affinities, tastes, prejudices, and personalities. To learn is to take into account this variety and allow it to add to your own understanding. A number of theorists played into my understanding of the socio-cognitive approach to education. Dewey, with his idea that school should reflect society. Vygotsky and his Zone of Proximal Development, which means that teachers must take into consideration what the student already knows to determine where further learning must take place. Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner's classroom is similar to Montessori's in the sense that both encouraged a rich classroom environment, Montessori in tactile ways that children could explore and learn, Gardner in a more metacognitive sense.
This concept of a rich and varied classroom is one that I wholeheartedly accept, partially because of my broadened understanding of text and literacies. Classrooms should be just as complex and as interesting as the outside world and teachers should validate what students bring with them to class; their thoughts, outside literacies and their strengths and weaknesses. I'm intrigued the notion of a Renaissance Man, someone like Da Vinci or Michelangelo who were polymaths, experts in multiple fields. Why not incorporate lot of different fields into your classroom? Can you imagine how interesting that would be?
{renaissance man.jpg} The Well Dressed Renaissance Man
This concept of a rich and varied classroom is one that I wholeheartedly accept, partially because of my broadened understanding of text and literacies. Classrooms should be just as complex and as interesting as the outside world and teachers should validate what students bring with them to class; their thoughts, outside literacies and their strengths and weaknesses. I'm intrigued the notion of a Renaissance Man, someone like Da Vinci or Michelangelo who were polymaths, experts in multiple fields. Why not incorporate lot of different fields into your classroom? Can you imagine how interesting that would be?
The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

Learning also does not happen in a vacuum. Humans are social creatures and we learn best in groups.There is a social aspect to the learning process that cannot be ignored. Each person brings to the table a whole variety of wishes, hopes, dreams, skills, weaknesses, cultures, affinities, tastes, prejudices, and personalities. To learn is to take into account this variety and allow it to add to your own understanding. A number of theorists played into my understanding of the socio-cognitive approach to education. Dewey, with his idea that school should reflect society. Vygotsky and his Zone of Proximal Development, which means that teachers must take into consideration what the student already knows to determine where further learning must take place. Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner's classroom is similar to Montessori's in the sense that both encouraged a rich classroom environment, Montessori in tactile ways that children could explore and learn, Gardner in a more metacognitive sense.
This concept of a rich and varied classroom is one that I wholeheartedly accept, partially because of my broadened understanding of text and literacies. Classrooms should be just as complex and as interesting as the outside world and teachers should validate what students bring with them to class; their thoughts, outside literacies and their strengths and weaknesses. I'm intrigued the notion of a Renaissance Man, someone like Da Vinci or Michelangelo who were polymaths, experts in multiple fields. Why not incorporate lot of different fields into your classroom? Can you imagine how interesting that would be?
{renaissance man.jpg} The Well Dressed Renaissance Man
The Colbert Report
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What does it mean to learn? Learning is a series of immeasurable moments that lead to monumental change. Much like Piaget's theory of learning, it isn't easily measured but it IS noticeable, especially when we have to make adjustments for new knowledge. To learn means to add to an ever expanding web--Schema. We add first to what we know and the better we learn something, the stronger those pathways between bits of knowledge become. Eventually new bits of knowledge become old news and we work to add more. We should constantly be adding more to our web. When we cease to learn, we effectively cease to be human. As Descartes once said: "I think, therefore, I am."
{descartes.jpeg}
metacognitive sense.
This concept of a rich and varied classroom is one that I wholeheartedly accept, partially because of my broadened understanding of text and literacies. Classrooms should be just as complex and as interesting as the outside world and teachers should validate what students bring with them to class; their thoughts, outside literacies and their strengths and weaknesses. I'm intrigued the notion of a Renaissance Man, someone like Da Vinci or Michelangelo who were polymaths, experts in multiple fields. Why not incorporate lot of different fields into your classroom? Can you imagine how interesting that would be?
http://video.vulture.com/video/James-Franco-Renaissance-Man-ViThe Colbert Report
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We also discussed a moral component to learning, with such theorists as Kohlberg, C.S. Lewis, even Steven Covey to an extent. Especially coming from my historical background, moral education has been a part of the formal school system from the very foundation. People are very invested in teaching rising generation to be good people, however, how teachers are to go about doing this is up for debate. I think I will just try to be the best person that I can be and hope that my students can use me as an example in their own lives. I will not, in fact, I don't think I can not teach my inherent beliefs. This "hidden curriculum" that Lewis spoke about, it's one that filters everything that I interact with...whether I want it to or not, it colors my interaction with my students. If this is a good or bad thing is something that remains to be seen.
Learning Categories:

What does it mean to learn? Learning is a series of immeasurable moments that lead to monumental change. Much like Piaget's theory of learning, it isn't easily measured but it IS noticeable, especially when we have to make adjustments for new knowledge. To learn means to add to an ever expanding web--Schema. We add first to what we know and the better we learn something, the stronger those pathways between bits of knowledge become. Eventually new bits of knowledge become old news and we work to add more. We should constantly be adding more to our web. When we cease to learn, we effectively cease to be human. As Descartes once said: "I think, therefore, I am."
{descartes.jpeg}
metacognitive sense. This
This concept of and weaknesses. I'm intrigued the notion of a Renaissance Man, someone like Da Vinci or Michelangelo who were polymaths, experts in multiple fields. Why not incorporate lot of different fields into your classroom? Can you imagine how interesting that would be?
http://video.vulture.com/video/James-Franco-Renaissance-Man-Vi
We also discussed a moral component to learning, with such theorists as Kohlberg, C.S. Lewis, even Steven Covey to an extent. Especially coming from my historical background, moral education has been a part of the formal school system from the very foundation. People are very invested in teaching rising generation to be good people, however, how teachers are to go about doing this is up for debate. I think I will just try to be the best person that I can be and hope that my students can use me as an example in their own lives. I will not, in fact, I don't think I can not teach my inherent beliefs. This "hidden curriculum" that Lewis spoke about, it's one that filters everything that I interact with...whether I want it to or not, it colors my interaction with my students. If this is a good or bad thing is something that remains to be seen.
Learning Categories: