WK3 T2P

Teacher-Student interaction
     Since this was a day of many small and large group activities, it was essential that the teacher move throughout the class and interact with each triad or group of students. With so much commotion, it is difficult to gauge how well a group is working together or if there is a lot of confusion about the assignment. To keep the groups from becoming too chaotic, roles were to be delegated out within each group so that there were certain people working and others checking information and watching the clock. This is a very useful tool in my opinion. Since a teacher cannot be everywhere at once, they need a system in place that will make sure the students are on task.

     The beginning of the class, as explained to the students by the professor, is a time to make all the students feel present and alert. By engaging them socially, the class can be brought together in a cohesive discussion, from which the day's lesson can begin. If a teacher jumps right into a lecture, the students may become bored and frustrated very quickly.

Successful Assessments
     One assessment today that I really enjoyed was the RQS2C2 that was completed at the beginning of the day. This reminded me of Bloom's taxonomy and the progression towards more complex questions. The benefit of completing the questions in this order is that each one asks you to think only a little more than the previous one. This way students do not feel overwhelmed by critical thinking questions the second they walk in the room.

Although we have worked in triads of jigsaw groups in previous classes, I do believe that this is a good form of assessment. A jigsaw is not really for the teacher to know how well a student has grasped material, but it is for the students to know how well they understood and can explain it. Also, the added tension of needing to know the material in order to present it can improve the amount of work a student will put into the research or reading.


Applications
There are many aspects of today's class that I would want to incorporate into my own classroom in the future.

To start off most basically, all of the theories and theorists we studied today can in some ways be considered in my thought processes for creating a successful classroom. For example, although I do not take Piaget's theory as a complete truth, it is a good stepping stone for understanding the cognitive capabilities of my students. Also, I would agree with Vygotsky that learning cannot take place successfully without a social aspect. Today's class perfectly demonstrated this because the entire day, the students were working in pairs, groups, or trios in order to gather as much information as humanely possible.

I also really like the social engagement that the professor creates in each class session. I would want to create a similar environment that will allow for learning and social interaction to occur simultaneously. The professor maintains her authority in the classroom by giving critique when needed, but at the same time the students feel comfortable talking to her and asking her questions about her personal teaching style. I also feel that even though this is a program for pre-service teachers, that the professor would still actively include her students in her thought process and decision making about how activities are or should run. This is something else I would like to strive for. If I can make the students not feel like they are so far beneath me that they have no power to change what is happening in the classroom, then I would be pleased.