What have you learned in this class? What is your most valuable experience?

First, I’d like to mention that the entire experience was a valuable one. This class has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities I had no idea of. Second, what I’m walking away with from this class is a comprehensive understanding of the different lesson plans, like the Behaviorist Lesson Plan and the Constructivist Lesson Plan. Actually, creating a Lesson Plan was fun, but challenging. The most straight forward Lesson Plan was the Behaviorist Lesson Plan, and I kind of liked it like that. It was neat and organized, and right to the point. The Constructivist Lesson Plan was a little too broad for me and asked for specifics in the most odd of categories, like the grouping of students and materials. I also learned a lot about learning methods, like Inquiry-Based Learning and Cooperative/Collaborative Learning. Inquiry-Based Learning is based on the students own motivation to be inquisitive. While Cooperative/Collaborative Learning is based on the students need to interact in groups and to work together as a team. I learned that even though there are different types of lesson plans and learning methods going on, that one doesn’t just have to stick to the book at all times of the learning process. It will actually benefit the students more if these elements are mixed and matched and used appropriately when dealing with specific learning outcomes. They all have their place, and one is in no way better than the other. It all depends on how effectively they are used. I learned what a large role technology plays in the educational system now. I still remember when it was all done by hand, turning in a hard copy of the assignment, getting it graded, working with a group of your peers in the same classroom. Now, with the Telecollaborative lessons students work together in groups via the internet. The students are grouped online and work together using e-mails, chat rooms, instant messaging, from all around the country, and even the world. And I thought it was cool when two different classrooms merged together for a group activity. I learned how to really put myself out there, through blogs and digital stories, and how to network using the World Wide Web. LiveText was a great tool and worth every penny. My blog, Becoming a Teacher Is Hard Work, is based on all of my Reflections and is a great way to share with everyone my experiences in learning to become a teacher. It’s also chock full of tasty morsels of information. Like I said, the overall experience in my EME 2040 class has been a valuable one. I learned so many traditional aspects of becoming a teacher, like lesson planning, to some not-so-traditional aspects, like teaching a class online or creating and organizing my grade book. I go out into the world today a little more prepared for my duties as an educator and a little more technologically savvy.

What have you learned about the use of technology in the process of instructional delivery?

The use of technology in the process of instructional delivery is very time consuming. I learned this through my own experience and through the experience of my future colleagues. Last term, I worked with a teacher by the name of Mrs. Butts. She had a cute class of third graders. The room was set up in a standard way with the students in sitting in columns facing the board. The actual board space was very limited; instead the Smart Board monopolized the space of the now traditional white board (a board that is used with erasable markers as a substitute for the chalk and blackboard). The Smart Board was a tech geek’s dream. The board is connected to the teacher’s computer and can be used as a projector, an over-head projector, and the students can even write on it, much like a white board, or even a chalk board. Mrs. Butts showed me a few of the features available to the students with the Smart Board, like being able to set up worksheets on the Smart Board and having the students fill them out together as a class, before being handed the hardcopy of it. Since the Smart Board is connected to the teacher’s computer, the teacher can pull up websites to display on the Smart Board if his/her computer has internet capabilities. The Smart Board takes interaction to a whole new level, with different interactive activities for the student. But although this is all very appealing, Mrs. Butts remarked that this technology is still quite new and that many times there aren’t enough resources out there to implement the use of the Smart Board appropriately. She spent many a day’s sitting at her computer desk after school was let out trying to figure out how best to set up activities incorporating the Smart Board, something that was quite time consuming. She even mentioned that sometimes certain teachers won’t even use the board because they are very set in their ways, or are not technologically savvy, or don’t have the time to set up the activities. The last one is quite true for me. I don’t own a computer. And find it difficult at times to get a hold of one to be able to do my work on. With the different requirements and programs, I never know if I’ll be able to open the assignment that I was last working on. Or if I am able to open it if it will appear formatted the way I last left it. The technology aspect of it doesn’t bother me one bit, I grew up around this stuff. But the time it consumes to incorporate technology, well, that is my down fall. Technology is a wonderful thing, if you have the means and time to use it.

What is your Educational Philosophy?

When I took the Educational Philosophy survey, I thought I knew for sure what my own philosophy would be. When I looked at my results I was pleasantly surprised. First, my Functional Philosophy is based on Constructivism. Constructivism is based on the learner’s ability to construct meaning on their own of their surrounding environment and using previous knowledge to do so. Although, I scored high for Constructivism, there are certain elements in Behaviorism that I can relate to. I believe a curriculum should be teacher centered for the first half of the student’s life. How else will the student gain any type of knowledge base? The teacher must be clear when describing objectives and standards. The student will then use this blatant showing of skills and information as their own knowledge base for all other subjects they may study in the future. Plus, Behaviorism prides itself in being able to measure the amount of learning taking place. This is a big help because we, as teachers, can then automatically see whether the student is “getting it” or not. Constructivism uses what a student already knows about a subject to better explain the different aspects of it. But if the student doesn’t have a concrete set of facts to use, then how will they construct on what they know to begin with? Constructivism is a good tool for deep learning when dealing with students in middle school. By then the students will have already begun constructing and reconstructing their own base of knowledge as they see fit. The second Educational Philosophy I scored high on was Reconstruction/ Critical Theory. At first, I wasn’t even sure what this philosophy entitled. Social Reconstruction was not a topic I even considered an issue. Well, obviously my actions speak louder than my words. And the selections I made on the survey were the ones that led me down this philosophical pathway. From speaking to Prof. McNair I learned that this Educational Philosophy is one that wants to make big changes on the educational scene, a “rabble-rouser” as he put it. I do not consider myself to be that type of a person. I like leading a quite life, one by the books. That is why I like Behaviorism. But when I read a little more on Progressive Education and Social Reconstruction, I began remembering why I had chosen this profession to begin with. I remember saying things like “I hope to change the educational community with my fresh new insights.” Sometimes I would mention Socrates and my need to corrupt the youth. I am going into art education so that I can show all my old stick-in-the-mud art teachers what the true meaning of art is. I want my students to embrace the Elements of Art like they would the Styles of Writing. I want them to experience fine art as well as street art, like Graffiti. I want to show my students that art isn’t just for the critics or the artsy fartsy people. That anyone with vision can take in the sights that make true art so powerful. Reading about what Social Reconstruction stands for made me realize that the education of our children is what shapes our society. A child will spend a large portion of their life (10 to 13 years) in school. A teacher, next to the parents, is the second to third most influential person in a student’s life. What we bring into the classroom with us, is what they’ll take out with them. This is something to be aware of. The society norms are begun and shaped in the classroom, and that is why certain bad habits don’t die, because we continue to accept them as society norms, like cliques and stereotypes. There is a more valuable social order and I hope to unlock it in my classroom. I hope to achieve this through giving my students a chance to question tradition and traditional values. As the teacher, I will give my students the tools they will need to explore on their own the meaning of art. In the end, art isn’t just defined as a production of aesthetic objects, its real definition and essence is a skill obtained through experience, study, and observation. Finally, it was a tie for the last slot on my Educational Philosophy list. The two philosophies were Progressivism and Essentialism. I read on Progressivism when I read about Social Reconstruction. Now, Progressivism and Social Reconstruction are on opposites sides of the Educational Philosophy spectrum. In Progressivism the emphasis is on the child and not the society. They believe that the society is already good. I don’t believe that, actually a Democracy is philosophically not a sound way to run a country; it’s actually the wrong way. What we should strive to gain is a Polity. But that conversation will be for another time. I do agree with the Progressivism’s view on where a school’s focus should lie, and that is on developing the student’s unique talents, capabilities, and interests. Having scored the same for Essentialism and Progressivism is quite a contradiction within itself. And easily describes me as an upcoming teacher. I’m a walking contradiction when it comes to my Educational Philosophy. In Essentialism the focus is not on the student, but on the subject. Something I don’t agree with a hundred percent, especially when fine arts are not considered a high priority. The subject I hope to teach. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are the most important subjects and the ones that must be mastered before any other. This I agree with. Those subjects will be the foundation of a student’s knowledge base for the rest of his/her life. It is important that they have a strong foundation in these subjects if they are to succeed in their adult life. But by strong, I don’t mean meeting the minimum requirements on a standardized test like Essentialism would have it. These subjects should be mastered on an above average level, along with the other subjects, like music, physical education, and especially art, which will lead to the education of a well rounded student. In the end, I think all these Educational Philosophies aren’t necessarily a contradiction within me, but act more as a balancing scale. All though they are very different educational aspects they help me put into perspective what is truly important, the students, the subject matter, and how to keep them both balanced.

What is a digital story?

A digital story is a compilation of the learner's knowledge showcased and enhanced digitally. It is believed that people retain information longer if told to explain what they have learned in the form of story. With all the technology floating about, we no longer need to sit around and tell stories. Now, we can share with whom ever the history of our knowledge through e-portfolios or digital stories. Both of these methods have their own way of telling a story. And we are experiencing both of these ways in class. In Livetext we are creating an e-portfolio. This e-portfolio will tell the story of how we came to learn what we know. E-portfolio's are dated and help us keep track of where we have been, so that when we continue on that journey we'll know where we are going. In class we have been practicing putting together a digital story. We were practicing with a poem about peaches. It is very similar to a PowerPoint presentation. There are a few exceptions, however. The slides in a digital story are not blank, instead they display images on a large scale (sometimes taking up the entire surface of the slide). Putting a digital story together is also a little different. The emphasis lies on being able to view it like a movie. I found the concept very interesting and entertaining, but one thing I am not looking forward to is hearing my own voice narrating the presentation. That is another element that sets it apart from PowerPoint. When creating a digital story you are giving it life, not only by piecing together what you have learned, but also by breathing life into it through the use of your voice. And I, like most, do not like the sound of my own voice. That is just one out of the seven elements of digital storytelling. Some other elements of digital storytelling are economy (which I'm not really sure how to define in this context) and pacing (rhythm). When creating a digital story, some important things to keep in mind are 1) stories should have a point, 2) to capture the audience's attention pose a dramatic question (one that will hold their attention throughout the presentation and that will be resolved in the closing lines), 3) the use of emotional content can also gain and hold your audience's attention, and 4) adding music to certain images can generate different emotions in the audience. Digital storytelling is viewed as a big plus in the educational field because it lends itself to learner motivation and learner ownership. It also creates a stronger emotional connection to the material and paves the way for deep learning. Technology may be advancing, but our use of it isn't, at least not quite. From before the creation of the written word, we, as a civilization, have always urged on to show others what we know through the art of storytelling. Now, we continue to do so with that same goal in mind, just with better equipment.

What is a Telecollaborative Lesson?

A telecollaborative lesson is similar to a collaborative learning environment, with the only exception that it is done from a distance. The teacher groups his/her students with other students located in different classrooms, different schools, and sometimes even different countries. Since it is obvious that the students are not in the same classroom the teacher uses the internet to facilitate student interactions, for example the students can e-mail one another to communicate. The teacher must also make the time to correspond with other teachers/ telecollaborators on the project so as to stay on the same page. Not only can the students interact with a different class, but they can also interact with several different classes at one time, depending on the teacher’s use of the telecollaborative lesson. A lot goes into planning a telecollaborative project, and the teacher must be ready to put in a good hundred hours into the development of one. There are certain steps and measures one can take to plan an effective telecollaborative lesson. The teacher creating a telecollaborative lesson must be clear with what the curricular goal(s) will be and how the activity will be structured. Keep in mind that the teacher isn’t just setting these in place for his/her class, but that these will also be implemented with the other classes that will be joining the cybernetic grouping of the students. It is recommended that the teacher research and explore other examples of online telecollaborative projects. It is helpful to see how other teachers put the projects together and what topics they may have decide to cover with this type of lesson. It is also important to determine the details of the project: the title, the educational purpose, the organizer/contact person for the project, and many more significant elements that ensure a successful execution of the project. Once these have been decided and the intentions of the lesson are made clear, it is time to invite other telecollaborators into the mix. Posting a brief description of your project in public discussion areas frequented by other K-12 teachers will get the job done. Along with the brief description of the project, make sure to leave a private e-mail address so that interested parties will be able to reach you online for further information of the project. This is a great way to create a solid network of teachers as well. By keeping the e-mail addresses of interested teachers you will have formed connections with the ones that share your interests, making it easier to reconnect with them when the time is right. Once you have spoken with other educators about the project and have made a decision on how to best go about it, you can now form the telecollaborative groups. Staying organized is a vital component throughout the entire process. It is essential to keep the information of all the teachers that registered to be a part of the project in a file and to make sure to have the teacher’s name, school name, school location among other important tidbits about the class itself. After all these things are in place, it is time to communicate. Remember that communication online is different from face-to-face communication. E-mail is text-based and a quick way to communicate a thought, so be prepared to receive multiple e-mails from the different telecollaborators. It is important that you log into your e-mail account daily to read and delete messages sent to you about the project, whether they are updates, progress reports, or changes. Knowing the status of the project is imperative to all who are contributing to the efforts of the project, so it is wise to have all who are contributing to the message being sent to sign it. As an active participant in the group you should also be willing to share what you know with all, including the newcomers. Just make sure to keep communication alive between you and the other teachers. And finally, create a solid closure for the lesson. This can be done through assigning the students to create a tangible product at the end of the lesson, like a public presentation or a display of what they learned. The main point of a telecollaborative lesson is to get the students to interact not only amongst themselves in the classroom but to expose them to the world outside of it, to bring a little piece of reality into their grasps and to let them experience it, if just through the internet.

What is Cooperative/ Collaborative Learning?

Cooperative/ collaborative learning is, put simply, effective group work. The basis for this concept is to group students in an effective way to help them gain a more complete insight of their peers and the various perspectives of any subject matter. Cooperative/ collaborative learning is the fancy way of saying small group learning. In my SPC 1026 class, or Fundamentals of Speech, we learned about small group communication. This type of communication is quite important to master because we find ourselves in that type of situation daily. Whether communicating with our co-workers or coming home to share with our families, these gatherings happen in small groups and we should be able to act appropriately in each. While reading about cooperative/ collaborative learning I found myself comparing it to the similar aspects of small group communication. There are several different types of small groups, and one that fits the purpose of cooperative/ collaborative learning is the task-oriented group. In this group the members work towards the same goal. In a classroom, once the students have been grouped together I assume the goal for each member of the group becomes the same, to complete the task at hand. However, everyone (students, peers, co-workers, etc.) has their own opinion of how a problem should be solved or how the task should be completed. This is where the essence of cooperative/ collaborative learning really shines. For the students to work effectively in the group, they must become a team. For this to happen there are certain skills that must develop in each of them. Celebrating diversity, acknowledging the differences in others, and being able to relate to other learners are just a few of the benefits when developing strong interpersonal skills. It is important that the student learns to work with all types of people, despite their differences in opinions or even backgrounds, and to be able to construct their knowledge based on an array of perspectives. This brings up another important aspect of cooperative/ collaborative learning. During small group learning the students have more of an opportunity for feedback from their peers. In these groups, the students are able to share more of their ideas and opinions and get almost instant feedback. This alone motivates the student to open up and speak out about the task. The students are guaranteed a listening ear and an exchange of ideas. Unfortunately, cooperative/ collaborative learning isn’t always the answer and needless to say some even oppose it on the basis that in mixed-ability groups the strong students are left to teach the weaker ones and this can become a burden to the student themselves. Another drawback is that this type of learning may only encourage lower-level thinking. In group assignments, sometimes there is only enough time to cover the most basic level of the task at hand. In the end, I believe there are several ways of learning and that each has its own time to be implemented. There is no such thing as a better way, just a more effective way. And they can all be made effective. It just takes a teacher with an open mind and an inquisitive heart to set it all in motion.

What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

When I was first introduced to the concept of Inquiry-Based Learning I found it vaguely familiar. As I read about the concepts behind this learning strategy I was reminded of Constructivism. In the handout I printed from the website Concept to Classroom the brief history of Inquiry-Based Learning was explained. That is when I learned that both concepts were intertwined. In Inquiry-Based Learning the term is quite self explanatory, based on inquiry. Learning is believed to take place when the student is actually motivated enough, internally, to ask questions and actively partake in the learning process. What Inquiry-Based Learning does is give the student the means to generate their own questions and to find solutions to these questions. If the student isn’t interested in the subject matter being taught then there isn’t much hope that the concepts will stick. So this motivation is ignited by placing the student in the middle of it all. By getting them to actively participate through asking questions or answering them, the student is free to construct their knowledge as they see fit; in a manner easiest for them to retrieve it. That is the foundation for Inquiry-Based Learning. The second important feature of this concept is that it’s not all about pouring the information into the student’s brain. It’s not about memorizing facts and then being able to spew them out on command. It’s about learning to learn the proper way. It’s about gaining knowledge and experience about the learning process itself. Inquiry-Based Learning deals with a lot of questioning, from the student’s side and from the teacher’s side. But the main goal is getting the student to ask the right type of questions, ones that will get them on the right track to understanding the material being taught. Like I said before, it’s not about being able to answer one-dimensional questions. It’s about being able to sift through several different materials, media, and data and compiling a sufficient knowledgeable base to answer open and reflective questions. There are four types of questions used in an Inquiry-Based Learning environment, and these are: inference questions, interpretation questions, transfer questions, and questions about hypotheses. Inference questions aid in going beyond the immediately available information and promote finding clues to examine and discuss, justifying specific inferences and filling in missing information. Interpretation questions help the student understand the consequences of ideas or information; these questions lead them to a deeper level of perception about the subject matter. Transfer questions allow the student “to take their knowledge to new places.” The student transfers their knowledge into other scenarios or situations and is given the chance to work through it based on what they know. And finally, questions about hypotheses are used to make the student actively aware of what they are expecting the outcome will be. Predictive thinking is no longer a tool for science teachers; it can take place in all domains. When you begin to read a novel, more often than not, one is always curious of how the story will end and through this curiosity we predict, hypothesize, and imagine what the story might end like. And that is what Inquiry-Based Learning is all about. It is about actively participating in your learning process. Piecing together what you know, adding to it what you don’t, and truly embracing the act of learning.

What is a Constructivist Lesson Plan?

A Constructivist Lesson Plan does just that, it constructs or in some cases reconstructs knowledge in the learner’s mind. This type of lesson plan is based on constructivism. In constructivism, the learning process is seen as much more than just a passive experience. It takes an active participation on the learner’s behalf. Constructivism believes that all learners bring with them prior knowledge and experience to every learning situation. Through this previous exposure the learner can then integrate new information and experiences to construct their own unique knowledge. Like building a house, first and foremost a foundation must be created in order to have a clear and stable understanding of the material. From there the student can construct (or reconstruct) and make stronger their own understanding through the guidance of a teacher. Another principle in a constructivist framework is that learning occurs internally, whether it is being controlled or mediated. In a Constructivist Lesson Plan the student isn’t sitting in the classroom absorbing “useful” information, instead the teacher makes it a point to let the student interact with the material, and gives the student a chance to create their own insights on the subject matter. This usually either reaffirms what they know or gives them a firsthand look at what they don’t. Unfortunately, these changes occur internally (as stated before). In constructivism the importance is placed on the processes by which a child creates and develops their views of the world around them. A Constructivist Lesson Plan is student based because of this. However, all students construct their knowledge in different ways and the teacher must be prepared to handle these differences with an arsenal of resources, tools, and experiences at their fingertips. Teachers must design activities where the student will stay engaged in the lesson and still understand the content being taught. One sure fire way to do this is to bring real-world problems into the classroom. By doing this the student is actively involved in solving problems that pose a relevance to their lives. They might gather and analyze information to make informed decisions pertaining to real life situations. This brings certain topics close to home and shows the student a more concrete connection to their education and the world they live in. In this setting the student is encouraged to take initiative. The teacher is only there to transmit the information being taught in the manner most suitable for the learner’s understanding, and encourages them to discover basic principles on their own.

What is the difference between the Behaviorist Lesson Plan format and the Constructivist Lesson Plan format?

In my opinion the Behaviorist Lesson Plan format is better equipped to organize learning for children in elementary school (K-5). The Behaviorist Lesson Plan format was pieced together from brilliant suggestions made by Madeline Hunter. Her main goal was to create a more effective teacher. Through the eight step design she made it abundantly clear how a teacher should be handling the material for a lesson and how it should be given to the students. These effective teachers had a methodology to their madness; they were very organized when planing and presenting a lesson. Hunter believed that a properly taught lesson contained eight steps that maximized learning, regardless of the teaching style, subject matter, or economic background of the students. These eight steps are: 1) Purpose/ Objective, 2) Anticipatory Set, 3) Input, 4) Modeling, 5) Guided Practice, 6) Check For Understanding, 7) Independent Practice, and 8) Closure. Now, I am familiar with these steps and have recently become a little more familiarized with the Constructivist Lesson Plan format and have come to my own reasoning about both formats. The Behaviorist Lesson Plan format, although is said to work with any grade level and subject matter, is better suited to organize learning for young children. I believe this because the format is very restricted and there are certain things you are expected to do when teaching new material. The format is created in such a way that it's as if you are teaching a child to ride a bicycle. You inform the child why it is best to learn to ride a bicycle and what their goal is once they learn the action (purpose/ objective - for a little more freedom and to make it to the end of the block without falling over). You (as the instructor) show them how easy it is and tell them they can also achieve this goal (anticipatory set). The thought of them riding a bicycle on their own excites them and puts them in a state of readiness. First, you walk them through the action (input), making sure to hold on to the back of the seat while they are riding the bicycle. Then, you show them in more detail what it is to ride a bicycle on their own (model). You show them how it's done. Finally, they continue to practice riding a bicycle while your hand is still attached to the seat and you are giving them pointers (guided practice). When you think they are ready to fly solo, you make sure to check their understanding of what it means to ride a bicycle on their own and if they would feel comfortable riding alone. You may ask: Do you want me to let go of the seat now? If they feel confident in their riding abilities the answer will be yes, and when you let go of the seat it is left completely up to them to show you what they know (independent practice). Once they have ridden circles around you, they are now ready to ride their bicycle down the block. When they achieve this goal, independently, the lesson is completed (closure). As you can see this format doesn't leave much space for true independent practice, understanding, and evaluation. It is very “monkey see, monkey do.” But this is exactly what the children of this age group need. Their understanding at that age operates on a more simplistic level. Students in this age range need to know what they are going to be taught, why they should know this, and how to do it. As simple as that. The Constuctivist Lesson Plan builds off of what the student already knows. It is used to construct or reconstruct the student's understanding of the material being taught. This format, I believe, is better suited for the cognitive levels of students in middle and high school (6-12). The Constructivist Lesson Plan is formatted with 6 important elements: 1) Situation, 2) Groupings (of students and materials), 3) Bridge (creating connections of what the student knows to what will be taught), 4) Questions (to encourage continuous thinking throughout the lesson), 5) Exhibit (showing others-peers, teachers, parents-what they learned through various outlets, verbally or visually), and 6) Reflections (to internally gauge their own learning). In this format the student is given a chance to come to their own conclusions of what might be taught and to showcase what they already know about the topic. The Constructivist Lesson Plan format is more of a relaxed fit. The teacher wants the student to come away with some new knowledge of the material, but also wants the student to take it upon themselves to realize what and why they are being taught the material to begin with. The teacher is no longer there to hold the student's hand (or the bicycle's seat) through the lesson, instead the teacher gives them the space to move about through the material by themselves. A Constructivist teacher places the student on a bicycle and leaves the student to explore this new contraption on their own, bumps, bruises, and all.

What Is A Lesson Plan?

A lesson plan by definition is a document created by an instructor or teacher that is used to organize instructions for a lesson. It guides the instructor or teacher on what needs to be focused on, in what order it needs to be presented, and what procedure should be used in teaching the material that will yield the most effective outcome. When planning a lesson, a good checklist to use is the seven step lesson plan. The various elements used to create this lesson plan were put together from suggestions made by Madeline Hunter. It is based on the Madeline Hunter Method. Hunter’s Method was structured to be useful in generating several different lesson plans, including non-behavioral ones. Although, the seven step lesson plan and Hunter’s Method have, obviously, seven steps, all steps do not need to be present to have an effective lesson plan. It all depends on the material being covered and is done so at the discretion of the teacher. The lesson plan begins with the objectives to be covered in the lesson, Step 1. What should the student be able to understand and do after the lesson is taught? In Step 2, the standards of performance are placed; what is expected of the student and when it will be expected of them. The standards should be explained to the student, after the lesson and procedures are given in thorough detail. In Step 3, the anticipatory set is used to “hook” the students’ attention and is done so in different ways. The goal here is to focus their attention to the lesson and to organize their framework for the new ideas, information, and principles about to be introduced to them. In Step 4, comes the actual teaching of the material and is subdivided into 3 other steps. The sub-steps are to input, model, and check for understanding. Quite self explanatory, inputting is when the material is finally given to the student in a form of a lecture, film, or pictures. Modeling takes place after and is when the teacher shows the students examples of what their final work is expected to look like. And finally the teacher checks for understanding, by giving the students a chance to practice the right way of doing whatever it is they are being taught to do. In Step 5, the students partake in guided practices. The teacher uses this time to monitor the students’ skill level and understanding of the lesson, while the students are actively completing an exercise or activity. In Step 6, closure is signaled by the teacher that the lesson is coming to an end. The teacher concludes a lesson by giving the students a chance to organize their learning and by reviewing and clarifying important aspects of the lesson. Although, the lesson has officially ended in the last Step (Step 7), the students must continue with independent practice of the material that was taught so as to keep it fresh in their mind for later retrieval. This is done so by assigning homework or in-class assignments. Now, this lesson plan is most popular with behaviorist. Behaviorists are the ones that believe that the only way to truly measure learning is to be able to observe the behavior once whatever was being taught is repeated until it becomes second nature. The learning is engrained in their behavior. Another type of lesson plan is the Constructivist Lesson Plan. This lesson plan is based on the students. It builds off of what the students already know and understand. Constructivists believe that the perspective a student has of the world around them is created through different experiences and schema, and that these are what truly make-up the learning process. Although there are different constructivist design models for learning, one that caught my eye was the Learning Cycle. Much different from the Behaviorist Lesson Plan, the Constructivist Lesson Plan only has three steps. Originally used in science education, the process begins with the “discovery phase,” step 1. During this phase the student is left to “learn” of the topic independently by handling the material and generating questions and hypotheses. In Step 2, the teacher introduces the topic through “concept introduction” and helps the students focus their previous questions and hypotheses through experiments created by the students themselves. And in Step 3, the students take their new found knowledge of the concept being learned and are put to apply it in different scenarios. This step is called “concept application.” The student is left to reconsider the concepts use when dealing with similar, if not relevant cases. And like a cycle, the steps tend to repeat themselves several times throughout a lesson. And finally, the New Age approach to education can be seen through the Transpersonal Lesson Plan. I affiliate it with New Age because I see several components of New Age type mentality incorporated into this type of lesson plan, like creating a strong sense of self, learning to handle power, and meditation. Although the Transpersonal Lesson Plan can follow either the Behavioral or Constructivist design model it is strongly routed in the students’ sense of self. There are certain elements that set it apart from the other types of lesson plans. The skills emphasized in a Transpersonal Lesson Plan are learning about the self, learning about power, experiencing a connection with others and the environment, clarifying true worth, among other special skills. These skills are taught to the students in an experiential manner, and incorporate the students’ body, emotion, and intellect. Special environments also come into play when focusing on a Transpersonal Lesson Plan. These environments should lend themselves to the students’ choice or control, attention being paid to the whole person, and self-evaluations, just to name a few. In this type of setting the teacher loses the stereotypical role, and takes the new role of a mentor or facilitator. Their main goal is to understand and support their students, not to critique and judge them.

Bio and Statement of Purpose

Well, I’m sure you already know who I am, but let’s refresh your memory. My name is Diana Lopez. My birthday is October 29. I’m a Scorpio. I was born and raised right here, in Miami, Florida. This is the second class I take with you as the professor. During the Fall Term 2008, I took EDF 1005. A rigorous little course full of history, philosophy, and psychology all balled into one. It was as if the course were on steroids. And I loved every minute of it! I don’t think I ever worked so hard for a class in my life. It also gave me a chance to briefly experience life as a teacher when I completed some service learning hours at an actual school, because one thing is talking about being a teacher. It is a completely different feeling when you are actually in a classroom looking at possible future students and interacting with them. I took this new found motivational drive as a sign that I should definitely be some type of educator. My major, as of now, is still Art Education. Although, I would love to teach art at an elementary level, I am also realistic of the current situation at hand. The economy is a restless thing during these times, and I often worry that when I’m finally done with everything (and I’ve proudly received my degree) I’ll be a teacher without a class. I hope that is not the case, because I’ve come to realize how truly important art is to a growing child. It is something that each child should be so lucky to experience. I hope to be there when they get a chance to do so. That is why I hold onto the dream of becoming an Art Teacher. As an Art Teacher I hope to show my students the beauty in everyday life. That art isn’t just for the critic, or the intellectual, or the artsy fartsies. That art can be enjoyed at any age. That art has no specific definition other than the fact that it is an expression of the self. And that when you engage in art you are leaving your mark on the world. I hope to accomplish my dream of being an Art Teacher, because I don’t think I can teach any other subject as passionately as I feel now, and will forever feel, for art. Down the line I may have to compromise my dream for reality, but until that day comes I will work hard to become an Art Teacher. And if one day I look out at my students and tell them to turn to page fifty in their text books, well then that’s okay too. Because what the children need right now are people who want to be teachers, so they can be children who want to be students.