I have been delighted by this course and the knowledge I have gained from my time spent reading the materials and the responses my peers have reflected over the last couple of weeks. I often feel as if I am unable to contribute the amount of advice that the other students have due to my lack of experience within the classroom. I will express my appreciation for current teachers in the course who guide and direct my future decisions as a teacher. I spend most of my days and hours in class sessions learning 'how to be' a teacher, but not enough time speaking to and learning from current educators who are currently working with students. I have found that after professor Davis assigned groups of three into a discussion forum that the placement has allowed for more personal conversation to transpire within the discussions. I have learned a great amount of do's and don'ts' from the other experienced teachers. Samantha brings personal experience with her children and students which I find very interesting. I am grateful that I am able to ask her questions like, "Have you utilized this method in your classroom, if so was it effective?" in order to gain knowledge of future planning.
Since I am unable to observe my own classroom, I will describe a current college course I am enrolled in. The subject of the course is Sustainable Public Discourse, Intensive writing. During our class period I took into account that given 4 weeks into the course, students are contributing more to classroom discussions and observing more scholarly issues. I feel as though we are understanding the assigned readings, now that we have been given a great deal of foundational information to build upon. Most of our readings are scholarly journal articles and scientific papers which require careful examination and understanding. I have noticed a growth within my understanding and I am more confident with the readings than in the beginning. This experience has given me an understanding of how to present new and difficult material to my students who may not bring 'previous' knowledge to the class in regards to the subject matter. I will attempt to build a strong beginning foundation, then introduce the material so that they will have a greater chance of understanding and achievement.
