Post 7: Self-Reflection

In-class contributions/Participation

            If I were to give myself a grade for my participation in this course I would give myself a 95. I upped my grade 2 points from the mid course evaluation because I have tried to make an effort to speak at least once per class. I have also contributed a lot of ideas and examples to the group discussions. I have worked collectively with others to present teaching projects and the group differences forum. It wasn’t until midcourse, that I felt more comfortable speaking in front of others. The teaching projects and in-class discussions have really helped me come out of my shell a little bit and open up to others in the classroom. However, I still find myself holding back on contributing thoughts and ideas. I would deduct 3 points for in-class contributions/participation for not participating as much as I should. Overall, I have really enjoyed the in-class discussions and have gained many new perspectives of teaching and learning.

Tickets out the door

            We have not had too many tickets out the door lately, but when we did I used them to ask questions about assignments or to evaluate my progress in the class. No points deducted here.

Reading

           

            In terms of the reading I would deduct 2 points because I read the text to the best of my ability. There were times I did not have time to read the entire chapter and perused them instead. However, as the semester went on, I found myself reading the text more to gain ideas for my CSEL. The text has really helped me tie my theory of learning to the theories listed in the book. After reading the text, I now see myself more as a social constructivist.

Questions to consider

            The questions to consider that have been presented in class have really stretched my thinking. They encouraged me to apply prior information to new information being learned. When answering the questions to consider, I try to refer to my own experience student teaching and think of other ways of approaching situations. No points deducted here.

Attendance

            I have had excellent attendance this semester. I have attended every class and have arrived on time. No points deducted here.

Extra resources and other outside of class

            This semester I advanced my learning by searching for outside resources that could be used in my teaching projects. I found several scholarly journals on google scholar and our online library. I also referred to older textbooks I used in my former child and family study courses to gain more knowledge about how to manage classrooms effectively. No points deducted here.

Post 6: Group Discussion Forum Reflection

•   What did you learn during our forum that you didn’t know before?

After reading the articles on poverty, I learned the difference between poverty and low-income families. From what I understand, those who live in low-income families are those who receive lower incomes and lack several resources. People who live in poverty also lack money and resources, but tend to prioritize their spendings differently from those who do not live in poverty. For example those who live in poverty might spend their money on unnecessary things before paying their electric bill or grocery bill.

            I also learned about racial differences in relation poverty and parental involvement. For example, White and Asian parents had the highest marriage rates and they had the highest levels of early achievement. I learned that Hispanic parents were least likely to provide stimulating materials and black parents were the least likely to be involved at school. This information helped me gain a better understanding of the different parental involvement and how it affects their children’s academic achievement. 

•  What would you have liked to learn more about?

I would have liked to learn more about how to address the needs of students who live in low-income families. The article I read about poverty and the transition from preschool to kindergarten mainly talked about the results found from the study. The article would have been more beneficial if it would have mentioned some strategies that former teachers have used to address the needs of students who come from low-income families and how we could close the gap as children move through the educational system.

•  How do you think the information presented in the forum will help you in your classroom?

            The article I presented helped me become more aware of all of the factors that tie in to poverty, parental involvement, and children’s academic achievement. I will use the results of this study to formulate ideas of how I can better involve parents in the classroom, as well as expose them to cognitively stimulating activities at home.

•  What could have been done to help you learn more, both by yourself, and the class as a whole (including the instructor)?

I could have learned more about the topic on poverty and how it’s addressed in a classroom setting if I would have asked more questions related to academic achievement in the classroom, parental involvement, educational resources available, and their views/thoughts on poverty. Unfortunately, there was a time constraint and I was not able to ask additional questions.