week 3, chapters 6, 8, 9, with case study from 7

I liked that Chapter 6 briefly addressed the claim that many people make these days that "schools are getting worse." It would have been extremely easy (but not as rewarding I imagine) to be a teacher 150 years ago. Goals and expectations have changed. I fully believe that the more one knows the less they feel they know. Actually, I think the saying is "ignorance is bliss." The more we learn about learning and teaching the more difficult it can seem to be because we realize the problems and try to improve. For example, this class brings up more questions and issues about being a learner and teacher than I had before I started the class. I anticipate that more and more questions will continue to arrise even after being a seasoned teacher.

I also thought the "Talking in Class" example (Box 6.3) with the speech-language pathologist and the Inuit students was extremely interesting. Although brought up in the community-centered environment section it could have also have been used in the learner-centered environment section. The book has focused more on misconceptions of the students that can hinder learning rather than all the preconceptions of the teacher that could hinder teaching and learning. When I was a teacher assistant (undergrad biology) I was always worried about being objective and being "fair". It's extremely difficult to not "judge" - we're all human and to not use our opinions and our misconceptions. I think this is another reason that traditional teaching and testing is easy to fall back on. It's easier as a teacher to be confident that you're being objective and not judging because it's more cut and dry. Who wants to be responsible for teaching or assessing a student "wrong"? It's frustrating knowing that there are cases like this (Box 6.3) where a teacher automatically thinks that a particular student "may have a learning problem" because of the teachers misconception and that it could be adversly affecting the student and their future. The example shows that there is overlap with the four perspectives and to really work, they need to be aligned and used together both in the classroom and through out the whole school. Had the Inuit teacher and the principle been on the "same page" it wouldn't have taken the speech-language pathologist to discover that the classroom norms weren't known by all and the misconceptions of the teacher and students.

A difficult idea for me that arose after reading Chapter 8 (not exactly a concept from the readings, but one that stemmed from it) is how in the world do any existing teachers or preservice teachers actually overcome falling into the traditional teaching approach?! I mean the odds don't sound good. As if providing a learner, knowledge, assessment and community centered classroom isn't difficult enough for a teacher, Chapter 8 make me feel like it's impossible. To be successful teachers, teachers need to consistently practice these theories, yet they themselves are not even surrounded by it. In addition, most of us have been taught "traditional style" for years and as we know, it's difficult to "unlearn". The chapter says that "learning opportunities for teachers fall short" and "many programs for preservice teachers fall short". Am I trying my hardest to understand these thories and figure out ways to incorporate them into my teaching style only to fail because of all the obstacles, including one of the bigggest - the schools? When I'm just a beginning teacher and the schools favor "covering the curriculum" am I going to panic and revert to "playing it safe"? Well, I hope not, but thanks Chapter 8 for putting all that on my plate.

To end on a good note... I'm very technology unsavy and at first frowned when I saw Chapter 9 was "Technology to Support Learning". Yuck. However, I'm excited to use some of the various programs they mentioned (among others) in my future teaching classes. They sound like amazing learning tools (for students and teachers)!