It's All Coming Together...My Reflections Thus Far

WE ARE ABOUT FIVE WEEKS INTO OUR METHODS CLASS AND I AM SO EXCITED WITH MY PROGRESS. WHEN I TOOK MY FIRST CLASS WITH DR. SMIRNOVA, CURRICULUM PLANNING, I WAS CONSTANTLY PANICKED. NOT ONLY WAS IT MY FIRST EDUCATION CLASS BUT MY FIRST CLASS HEAVY IN TECHNOLOGY. NOW, IN MY THIRD CLASS WITH DR. SMIRNOVA, I FEEL SLIGHTLY MORE RELAXED. I AM DEFINITELY MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE COMPUTER AND EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE LEARNED IN PREVIOUS CLASSES IS NOW COMING TOGETHER. AS MY FRIEND SALLY SAYS IN HER BLOG, MY EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE OF EDUCATION "THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST IN DEPTH LEARNING EXPERIENCES THUS FAR IN MY EDUCATION COURSES." (http://sally8971.blogspot.com/) WE HAVE REVIEWED MODELS, STRATEGIES AND METHODS TO WHERE WE HAVE REACHED AUTOMATICITY AND ARE NOW DELVING IN DEEPER TO THE DIFFERENT INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES STARTING WITH DIRECT INSTRUCTION. DIRECT INSTRUCTION USES TEACHER EXPLANATION, DEMONSTRATION AND MODELING. IT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL WHEN OUR CLASS WAS BROKEN INTO GROUPS, EACH REQUIRED TO TEACH A LESSON ON A DIFFERENT ELEMENT OF DIRECT INSTRUCTION. WORKING WITH MY PARTNERS JESSICA AND DAWN WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN ITSELF ON COLLABORATION, SOMETHING I HOPE TO DO WITH MY PEERS WHEN I BECOME A TEACHER. AS VYGOTSKY SAID "TEACHERS SHOULD BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF STUDENT'S LEARNING" THIS IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR A TEACHER TO PLAN. WE ARE LEARNING THE PROPER WAY TO WRITE LESSON PLANS NOW. THIS WEEK WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LESSON PLAN TO EVALUATE. IT IS A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN JUST WRITING YOUR OWN. YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOOK HARD AND KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! IT IS STILL A BIT CONFUSING BUT I AM HOPING THAT BY THE NEXT "REFLECTION BLOG" I WILL BE SAYING HOW WELL I GET IT.