learning letter

This has been one of my favorite classes at EWU.  Not because it was the most fun but because I have learned the most in it.  Everything we did in this class had a purpose and was directly related to the class.  Many class I have taken have had so much busy work or assignments that didn't relate to what we should have been learning.  Teaching literature to adolescence was always the focus. 

We got to work with a lot of adolescence literature.  We all got to pick one book and present it to the class.  Not only did this help me get in the mindset of figuring out how to use the book I picked in a classroom, but also we got to learn about so many more books we maybe hadn't read.  It gave us exposure and knowledge of books that are available out there.  

There were five books that were assigned as text books.  Each student picked a book and had to present a lesson on that book.  We all had to read each book though, and participate in each lesson.  This was another great way to think about how we can use each of those books in the classroom.  I especially liked the variety of the books.  The lessons and reading opened my eyes as to what can be used in a classroom.  I had never read a graphic novel and never would have guess that I would like it, but I did! 

I really liked the beginning part of the quarter that got us thinking about different educational theories.  I don't think I have had that much exposure to that many theories in any other class.  Usually the only people we hear about in education classes are the old theories such as Blooms taxology.   This was a good chance for us as future teachers, to know what we want out of our classroom.  My favorite theory was on differentiated instruction. 

From this class I have gained a lot that I will be able to take to my classroom with me.  I really want to focus my efforts on using differentiated instruction in my classroom.  I think that learning juts a little bit in our classroom has got me reading on my own about approaches other teachers have used.  It still isn't going to be easy to me or always make sense but the more I work at it the easier it will get.  By coming to class, reading the texts, and participating in the discussions I have learned a lot for my classroom.  I will have a better understanding of what I want to happen.  I will have a bigger repertoire of books to choice from for my students.  If I have a particular student looking for a book I will know a special book for that student.