Final Reflections
Looking back on this semester, I am realizing that the type of learning that took place in this class is much different than what I am used to. When I was working on my math degree, it felt like the courses were a way to acquire information that we could then use to solve problems. In this course however, it felt like the learning that took place was more of a materialization and synthesis of ideas. I think I would have trouble explaining to someone what I learned because most of what I learned came from thinking deeply about ideas that were already in my brain but hadn't been fully fleshed out yet. The connecting of ideas and deepening of understanding occurred as a result of reading the articles but more so as a result of being able to discuss my ideas with others as well as being able to listen to their ideas and synthesize them with my own views.
I really enjoyed the class where we got to teach our peers a topic we were passion about. I think this experience really highlighted for me how much more enjoyable a lesson can be to teach when you are passionate about the subject as well as how much more enjoyable it is to be a student for a passionate teacher. I found this was also the case with the art projects. Many of my peers seemed to be really interested and excited about their topics which made the presentations much easier to listen to. Overall, these experiences really emphasized for me how important it is to bring joy and excitement into a classroom and what an impact doing so can have.
I also found the Eisner article to be enlightening. As a student, I never really considered how what I was learning had been determined by someone to be important and that there was some level of subjectivity involved in this selection process. I had not really considered how much choice teachers actually have in the ways in which they conduct their lessons. Especially with B.C.'s new curriculum, teachers now have a lot of choice in how they decide to present the material and even, to some extent, which material they choose to present. These choices have the potential to have a significant impact on the students so it is important that we make them with care and thoughtful consideration.
I really enjoyed the class where we got to teach our peers a topic we were passion about. I think this experience really highlighted for me how much more enjoyable a lesson can be to teach when you are passionate about the subject as well as how much more enjoyable it is to be a student for a passionate teacher. I found this was also the case with the art projects. Many of my peers seemed to be really interested and excited about their topics which made the presentations much easier to listen to. Overall, these experiences really emphasized for me how important it is to bring joy and excitement into a classroom and what an impact doing so can have.
I also found the Eisner article to be enlightening. As a student, I never really considered how what I was learning had been determined by someone to be important and that there was some level of subjectivity involved in this selection process. I had not really considered how much choice teachers actually have in the ways in which they conduct their lessons. Especially with B.C.'s new curriculum, teachers now have a lot of choice in how they decide to present the material and even, to some extent, which material they choose to present. These choices have the potential to have a significant impact on the students so it is important that we make them with care and thoughtful consideration.
Brianna, thank you for your beautifully-written and very thoughtful comments, both here and throughout the course! I really appreciate the depth and originality of your thought. Wishing you all good things, and have a happy holiday!
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