Reflections+For+Monday

Reflection

Rachel's Homework from Mfile:///Users/teacher/Desktop/photo-4.jpgonday Object: plastic fork What I know: used for eating, contains chemicals, can be an emergency sand toy for a toddler What I observe: plastic, 5 inches, white, decorated [ using this level of detail it would be difficult to distinguish your fork from a number of other white 5 inch items] What I've experienced: used for lunch at school and picnics but trying to use less often due to chemicals - everything after the but is not experience. Questions: How do the chemicals get into your systems? How much does washing them in the dishwasher bring out these chemicals?

Beliefs about Teaching: Teaching is ideally a means of showing someone how they can continue to better themselves/grow in the absence of the teacher. Beliefs about Learning: Learning is being able to find something in anything that can apply to oneself and help him or her to grow.

__ Ellen's HW __ This object has become extremely important to me. I need it usually before I go to bed, but sometimes in the middle of the day. It is all white, made of plastic, rubber, and metal. It is usually cool to the touch, but heats up to a cozy warmth when in use. It powers up my life- my work, my play, my kids! It provides information, organization, memory, entertainment, and so much more! It was not so long ago that I did not even know of its presence. Now I can not get through my day without it. [Where does the cozy warm come from?]
 * Play Activity:**

Why does this refuse to coil up into a convenient ball? Why doesn't it work when I plug it into my computer? Why is the end so bulky? Why is it not longer?

Reflect: My beliefs about teaching and learning...
 * Learning should be fun, interesting, and engaging. Learning should make us better than we were before. Learning should occur as naturally as possible, with as much support as needed.
 * Teaching should be fun, interesting, and engaging. Teaching should make us better than we were before. Teaching should occur as naturally as possible, with as much support as needed.
 * Teaching and learning are equally important. [the beginnings of a dialectical understanding] Teaching should consider the needs of the students, and the strengths of both the students and teachers. Teachers who convey passion, interest and excitement will instill the same in their students.
 * Teaching and learning are both hard work. They take effort, time, and repetition. They can both be perfected, yet still be always open for improvement and growth. [An interesting contradiction] They are the most important work we do as human beings. They are what move us forward, keep us always changing, and improve our lives.

Dawn's HW Object: My ball point pen It is black and transparent. It is about 6 inches in length and can be a great tool universally by hand. I can write and draw with it. Take your pick. I need it to use with my notebook.

Reflection I believe teaching and learning has a lot to do with the teacher and learner. The teacher needs to teach constructively and the learner should be willing explore. The end result should be the teacher imparting knowledge [Where does this belief come from?] ,and the learner constructing knowledge through exploration.

Linda's HW Object: Diaper This is something for a baby’s bottom. Keeps baby dry. It is mostly white. Have Velcro tabs. Picture of Winnie the Pooh on upper front corner. Has wet indicator (yellow strip). Number one on the back. Has elastic band around the back and legs for fit. Light green design. Has Huggie name on back.

Questions What is it made of? How is it constructed? Is a paper diaper better than cloth diaper? Can this diaper have impact on child’s health? How does it stay in landfill before decomposing? Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning should be an engaging experience for both the learner and teacher. Teaching is about the sharing of knowledge and experiences. It is my greatest belief that all children can learn according to their developmental abilities. This means that children will acquire knowledge (cognitive, social/emotional, and physical) when they are developmentally ready [this is interesting what model or framework is being used to determine developmental readiness?]. Learning means you are acquiring knowledge [here is a causal relationship that could be further investigated i.e. what do you mean by acquiring knowledge, what counts as knowledge, is learning exclusively about acquiring knowledge] about the world around you through your interactions

Cynthia's HW Activity The picture I took is of the bottom leaves of my Mother's Day orchid. I know that the plant had a beautiful purple flower on top which is dying. Originally this made me sad, but I realized that by looking at the leaves, the plant is actually quite healthy. They are a deep shade of green with a strong healthy glow. Now I need to follow the directions on the plant to place it in another room, allow it to rest and regrow another stalk and subsequent flower. [ Is the deep shade green uniform throughout the plant? What are the indicators that lead you to believe that the plant is quite healthy? What does it mean for a plant to "rest?"]

Beliefs about teaching: As most teachers I know, I love learning and I especially love reading. I am a teacher because I love to read and want to share this skill and lifelong ability with my students. I enjoy working with special needs students because I understand that we're all different with different leaning abilities and challenges. I enjoy getting to know my students well enough to support them in their educational growth. I strongly believe that consistent love, high expectations and positive praise [ Where do these beliefs come from? What do you do if you really don't love the child? What if the child doesn't need motivating?] are the key to motivating children to learn even when the process is difficult.

Minnah

This item is a stapler, and is blue and black in color. It has a hinge at the back. The staples logo is written in red. The words one-touch are written in white below the logo. This particular stapler is one in a series of staplers under the Staples one-touch brand. It is specially designed to be easy to use whereby a lot of pressure is not needed to operate it. This stapler uses standard staples and several pages can be stapled together easily. I have found it to be easy to use, although it is not the easiest stapler I have ever used. [Is it made primarily of plastic or metal? Is there a spring mechanism in the staple receptacle? Is it one of those mini 2 inch staplers or 4 or 5 inches long?]]

Questions: 1. How many staples actually fit in the staple receptacle? 2. Who invented the stapler?

Reflect It is my philosophy that all children can learn given the proper instruction. It is also my belief that teachers must support children's emotional and social growth in addition to their academic growth. Yet all cannot be done without parents' active involvement in all aspects of the students' educational lives. [ Is learning not possible without proper instruction? How does your philosophy account for young children learning to speak their native language or the phenomenon described in Mitra's Hole in the Wall project?]