Week 8 Reflection

This week went well for me. I did not know really anything about brain based learning, so the readings and other people’s blogs really helped to expand my knowledge this week. When I first went to comment on fellow classmates blogs I could only find two people. Sometimes it can be a little frustrating to look through every blog to try and find people who have posted. Hopefully after spring break everybody will be on top of blogs again.

               I talked with Gerald this week about how we change as teachers. We might start off really strict and then with time figure out what is important to stay strict on and what is not. Rachelle and I talked about how important it is to get to know your students. She told a few stories of how journaling really changed how she looked at different situations and how strict she was in her classes. It made me think about when I had a teacher who had us journal and it was a really good experience for me. I think if I am ever teaching older students that this would be a really good idea. This week I also commented on Mariah, Gerald, and Kendra’s blogs. I talked about how much I have used the ideas of brain based learning in the classroom without knowing it and about how much teachers can do to help students get their basic needs met.

               It is important to read about different teaching methods and theories in order to expand my horizons and figure out what is most important to bring into my class with me. This week I thought a lot about how much what I believe is important for the classroom is a mix of a lot of different ideas. The theories that fall under brain based learning are things that I believe make a big difference  when it comes to classroom environment and learning.