Week Three

My third week in my GLTP class was very interesting and informative. This week we concentrated on the idea of creativity and how a teacher should use it to make his or her lessons more memorable and effective.

After reading Dr. Ambrose's article, it became clear how many of the theories and ideas that we have been discussing in class relate to one another. For example, a teacher who practices constructivism will need to be creative. He/She must realize that their class is made up of individuals who can fall anywhere on the learning continuum. Therefore flexibility in teaching and the ability to change directions in order to meet the students' needs is essential. Also, while doing research for my group project, I able to make a connection between the creative teacher and differentiate Instruction.

The class period was very busy. First we had a guess speaker, who just happens to be my best friend, explaining to us about Taskstream a new program that is being implemented in the School of Education. The interesting thing about this program is that it can be used as a digital portfolio and at the same time, make it easier for the administration to prepare for their accreditation through NCATE.

Next, we separated into our project groups so that we could discuss our projects. I have to say I'm a little bit nervous about this presentation because at this point we have so many questions and nothing concrete written or discussed. I hope by my next posting that this will no longer be a problem.

We then took a break and when we got back we discussed metaphorical Analysis. This is both good and bad at the same time. By using these analogies it becomes easier to remember certain facts, but at the same time this type of exercise can trap you into a certain way of thinking. Dr. Ambrose then showed us quite a few examples that made it more clearer. One example is teaching as cooking. The teacher is the chef, the cookbook is the curriculum, spices are the teaching modules, student learning is the entree, discrepant event is the appetizer and even the idea that some kids enjoy gourmet, while others like the greasy spoon.

During the last 40 minutes of class, we were asked to write a reflection paper discussing Dr. Ambrose's article on creativity and the NJ core curriculum. What I learned from this experience is that I'm a little rusty in my time management skills. I couldn't believe how fast the time went and how much stuff I wanted to discuss. I truly hope I did well on it. I guess we will see next week.