Chalk vs. The Triangle

I think that the purpose of the movie Chalk is to teach us the exact opposite of how to act, teach, and live. The teachers in this movie have no concern for their students what so ever. However, the good thing about this movie is that is does show us how Bandura's triangle works. Bandura's triangle demonstrates how student's behavior and environment are directly related. In Chalk this is very easy to see. In on of the history classrooms it is very evident that the teacher does not have a lot of experince teaching and does not really have a clue to what he is doing. The students respond to this environment by acint up in class, such as starting fights and having thier cell phones on. Thier behavior is also enticed by thier teacher who does not know how to discipline them. Chalk is a very wierd movie, but it has showed me exacly opposite of the teacher I want to be. I have learned form this movie that teaching has to be all about the students or else there really is not ppont to going to school, like the students in this movie have clearly demonstrated. I have learned that a student's behavior is directly related to the environment they are in. I really hope that this movie does not refelct a real school becasue that would be unacceptable.

Classical Conditioning on The Office

This is the first thing that popped into my head when we read about classical conditioning and how children learn in chapter 7 of Santrock. Don't worry I won't do this to my students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znAzMkn5Ey0

Gifted vs. Disabled

In the article Autism and Education, a single mom talks about the pressures of bringing up two very different children. One is is servery autistic and one is unusually gifted. She is very grateful about all the care that her son receives for his autism but she feels that her gifted daughter should get the same. I definitely agree with this mom; schools could do a lot more to help gifted students reach their full potential. I think that I also agree with this mom and feel like I am a part of a similar situation. I have a learning disability and my brother is one of the smartest people I know. My brother, Zac, taught himself to solve a rubix cube in less than 2 minutes in less than 3 days. He picked up the guitar and learned how to play all the chords and read tabs in a week. In school, however, Zac knows how to do the bare minimum to get an A. He does not push him self and slides right on by. Me on the other hand, used to get pulled out to work on reading, wring, and math in elementary school, and am now on a program that allows me to have accommodations. It is really easy to see the students, like myself, how need the help but what about the students that just slide by like my brother. The education system needs to start recognizing them as well. Awareness is the first step.

Life in the REAL World

What is life like in the real world once you graduate from Luther College with a degree in Education? This is a pretty big question that my peers and I have and the panel of new teachers brought us some great answers to this question. They told us about some comforting stories and also some that were a little concerning.

One of the things that they talked about that concerned me was the fact that kids have changed. A big part of this is because of the fast pace in which society is changing which have been brought on by technology. It was interesting to learn that kids use the computer for almost everything including looking up vocabulary words. The teachers talked about how information in the classroom has become almost too accessible and the that students are not retaining information as well or generation. Also due to this fact, kids come to schools lacking social skills and manners and need to learn them at school instead of at home. I do think that technology needs to play a role in the classroom but not to the point were it is the only resource students use.

The the comfort that I got from the new teacher presentation was the fact that they had made it! They are people that went through the very same program that I am in right now and they are all successful and are living their dream. I really can not wait to get to that point in my life. I can not wait to see were my path leads. The new teacher panel gave me some great insights into the roles of a teacher in the 21st century and hope for my own future.