Reflection and Review

Course Two: Reflection and Review

Part 1: Personal Reflection and Group Discussion

Before getting into small groups, take a moment to reflect on what the following concepts mean to you and how they manifest themselves in your classroom:

1. Classroom management
2. Curriculum
3. Learning
4. Instruction

How much in your reflections comes from reading Course Two of the CTM? How much comes from prior knowledge? Has the content of Course Two made a difference in your understanding of these concepts? If so, how?

We encourage you to write down your answers. Then, get into small groups (three to five participants) and discuss your responses with your colleagues. Consider addressing the following questions as a group: Has Course Two impacted your professional knowledge and identity? If so, how? How has it prepared you to support and empower your colleagues? What do you yourself find most empowering, relevant, and interesting in Course Two?

Part 2: Review

1. Course Two lists ten strategies for successful classroom management. Choose three or four of those strategies and explain how you would implement them in your classroom. How would these strategies make your classroom practice different from what it is now? How would these strategies help you support and engage students? How would they help you create the optimal learning environment?

2. How would you explain the concept of scaffolding to your less experienced colleagues? How would you help them see the value of this approach? How would you assist them in implementing it?

3. Take a moment to reflect on the following instructional theories that you learned about in Course Two:

• Thematic Learning
• Cooperative Learning
• Outcome-Based Learning
• Character Education

Then, answer the following questions:

1. Using three or four paragraphs explain which ones you are most attracted to and why. Be sure to also comment on why they would work well in your classroom and with your curriculum. How would you convince your colleagues of the effectiveness of the instructional theories you selected?
   
   
2. Give at least two examples of how you would apply these theories in your teaching.

4. Take a moment to reflect on the following four ways of approaching curriculum theory and practice:

• Curriculum as a Body of Knowledge/Product
• Curriculum as Process
• Curriculum as Praxis
• Curriculum as Context

Then, answer the following questions:

1. Which theory is most common in your country/region and among your colleagues? Why?
2. Which theory seems most meaningful to you? What are the benefits of this theory? Explain.
3. How would you apply that theory in your classroom? Give an example.
4. How would the theory you selected impact your students and your own classroom practice? What would change? Explain.

5. How do you plan to deal with the following in your classroom:

• Disruptive students?
• Fear, flight, and fight?
• Student boredom, frustration, and low self-esteem?

1. Are there any strategies or theories in Course Two that can assist you with this?
2. What can be done to ensure that the possibility of these challenges appearing in your classroom is minimized at the very beginning of the school year?
3. What can you do as a classroom teacher to ensure that students are engaged, supported, productive, and empowered?

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^{Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. fred. (2008, June 13). Education for the New Millennium. Retrieved May 04, 2010, from TWB Courseware Web site. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.} http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/88x31.png