Reflection on Past Week

I enjoyed the marker board "talk" that we participated in last week during class. I thought that it was an excellent way to get everyone in the class involved on a thoughtful discussion. Often times, in an informal class discussion, especially in middle and high school, there are always a few outgoing students in the class that raise their hand or often don't raise their hand to speak several times throughout the seminar; this makes others feel outshined and unable to fit in anything to say that they haven't already said. It also leads to a less thoughtful discussion because students are apt to blurt out answers and ideas without really thinking about how valid their idea is to the discussion. I think marker board "talk" is so great because it is still a form of talking, it is just talking through the medium of writing. Students have time to come up with thoughful contributions to the discussion, everyone can participate, and its a fun and different approach to regular seminars. I feel like it takes a lot of the pressure off, too, for studnets who are shy because they are able to write their answer and review it before making it public to the whole classroom.

On a different note, I enjoyed the clip that we watched of Freedom Writers in class so much that I rented the movie this weekend and watched it. The whole movie was really interesting and inspiring for future teachers. The degree to which her students misbehaved terrified me, but the way that she was able to refocus their energies and find a way to relate to them on a new level impressed me and put me at ease.