I am excited about that, because it means I am well on my way to finally student teaching and finishing my degree. The first night of my Methods class was a nice, relaxing overview. My class is using WebCT again, which I know how to use but find can be a pain to deal with at times. I could tell that there were a lot of people in the class who have not had much internet or WebCT experience before, which I understand can be scary. I always try to remember how hard it is to try new things, especially since I am going to one day be a teacher myself. I always want to have that empathetic element for my students so that I can create an ideal learning environment. 
There does seem to be a lot of work involved in this course, but I have heard from many people who have taken the course that you learn a tremendous amount of information on preparing lessons, which is definitely what I need. I feel that I do not have the creative mind to make interesting and engaging lessons that will make kids want to learn. I do think it’s silly for me to feel this way- every teacher I know never has enough time, yet I am scared that I will have nothing for my kids to do!I thought that the questionnaires in the week 1 readings were both informative and interesting. I think that a lot of people don’t think about what and how they are, and how it differs from who and what they want to be.
Maybe that’s the secret to being a good teacher- constant metacognition and evaluating personal performance. I found that the age groups I prefer most (almost equally) were the 5-6 and 7-8 year olds. Both were approximately 70%. I work with first and second graders in my teaching assistant job and I have found that I really like second grade; first grade is a little too low in the beginning months for me. But, now that the year is half-way over, first graders are not too bad either. I would take any teaching job for any grade level. I like the academics of the older grades and I just like kids in general. So, any job would be nice. As far as educational philosophies go, I am a cognitvism/constructivism and information processing educator. I have always thought that any individual will only retain information he or she finds relevant to themselves, and have always been a huge advocate of authentic learning. I also believe that the human mind is a sieve for information 
; our minds have countless capabilities and if a person understands the underlying concepts in any given situation, he or she will be able to remember it. I scored lowest in the behavioral philosophy, and I am actually happy about that. I studied behaviorism in undergrad (I was a psych minor) and I also did some research on behavioral theories in ED5210 in January. I think that a behaviorist theory is results-driven and is all about shaping individuals to conform to a pre-determined outcome. I cannot teach or learn like that. I also am somewhat reassured that my test scores are accurate because I knew I did not like that teaching style from the get-go, and I was happy to see my scores reflect my true feelings. I think that the study skills survey also helped me evaluate how I am doing in the schoolwork area. I think that study habits are definitely something that changes over time- and it should be evaluated periodically. I am happy that I took this survey and thought about how I am performing academically; this semester is going to be a busy one and I need to stay focused! I definitely cannot work unless I am organized- and this survey allowed me to “re-center” my thinking cap.I enjoyed our second class meeting as well. I like learning about the basics of teaching- basically the “what” of the job- before I learn the “how”. It helps form an organized mental picture of what is expected of me and helps me to strategize the best way to do it. I also liked that there were visual diagrams along with the reading materials for the class- I am a very visual learner and I think that the pictures help my “mental scaffold”. I liked the lesson plan project very much as well. I liked that we god to brainstorm with a partner- I think the best ideas are generated this way
. My partner, Kristen, and I came up with a lesson plan for measuring ingredients that would be used for making a casserole. She came up with the idea, and I thought it was fantastic. What is funny is that I also was glad we got to remain in our seats to present our lesson plans. I know it sounds funny, but I think all graduate students get nervous when they need to present to the class. And we are all going to school to be teachers- I think it is so weird! But, perhaps it is just being amongst peers, its more of public speaking than teaching- I guess. I am not a teacher yet, and speaking in front of the class does not bother me. But, I did think that the assignment was more relaxed and comfortable for the class because Dr. Hall kept it “low key”
. It was a great opening assignment that got creative and collaborative juices flowing. I also think the class’s attitude towards WebCT changed a little bit- I think once people begin using technology it helps them to realize that it isn’t so bad. All in all, it has been a great first two weeks in class, and I am excited to begin doing more!
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