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Learning Letter

I found this course to be highly valuable in the skills and concepts it taught me. Specifically, I found the activities to be a lot of fun and encouraged me to challenge myself and my thoughts about teaching and learning. My favorite of the work completed in this course was the book talks - and I'm sure it is a favorite of many others too. It was just so exciting and refreshing to get to come to class every day and hear about something new from someone who was passionate about it. I also enjoyed getting to do mine. Sharing two of my favorite books with the class was enriching and I hoped they gained something out of it.

I also thought the complex, nuanced discussions we had about different theories and practices to be enlightening. The "social justice in the classroom" discussion was the most memorable one for me. Everyone had such fascinating, surprising insight on the topic - and I really came away with new ideas in my head about how to think about social justice. With all of our discussions and readings, I really appreciated and enjoyed the honesty my classmates brought with them to class. No one was afraid to speak their mind in intelligent, thoughtful ways.

What influenced me most when it comes to self-efficacy as a teacher was the unit plan. As I mentioned in class, I came into the project assuming that my lessons (starting from scratch) would end up becoming more teacher-focused. Of course, the overarching goal was to help students learn in a meaningful way, but the activities and language in my head were still focused on what I was doing. It only took a few completed lesson plans for me to see that focusing on myself was detracting from the value of the unit itself and the potential learning the students could experience. Ultimately, shifting to a student-centered focus showed me the importance of making a class fun, engaging, and useful for the students - not for me.

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