Reflections

Bio and statements of purpose



My name is Yordany Paneca. I am 23 years old and I was born and raised in Cuba. As any young person, I have many goals in my live. However, the most important for me would be possibility of becoming a History teacher. However, it was not like that since the first beginning. I would say that I became a teacher by the twist of fate. Euphony
When in Cuba, at the age of 14 I wanted to be a lawyer. However, in that time Cuba was having a deficit on elementary teachers so the Cuban government somewhat blackmailed many students like me in that case so in case that if we would like to study a different career, we would have to spend one year of intensive studies to be an elementary teacher and then to serve for 8 years and at the same time study the career of you decision. Without other options, I got into that educational modification of the Cuban government. When that year passed, I was obligated to serve as a teacher for a period of 8 years Nonetheless; they gave me the opportunity that during that period of time I could enroll into law school.
Consequently, I started teaching at the age of 16 and I was assigned a class of 50 students. However, even though this might seem contradictory, I began enjoying what I was doing. I became involved with that profession and out of the sudden, teaching was something pleasant.
Moreover, in the year 2004 I could escape from Cuba and come to America. After many jobs, I found a small institution where I can use my knowledge and short experience to teach math to middle school students. However, to star in the public sector, I have to do my studies again and to certify myself here in my new country. Furthermore, this time I am sure of what I really want. I want to be an educator; and this is something that my parents and friends do not understand. Why decide being a teacher over being a lawyer. As known, education is not a well paid career and on top of this brings a lot of responsibilities since we are working with kids.
Nevertheless, it is all decided. I am going to continue with I started 6 years ago. I love the interaction with students and even though this profession is tough, I feel good with myself when I put a little grain into those kids education. In addition, sometimes believe it or not, is the other way around. I get to learn from them also. Consequently, perhaps this is my purpose of existence, to teach not only academic matters but also values and virtues to make my students men of good. Maybe according to my standards, but yet men of good. This is what I want to do my whole life.





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Reflection 1


There is one thing that is crucial for the quality of the class and the effectiveness of the activity. This one thing is what we call a lesson plan. A lesson plan is where the class is prepared before it is delivered. This is a where teachers list, prepare, and carefully describe all the process that the class will follow. This includes not only the activities that the students will do but also another components that will assure the quality of the class.
In addition, there are many ways teachers and school districts use to develop those lesson plans. However, one way or the other they almost have the same thing and the same purpose. Those components that form the lesson plans are more or less the following. First, it is stated the title of the lecture along with the time that the class will take. In addition, one of the most important things, it is required to put a series of proper and measurable objectives (This is essential because it is the purpose of the class and the skills that the students will gain with the lesson). Moreover, it is also necessary to list all the materials and procedures that will be used (Lesson Plan).
Likewise, the anticipatory set must be provided. This term is somehow like a motivation to get the students’ attention and this way introduce them the new material. Consequently, what is known as input and is nothing more than the developing of the lecture. Also, the modeling should be also visible in the lesson plan. This is just examples, behavior, and strategies that teachers will create for their students to follow in order to succeed in the activities. Furthermore, all the guided and independent activities should be reflected. The first one consist in the activities that teachers do with the class, and the second refers to those that only the student do on their own. Check for understanding is also relevant. This is somehow a confirmation for the teacher that the students got and understood the material. It can be check trough some activities like oral or written questions, homework, among others. Finally, we need the closure that recaps what have been learned and advances something of what is going to be learned posteriorly(behaviorist Lesson Plan #1).
There are some other important elements that even though I did not make emphasis on them, need to be stated in the lesson plan just like the state curriculum standards, adaptation for special learners, supplemental activities, among others(The parts of a Lesson plan).
Now, it is important to add that there are several types of lesson plans. For instance the behaviorist lessons plan where the students’ ability to learn is monitored. Also, The constructivist lesson plan, where the students interact to learn by debating and explaining the material that the teacher provides. Last but not least, the transpersonal lesson plan, which can lead the other lesson plans format but it purpose, is to teach students about their personal identity (Constructivist Learning Designed).














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REflection 2



As it is known, it is really important to have a lesson plan in order to have good quality lessons. In addition, we have different lesson plans according to the kind of lesson that we want to give. Therefore, all of teachers know the 3 lesson plans we have; behaviorist, constructivist, and transpersonal. We won’t make emphasis in the transpersonal lesson plan format since this one can be formed using both the behaviorist and the constructivist so they are somehow similar. Nonetheless, there are considerable differences between the behaviorist and constructivist lesson plan format.
As professor Mcnair said in our first class, behaviorist theory of learning states that “learning is a measurable change in behavior and that learning is conditioning”. Therefore, the point of the behaviorist lesson plan is to monitor every scholar’s learning process and to apply those useful techniques such as repetition, negative and positive reinforcements, discontinuous reinforcement to encourage retention, among others. All of this to ensure the students’ improvement.
Moreover, the behaviorist lesson plan format is broken into 8 several elements following the legacy of Madelyn Hunter. In the first place we have Objectives (purpose of the lesson), Anticipatory set (Activity executed at the beginning of the class to seize student attention), input (the material that the teacher is going to instruct),modeling( when the teacher demonstrates what needs to be done),guided practice(when the teacher does the activity with the student to show them how to do it),Checking for understanding(when the teacher checks through a variety of activities if the students got the material),independent practice(when the students do the activities on their own), and the closure( when the teacher recapitulates the material instructed.
On the other hand, the constructivist theory pursues collaboration and interaction among the students and the teacher to through explaining and discussing the material given by the teacher. Constructivist lesson plan format is completely different from the behaviorist one. This format is broken into six fundamental components. Situation ( what situation will be prepared for the scholars to explicate),groupings(Where the teacher divides the class into as many groups as required),bridge(activity executed to determine what the scholars know and what they can learn by explaining the issue),question(this are the leading question with the purpose of keeping the spirit alive. Promote students to think critically, to bring in the issue, etc), exhibit (To motivate the students to show what they did. It can be written or oral. It can be artistically, etc.), and finally reflections (these are the students opinions and thoughts about what they did and what they observe from their fellow classmates).As shown, although both methods are effective, they have remarkable differences .They have different procedures and follow different purposes.











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reflection 3


Before we fall into what constructivist lesson plan consist of, we have to acknowledge what are the constructivist premises. Constructivism is an attitude of learning in which we use our experiences as our main tool. Through this one we develop our own perception and comprehension of everything that surround us. Today, this type of lesson plan is much applied and it is said to be very useful. A constructivist lesson plan is a class where the students are the main characters. There,they build up their own knowledge by interacting with the material provided and by using their experiences.
In addition, there are two educators who played an important role in the design of an effective constructivist lesson plan. Those teachers are George W. Gagnon, Jr. and Michelle Collay. The model they developed is composed by 6 stages. The first one is called situation. This is the situation that the teacher has in mind for the student to develop. The second one is Groupings. This is when the instructor divides the class into groups so they can work in collaboration. Following grouping is Bridge. This stage is to check what the students know and what they could know once the situation is explained. Consequently, the fifth one is called exhibit. This is for the students to express whatever thoughts they have about the situation although they could do It written, oraly,etc. Last but not least, reflection is the other phase. These are the student’s manifestations of their thought when the issue was explained along with what they could absorb when the exhibit phase was on.
The constructivist lesson plan is for certain a good and effective way of teaching. There the students work on groups and use collaboration, understanding and their previous experiences in order to accomplished a common goal. By using this method, the students will certainly learn while they are having fun since it is an interactive activity. Moreover, this strategy gives the student some self esteem since the result of the activity will be a product of their own work and struggle. Moreover, is a different approach to education since the traditional way is the behaviorist lesson plan. Likewise, some students would learn best by applying critical thinking and hands on activity rather than learning things mechanically.




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Reflection4



To commence, I would be a good idea to express the meaning of the word inquiry. This word refers to a situation where through the method of asking questions, a truth or information is sought. Moreover, this is also understood as any situation where it is necessary to solve any problem or to resolute any uncertainties.
The Inquiry based learning is a teaching strategy which purpose is promote in the student skills that will allow them to find answers and acquire knowledge on their own. In addition, this is a strategy where the teacher’s best weapon is questions. Through these questions the instructor will ensure the students engage in problem solving and critical thinking activities.
The reason that this technique is being considered in these times is that nowadays technology is every time more and more ahead. Now, it is still important but not that necessary to remember everything by heart since there are new ways like the internet to remind us. For that reason, it is clear how important is that the new generation will have the capability of having a habit of finding new path towards the truth and new knowledge. For this reason, inquiry based learning is one of the keys to improve education in America. If the teacher is able to make the students interact is such a way that in their struggle to find the response they achieve understanding, they will be ready to face any situation inside and outside school. Moreover, they will have the skills to navigate through questions and doubts to find answers and this way build up new knowledge.
Furthermore, there are some activities that engage in inquiry based learning. One will be the inclusion of question where the students would be forced to investigate to find the answer. Moreover, including observations in the class will be useful. With this I mean to show models of what the teacher want them to produce, and use practical activities to lecture (The use of hands on activity). Collaboration work would be also useful. But more important than everything, the teacher has to provide the scholars with good questions to make the student go beyond the academic context to find the answer.




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Reflection5


There is an old proverb that says “En la union esta la fuerza” (Strength is in unity). This is a saying that has proven its value in many aspects of life. Moreover, these words are also applicable to Education. An example of this would be Cooperative and Collaborative learning. This term refers to a teaching strategy that educators use to get student to interact with one another. With this, students unite and the work together applying their capabilities, creativity, experiences, and knowledge to achieve a common goal for the benefit of the group. This method does not necessarily have to be one group of students who interact directly in one class. Also, this can take place in an activity where students from different schools are to work together do a project on the internet. The point is that the students help one each other and develop that team spirit that Is needed in their future lives. Furthermore, when the scholars participates in these activities they will develop some abilities like developing interpersonal skills, manifesting and offering their strengths as well as improving their weaknesses with the help of others. Moreover, it would be an important factor when it comes to the ability of dealing with conflict and the possibility of the students to gain in understanding; a significant aspect in today’s student’ education.
Now, there are three aspects in this strategy that need to be present for this activity to be successful. The first one is that of the student need to feel them comfortable in a peaceful environment. However, they need to be challenged at the same time. Secondly, it is important that the teams don’t be too large so that every ant can contribute with its little grain of sugar.
Likewise, there are more crucial factors that made cooperative and collaborative learning be prolific activity for scholars. The students have a direct interaction with the material. Also, they learned about mutual respect since to work in teams, that virtue is crucial for success. Moreover, it is an interesting activity that motivates and encourages students to learn. It is a good opportunity to enforce diversity among the learners. It is a great chance to use the technology as a tool since they might need the use of the internet for their work.



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Reflection6 telecollaborative lesson


Honestly, I had never heard anything about tele collaborative lesson or something of that type. However, after I read the article given by Professor Mcnair, I could realize that tele collaborative lesson is nothing else that another type of cooperative and collaborative activity. Nonetheless in this case is about the interaction of groups of students from different places, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc, to achieve a certain goal. This sounds like a great activity since a lot of productive things can be extracted out of this. The students can be aware and appreciate others students way of life. They would be able to experience indirectly another scholars’ culture, costumes, tradition, etc. Moreover, what is more important than that, as I could read in the article, it will touch students about the misfortune of others.
Moreover, in order for teachers to develop this type of lesson is necessary to follow 9 steps. First, the introduction. This is the part where the teacher writes his or her name, he or she puts some graphic describing the content of the lesson, and the e mail addresses. Secondly, the part called Learners. There, the course level and the grade of the class are described. Also, the teacher needs to put what the scholars should know before the start of the class. Third, the curriculum standards that describe what the student will learn by the time the lesson is over. In addition, the fourth element is called Partner. In this part the instructor will mention what distant collaborators he or she will use, what school will be, what location it will be, and how those partners were located. The fifth one is Process. In this part the teacher will outline how the lesson is going to be prepared and organized. The sixth one is Resources Needed. In this section the teacher will list all the resources she or he will use and all the websites with its links. Also, it is important to mention some other useful things to put this activity into practice: books, special software, video or audio materials, etc. the seventh is the Evaluation. As the word indicates, in this section the teacher will describe how the learners will be evaluated. Finally, Credit and References; this is the section to list all the sources, images and music that was used to prepare this lesson.




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reflection7


Nowadays technology is used for almost everything in life. One can find computers who perform delicate medical operations and who walk in the moon. Moreover, one of its most important uses is in the field of education. There are many technological tools who can aid instruction. Digital story is one of these many instruments. This was created with the purpose allowing people narrate any or their own stories in a very interactive and particular way by using digital means.
Digital story is basically a two to five minutes short film where many things like writing, images, animations, music are combined to form a harmonic project really enjoyable to the eye. In education, this tool is used to implement the quality of the lesson. If we analyze education at least in the early ages we might remember that we were motivated and learned many things through stories. With this technique teachers have the possibility of making these stories way even more interesting. Moreover, is also possible to include many more aspects that maybe in a simple narration could be impossible to insert. For instance, the music to address the environment of the situation and many other things. In addition, this procedure can easily draw students’ attention and could be more effective when it comes to launch their imagination. Also, it might promote understanding since it could clarify any ideas and definitions that scholars might not understand well. For these reasons, digital story have been added up to those power points, web pages, and educative software that instructors use to aid their instruction programs. This method definitely improves the lesson plans, go over multiple intelligences, encourage creativity in the students, and it is undoubtedly a really fun activity.
As logic, there is like a procedure that is usually used in order to create a nice digital story. First of all, it should begin with a script where that creator determines what to be put in the story. Later, what people call Concise, the narrative should be extended from two to five minutes. Finally, it should considered the proper use of available materials, pictures, images, effects, music, etc.








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reflection8


According to the survey that I did in class, my preferences in the philosophy of education go to progressivism, essentialism, and reconstruction. I might say that I share and agree with these 3 alternatives and they definitely define my educational philosophy. However, I think that I could assign a percentage to these three categories. I would go a 35 % with progressivism, a 25% with reconstruction, and a 40 % with essentialism.
When we talk about progressivism in education we refer to the idea that education should be build in the beliefs that men learn better when they interacts with others by doing real life activities. I believe in this philosophy, I consider that educators should make sure to include in their lesson plans activities that address the learning by getting hands on activity, problem solving, social skills and critical thinking. Moreover, it is important to promote activities when collaboration is the main procedure, group projects, researches, group performance, etc. Always encouraging the student’s active learning to assure understanding.
Furthermore, I also have sympathy for the reconstruction philosophy. Reconstruction states that social reform should help instruction to influence the student’s lives, values, and beliefs in order to assure a safe and better future. Nonetheless, take from these only the part of the importance to inculcate on students the proper attitudes of the American society such as hard work, patriotism, honesty, and above all things, to live peacefully. Therefore, as a teacher who supports this philosophy I would make sure to teach my students all these virtues. Moreover, I could implement my curriculum with lessons that address social situations like domestic violence, child abuse, global warming and terrorism, to make my students conscious of the world and to make them for feel these issues.
Finally, the 40 % of my philosophy goes for essentialism. Even tough and that I like the progressivism and reconstruction approach and I definitely will use them in my lessons, I identify myself a little bit more with the essentialist method. I am of the same opinion of those essentialists who believe that education should be centered on the students. In addition, I also think there is certain knowledge and skills that every person should have and the school is responsible of transmitting that information. Likewise, this method, just like the other two I mentioned, will prepare the students to be active and prolific members of the society and to interact in today’s world. Additionally, its curriculum should be based, among other things, on the focus on basic skills on elementary school, and discipline and student accomplishment in secondary education. The scholars should be prepare for listening and learning.




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reflection9

I knew that technology was a great tool for teachers to implement their lessons. However, I could have never imagine to which what extent. In this course and during these 6 weeks I have learned not only appreciate the use of the technology in the education system, but also to use it myself to my convenience.
Now I know that there are many interactive and out of the traditional ways to deliver a lesson applying the use of Technology. One of those manifestations is the Digital Story. This is pretty effective since through this of combination images, pictures, text, music, and animations, a story is formed with the purpose of teaching the students to observe, analyze, comprehend the hidden message, and to let their imagination float freely. Moreover, this activity promotes understanding and creates creativity and it is a product of technology.
In addition, what could be a better weapon for a constructivist lesson plan than the internet? As we all know is this type of lesson plans requiring the student to build up their own knowledge. Moreover, is through the internet with pages like Google that the students can research and investigate those topics that they will need to find information about.
Likewise, we cannot forget about the telecolaborative lesson plan. This is an important activity since the students have the possibility to interact with students from other parts of the world. Not only that, but they also acquire information about the culture, traditions, and costumes of other students. Also, what is more important, the students learn to feel for the other people’s pain and preoccupations. Now, how could be possible to conduct this kind of activity without the use of the technology? Certainly we need computers, internet, e mails, TV, etc. All of is possible thanks to the implementation of the technology in education. I have been part of the in this course. I have struggle learning and planning all those activities. Now I can tell about the importance of the technology on the educational process.
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reflection10





It amazes me how many things I have learned in such a short period of time. It has been a rough 6 weeks. 6 weeks in which my blood pressure has increased above my normal level making my head like if it is going to explode. Nonetheless, I can see the fruit of this hard work. Now I am able to do some good things on the computer that will help me not only in my career as an educator, (which is the purpose of this course) but in my life in general as a person in this every time more developed world.
To start, I would have to confess that I have expanded my knowledge with Microsoft word 2007. Before, I used to work only the 2003 version, and even though I found the older one easier, it is important for me to learn the new one since eventually everything will be based on the 2007 version. Moreover, I have learned to work and design the different types of lesson plans. The behaviorist with all its parts and components (this is the one that I prefer), the constructivist and its use on the buildup of knowledge and team work. The inquiry with its mix of constructivism and behaviorism. Last but not least The tele-collaborative, a useful lesson to interact with students from other parts of the world. Additionally, I learned how to create digital stories. This I confess it is a really fun activity that I really enjoyed. Furthermore, this course taught me more useful things that will be useful to me when I enter in the Public Education System. One of these things was the grade book that can be used through the computer. Although I like the old fashioned one I understand this one is faster and more effective. Also, I cannot forget the student data base. Before this course I did not even know what was that and what was it for. Now, I can create one of those by myself. Likewise, in this class I learned probably the most important thing I should know if I am going to be a teacher, my educational philosophy. Here I learned that have a progressivity, essentialist, and social reconstruction philosophy.