Portfolio Reflection

Reflection of EDU344: Teaching Struggling Readers and Writers

Throughout the course of EDU344 I found myself enjoying it more and more. I learned many facets during the class that I can use as I embark on my teaching career. I enjoyed the opportunity to put what I have learned to practice in field work hours at a school that is more like the type of school that I want to be in. I feel that the knowledge that I gained from this class will make me a better person and teacher.

One of the components that I ended up enjoying the most was the reflection posts of the chapters. This actually surprised me a lot because I usually do not like doing stuff like that. I found myself enjoying the fact that we were able to put our own spin on the reflection and it was not just an overview of the chapter. I enjoyed picking out a certain topic that I found intriguing and not only writing about it but also implementing it and having my own views on it. I realized once I got into the classroom how much we actually use these techniques and how much we encourage our students to use them as well. I also enjoyed the text book that was assigned. Sure some parts were dry and long, but for the most part I found the text to be rich and helpful. I liked the fact that case studies, that had the practices implemented, were included. They helped me understand certain aspects that were confusing to me. Knowing what something is and how to actually implement it and do it are very different and the text does a good job illustrating this.

I also enjoyed the instruction that was given to us during the class. Often examples were given to us for references and then we were able to actually practice doing it. This was very helpful to me because it gave me a base to work and build off of. This gave me a chance to practice before I actually had to perform with actual students. This cut down nervousness which in turn made the students less nervous.

Another aspect I liked about the class was how open it was. We all had problems at one time and still might, but the class used personal experiences to help us become better teachers. Sharing the free writes was a big part of this openness I talk about. Everybody is different and grew up with different problems and experiences. Sharing some of these showed us all that our students are going to be at different levels and have different struggles. It is our job to help them through those struggles and help them persevere through the tough times.

Another characteristic that I enjoyed about this class was that the environment was fun. I did not dread waking up in the morning to go to this class. This just amplifies that our own classrooms should be this way. Students should not dread coming to our classroom. Make the classroom fun and intriguing for all who enter.