What I learned from EDU class...*

After taking this class I've realized that I do have a passion for helping others out, and that there is a strong possibility that I want to eventually teach someday. I have learned about what it takes to become a teacher, including doing extra research on MTELs and even looking into taking more education courses after getting into a Masters program for English. I had never really given much thought in finding a career in Education but after reading all the articles, and having such meaningful discussions in class I felt a pull towards learning more. I have always had a passion for helping others out, so by furthering myself and possibly teaching at a college level someday would be so rewarding.
This course taught me the basic steps and exams to become a teacher and so much more. The readings from both books we used in class seemed to really show how teachers can make a difference in students lives, along with all the different methods and schools of teaching you can move into.
One thing I found myself doing as the semester went on was really focusing in on my professors in class, to see which techniques they used in class discussions. I also found myself looking back to my earlier years of school and seeing how much of an influence my teachers had on my education now as I am graduating college.
I think this class is a great opportunity for all students, not just education majors or prospective teachers to take. This semester taught me that teaching requires so much, and that teachers deserve more credit than they get for dealing with diversity and continuing to better the future education of children.

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn

John Dewey

I chose to research John Dewey because out of all the people on the list his name struck me as interesting, and I did not know much about him at all. Through quick research I found out that he was a well known educator and philosopher who was very strongly opinionated about many things.
John Dewey's official story is that he was an American educator, philosopher, psychologist as well as a social critic and political activist. He was born in Burlington, VT on October 20, 1859 and spent his time growing up there and eventually furthering his own education. He attended and graduated from the University of Vermont and went on to get his PhD from John Hopkins University. After this he taught at the University of Michigan and later went to the University of Chicago and was elected president of the American Psychological Association. Dewey taught for several years and lectured in other countries. He was passionate about American social issues and was “outspoken on education , domestic and international politics, and numerous social movements”.

Education is life itself.
-John Dewey

John Dewey's educational philosophy was one that focused on students actively learning in order to better understand their environment. In my research I also found that Dewey's belief in education "must engage with and enlarge experiences" supports his ideas of active learning. His concern for student progress is also shown through his use of the Information-Process learning model from the McNergney text.
Another interesting fact about Dewey is that in his quest to pursue the further education of students, he wanted them to be taught civic education. Since he was so passionate about politics and civic engagement himself, he thought of it in students best interest to be educated about the world and government around them.

I like Dewey's ideas because they seem to promote the education of students which is obvious, but what I also appreciated was that he was so ardent about civic education and I think that this is an important issue that schools are facing still today.

Baking a Cake

Education is like baking a cake from scratch the ingredients are easy to find, but it’s how you mix them together that counts the most. The flour, sugar, and eggs represent the fundamentals of learning. The flour and sugar are bound together in the mixing process, just as you learn the basics of education while in college. The baking of cake is can just like your classroom. No two cakes come out the same color, just as no two classes you have as a teacher will be symmetrical. Patience is necessary in both baking and teaching because you can easily mix up ingredients if you’re in a hurry and in the classroom you can mix up lesson plans if you’re not careful. After the cake is baked it is time to decorate, and in terms of the classroom as you decorate you are giving your students basic knowledge about various topics. The final step to the process of course is to eat the cake, and this is when your students take time of their own or show a great interest in what they’ve sampled and want more.

Just like baking and in teaching practice makes you a better teacher. "

1. You have to have a plan- recipe
2. Everybody might like something different to eat/ learning style
3. You are as good as your tools
4. At first you follow the recipe with rigidity, but after a while you can free style.

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Teaching Social Justice
“Students should probe the ways their lives connect to the broader society, and are often limited by that society.”

It is important for students to learn the importance of social justice both inside the classroom as well as apart from the classroom. The values of equality among the sexes, races, and religions are only mere parts of what social justice entails, and I think that students can have a better understanding of the society they live in if they in fact take active part in discussions and activities surrounding this topic.
In searching about social justice online, I found several examples of magazines that are published in order for classroom use. These periodicals come with teacher and student copies, and inside the pages discusses real life problems with achieving social justice. One of these magazines, Just Choices is geared toward high school students and gives feedback and student writings about social justice (or rather injustice that goes on so often). Magazines such as this are a perfect example of gaining the attention of a class, and giving them a different outlook on something.

“Finally, student work must move outside the classroom walls, so that scholastic learning is linked to real world problems.”
In teaching real world examples and hands on experience to your students, you can demonstrate how to make a difference in their future. By using the show vs. tell method; in which if you show something rather than just tell it you can set a great model for success; students will be able to see what they can do in order to help achieve the greater goal of social justice. And by actively students (especially high school level) you will have a greater retention rate within the classroom setting.

So not only is social justice important to learn, teach and understand, but by showing what you can do to make a difference as an educator; you can inspire your students to make positive strides for themselves.