I used to believe that I did not perform very well in groups. I am an observer who likes to learn alone. I thought I learned best when I worked on my own. Even though I always knew group work had many positive values, I was more comfortable with the lecture-based approach and resisted group work merely because it involved change, not because it had a collaborative learning approach. However, during the learning community project, I came to realize that I learn more effectively when I work in groups. Working in a group was like an adventure for me; there were both exciting and challenging times while preparing for the learning community project.
The original research question our group came up with was “How can an individual influence a learning community to better support learning?” After the discussion in class, however, we decided to change our research question to “How can learning be improved through learning communities?” When we conducted research in the library and found many compelling articles, we realized that we had chosen a good research question. We decided to present our information on the social learning theory, key components on learning, and the benefits of a learning community. My focus was on the benefits of learning communities. I found many articles that focused on the benefits of learning communities, and the reviewing of other students’ Annotated Bibliographies helped me to get a better idea about the benefits of a learning community as well. The presentation by itself was not challenging enough, so we decided to play a game; in that way, everybody in the class could participate and actually could walk away with new knowledge. Each group member came up with three questions on our topics, and those question...
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...provided the motivation and encouragement I needed to overcome difficulties in my academic life. Most importantly, I discovered that I learn more effectively when I work in small learning communities. Thanks to the learning community project, I was able to isolate the most effective ways that I learn best. In taking this class I not only learned about how to use the research facilities that are available at Marylhurst, and how to access my map, but also about myself and what it takes to be a learner at the university level. This class pressed me to learn so many things about myself and this is what made this course such an excellent learning opportunity. I also think I am now prepared for the rest of the Marylhurst curriculum. I feel that this class has helped me to overcome my fears, and that I now feel computable and confidence in the Marylhurst academic setting.
As I planed to take this class, I thought this course would be like all other general education courses. I believed that it would be of little use to me. However, after attending the first class, my view has changed completely. I applied each and every theory to my life.
Sapon-Shevin, M. (2008). Learning in an inclusive community. In J. W. Noll (Ed.), Taking sides: Clashing views on educational issues (17th ed.) (pp.226-232). New York, NY:McGraw-Hill.
I have worked with groups ALOT, I am an Avid student so every Tuesday and Thursday we break into to small groups and to tutorials. On Friday we do team building and get together with the other class and play games talk about certain things. I work in groups every day in almost all of my classes. I can work with anyone even if we aren't the closest of
I work well in group situations. I always try to encourage all members to participate and contribute. It is interesting to note that in most situations, I tend to be one of the group leaders. I do have a strong personality. Yet I try not to come across as controlling or bossy.
We can all agree, educators and future educators alike, that teaching students is so much more than just presenting information to them. There is more to learning than only speaking. We’ve all had those teachers who were brilliant in their subject area, but not brilliant in making the students know the information. These are not true teachers; they are only smart. They teach in one way only, and doesn’t believe in individualized instruction, even though we all know that “low-income students and students of color tend to feel less “connected” to their schools than affluent and Anglo students, and that older students feel less connected than younger ones” (Schaps). As a future educator, sometimes I fear that I will become like one of these teachers, and I want to make sure that each of my students enjoy coming in class to learn, and is able to apply what they’ve learned to their unique lives. So for this inquiry project, I’ve decided to focus on classroom community. I believe that every great teacher establishes this concept in his/her classroom; without this concept, learning cannot happen. In this paper, I will define classroom community, discuss different ways to implement it in every classroom, and show the results of making an effort to keep it in your classroom.
Engleberg, Isa N. and Dianna R. Wynn. Working in Groups. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
Over the course of this class I have pieced together many things about my own life that before went unnoticed. I am now able to see things in a bit of a different light. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I understand some of the reasons for behavior around me. I have learned that there is a reason for most everything and a lot of our behaviors and mental processes can be explained through psychology. Studies have been conducted for many years to try and pinpoint the source of our behavior and it is not something that most people think about every day. Having a better understanding of why we operate the way we do will help me to better understand myself and the others around me.
The understandings I have gained from this course have completely revamped my way of teaching. I have been using the unit plan and curriculum map I created in this course for the past two years, and my students enjoy it more and more each year. Learning the importance of using big ideas and essential questions in the classroom have made me a better educator and has assisted my students in learning content and skills that they can transfer to all academic areas and into their everyday lives. I now use big idea and essential questions in every ...
The learning environment connects the classroom to the community through a democratic approach. This community based learning brings the world into the classroom so students can implement social change and challenge social inequalities. The curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems such as hunger, violence, and discrimination. It is important to instruct students to explore in group settings so they can work together to analyze and develop theories that can help each other and make a real different in the world. As a future educator, it is important to not only to teach my students the issues in our world, but how we can work together to find
Working together with other people for an assignment can be a challenging task in some cases but luckily, I worked well with my group members. The decisions we made were anonymous although we paced ourselves individually when it came to completing our separate parts of the essay. As a group I believe that we connected well on an interpersonal level as all four of us were able to make alterations to any problem together . Furthermore, we did not give each other a chance to get angry at one another as we knew that this would only cause conflict that would disrupt our flow as a group. There was an equal divide in the amount of work that we all did; our contributions were fair and no one was lacking behind. In addition, my group members were great at keeping each other informed if one of us were not able to attend a group meeting; emails were sent out informing us what we missed and ideas that were formulated. Everyone in my group worked according to deadlines and in synchronization with each other; we did not have to nag anyone to complete work or wait on a member to complete their task.
This course has helped me in many ways, especially time management, health, and money. Instead of having a very relaxing week and then panicking at the end of the week when everything is due, this course has helped me to plan out my studies. Planning them out helps me produce higher quality work and assists me with my stress problem. One thing that has helped a lot is getting short easy assignments or parts of assignments done in short periods of extra time I have. For example, instead of turning on that TV, wait ten minutes and knock out an assignment. Another asset for myself has been setting dates to have assignments done. Although these assignments may not be due on that day, getting them done and out of the way, makes more time for other
Several experiments and researches have been conducted that have focused on how people behave in groups. The findings have revealed that groups affect peoples’ attitudes, behavior and perceptions. Groups are essential for personal life, as well as in work life.
There was a significant amount of knowledge given in this course, involving concepts that in our teaching career will be extremely important. From this course I have gained a significant amount of learning experiences. I had the pleasure learning about how the educational system has come to be what it is today and who were the important people in the creation of the public education, like Horace Mann. Watching the videos and reading the chapters required has opened my eyes more of how a teacher should respond to different situations involving a student, For example when we read the chapter on the laws that revolve around the educators and the students. I had absolutely no clue that students had rights while in school property. Another learning
Everyday I walk into my school library with the hope of influencing a student or a teacher to read a new book, use a new search strategy, or to collaborate on a unit of study. My goals for students range from getting to know them and their interests and then guiding the student to these new sources or literature. I look upon the library as a learning lab or, as some in my profession have dubbed it, the Learning Commons. Every morning I greet anywhere from 50 to 80 students who are waiting for the first bell of the day. These students are in the library because they have made a decision that this is their place; a hangout for those students who are drawn to a vibrant environment that is teeming with learning and discussion.
In terms of Personal Development I feel that the course has helped me to develop the skills I need to improve my grades, and to build my confidence.