EDUC 6712 Reflection Blog

By James Matthews

As a part of my graduate studies, participation in EDUC 6712 has led me to the realization that the way that I teach is very similar to the process used in applying new literacy skills in learning. When preparing to teach a topic, I first define the issue (the new content) and collect information (using a combination of standards I need to cover and internet ideas for teaching it). I verify the information for accuracy and relevance and discern the validity of the information in terms of its origin and writers. Only then will I combine (synthesize) my findings with the existing cache of information already used in class so that I can truly internalize it; internalizing the topics allows me to better teach it to others. Then I prepare to communicate the information to the students in an interesting, relevant, and accurate way.

Like Deborah remarked in our text, I now believe that “…research projects don’t have to be a big dinosaur – that big scary thing that is overwhelming because no one can do it” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 277). I have further learned that inquiry based learning can be as or more productive, fun, and relevant as the traditional teaching methods to which I have grown accustomed. In fact, I now see that I do not have to replace those methods in order to benefit from the new literacy skills. Projects are excellent ways to include group learning and to promote better mathematical communication. I could even include more than one topic in a single project in order to better illustrate the connections that exist between much of the math content I teach and the “real world.”

One professional goal that I now have is to eventually have an inquiry based project for each major topic I cover. They give students something to look forward to, emphasize the importance of good research, and re-emphasize a solid focus on communicating effectively (accurately and creatively). I could focus on one topic at a time to incorporate new literacy skills so that over a short period of time I could develop a solid math course based on inquiry learning. This type of course encourages students to be more receptive to the math topics as their collective level of interest will be higher. I believe that interest leads to expectations and expectations leads to achievement.


References:
Eagleton, Maya B & Dobler, Elizabeth. (2007). Reading the web: strategies for internet inquiry. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.