To Teach or Not To Teach...That is the question?

       This has been the perfect week to study this subject!  I have had the opportunity to see so many examples of engaged learning, and it is exciting!  I love that moment when you see all the students completely transfixed, and thoroughly invested in what is being presented/taught.  It's those moments, when everyone is happy and engaged that you know EXACTLY why you want to become a teacher.     This week my teacher introduced "word wall."  Since trying to get the students to work on writing, and their spelling words was becoming a challenge, (mainly because they were bored to death, you could tell) she made it a fun interactive game.  She gave each student several pieces of paper, with multiple pictures on them, only they weren't complete pictures they were blown up sections of other pictures.  All these pictures related to their spelling words, but you honestly couldn't tell by just looking at the blown up fragment.  ...

 I had a wonderful experience last week while observing Ms. Jordan.  One of our fourth graders struggles so much with Lexia (a reading app on the IPad), and is constantly trying to get an aide or the teacher to help him, even though it's suppose to be "self-learning."  I've noticed that when the students think Ms. Jordan isn't watching is when she is watching the most.  At one point our student conquered a really hard section for him and yelled out in triumph "Look at how big and smart my brain is!," then he went on working.  The next day when he was struggling again he went to Ms. Jordan ;after she gave him some helpful nudges and he solved it, this time Ms. Jordan exclaimed, " Look how big and smart your brain is!"  Our little fourth grader was over the moon, to hear his same compliment given back to him, 1) reinforced his own belief in his ability, and 2) showed him that his teacher cared enough to watch him and be aware of what he was sayin...

 I have absolutely loved working with Ms. Jordan these past two weeks.  I think one of the reasons I enjoy being in her class so much is because her teaching style is very similar to the one I will probably use some day.  Or, I'm considering having a similar teaching style because I enjoy watching the way she teaches so much. It's kind of a chicken or egg scenario, and I haven't figured out yet which one came first. Ms. Jordan's teaching style leans very heavily on Behaviorism.  Now I must be honest, I don't know if that is just because this is the start of the school year, and she is attempting to set her expected behaviors from the get go, but I would be interested in observing her later in the year to see if her teaching style has changed.  Probably the greatest example of this I've seen is the use of the IPad.  The students in her class, LOVE to use the IPad, to the point that it becomes a constant battle to keep them away from the IPads.  But I've...