Neuroscience

Judy Willis is an individual who researched a form of instruction know as RAD teaching.  RAD is broken up into R: Reticular Activation System, A: Amygdala, and D: Dopamine.  These are centers in the brain or chemicals which have specified functions.  

These functions provide organization, and emotion to help students connect, retain, and process incoming information.  The Reticular Activation System receives 2000 stimuli per second of sensory intake for the individual.  Knowing this, Judy explains in her research, that the goal of a successful educator is to control the amount of information the student receives.  This can include the students environment, emotional state, and attention span.

Learning about the research that Judy has done, I want to create situations in my classroom that allow for efficient learning.  To my understanding this includes pealing away extra information and facts students receive in the classroom that are not imperative to was is needed for the given unit.  I will also try to use the element of surprise, novelty, and differentiation to get the attention and focus of my students, as well as using color coded visuals and instruction materials where students can easily sort groups and patterns with instruction. 

Course Contract Review #1

Looking at the results from my first exam with earning full points the first attempt it would appear as if I was following my original course contract completely.  However, I have been unable to make the time commitments I calendared for this class.  In my defense I have found time in the evenings to come to the library where I have directed my time towards ed psych.  I feel I need more time to study for this course.  I am getting the definitions down, but not fully understanding the concepts behind these terms.  In order for me to find this in my study time I have to read once, then review a second time, even sometimes a third time to grasp all that I am reading and make connections.

I feel I have maintained a focus on the goals I have placed for my personal success in  this course, but also have to realize my time and direction of study needs to be done differently.  I need to change my approach to the material in this class.  First giving myself the proper amount of time to study, second to use all materials needed to grasp information, and third to be more prepared mentally for class as we review sections I was studying during the week.  I find my self tuning out sometimes at the allotted 3-5pm class time, but will try to use various techniques to stay alert which include... healthy snacks, keeping body temp cooler than whats comfortable, taking notes, and possibly sitting in different areas of the room.

I feel that I have a mixture of mastery and performance goals.  Over all I want to succeed in ed psych because as an hourly teacher I can see the importance of understanding the student and their personal needs, but I am also motivated to do well in the class as far as assignments and assigned letter grades.  I feel its important to be balanced in motivation, but to be aware that there are always improvements like those I've listed above.

Field Response Journal Q6

At Timpanogos High School there is a wide variety of economic backgrounds and the boundaries for the school feed from a range in neighborhood economic status.  In the class I observe, Dance 1, there are many cultural differences.  This is an elective class students are interested in who have some dance experience.  The great thing about the dance experience these students do have, is that most of the dancing they are familiar with is from their ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  These cultural backgrounds include Latin American, African American, and Caucasian students. In the dance 1 class so far they have not yet studied cultural dance and are still working on the basics.  However, at Timpanogos these students are given opportunities to form clubs as long as they have a supervising teacher.  

Kristi Newsome the Dance 1 teacher supervises the break dance club.  Other clubs offered at THS include Latin American club, and a Multicultural Dance club.  These students meet after school two to three times a week.  This year there has been a big push for these clubs to participate in school performances and assemblies.  Kristi mentioned to me how great the break dance club is for students who don't seem to "fit in" anywhere else.  These after school clubs give students a place to be after school hours where they are learning skills to problem solve, of team work, and creative thinking. 

Motivation

I am here in the Education Program at UVU to pursue my knowledge and skill in dance education.  Being a dancer for almost 18 years I never imagined myself as a dance educator.  However, last year I received a job in teaching dance at Timpanogos High School.  This has been an experience I have loved and enjoyed.  I want to better educate my students, get them excited for learning, and be and influence for creative thinking and problem solving in their lives. 
I am motivated to do things that I enjoy and get caught up in, know as flow.  I can often be extrinsically motivated to accomplish certain tasks if I can see the reward in sight (like cleaning my kitchen), and am intrinsically motivated to participate in activities I enjoy the process of.
Tasks that I am extrinsically motivated for don't necessarily end in failure, but at times are what seems only short time minimal happiness.  When I succeed it is because I have put in my best effort.  This occurs mostly when I have been original, been unafraid to be wrong, and gone for the task full speed, because no matter the outcome I was going to enjoy myself and what I experienced.
The study goals I have established for this class are goals I have made for myself so that I can receive the most benefit from this class.  I feel this is a Mastery Oriented goal because I want to be a better teacher.  I want to understand my students better and find ways to connect with different individuals.  I am not studying for this class to do better than the individual in the seat next to me.  I want to be an educator that is looked up to, that makes a difference, and I hope inspires students to succeed.
A mindset I need to change is that just doing the assignments and reading will be sufficient.  I know that education goes much further than this kind of effort.  I need to be willfully committed to giving more than one hundred percent.   
 

First Assignment

Each week during this course I will schedule Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9:30-11am to study.  During this time I plan to come to the Library at UVU, and check out the text required for this class.  I will then read the section assigned for the up coming class session.  During my reading I plan to first read the material, then to skim the reading a second time.  This is where I will have my pen and paper in hand to take detailed notes and make emphasis to important information found.  I feel this will be a good time to get work done for this class because they will be following my classroom observations.  When the observation is fresh in my memory I can use my scheduled time to make note of things I saw, analyze the classroom experience, and make connections to the things we are learning.  In the event that I am not understanding the information we cover in class I will first review the material, maybe necessary to re-read of review again, second talk to a class member who may have a better grasp on the content, and if I am still struggling, will third plan a time with Dr. Cox to discuss the material I am not understanding.

I will reach my goals in this course by maintaining consistency to the scheduled days and times I have assigned to this class, staying true to the outline of my study time, and putting in extra effort on my part to receive maximum benefit of this class, even if this means putting in extra time, reviewing material more than once, and asking questions when I don't fully understand.