Learning in Unique Ways

Fact of life - everyone does not learn the same way.

Fact two - school should not be boring, monotonous work.

I have taken many courses as part of my training here at the University of South Alabama. So far, most of my favorites have been the ones that integrate art, music, and movement into the classroom setting. Rhythm and Movement, Art in the Elementary Classroom, and Music in the Elementary Classroom have been extremely helpful to me. Those courses focus on methods of teaching that you don't get in a traditional methods course. They show you how to make it fun, and how to REALLY engage your students in what you are trying to teach them instead of lectures and note taking. I think lessons like this really stick more because it gives the students a song, project, game, or something of the like to remember instead of just trying to remember the sound of my voice as I talked about a particular topic.

And then there is EDM 310...the technology course. This course has also been extremely helpful as far as teaching methods that are maybe a little bit "non-traditional." Through the use of blogs, Twitter, Skype, and so much more, technology is also a great way to keep students engaged in the lessons and actively learning something. Again, it also gives them a project to reflect on when preparing for tests rather than trying to only remember what I said.

I plan to incorporate all manner of instructional techniques in my classroom. Children are diverse, so the methods used to teach them ought to be just as diverse. School should also be fun. It is not all about the test performance, even though that is very important. It's about what the students will take with them and remember for the rest of their lives. That is the kind of impact a teacher ought to make, and the one that I will strive to make.