Carolyn

toc Every time we start to do something interesting in class, I get so absorbed in it that I forget to take pictures. So I will be using mostly words here and pics grabbed from the web to illustrate this.

Here are some things I remember from this semester (Spring, 2012), not in any particular order.

=Scroll saw= When we first got tools in the room, I had been opposed to power tools, because I know how dangerous they can be. Yet a scroll saw is just about one of the safest electric saws available and having one opens up so many possibilities. I have been impressed by the projects that have been done on it, including a puzzle, a plexiglass set of initials, large letters, and so forth. Now, because we have it, I think it would be a neat project to make a set of large letters out of wood to share with a preschool like C. Ray Williams, for use with their blocks.

=Pysanky= I have done this project many times and there are several things I love about it. One is that it requires the kind of backwards thinking (visualizing how to put together the colors) that is good for the brain in my opinion. Another is the use of the kistkas, which are traditional tools, as opposed to technological tools. I like how no matter how you plan an egg, it is still a surprise when you get the wax off. I also like dealing with the fragility of the eggs--one learns just how tough an egg shell is when taking off the wax. There is something about tactile experiences of materials and the process of learning things such as how much "give" wood has vs. metal vs. glass vs. eggshells. Our focus in schools have too often been on the abstract--experiencing things through mediation through photographs, books, and technology. There is a huge difference between seeing a picture of an egg and actually holding the egg in your hands. There is a huge difference between coloring a picture of an egg and actually using the wax and dyes to create an actual pysanka. In fact, I think tactile experiences are highly motivational (as opposed to yet another picture to draw or color).

=Picnic= It was amazing to me how putting blankets on the floor changed the whole "feel" of the classroom. The take home lesson for me is that changing the environment in some way can open new possibilities for interactions. This works no matter what the environment is--one's home, one's office, one's classroom. It's another of those things that is good for the brain.

=Foodie Friday= One of my favorite memories from this semester is the day we made home made pizzas. As a teacher, I love to see the light in the eyes of students who have just accomplished something new and significant and I saw that light that day.

=Crayons= This semester I learned more than I thought possible about all the things one can do with crayons and heat!

=Prezi= media type="custom" key="14023896" When I hear that middle school students are using Prezi and I know that Capital students are less familiar with this tool, I think about how Capital students should be encouraged to explore and use these new technologies and applications. Anyway, I was pleased at the recent interest in learning how to use Prezi.

Another aspect of this that comes to mind is that if we want students to learn to truly communicate effectively, having them do boring power points is a poor means. After all, if the audience falls asleep or their minds wander, then is communication truly happening? We need to teach students how to make their communication compelling, and Prezis can do this. Probably some "creative" person can make Prezi boring, but that hasn't happened yet. When it starts to feel like power point, let's go find something else to use.

=Garden= We started our garden with such enthusiasm and it was so exciting to see the plants growing so quickly. And then, it stopped being interesting. That's fine to abandon projects that lose their allure. At the same time, as a teacher, I wonder what factors caused interest to be lost. This is something I'm thinking about.

=Stilts= Walking on stilts was a really fun thing for me. It brought me back in touch with things I did 35 (!) years ago. I was so proud of myself that I could still walk on stilts!!

=Music= While I majored in music education and learned a lot of teaching techniques, they, of course, did NOT teach us to teach the way I like to teach, which is to take people who are new to music and have them playing a real song in a real form within about 30 minutes. I have gotten pretty good with this, but I would like to figure out how to take this the next step, to help to sustain that learning over time. I'm not sure how to do that...it's a work in progress.

=Knitting, Crocheting, Oh My!!!= It was neat to see how knitting and crocheting caught on this semester and all the projects people have made. In particular, it is so moving and wonderful to have been part of the creation of a baby blanket for a brand new baby and a scarf for a fantastic grandma. This kind of thing is what keeps me excited about teaching even after 30 years--to be part of people's lives in an authentic way and to help open doors for new possibilities in my students' lives.

I learned something major this semester about teaching people how to knit and to crochet--to use that giant yarn we have so people can get started with the techniques and then move into the smaller tools.

=Emergent Curriculum= A huge piece of the philosophy Tobie and I use has to do with following student interests. At the same time, we've been on earth awhile and we know some of what is "out there" (I think melted crayons was new to both of us, so we don't know EVERYTHING that is out there). So, the class is kind of a tightrope walk between following student interests and expanding students' horizons. Along with being part of projects that have meaning in people's lives, I also love the process of figuring out how we can walk this tightrope. I love taking what we have done and thinking about "what else?" could we do in future semesters.

=Overall Reflections= Education 214 was the first class I taught here at Capital back in 2001 and I can see how much I have grown as a teacher across these amazing eleven years. The circumstances have gotten better and better. When I began, there were three teachers with a more traditional approach to learning (projects, homework, readings, etc.). Soon I began to have influence over the assignments and later, I taught the class by myself, where I got rid of homework, etc.. Finally, I got the world's best co-teacher and we have inspired each other to greater and greater heights. I recall when Tobie said, "Let's do claymation," so we did! That's just one example of the type of conversation we often have about this class. It's a lot of, "Let's do...." and then we do!

Getting our room was also a huge step in being able to implement our philosophy (it's a shared one, as you all know). I have loved every moment of that process, from imagining what it could be during proposal writing, through seeing it get built, through the first semester teaching there, to now where it has that "lived in look."

In any case, we are both always trying to challenge ourselves to continually improve the class--to provide more tools, to provide more options and support, to provide for more learning. In this semester, I felt we took steps in these directions. I also felt that this class developed into a community in a most amazing way, as evidenced by the following picture, which I will always treasure: