Wednesday, October 16, 2013
SED407 at RIC vs. SED407 at District C
When we met last week at RIC, it got me thinking about whether I liked class better in the field or in the more traditional sense at RIC. The answer was actually quite obvious-class at District C is lightyears better than having an hour and a half of theory twice a week, because actually spending between 1-2 hours in a real high-school classroom, especially in a high school as diverse as District C is a great experience for any future teacher. When I've spoken with students from other colleges in the area, it seems like the vast majority of them don't end up seeing a real classroom until practicum begins; instead, they spend their first 2-3 years of college inundated with pedagogy and classroom strategy, and then are asked to unveil all their methods and expertise abruptly when practicum begins. This is a curriculum that unfortunately, I can't agree with. Especially now with the innovation lab, RIC students will spend extensive time in a variety of classrooms before they even get into practicum. From volunteering for Inspiring Minds in FNED346, observing in SED406, and now participating in something as fresh and innovative as the District C/RIC collaboration, teacher candidates from RIC are getting the full immersion. One thing I was just a little concerned about was the little strategies we were presumably missing out on learning because we spend all our time observing and discussing. Luckily, we got the chance to have the one class at RIC last week, and it included some great teaching strategies, especially in the realm of cooperative learning and how to use it effectively. The squares activity was fun and provided defined tasks for every student to complete, which is something you don't always see when it comes to cooperative learning in the classroom. All in all, however, I feel like the experience we are getting by forgoing some theory in exchange for actual field interaction with students is invaluable and that we will better understand how effective teaching works for this experience.
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I believe theory and practice both have their own place in school/college. They are both obviously necessary, but I believe practice just has more immediate/future value. I believe we can learn some theory through practice, but more in a secondary way, for instance, you learn how to handle confrontations in school by observing how the principal handled the altercation two weeks ago, we don't necessarily know that we are learning this, but we are. Also, practice is naturally usually more fun, so class goes by much faster and we learn more because we stay focused and interested throughout the entire class as opposed to only for one hour each class at school before we loss interest.
ReplyDeleteI partly agree. I feel like there is one thing we miss out in the way we run the class right now and that is a solid framing device. We get some good class time on the bus but I for one can never grasp it as solidly as if I were learning it in a classroom. All the rushing scenery and the loud humming of the bus do nothing to help concentration. I feel like the theory is a great way to guide us through our learning. It's like giving a man with poor vision glasses when he's driving home. The ride will just be much smoother. I feel like we get a lot out of what we have and honestly I prefer the field work at CF over a classroom any day. Sometimes though I wonder what that added amount of theory to guide us would do? Think of the ways it could make things better.
ReplyDeleteIdeally I think the best case senario would be what we're doing now plus maybe a one hour a week course that has theory to supplement our field work. That being said I wouldn't give up the class we have because I think this is a very rewarding experience.