Reflection
EDUC272 began with multiple readings, such as Cultural Competence, We Can't Teach What We Don't Know, and Turning on Learning. I was very interested and engaged to learn more about Multicultural Education. I grew up going to a small private elementary, middle, and high school around the De Pere and Green Bay area. There was a little bit of diversity throughout the school, but not enough to make me realize it until now when I thought back upon my educational journey thus far. As a future educator, it was my duty to learn and be aware of the various cultures and diversities that I am going to come upon in my teaching experiences. The elementary schools today around the De Pere and Green Bay communities are more diverse than when I was in elementary school so there is a strong chance that I will encounter multiple cultures and ethnicities in my classroom, school, and community. This semester I really enjoyed all the new insights and information I was gaining from this course. Everything I have learned in this course I can apply to my teaching and classroom in the future. In the beginning of this course, we addressed stereotypes, assumptions, generalizations, and prejudices. The first step to overcoming these issues in the educational system and the world is to identify them and make them known. Next, we broke down the individual stereotypes in order to help us think of ways to overcome and eliminate them in our classrooms. One of the most insightful and eye-opening books I have ever read was Education of a WASP. The book was written by a white woman who shares all her experiences with multicultural. She goes on a journey and experiences growth and learning throughout her life with her knowledge and first hand experiences of multicultural education. After we learned about stereotypes and how to strive towards elimination of them, we developed a unit plan for a single group studies approach. We got the opportunity to teach our secret agents of change themed unit to various age groups of children at a weekend conference center at Green Lake. The conference was called Umoja and it was for European American parents and families who have adopted African American children. It was very hands-on and engaging and it was a life-changing experience. It was great practice and a great learning opportunity to work with diverse students. It helped with my confidence and comfort level. The second half of the semester was focused on making and completing this building block. As a class, we developed the different sections of the building block and individually put everything together in the end. We developed lesson plans and unit plans for the three different approaches, which are human relations, single group studies, and multicultural education. We also discussed and research various preferred learning styles of all students. As a future educator, I want to make an impact on the lives and education of my students. I want all students to feel comfortable, safe, and confident in the classroom and in their learning. Everyone will be included, respected, and have an active voice in my classroom. I want to add multicultural diversity in my classroom environment through the decorations and classroom set up. The lesson plans, activities, and curriculum will also be diverse and multicultural. This course has helped me grow to become a multiculturally aware pre-service teacher and a reflective practitioner.
EDUC272 began with multiple readings, such as Cultural Competence, We Can't Teach What We Don't Know, and Turning on Learning. I was very interested and engaged to learn more about Multicultural Education. I grew up going to a small private elementary, middle, and high school around the De Pere and Green Bay area. There was a little bit of diversity throughout the school, but not enough to make me realize it until now when I thought back upon my educational journey thus far. As a future educator, it was my duty to learn and be aware of the various cultures and diversities that I am going to come upon in my teaching experiences. The elementary schools today around the De Pere and Green Bay communities are more diverse than when I was in elementary school so there is a strong chance that I will encounter multiple cultures and ethnicities in my classroom, school, and community. This semester I really enjoyed all the new insights and information I was gaining from this course. Everything I have learned in this course I can apply to my teaching and classroom in the future. In the beginning of this course, we addressed stereotypes, assumptions, generalizations, and prejudices. The first step to overcoming these issues in the educational system and the world is to identify them and make them known. Next, we broke down the individual stereotypes in order to help us think of ways to overcome and eliminate them in our classrooms. One of the most insightful and eye-opening books I have ever read was Education of a WASP. The book was written by a white woman who shares all her experiences with multicultural. She goes on a journey and experiences growth and learning throughout her life with her knowledge and first hand experiences of multicultural education. After we learned about stereotypes and how to strive towards elimination of them, we developed a unit plan for a single group studies approach. We got the opportunity to teach our secret agents of change themed unit to various age groups of children at a weekend conference center at Green Lake. The conference was called Umoja and it was for European American parents and families who have adopted African American children. It was very hands-on and engaging and it was a life-changing experience. It was great practice and a great learning opportunity to work with diverse students. It helped with my confidence and comfort level. The second half of the semester was focused on making and completing this building block. As a class, we developed the different sections of the building block and individually put everything together in the end. We developed lesson plans and unit plans for the three different approaches, which are human relations, single group studies, and multicultural education. We also discussed and research various preferred learning styles of all students. As a future educator, I want to make an impact on the lives and education of my students. I want all students to feel comfortable, safe, and confident in the classroom and in their learning. Everyone will be included, respected, and have an active voice in my classroom. I want to add multicultural diversity in my classroom environment through the decorations and classroom set up. The lesson plans, activities, and curriculum will also be diverse and multicultural. This course has helped me grow to become a multiculturally aware pre-service teacher and a reflective practitioner.