Influences of Inquiry and Wonderings

After beginning to consider topics to research, things that wouldn't normally be noticed are strongly apparent. For example, I currently wonder about the benefits of a set routine. I now pay attention to how the students react when something "out of the plan" occurs and how smoothly things go when nothing pops up. What I noticed even more is the struggle that faces the teacher when something like that comes up. Just as students do, instructors benefit from knowing what to expect. When the unexpected arrives, dealing with it isn't always simple.

It would seem that one of the major goals of inquiry as teachers-to-be is to wonder about something that will influence our teaching behaviors (and therefore student learning). It would seem that point can't be reached, though without studying the behaviors of others. Through which, we learn about our own practices and passions.

Instructional Technology Integration

There's often a fine line between using and integrating technology in the classroom. Using technology in a lesson often just involves the teacher using something to help present the content to the students. For example, teachers often use PowerPoint presentations to give a neat and clear presentation of information. However, through integration, teachers give students the opportunity to interact with the technology for themselves. An example would be asking fifth graders to use the internet to find information about the Washington Monument. Both are essential in a current classroom with the amount of curriculum to present. Also, it provides a nice way to sort of "mix things up" compared to the normal lecture and chalkboard lesson.

Action Research Wonderings

This section of my blog shares my wonderings from my classroom experience.