I have grown in many areas during this course as listed below and beyond. I am working hard to become a great teacher who will pass my enthusiam and knowlede of literature to my students. I have gained so much knowledge from the first time I have entered this course and am extremely excited to continue to grow as a teacher, student and human being. I have worked very hard to make the connections I have made and learn more each day. I feel I am working at an  A+  level.

 

     I have found throughout this course a gowing sense of communication in our literature-rich learning community. I have had more casual "book talks" with my fellow classmates during the last two months than I have ever experienced in my life. We discuss books we have read, share our insights and thoughts of those books and reccomend books to one another. This has greatly enriched my life in more ways than one.

       My communication skills as a writer has also grown as I have found my self randomly looking for a piece of paper and a pen to record the thoughts that are running through my mind. I have found my voice as a writer again.This is something I have never payed much attention to, but lately I share my writings with friends and it feels good to hear their feedback. I believe the reson this is happening is due to the variety of books i am reading. I am exposed to many different writing styles that are allowing me to connect with my inner writer.

       I have also been using this website to log some of my thoughts, which is helping me become more comfortable with sharing my thoughts of books with anyone who wanders across my page. This has helped me become aware of my words. I know I still have alot of work on developing my comfortability with sharing this, but so far I feel that I am making great progress.  

 

     Research is a teacher's best friend I believe. I am performing quite a bit of research for this class and all my other courses. I have found that my reading class is one of my best resource tools for this course. I have connected many of the ideas between these two classes to further accelerate my learning. I am very glad that I have these classes during the same time, because it allows me to experience children's literature through this course and in another aspect again during the week.

     I have also used the computer frequently to research the genre's and literary concepts that I am being introduced to. I have never been so fully submerged in the world of literature and I love every moment of my experience. I find myself looking up my favorite childhood author's I am re- reading and finding new authors that I never knew I loved!  

    

 

     I am growing in this area, as I was raised to perform my research from books,then from the computer. I was not taught how to do an advanced search to find only reliable resources. I am now becoming much more familiar with the tools that are available to me to perform research and use it to the best extent possible. I feel comfortable with where I am in this endevour and look foward to the new technology out there that is with in reach. 

     I am enjoying using tripod. I had no idea that this was available and  you could have your own website to this extent. I think this element of the course is one of the best. I just love it! I can work on it at my convienance and instantly publish my progress to show my dedication to the course.  

 

      Collaboration has been the single most effective part of my learning in this course. I love being with a group of fellow future teachers with fresh energy and full of enthusiasm to try new ideas. I know that at any time I feel like I am stuck, I have a network of people who are willing to help me find another approach. Having this experience is priceless.

       Working with Rebekah and Tammie in Ms. Finch's class is amazing. When I first walked in and looked at the class I was scared they might eat me alive! Collaborating with these two amazing women have been critical to the success of our literature circle. I believe that if we were not working together as a unit, we would not have this experience we are so fortunate to share. Each one of us have unique personalities which allows us to look at the same situation completley different. Putting all our heads together has helped us see a more complete picture and work with the students best interest in mind at all times.

 

     My confidence and independence is growing. I am a confident reader, but had never had many people in my life who were fellow readers, so I would never share my reading experiences with others. Since this course, I have not only been discussing books with my fellow classmates (of all my courses), but I have come to recognize and realize that many people in my life are readers. Those people are now handing me books to read and suggesting their favorites. I find this truely amazing that because I was not sure of other peoples reading habits, I was unwilling to share my good reads.

      As a writer, I am very shy about what people read of my writings. I have had many people support and praise my writings, however, this makes me uncomfortable to expose it for criticism. However, I have found my urge to write on a regular basis. I have seen how my writing is growing and becoming better over time. Perhaps at some point in the future I wil become more comfortable sharing my writings with others.

      I am much more confident and independent working with students than I was two months ago. I was very scared walking into Ms. Finch's 8th grade classroom the first time and I am sure I was bright red reading my I AM poem. After meeting with them only twice and collaborating with my group for our literature circle, I am completely confident in my abilities to work with this age group. I know reflecting on each experience has helped me internalize what worked and did not and I can then go in with that knowledge to make it better the next time.   

 

     I am gaining many skills and strategies to apply to my career as a teacher, and in the process I am experimenting with these starategies to develop and discover how they work. In the literature circles we are collaborating as a team of readers which is helping all of us to have a deeper connection with and understanding of the literature. The video, "Looking into literature Circles" has provided me with the tools of introducing roles for members to keep the circles on track. I like how these roles are explained as a beginners tool, just to bring understanding of what the circles are supposed to be doing. This strategy builds reading and communication skills for all involved as you move beyond the designated roles for each reader and encompass all the roles.

     I am also learning how to communicate with the students and help them take ownership in their own learning. Allowing the students to self direct the path of learning is an amazing way to give them the opportunity to not only take pride and ownership in their academic career, but also to allow them to investigate avenues that may not have been explored. This strategy is a skill in itself, as you must let go of control. The concept of teacher directed learning is not the future, but is the past. Of course there will always be a need for this component, allowing students to learn through their own inquiry and curiosity personalizes the content and gives it more meaning. I am embracing this strategy as I have already seen the freedom it gives the students and the skills they are developing. The students are constantly collaborating, communicating, thinking critically and growing as readers, writes, and learners.

     Having the experience of practicing these skills is helping me enhance my learning as well. I am gaining understanding of how to apply these strategies and hone the skills needed to teach in the classroom. I am also learning how to develop lesson plans that support these strategies and follow through by reflecting on my experiences. The reflections are key to improving my lesson plans and working with the students.

 

      Before this class, I was lost on the various genres. I did not know how many there were and what they were exactly. I am now familiar with the various genres through my own research and the indepth presentations of those specific genres that have been assigned. I am not completely comfortable in knowing the genre's inside out, but I fully expect to have a deep understanding by the end of the semester. The progress I have made in this area is outstanding and I am excited to have a full understanding of each genre.

      My growth of understanding in literary elements and dramatic structures is also growing and I believe each of these will be essential to teaching Literature in the classroom. From my own understndings of these concepts, it is allowing me to engage children in literary discussions throughout their literature experiences. I am capable of addressing any misconceptions and help move the discussion along. Having this knowledge is critical in our literature circles as we are all growing as readers, writers and learners in a close-knit learning community.

     The collaboration with others that I have experienced in this course is an invaluable tool that I will continue to develop and use throughout the rest of my life. Each one of us has exceptional qualities and are eager to help each other grow as teachers, learners and people. I am learning from each person as we all have an area of expertise and are working together to make the teaching workforce even better when we reach it.

 

      The prior knowledge that I brought to this course was minimal, I believed, until I was submerged. I found that I brought a great wealth of children's literature to the course. I have always enjoyed reading, and although my understanding of the various genre's was limited, having the prior knowledge of different books has helped me tremendously in connecting the genre's to the literature I have read. Connecting these together has been extremely important for my learning as I had a foundation on which to build with stronf reinforements.

     I also brought with me my prior experiences of working with children and helping them in their journey of learning. I am able to draw upon my prior knowledge of literary concepts and understandings to clear away their confusion of literature and allow them to love literature with the same intensity as I do. Having tapped into this prior knowledge, I have biult upon it with stronger connections and understanding. I am also able to integrate my learning of my other courses into this course as I am making connections with the various materials I am learning.   

     Having the support of my fellow classmates, I find that we are talking of these connections on a regular basis as we are collaborating to be the best we can be. I know that we are all learning from each other and tapping into each others prior knowledge to further our own understanding and connections as well as theirs. Having the understanding of bringing our own prior knowledge is also helping to bring forth the students. The students I am working with are eager to share their knowledge and further their literary education. 

 

     I am learning the importance of reflection as a means to become a better teacher, student and person. I have always been a reflective person, however, I did not put it into words. Now that I am experiencing this, I find that i can look back and see my growth in those mentioned areas. I can also look back and see what has worked and what has not.  By putting my reflections into words has given me the opportunity to have a clear picture of what happened, and how I felt I could make it better at the time, only to come to new conclusions to further my progress.

      Through out this course, I have found myself reflecting on every situation I am experiencing. I believe having the opportunity to be responsible for putting my thoughts and reflections into words has made me become more efficiant as a teacher, student, and person. I make stronger and more insightful connections to what has happened and what I would like to see happen. I am grateful for this opportunity as I am the kind of person who wants to be the best I can be and this tool is helping me in this effort. I believe as I continue my educational jouney at UNM, I will continue to grow as a reflective person which will benefit me as a whole person. I know I will use this tool for the rest of my life. Thank you for that!