This summer session has flown by, but in my opinion, has been the best learning experience. In undergrad we had what we call our Methods courses on how to teach the core subjects with aspects of integration. This semester allowed me to further my knowledge on integration as well as the best practices in how to do so along with gaining knowledge about the Common Core Standards and Essential Standards.
I think it is only fitting that I begin this blog posting with what I learned about reflective assessment (from Daniels and Bizar, Chapter 7). Daniels and Bizar (2005) state that students should become “self-monitoring, self-regulating individuals who take charge of their own learning, set ambitious goals, monitor their own progress, keep their own records, adjust their efforts, make good decisions, and become part of a collaborative community that grows by the means of healthy and measured mutual feedback” (p. 222). Not in just this semester but now, halfway through out graduate career I believe that most, if not all of us have achieved all of these ideas. Therefore reflecting on myself this semester I believe that I have learned to my fullest potential. Of course, from this chapter I was also able to further my knowledge on different types of assessment and how they should be used.
The most important Chapter that I read was Chapter 8 Integrative Units in Daniels and Bizar (2005), which to most will make sense since the basis of our class was on integration. It is important to remember that when teacher’s use the “separate subject approach” it leaves students with “a disconnected view of knowledge and fails to reflect on the way that people attack real problems in the real world” (Daniels and Bizar, 2005, p. 270). The integrated units at the end of the semester were a good depiction of the knowledge we gained of how to integrate and make lessons meaningful for students. It would be easy to write and tell you all of the things that I learned this semester but it is better to “see” them in our integrated unit “Catching the Train to Integrated Curriculum” based on Historic Murfreesboro and the Murfreesboro Railroad.