Presentations

All the presentations on pedagogical approaches were helpful. I think the best part is when we can all discuss with eachother our thoughts and opinions. I like brainstorming how we might use them in our classrooms. We may not realize what specific approach we are using, and it may be more than one. I think that direct instruction really is my primary way of teaching. When implementing my lesson for the unit it was a change for me. I felt that one of the most important approaches used was engaged learning. All the students did a nice job of providing feedback and helping one another out. All the students have their strengths and they really used them at the appropriate times. Not only was it up to me to do the teaching, but it was important for the students to help out.
I really learned a lot from all the people in this class, and I think it is important for our students to learn from eachother. Many times it is not the teacher who does all the teaching, it is our peers who we end up learning a lot from.

Pedagogical Approaches

With all of the different types of pedagogical approaches we have learned about in this class, it is hard to pinpoint what may always works the best. I think as teachers are educating students each day, planning lessons to follow the curriculum and considering the integration of technology, it becomes very difficult to try and specify a specific pedagogical approach that is being taught. I, myself, feel that many of the pedagogical approaches can be overlapped, and considering them in the development of each lesson is not practical. However, I do feel it is important to be aware of what types of teaching methods teachers are using, and what the important aspects are. The reflection piece becomes a very critical component in effective teaching. I would have to say that many teachers really do not take the time to sit and reflect upon each lesson taught. I know that hold true to my own self. With all the commotion of the daily grind, reflection can easily be put at the bottom of the list, although it can be so crucial in our teaching.

Overall, I think it is important to understand pedagogical approaches and consider what type of teaching we are implementing in the classroom. I think being aware of our “teaching style” is an important part of educating our students. Each year we gain more confidence and ideas that carry over. One year we might find that we had more of a constructivist approach and the next year problem based learning was something we practiced a lot more.