More Homework!?!

I promise that all of my future blog posts will not be simply my homework for my current class load but hey...what's becoming a teacher without a little homework? This is another assignment for my M500 seminar at IU South Bend.
Exercise 6.3- Recalling my Own Learning Experiences in College
The purpose of this exercise is to recall and share learning experiences from your own college days. Reflect upon those with respect to their relationship to the Learning Experiences Ladder and the discussion of the access and delivery modes of instruction.
1. Recall one vivid learning experience from each level of your college schooling and identify its position on the Learning Experiences Ladder.
College Experience: IU Bloomington History of Rock and Roll Class-Lesson on The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations"
In explaining the importance and ground-breaking nature of this song, our professor was very enthused. After lecturing on the history of the Beach Boys and their music, he dove right into "Good Vibrations". As the song began, he took a marker to the dry-erase board that spanned the lecture hall and literally doodled out the song, its highs, lows, peaks, and valleys. He was up, down, back and forth throughout the song in often times violent motion. It conveyed to this lecture hall of 100's of students the nature and complexity of the song. After he was finished, he played the song again and had each student repeat the exercise in their own notebook.
Position on Ladder: This lesson would fall under the Vicarious Experiences step on the ladder. For those unfamiliar with the ladder, it's about in the middle and is a lesson that engages more than one sense, learners are indirectly "doing", and there can be some limited physical activity involved.
2. Was the access or delivery mode used?
The delivery mode was used, meaning the class was driven by teacher lecture and example.
3. List the weaknesses and the strengths of the mode used.
In this particular case, the delivery method was successful because of the enthusiasm of the instructor. You could feel the passion and importance of the song. Using the marker as he played the music really drove home his spoken lecture. Another successful part of the lesson was getting the students involved and allowing us to express ourselves and what we felt when we heard the music.
As far as weaknesses, this professor tended to use the delivery mode most of the time(it being a huge lecture), so sometimes the enthusiasm wasn't always there and some students were clearly not always focused. Also, some students were familiar with some artists music prior to class however, there was no ability to skip these lessons. Learning was very much driven by the pace of the professor.

A Little Bit of Homework!

This post is a required assignment of my M500 Seminar at IU South Bend. We are currently discussing lesson planning, and trying to develop our own understanding of how students learn best, and how to plan accordingly. Enjoy!
Exercise 6.1- Meaningful Direct Experiences
The purpose of this exercise is for you to reflect on your past direct learning experiences. Recall a lesson from your middle or secondary schooling when you learned by doing something.
I recall my eighth grade English class taught by Mrs. Kleist. The lesson was diagramming sentences, and it was probably more of a unit length, as we studied this over the course of a few days to a week. This was very much a hands-on/minds-on learning experience and it also led to other great projects.
1. Why do you remember this particular direct experience?
I remember this experience so vividly because, while I hated diagramming sentences, I really enjoyed this lesson and how it was presented.
2. What did you experience?
The lesson began with some lecturing. The process and intricacies of diagramming naturally had to be explained first before we could attempt to diagram ourselves. We were then placed into small groups of 4-5 students where we worked together to
diagram sentences of ever greater complexity. In the end, we all came together
as a class and diagrammed a ridiculously long and complicated sentence. I
remember this sentence diagram stretching across the entire length and height
of the chalkboard, which spanned an entire wall!
3. How could the experience have been better?
Again, I shockingly have fond memories of this diagramming lesson, so it is hard for me to recall ways for it to have been improved. Later in the school year, our class went on to read, rehearse, and perform a Shakespeare comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. I am convinced that our group work in class contributed greatly to our success with the production.
4. Which learning modalities were embedded in the direct experience? Explain how the various sensory preferences were addressed?
The lesson, or unit, started out with some lecture and explanation by Mrs. Kleist that was heavily auditory. As we moved into groups, the other learning modalities were all used. Visual in the visualizing first in our mind and then on paper, as to how to diagram a sentence. Tactile learning was done by writing out our work first on paper, then on the chalkboard. Kinesthetic learning was accomplished in our close group work, the physical act of writing on the chalkboard, and the high-fives and hugs that were shared upon completion of our final, huge sentence diagram!

About three weeks ago, I began my first course in the Indiana University South Bend Transition to Teaching Program. This is a one year program for those holding bachelor's degrees to obtain their licensure in the state of Indiana(the greatest state in the Union-Go Hoosiers)! What a fascinating three weeks it has already been! I have settled into my travels, having an hour and fifteen minute commute each way. I have discovered Bruno's pizza, which is quite tasty on the run(especially at $1.50/slice on Mondays)! I am once again indebted to my parents for their generosity, since they have agreed to pay my travel tolls. I am also indebted to my wife, kids, and in-laws. Having been raised by a family of teachers, I am already well aware of the sacrifices, dedication, and love provided by families that allows teachers to educate our youth.

More importantly, I have been challenged to learn new programs in the field of technology that I never dreamt possible, including this blog. My first seminar with our program chair forced us to look back at our educational experiences, and re-discover those moments that drove us to this career and life path. It is one of those moments that I would like to share in my first blog post. I really believe this is one of the first moments when I realized(despite the length of the road), that my path would always be intertwined with the German culture and language. Enjoy!

As a sophomore in high school I, along with my parents, made a bold decision. Every three years, my high school sponsored a spring break trip to Germany. Freshman were not allowed to go, so this was my only opportunity to attend. With my parents blessing(and money), I took the trip.

I have no recollection of the flight there or our arrival but then we stopped in the village of Gebsattel for our first overnight. This was a village of no more than a few hundred people.

We arrived in the afternoon, got settled into our Gasthaus, and a few of us began to stroll down the street. By this time it was dusk, a beautiful purple-gold sky illuminated the houses along the street, and the smell of wood burning wafted through the air. As we walked, a woman tended to the chickens in her yard, then a man rode by on his bike saying, "Gruss Gott." It was during this stroll down a centuries-old cobblestone street that I felt the pull of this land, this language, and this culture.

Throughout the remainder of our week in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein, we saw some amazing things. We visited the breathtaking cities of Munich, Heidelberg, and Salzberg. Our jaws dropped at the beauty of Neuschwanstein Castle, the Ettal Monastary, and the majesty of the Alps. New friendships blossomed as we played games and held a belching contest on the bus. We even had a snowball fight with our bus driver, who spoke no english!(This was one of my first lessons in the universality of playful, peaceful gestures.)

My mind however, always returns to that first quiet, magical experience in that small German village. Even today, when I smell the deep, rich scent of wood burning, I return to that time and place. It was that moment that made me want to experience all of German life. I didn't want to leave that village. I wanted to wake up there every morning, and see what life in Germany would bring!

It is because of that trip that I decided to postpone college and live in Germany for a full year. It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. These experiences have made German a part of my life, and I want to share that passion with my future students. There is no telling what path my life would have taken had I not experienced just a slice of Germany when I was 15 years old.

In-class story written for Dr. Bruce Spitzer's M500 seminar(May 27th, 2010)