A Whole New Mind

I really enjoyed this presentation. Beth had used this in her Philosophy of Education class and I really liked it. I think that it is a hard book to get the true point across in such a little bit of time. I knew what the idea and point of the book was, but I feel like a lot of the other students after class were saying "ummm I still have no idea what that book was about, but the activities were fun!" I think a little bit better explaining in the beginning, before picking in the first activity, of what is left brain and right brain would have made the whole thing much better.

Other than the clarification I think that you guys did a GREAT job. I loved all the activities! I think that they were fun and really put the point across about what each of the things he talks about is. At the end where we thought about our classrooms and how we would apply each of them to our classroom was a terrific conclusion to it all. It really tied up some loose ends on why this book was being read and how it could actually apply to a classroom setting.

Best part of the whole thing was Dr. Graces quote "Oooo A Wordle!".

The End!

Outdoor Adventures

Abstract:

This chapter offered 13 big suggestions on outdoor activities that you could do. The activities offered could really work for an integrated classroom outside activity, because more than one subject can be worked into each activity. Some of these activities pulled in art and drama as well. The chapter also gives you a sample letter to Parents, which is really nice to include!

Reflection:

I loved the Civil War reenactment and the Freedom trail ideas. I think that they'd be great with Middle School kids. The Service Project idea is like what they did in the book that my group just read. I liked that it even gave math and english assignments. This way if you made a whole day adventure out of a field trip somewhere you could have alternating group activities with the different classroom teachers.

Active Learning

Abstract: This chapter focuses on making subjects physical engaging and gives many great suggestions. The chapter walks you through many activity ideas that I believe would really target many of the Multiple Intelligence's. Some examples include allow students to create a rap song, Let students stretch every 30 mins or so, the Ball Summary, Carousel Brainstorming, an Olympics course with an academic focus, or using drama in your classroom. All of these suggestions really got the students interacting with the work that they were doing. I feel that most students learn better when they are doing a memorable activity, which each of these qualify as.

Reflection: I was reminded of the school that Dr. Grace had mentioned with no windows when I saw the suggestion of adding a mirror to make the room seem bigger. This chapter gave some good and bad suggestions. It's great to get the kids moving and out of their seats. It gives the teacher and students a break from the same old boring stuff. I wasn't a big fan of the YMCA in New York's suggestion for an activity and some of these seemed more targeted at 4th or 5th grade. Also, a lot of these would need heavy supervision and rule set up for the immature kids in your classroom. Overall I liked this chapter though.