Module 1

After reading the first week's assigned chapters, I have to say that this course is going to be a lot more interesting than I thought. With having taken a few different psychology courses before, I was thinking that I would already know a lot of the information or at least recognize it. To my surprise, I think looking at psychology in a educational way in which it can tie to my future as a teacher someday is vital. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss some key points that really stuck out to me this week.

In chapter 1, I was very impressed by the section that addressed beginning teachers. As a teacher candidate, I really was able to connect with the topic due to the uncertain feelings I have starting out as a teacher. As the book mentions, student teaching will teach us many vital ideas and lessons for the preparation of students, however, no one is ever prepared for the first day of school during their first year of teaching. Woolfolk goes on to talk about the "reality shock" that sets in when first year teachers are faced with the same tasks as teachers with many years of experience under their belt. Codell makes a lasting impression when describing the shift from concerns about teachers themselves to their students. "The difference between a beginning teacher and an experienced one is that the beginning teacher asks, "How am I doing?" and the experienced teacher asks, "How are the children doing?" (Codell, 2001, p. 191). This statement really stuck out to me, because I believe that this is an accurate representation of a teacher.

In chapter 2, I was intrigued by Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development. Although, I have been introduced to this information very vaguely in the past, I feel that now more than ever, it is essential to brush up on the information. Out of the four stages of cognitive development, I paid particular attention to Early Childhood to the Early Elementary Years, because my interest is to become a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher. Piaget's ideas regarding symbolic action schemes are something that I believe will be very helpful in the classroom. I plan to use symbols, signs, gestures, words, and images in my classroom, which can help the students to benefit to have the ability to form and use their own symbols. With the use of semiotic function, I can show my students a picture of  a frog in order for them to remember what an amphibian is. This can help them to remember subjects more easily. This kind of learning can really help them when used to teach them new vocabulary. Woolfolk suggests that "between the ages of 2 and 4, most children enlarge their vocabulary from about 200 to 2,000 words". (Woolfolk, pg. 48). This information shows, that if a toddler aged child can increase their vocabulary that much, there is certainty in a 3rd-4th grade student going way beyond that measurement.

In chapter 3, I found it very interesting to study the various relationships that can impact a student. Relationships with parents, peers, and the teacher can very much so affect a child and their behavior. I have always thought about issues, such as the ones brought up in this chapter. I find myself being nervous and scared to deal with the fact that I will have students who struggle forming relationships with others in the classroom, as well as, having to assist students who are dealing with a hard time at home, that ultimately, I can not exactly change for them. Regardless, I will be the rock that they need in order to help them get through their hardships. The section regarding teacher support for reaching every student really touched me. It makes sense when the book states that sometimes students have chaotic and unpredictable home lives, and that myself as a teacher can be the one that provides them with the care that they need in a predictable structure. This section makes me remember again why I want to be a teacher. I always said that I not only want to teach students about lessons i subjects, but I also want to teach them life lessons and skills. On remarkable idea that I am very interested in using if needed one day is the example Woolfolk described regarding a student who was dealing with divorced parents at home. The student was given a journal so he could write about his parents divorce. Sometimes he discussed the journal with the teacher, and other times he just recorded his feelings. It was important that the teacher was careful to respect the boy's privacy about his writings. In this section, Woolfolk proved that student's need to rely on teachers. "They need teachers who set clear limits, are consistent, enforce rules firmly but not punitively, respect students, and show genuine concern". (Woolfolk, pg. 90).