Final 342 Reflections

 Looking through all three of my blogs, I feel strongly that the writing I’ve done for 342 is some of my most inspired. I’m very grateful for the material selected – many of the articles have helped me develop lenses for knowing/seeing that I regularly leverage to help make sense of the educational world. Some of the most notable:

Relational V.S Instrumental

Arguably one of the most influential – within our cohort, I noticed many of us naturally adopting these terms to speak about and make critiques of content. For me personally (and in addition to enriching my vocabulary), these terms helped me characterize what type of learning works best for me. In particular, I realize that I generally need some sort of instrumental understanding before I can make sense of relational details. It was a big ‘aha’ moment when I realized that this may not be the case for all students. Although it seems deeply natural for me, it was suggested that other folks (potentially those are neurodivergent) would learn best if some relational information was provided first. As a teacher, an awareness of this difference is invaluable. I’m very happy this was one of the first pieces we read.  

Arbitrary V.S Necessary

I love this lens almost as much as the ‘instrumental & relational” lens. As a teacher, I felt a ‘correctness’ when I (unintentionally) led students to a ‘necessary’ conclusion with arbitrary information. This language enables me to more clearly understand why this felt ‘correct’, as well as how to reproduce it. By being intentional with what information we give our students, we can create very authentic opportunities of discovery for them.

Teacher Bird & Student Bird

This type of thought exercise helped me to realize and delineate my student and teacher minds. Not much else to say… just another lens I am grateful to have in my toolbox!

Flow

Our lecture on Flow helped me to more explicitly tie my musical experiences to what I hope for in my classrooms. Perhaps one of the most important realizations I came to (which was affirmed by Susan) is that students of all skill levels have the ability to achieve flow-state. I was never of the opposite opinion, yet having this idea affirmed gives me hope that cultivating a culture of ‘flow’ is possible within my classrooms

In general, I am overjoyed with my experience in 342. The pace of reading was thoughtful and I am grateful to have had the opportunity embrace the role of student under such an excellent educator.

My only advice relates to the garden. I am a deep lover of the garden, however it was clear to me that my comfort in this environment stems from my experience in this world – I camp, hike, bike, and generally feel as comfortable outside as inside. This is not the case for everyone. If one is physically uncomfortable, they cannot fully engage in learning. As such, I would place greater emphasis in teaching and maintaining comfort in this space.

I would also like to speak length about my peers who were also instrumental in cultivating a culture that made this semester such a success – however, I reserve this discussion for my 450 blog post.

Thank you Susan!