Final Reflection

When I started this integrated curriculum class, I was about as inexperienced as they come when referring to my teaching experience. I had never written a lesson plan, had never taught through a curriculum, and have never discussed teaching methods with anyone. As I have come upon the cusp of finishing this class, I have learned the methods that one can use to put together a thematic unit based on existing curriculum, and utilizing the natural inquiry of students to help them grasp the skills they are learning and to motivate them for future academics. Specifically, I have learned to organize systematically an approach to teaching a lesson and connect to other subjects that are being addressed at a student's grade level. But I think the most important aspect of building an ITU was the need for communication between teachers, in order for a thematic unit to work. Earlier in the semester, I worked with an ITU group that through some miscommunication, assumed I had dropped the class. To make a long story short, they didn't want me in their group and I was assigned a new group to work with. In my new group I was able to jump right in on their theme and work with them primarily because of we could communicate with each other. Maybe it was because we are all behavior therapists, trying to find our way through a subject that we did not know much about, but we worked well with each other.

When addressing the question of how I would implement the new knowledge I have learned, in a classroom I would teach, it is difficult for me to say. This is because I have never been a teacher in a classroom setting. This the first time in my life I have ever read, let alone implemented a curriculum. In fact, in the field that I work in, it is technically out of my scope of practice to implement any curriculum to my client let alone a class. But for the sake of the question I will try and say what new skills I have learned that would be on the forefront of my focus when teaching a class. I would first communicate with the other teachers at the grade level I would be working with and tell them I wanted to include their subjects in my classrooms. I would also ask what the students at this particular school were interested in and maybe find something that I could include into the lesson that would tap into their natural inquiry and utilize that momentum into what I could teach. When addressing the needs of a diverse population of students, I would first use the role of being a “teacher as guide” to solicit ideas and try to understand where the students are at and attend to the needs that they have. Whether it may be how I teach them through a didactic approach or maybe through a visual/experiential approach. Coming from my behavior background, I would obtain a “baseline” of what they know, what they have experienced, what they are interested in and work from there. I would use common experiences in their neighborhood. I would try and meet them at a place where they are at and build from there.

At this point in working with thematic units, I don't have any questions about creating or implementing them. It may be that these concepts are so new to me because I have not taught in a classroom setting or have organized a lesson plan aside from the individualized lesson plan I made in this class.

My general experience using the WIKI as a form of group organization has been very positive. I have never used this type of format nor have really understood how it worked until using it in this class. I personally liked that it was very easy to organize topics and thoughts on particular topics. I am actually considering using it as a note taking tool for my next classes. In a classroom setting, it would be a very valuable tool to organize assignments and concepts in the classroom. To me using a WIKI is like a virtual binder.

As far blogging is concerned, I have been blogging on and off for the pass eight years. It is a great way to journal about thoughts that you have and your life experiences. As long as one does not get too personal, it can be a valuable tool to see growth. As I would use it in a classroom setting, I would definitely have students blog as it gives them practice to write what is on their minds and exercise their writing skills on a consistent basis. Using a WIKI and blogging definitely have a future in a classroom that I would teach.

My overall experience in the creation of the ITU was good. It was a new experience in working with a group solely online. We had great communication and each individual took different parts of the assignment which made the load easier to bear. The one glaring drawback of creating it was the lack of face-to-face communication in which we as group could effectively discuss aspects of our project. Now I understand it is the nature of online classes to work in this fashion. But I found that it was extremely time consuming to try and have a group discussion with five different people, on five different schedules, in which there was such a gap in time when we could respond to each other. It makes me miss being in a physical classroom and talking directly to people. I finally understand why business men travel all across the world for physical meetings, instead of just corresponding via email or talking on the phone.

As I think about my overall impression of this class, I found that I have learned many new things about education, specifically putting together a interdisciplinary unit. But it is difficult for me to think about a time in the future in which I would write one as a Behavior Analyst. And that is my personal burden to bear. As the saying goes, “it is what it is.” And it was difficult for me to do certain assignments, like the individualized lesson plan, because I had absolutely no experience doing something like that prior. And I don't know if I will do it again. Regardless, I did find great insight into using a student's inquiry to help them learn skills in the classroom. And using a person's inquiry is a great asset to help and individual with challenging behaviors. I can myself utilizing that new knowledge to come up with reinforcement schedules and motivate future clients to a better quality of life. For themselves and those around them.

It was also difficult to adjust to participating in an online class when I have always been able to take classes in a physical place where I could ask questions to the professor in person. This was definitely a trial by fire. Hopefully this experience will prepare me for my next classes.