This was one of my first classes in the UNM program.  I didn't know what to expect.  Andrea Erickson taught this class with great passion and enthusiasm.  Her attitude toward teaching was wonderful.  She allowed us to express our emotions on different topics.  I felt like Andrea valued our opinions no matter how different. 

     Throughout the class we touched on several different topics.  As a class we discussed individual variations such as multiple intelligences and learning styles.  We took a little test to see what our multiple intelligences are and in what ways we learned.  It really opened my eyes to what the students in a classroom experience.  As a teacher we need to know the different ways our students learn best so that they can be confident in their learning.

     We also discussed motivation in the classroom.  It will be a challenge to keep 18+ students motivated.  It all goes back to getting to know your students' interests.  We discussed so many wonderful topics in this class.  Everyday we had an open discussion. Andrea would get us started on a topic and the discussion went on from there.  I guess you could say it was a student led class.

     For my practicum work we had to observe three different classrooms taking into consideration things we were learning about and discussing in our class.  I first observed a Kindergarten teacher at Ladera.  I observed how she managed her classroom and how she handled discipline problems.  The other two classrooms I observed were a 1st and 2nd grade class at Northeast.  I actually compared the two classrooms on behavioral perspectives such as reinforcement, shaping, and modeling.  I observed and compared scaffolding and cooperative learning between the two grade levels.