Course Reflection EEND 678A

Taking this course has given me quite a few new ideas to implement in my classroom. The first idea that I think I will use is backchannel talks. I love the idea of showing a video twice--once so that the students can just watch, and then once so that they can react and talk about it. For my ELL students, oral language and written language are two different things, and often one will develop before the others. I have students who are more comfortable communicating verbally, and those who like to write, largely because they can use translators and dictionaries to assist them. This would be an excellent way to accommodate for different learning styles among my ELL students, especially 3rd grade and up.

Another important thing I learned in this class was the use of a slidedeck. I loved the way ours turned out, and it was easy (and fun) to develop a single slide. Since it wasn't a huge project, I could spend a lot of time on my one slide until it was something I was proud of. I tend to think my students would have the same opinion about it. I can already think of many applications. For example, I could have my 3rd graders each make a slide about a different environmental issue. My 5th graders could come up with their own propaganda slides for or against the Revolutionary War. This type of project would be easy to implement, and my students would get excited about it without too much fuss.

Finally, I really liked developing the PBL. Though it was a huge challenge for me, the final product ended up being pretty cool, and I know my students will be enthusiastic about it. I've learned a great deal through this course, and I'm excited to have lessons ready to go!