Communication- Communication is something that I always need to improve on.  This semester has given me many challenges and opportunities to further develop my skills.  I do think that there was some miscommunication throughout the semester between the professor and the students but we can only learn from our experiences and move on.

Research/Content (genres/literary elements) – I have been learning more about genres and refreshing my memory of literary elements.  Many of these things I already knew but I am grateful to be given the chance to clarify and discuss these topics with my fellow classmates.

Technology- Technology has been a key to the second part of the semester.  I have been working on my webpage and posting all of my assignments.  I really haven’t had any problems with my webpage and I always save my work in a word document first.  Technology can be very unpredictable and I have learned to be ready.  Life must go on when technology is not ready to.

Collaboration- We must work together to make our class discussions rich and worthwhile.  I try to add my thoughts and ideas when I feel I have a chance but I am not an aggressive speaker.  I don’t feel I need to interrupt others or speak louder to get my point across.  I think to collaborate with others in a class; people need to learn how to appropriately use their communication skills so that everyone is heard.

Five Dimensions of Learning

Confidence and Independence- I have been learning a lot about myself this semester and I have learned that I am more confident than I let on.  I do have some insecurity about my own ideas but I have been doing better to just let go and trust my instincts.  I am a fairly quiet person but I do not lack the skills that I need to be successful in my work.  I do reach out and ask more questions when I feel the need.  I am always very independent but I have learned that it is not always a good thing.  Sometime we need to ask for help and work with others to accomplish a goal.  I am feeling ready to take what I now know and apply it to my student teaching.

Skills and Strategies- The second half of this course has focused more on what types of things we can use in the classroom whereas the first half of the semester was strictly working with the students.  I have been working on my skills and strategies since I started the education program.  It’s important to reach out and take risks and use what works best for the students.

Knowledge Content- I have learned more about genres and literary elements.  I have been expanding my knowledge about children’s literature through my booklist and having discussions in class.  I also have been learning about different tasks that I can bring into the classroom so that I can help student learn more about literature.

Use of Prior and Emerging Experience-  The second half of this semester has not been as demanding of me to use my prior experiences with students. I have been trying to expand my knowledge so that I can work with students and literature in the future. I have been relying on what I like to read for my booklist but at the same time expanding and reading books that I would not normally read.  My new experiences have given me an open mind about books because I think I have been very closed off and only reading what I know.  I have surprised myself and have read some of the books from our book sell that I would normally dismiss and to my amazement I really enjoyed reading the books.

Critical Reflection- If there is anything that I have learned from this class and the education program it is to reflect.  Reflection is so important and I try to reflect when I feel I need to.  I don’t think I actually learn as much as I can without reflecting on myself, my classes, and my practicum.  I like to look back and be able to see how far I have come and that gives me motivation to keep moving forward.

The semester has been a good experience.  I am glad that I had the chance to be in this course with students who give the class a different outlook on the subjects that we are discussing.  I really haven’t felt that overwhelmed with the material and I have enjoyed reading books that I wouldn’t normally read.  I would suggest starting the booklist at the very beginning of the semester because for me the annotations for the books take a very long time to input.  I should have started reading more books in the beginning but even though my booklist is complete for this class I will continue to add to it this summer.  I have put a lot effort into this course and I have one hundred books on my booklist.  Many of the books I have read this semester and they are not from the past and I think that takes a lot of dedication.  With my completed booklist I think I deserve an A+.  I didn’t just choose books that were small in size I tried to choose books that I saw students reading in the schools.