Never question yourself! If you ever have a question, ask. I have always told everyone I know, there is no one that can stop me from asking something because even if the answer is no, I am in no worse place than I was before. This also applies to education. If someone wants to know more or need an explanation, it is critical that they ask. Sometimes even the teacher needs a different perspective to truly understand what they are saying to a group of students.

I agree with you whole-heartedly. I do the same. I have no shame in informing someone I do not know the answer. We are all human and I think it helps the student relate when they know you do not know “everything”. We should be honest with our students to establish rapport as well as continue to teach them while we learn. In opportunities like this the teacher and use as a learning and teaching experience.

Honestly, I think we should assess students through real life assessments by using projects as well as short essays to see if a student truly understands what they are being taught. We definitely can incorporate critical pedagogy into our assessments by doing this because they students are learning hands-on as well as the reflections that take place during essays often help a student learn more about how they think about a topic.

I think it is important to read our students to see what motivates them and change our teaching style to assist them in the learning process. I appreciate your reflection.

Thanks…The group thought it would be a great touch as in our world critical pedagogy leads to graduation. All of the words truly describe what critical pedagogy means to us. Each person in the group thought of words that came to mind when thinking of the concept. The quote wasn’t me it was another group member 🙂

I have never really thought about the theory that the master had, but I completely agree with it. If you’re so focused on getting good grade you are using brain power that could be learning additional material. We should have a love for learning and not focus on the grades, although today’s society makes that difficult for us. Companies that focus on GPA’s make it hard for students to enjoy learning and not focus on what their grades are. We all want a great job once we complete our education, so we do what we think is necessary to obtain a job. I like to keep a balance. I have a love for travelling so I attend several conferences a year to network and experience new opportunities. I, like you agree that we should give up some study time to enjoy things, create new experiences, network and potentially create new opportunities for future endeavors. I am also interested in additional information for the conference you attend annually.

I agree 100 percent that we are taught via rote learning and memorization at an early age. Some things should be taught that way but over time students need to be taught with a deeper understanding of material. I do know that things have changed related to teaching styles and techniques since I was in elementary school. Before, I learned to just memorize material but now that my children are in school they are being taught using games and hands on activities. My sons agree that it makes it easier to remember how to do things over time when they have an experience to relate the problem or information to. I am a hands on person myself as well as a visual learner so I try to link the material I am learning to something I won’t forget.

I agree with you 100%. I myself grew up with a learning disability and my reading specialist in elementary school helped me overcome my fear of reading using gaming technology. Not only did the digital education stimulate my interest in reading, it assisted me in comprehending what I was actually reading. My children love to learn digitally. Often in school the use iPad’s or computer games to learn course material. With changes in technology I feel it is a great resource to assist in the learning process as well as allowing evaluation of what is learned.

I also share the feeling of not having pedagogic experiences. The TED talk was great and led me to think about things I had not thought of. Often I feel I am not expert enough to post about certain topics but have learned though blogging, one doesn’t actually have to be an expert. Just sharing my thoughts and ideas helps.

I never thought about using the blog to get information or clarification from others. I have looked at is as a way to put information out into the universe but never to retrieve it. Thanks I will now be using the experience in another positive way.