Ecology of the Human Experience
Being in this class was very informative and it was nice being able to hear everyone’s different opinions. It was interesting to learn about topics that I did not know much about, such as when I read about transgender people for the discussion I led. I liked that everyone in the class was respectful of each other’s opinions and that everyone usually got a chance to talk. I also liked that there were multiple types of media used to help the class learn new information. It was much easier to learn things when there were readings, videos, notes, and PowerPoints, rather than just an hour long lecture that we had to listen to. I also thought reading about the many different upbringings and backgrounds that children come from was a very important part of the class. As a future teacher, I am going to have to be able to help children learn regardless of what they have gone through, and understanding how they may be feeling is one of the first ways that I can help them move forward in their lives.
I did not really like the fact that most of our grade was based on assignments that involved oral communication, however. Not including this reflection and small homework tasks, three out of the four assignments that comprise our grade were based on our ability to present information to the class. I realize that, as future teachers, we have to be able to communicate ideas to a group of people, but for me personally, teaching a lesson to a classroom of young students does not make me nervous, while presenting information to a class of people my own age does. Obviously, this does not mean that it is a skill I should not have, but I do wish that we were not required to do quite so many assignments that required us to talk in front of the class. I actually would have preferred to take a test than have to do a presentation. I am sure that most people would disagree with me on that point, however, and am aware that I am probably in the minority. Overall, even though we had to do a bunch of presentations, I still liked the class and learned a lot of new information about many different topics.
