Throughout my time in Honors 397, I grew a lot as a leader and as a person. I learned important things about myself that will no doubt help me going into fall quarter as an Honors 100 Peer Educator. In terms of leadership, I learned that everyone has their own style of leading. I used to think that to be a leader, I had to be loud, outgoing, and always in charge. During Honors 397, I learned that there can be quiet leaders or people who “lead from the back.” When we did an activity to find out what kind of leader we are, I fell into the leadership category of the “spontaneous motivators.” This category is a combination between the “pit bulls” (meaning that I am not afraid to assert my opinions or needs) and the people with “hot” emotions. This activity really resonated with me because it made me realize what my strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to leading. I realized that although it is good that I can assert myself, I sometimes have trouble when other people have ideas that do not line up with mine. Ever since that activity, I have made more of an effort to let other people contribute their ideas when I am working together in a group (for example, in group projects I have had for my other classes).
Regarding teaching, I learned many helpful tips and tricks that I had never thought of before taking this class. For example, adding interactive activities, or “teaching tools,” to lessons can make them much more engaging for the class. Most of my professors now and my teachers in high school would just stand and lecture for whole class periods, making everyone there want to fall asleep. If they had known about teaching tools, they could have been much more effective teachers. Through some of the assigned readings, I also learned about how to be a good facilitator of discussion. I learned that as a facilitator, I have to make sure not to let my own views get in the way. It also helps to summarize the conversation periodically and ask tactful questions. In this class, I gained the valuable skill of making lesson plans as well. Prior to taking Honors 397, I had never made one before, and I think the lesson plans will be extremely helpful going into teaching Honors 100 because it will keep me organized. Through an activity we did in class, I found out that I value creativity and imagination above all else. Because of this, I tried to make my lessons creative and fun because I knew my students would probably value creativity as well. One thing that taught me a lot about my teaching strengths and weaknesses was the individual teach. I did a good job in making my lesson interesting, but I talked too fast the whole time. I think it was because I was just nervous, but I will still make an effort to talk slower when it comes to actually teaching Honors 100.
Overall, I had a great experience in Honors 397. I loved how everyone was willing to participate in all the activities, it made everything so much more fun and meaningful. My favorite part was going on the retreat to Pack Forest. I felt like I bonded a lot with everyone when I was there. Each class was also well organized and engaging. I hope to be able to make my Honors 100 classes as fun and interesting as Honors 397 was for me.
Regarding teaching, I learned many helpful tips and tricks that I had never thought of before taking this class. For example, adding interactive activities, or “teaching tools,” to lessons can make them much more engaging for the class. Most of my professors now and my teachers in high school would just stand and lecture for whole class periods, making everyone there want to fall asleep. If they had known about teaching tools, they could have been much more effective teachers. Through some of the assigned readings, I also learned about how to be a good facilitator of discussion. I learned that as a facilitator, I have to make sure not to let my own views get in the way. It also helps to summarize the conversation periodically and ask tactful questions. In this class, I gained the valuable skill of making lesson plans as well. Prior to taking Honors 397, I had never made one before, and I think the lesson plans will be extremely helpful going into teaching Honors 100 because it will keep me organized. Through an activity we did in class, I found out that I value creativity and imagination above all else. Because of this, I tried to make my lessons creative and fun because I knew my students would probably value creativity as well. One thing that taught me a lot about my teaching strengths and weaknesses was the individual teach. I did a good job in making my lesson interesting, but I talked too fast the whole time. I think it was because I was just nervous, but I will still make an effort to talk slower when it comes to actually teaching Honors 100.
Overall, I had a great experience in Honors 397. I loved how everyone was willing to participate in all the activities, it made everything so much more fun and meaningful. My favorite part was going on the retreat to Pack Forest. I felt like I bonded a lot with everyone when I was there. Each class was also well organized and engaging. I hope to be able to make my Honors 100 classes as fun and interesting as Honors 397 was for me.
honors_397_individual_teach_lesson_plan.pdf | |
File Size: | 79 kb |
File Type: |
honors_397_indiviual_teach_teaching_tool_grab_bag.pdf | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
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honors_397_individual_teach_presentation.pptx | |
File Size: | 304 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
These are the documents I used for my individual teach: my lesson plan, my teaching tool, and the presentation I used as a visual aid.