Book Chapter Project Reflection

     I led discussion today, along with Jason and Kelsey, on chapter 6 of Rethinking Education. I think that everything went well and according to plan. Personally, I read the chapter over at least 3 times, trying to really understand it and pick out the most important information before meeting with my group. Collectively, our group put quite a bit of effort into our discussion. We met twice before actually presenting, so that we could all brainstorm ideas and then practice the actual discussion. I think that together, we were able to lead an effective discussion that encouraged the class to apply the readings to their lives and futures as educators. As nerve-wrecking as it is to teach/lead discussion for your peers, I actually (and surprisingly) enjoyed doing it. I think that facilitating a discussion really opens your eyes to quirks that you need to work on as a future teacher. One thing that I have been working on is eliminating the use of "you guys" from my vocabulary. Today I found myself, out of habit, saying "you guys," and as soon as it came out of my mouth I thought, "Oh no!" This is something that I will obviously have to continue to work on eliminating. Leading discussion also helps me work on my listening skills; I find myself listening more and more to what the class is actually saying when they give a response and I then try to respond to their given answer beyond a, "good answer" comment. I think that both facilitating a lesson and simply discussing the chapter with my peers impacts my future teaching, because I will be able to see how different people view the same material; in class today and in previous discussions I have seen multiple perspectives that I otherwise would not have seen. I also think that discussing the content with my peers is similar to what I will be doing in team meetings or faculty meetings, as a teacher. I will need to not only feel comfortable with my elementary students, but I will need to feel comfortable with my fellow teachers, staff, and parents.