EDU 270 blog assignment 6

            Researchers have been studying the benefit music has on the brain and on learning skills. After the studies done at UC Irvine resulted in students who had listened to Mozart for 10 minutes before a test doing better on those tests than the students who didn’t, people got a bit carried away. Products came out, such as “Mozart for Babies” CDs and DVDs claiming that playing Mozart for young children would make them smarter. These products were not based in sound research but were hugely popular.
            Recent research has shown that children who study music do tend to do better at math and that music lessons may make people a little bit smarter. As a teacher I will utilize music in my classroom. I will encourage my students to pay attention to music around them and how it makes them feel. I will encourage my students to attend live performances when they are able. I would love my students to keep a journal in class to jot down notes of how they are feeling and if certain songs affect the way they feel. I believe this will aid in my students confidence in how they feel and allow their feelings to be validated.

            Something that will also build confidence for my students will be the strengthening of their math skills. I will play games with them that involve numbers and math. I will call attention to math in normal situations and will also encourage my students to use estimated in everyday life.

EDU 270 blog assignment 5

      As I watch more and more Changing Brains videos I acquire more knowledge to be not only a better teacher but also a better parent. I believe one of the most important things I have learned so far is about Dyslexia. I grew up with a few friends who are Dyslexic. Some of them were told that they were stupid and their brains didn’t work right. Some of them I had no idea were Dyslexic because they were really bright and pushed themselves to be better and overcompensate for their difficulty. I want to be the kind of teacher/parent that allows room for children to grow and discover how to better themselves. Every learner has to overcome something- whether it is a belief about him or her self (as learned in last week’s lesson) or something the individuals brain doesn’t process as well as other’s might. My job as a teacher will be to distinguish what kind of guidance my students need and how to provide it. I will monitor their progress and encourage my students to know and monitor their own progress as well.

EDU 270 blog assignment 4

        The number one quality a teacher needs to possess is the ability to be relational. Being relational means that a teacher is making and maintaining a positive, supportive connection with his/her students (Helping Kids Succeed, n.d., ¶12-14). I look forward to achieving this with my students by getting to know them. It’s not enough to know their names and know how well they do on class assignments. It is really important to know their likes and dislikes; to know their goals and dreams. This is especially true with elementary age children. A situation I see often is a child who is thirsting for attention. Children like this may not get enough positive attention at home. Kids yearn for someone to talk to, for someone that they can tell their favorite color to, etc. Everyone wants someone to notice what they are good at and to be encouraged to succeed. I look forward to doing this for my students. When students know that there is someone rooting for them to succeed then they will do better in school. 

Helping Kids Succeed, RioLearn. (n.d.). Retrieved June 04, 2016, from https://www.riolearn.org/content/edu/edu270/EDU270_INTER_0000_v5/lessons/lesson04.shtml?encrypted-sectionid=Y1A5bnJRd3lOd1NpYlZkc2tKeGdxWU8rSjZTQWRvNGpFYTRYZVM3b3YvVT0