Section 5

Modules 18-20

Section Reflection

1. Listen to both sides of the story without judging either of the parties. Then after getting the story lined up in my head, I would bring both girls together and have them talk to each other while serving as a mediator.

2. I would tell her to try to ignore the comments about her name, especially since that is something that is completely out of her control. Tell her that although I appreciate her coming to me for help in this situation, I am not necessarily needed. This is a case of mild bullying, and she can stand up to the other student by asking them nicely not to tease her because she hasn't done anything to them.

3. Have the students individually write down what they contributed to the project, that way you can get everything from both parties. If Fiona still believes that she did everything in the project while Robert did nothing, explain to her that it is a group project and that I saw Robert doing plenty of work. I would also tell Robert to keep up the good work.

4. Explain again the importance of doing his daily work, and tell him that the action of doing his homework will not only effect his grade in this class but will also effect the rest of his classes. Tell him if he begins taking responsibility now, that type of action will carry over into his daily life and people will have more respect for him.

5. I would have to take a little more charge during the class meetings. Maybe talk to David outside of class and explain to him that these meetings need to be respectful and ask what others think. Others probably have different opinions, but are too afraid to voice them. Recommend that he give others in the room a chance to speak without feeling like they're being forced into an opinion.

6. I would talk to a few of the students individually - maybe the students who I know feel comfortable talking to me and will tell me the truth. Once I learn how they feel, I would have a better understanding of how the class as a whole feels about the situation. I would maybe give students a few days to settle down after the meeting, then call another meeting and remind students to be respectful during the meeting and try to figure out exactly what happened in the last one and why it went wrong.

Chapter 5

10. Why is teaching both an art and a science?

Being able to be an effective teacher is an art because it takes a fair amount of creativity to be able to control the class and get material across to them. In order to do this, teachers must learn to handle the science of behaviors and understand how the behaviors will differ between students. Some teachers struggle to manage the different behaviors, and some don't realize that behavior can go both ways and that the attitude of the teacher can effect the attitudes and behaviors of students. This may be exemplified by some college professors who push students too far and judge their teaching by how many students fail their classes. I think it is important for teachers to understand how important it is that they have a good attitude and are able to creatively control the behaviors of the students in class.