Re/Composition
for a
New Age
New Age
| Teaching
for the future Maria Marchand's observations and conclusions Observations In the classroom, I witnessed students working cooperatively to share ideas and viewpoints. The students spent time in the computer lab creating web pages. While the process was at times frustrating and difficult, the students were excited to see the end results of their efforts. Once they were more comfortable with the process, they enjoyed making changes to their web pages. The improvement of learning processes is an important component to action research - working collaboratively and integrating technology and writing seemed to address this component. The interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty fostered an exchange of information, ideas and viewpoints. While the two faculty working on this project did not always see eye to eye, it seemed that their exchanges helped them create stronger curriculum and helped them to think about their classes in new ways. This collaboration was important to the improvement of teaching processes that is part of action research. Personal Reflection As a future elementary/middle school teacher, this project was valuable to me in many ways. I saw the interdisciplinary approach to developing curriculum in action. The collaborative process was important to help the instructors look more deeply at their teaching processes, even though collaboration can sometimes be "messy." Techniques such as collaborative group work, integration of technology and integration of reflective writing in the classroom are important to the learning process. I also gained a comfort level in using technology as a tool in the classroom and would like to model this integration into my classroom. The education program at the College of St. Catherine also emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and teaching to multiple intelligences. As I approach my student teaching assignment, I would like to take this action research further and use this integration in my middle school mathematics classroom. Action research is a requirement for graduate students in the education program at the College of St. Catherine. My action research question is "What effect does an integrated writing program have on enthusiasm of young women in a middle school mathematics curriculum?" As a student in the CSCI 106 Introduction to Computers course, I experienced first-hand the integration of writing and technology. I found the reflective writing assignments and the essay exams did help me gain a much deeper insight and understanding into the "why" of technology, not just the "what" or "how." |
Observations:
Yvonne
Ng
Gabrielle Civil
Maria Marchand
