As I venture into another new and exciting experience for me, learning about technology, the act of learning seems particularly worthy of acknowledgement. After all, who of us out there aren't steadily learning new things each semester? What future teacher does not expect to be constantly pursuing and learning new ways of teaching his or her children? For me, part of the joy of being a teacher is that you never have to stop being a student. It is a life-long process dedicated to learning for yourself, and instilling a desire to learn into young minds.
While I like the learning contract that was given by the online tutorial, that does not mean I think it will be easy to accomplish. The habit that I have the best hold on is teaching/mentoring others. I have always found that when you mentor someone, you yourself become more well-versed on the topic simply by finding a way to teach them in a way where they can understand it. Also, it gives you a different perspective in many cases. Those who you mentor or teach often have ideas and thoughts that you may not have considered that can widen your view of any given subject. The habit I have the biggest problem with is probably beginning with an ending in mind. I have always been one to enjoy the journey more than where the roads ends. I do things to the best of my ability, and enjoy the process of doing something challenging, but I do not often keep a long-term outlook on life. Life just seems too short to wait for a moment other than the one happening right now. It must be the hippie in me. I am sure it is something I can do better on eventually though.
Amber, I also enjoy the thought of never having to stop learning. I think those people that feel as if they have learned it all, find out the hard way somewhere down the road that they have cheated themselves. But even then it still isn't too late to learn. That is what I got most from the tutorial about the lifelong habits to learning. I find that in mentoring/teaching others, I get as much or more out of it than they do. Using the technology to my advantage will be the hardest for me as I have not kept up to date with it. It has changed so much and so fast that it can be overwhelming for me at times. Hopefully this course will take me to where I need to go and I will gain the knowledge needed to be a great educator for my students.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy mentoring others because of the satisfaction I feel when I have helped someone understand a difficult concept. On your other point of beginning with the end in mind, sometimes the end worries me. I try to live in the here and now, so I can avoid the thought of the end. You don't go into a relationship thinking about the breakup. So why have that train of thought in other things? It to is also something I can work on in some areas of my life. I just don't want to be a worry wart when it comes to life, which is what I think about when I see this habit.
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