Entry slip Oct 2nd

 As a student with an Astronomy background, I use scientific and mathematical terms very often, and it is hard not to, since that is what I've been accustomed to for the years of my study. It is a helpful tool for categorizing objects and topics in a classroom, as it can prevent misunderstandings with clear definitions. However, it could feel dead and mechanical sometimes, since these words could be rather unnatural and unintuitive. And this could risk taking away students' imaginations and free thinking. So, to me, I think it is important to use technical terms for classes, but to also tell them that there are also many other perspectives, and some could give more than just a definition, one that can give meaning and a story.

After reading this article, I learned that we can shape how students see the world just by using different words and terminology. If I insist on only using scientific terms, I could give them the mindset that the universe is only being classified as different objects. By introducing indigenous thinking, we could show students that the world is more than just "things", like treating nature as animate. And through that, we can teach them the importance of respecting and embracing nature.

Exit slip Sept 24

 Had a lot of fun today, while waiting for our plant fibers to be soaked, we went color matching in the garden. We found some leaves that match the yellow color slips. I also went back to the hops to get some color match pictures with the green color slips. 

Once the plant fibers were ready, we started working on making strings, which was surprisingly not as hard as I thought, and I was doing a decent job with the dandelion stems. I also tried out the corn cobs, but that one didn't end up as what I wanted, so I went back to dandelion stems for more practice, haha. 

This was a relaxing activity, and I might even do this in my free time from now on. This also makes me rethink the amount of craftsmanship it takes to create giant ropes from back in the day.

Entry slip sept 25

 As I was reading the article, I stopped to consider the idea of back-sourcing and the concept of making things instead of just buying them. This resonates with me since I am a knife maker and I work on my own cars. When I make knives, I don't outsource anything to anyone. I start with raw material and spend time forging it into something useful. The same goes with cars, except I don't build the car, haha, but the skill I have going under the hood, that's all me, I am not outsourcing that skill or depending on someone, which I am very proud of. The joy I get from creating a blade of my own and fixing a car myself far exceeds just buying a knife or getting someone to finish my project car.

Looking through the videos on rope making and braiding, that looks hard. I am very much a handyman, but I barely have experience in knitting. It will be a fun first-time experience with a lot of failing and struggling.

Below are some of my projects!

Exit slip Sept 18

 Fun Activities today. Went apple picking, and we found some hops along the way. I've always loved beer, and this is my first time seeing hops in person, and somehow I'm able to recognize them right away? Haha, guess I'm born to love beer, and surprisingly, the hops actually smell like a mix of basil and IPA, I expected them not to smell at all before being processed. I then went back to picking apples. Jason saw some apples high up on the tree, and Will offered to give me a lift, which is fun; I grabbed a handful. Hopefully, we can make cider with them. Another fun activity was to draw whatever we heard, which I was confused about in the beginning, since it was rather abstract. But I just went for it and drew lines, circles, and squares that feel like the sound. I feel like this is exactly what I needed after a busy Wednesday.

Entry slip Sept 17

 As a soon-to-be physics teacher, I believe the garden is an ideal setting for conceptual practices. Things that I immediately think of would be activities such as throwing a ball to study projectile motion, or something that usually can't be demonstrated indoors. I believe doing so can reinforce intuition when it comes to problem-solving. The garden also allows us to use our surroundings as a teachable material, for example, we can teach about colours by looking at the objects around us, such as leaves, and we can discuss why they appear to be green, which then can link to a discussion on the spectrum of light. I believe the garden is a good example to show students that physics is the natural law, and it is essentially the study of the universe.

The garden is a great place to build intuition, but physics also requires a lot of equations and hands-on practice for solving problems. By learning in the garden, it may be challenging to solve equations while sitting on the grass under a tree. However, we can always strike a balance on how much time we spend indoors and outdoors. For example, we could do a day of outdoor learning when we start a new topic, then for the following days, students can use their newly learnt intuition to help solve problems on paper.

Sept 11 Exit slip

 Had a lot of fun today at Orchard Garden. It is my first time having an outdoor class, and I quite enjoyed it. I got to connect with nature after a long and exhausting Wednesday, which was rather relaxing. I also really liked the sit-and-sketch activity, which was exactly what I needed, to slow down and focus on what's in front of me. I originally didn't know what to sketch, but after wandering around a bit, I decided to sit at a random spot where I'm facing a wooden fence. I had a good image in my head of what I wanted to have in my drawing, but as I started drawing the fence, I found out that the trees and vines were too far away from the fence to be included in the drawing, and I was having a hard time figuring out how to copy the fence onto my paper. It is not until after a while that I realized that I could just look at what is in front of me once and just draw whatever is in my head, instead of doing a hard copy of what I'm seeing. I drew the fence with pure feeling and added vines and trees around, even though they were not close to each other at all, and I think it worked for me. This ties in with how education should go. Sometimes, it might be good to give students time to slow down a bit and relax, and most importantly, show them that oftentimes, there aren't strict rules in learning. By slowing down just a bit, you could find a new perspective and ways to view a picture, and let your imagination fill in the blanks. 

Entry slip

1)

This article resonates with me since I was a TA for a year, and through that experience, I've learned to recap my performance every class. The article mentioned that some people think that reflecting on your work that day isn't practical due to time constraints, but I will have to disagree. In my opinion, there's never "not enough time," only low priorities; moreover, reflection can be done practically anywhere in our heads, I could be doing it while walking home, driving, or having dinner. And one of the most important things for a teacher is to seek improvements in every single class, so reflection should be a high priority.

2)

This article reminds me that, other than relying on strict routines, rules, and efficiency, it is also important to have critical thinking about our actions, and to be more flexible in teaching. I like how the article emphasizes the three important attitudes: open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness. This reminds us that teachers aren't just machines that force knowledge onto students, but also that we are supposed to consider the lives, identity, and opportunities of the students.

Exit blog Sept 4th

 Through Frank McCourt's video, there are a few important points we discussed in class. The first would be the reminder of the responsibility to ourselves when it comes to teaching; it reminds us what it means to teach. Oftentimes, traditional teachers project their past experience in school onto their current students, which isn't necessarily a bad practice, but depending on the culture and background of the current students, the teaching style may not be the best fit. Frank emphasized that to be a good teacher, one must first learn the culture of students, to learn to go with the flow of the class. Students can show resistance in learning and can be rebellious, and the job of the teacher is to understand why this is the case. At the same time, by not displaying yourself as a higher authority, you could create a more comfortable space for students to discuss their true opinions. Finally, Frank noted that teachers should always keep a problem-solving attitude and not hesitate to keep learning as a teacher, which I agree with. I believe that a good teacher shouldn't have a fixed template for teaching; our teaching style should always be evolving with the students and society that we live in.

testingjoseph

 hi