Reflection of “What we learn to do, we learn by doing.”…Aristotle

This quote makes me think of all that we are learning in class right now. We are laying the groundwork and enhancing our knowledge base so that we can begin “doing” what we are learning about and, in turn, learn to “do.” We really won’t receive the full benefit of what we learn in this course until we apply it and begin doing it.

We will begin this “doing” process when we present our chosen lesson to the class. This will culminate into a long “doing” process in regards to real life teaching application. Trial…error…evaluate…change…over and over again.

This reflection also makes me think of what I do with 5th & 6th graders to get them to begin thinking about realistic career options. We take a group of students from JVS and we set up a mini career fair within the school building. The 5th and 6th grade students alternate booths every 10 minutes. There is a hands-on activity relating to a specific program area such as, Culinary Arts, Auto Technology, and Web Graphic Design, just to name a few.

The students learn about these programs and the careers that culminate from these programs. The 5th & 6th grade students learn by doing. This opportunity turns on light bulbs for some students, others it sparks interest in an area of two. Some may take the day’s activities and reflect; others will take their excitement home to share with their parents and maybe begin helping their mom or dad with cooking dinner or helping mom or dad to fix the car. They may even begin to think more about the games they play with their Wii or their Playstations in regards to how those games were created and the possibility of them creating a new game someday.