Chapter 5

The section that I found most interesting was on performance and learning goals.  This was easily comparable to the hundreds tests that I have taken in my education career where I memorized the information for that specific test and by the time I walked out of the door I couldn’t remember any of the information.   This sadly is what still happens today.  Applying what I’ve learned in my education classes I see how important it is to have student apply what they have learned into some type of project or even presentation to show what they have learned.  This for me tied into the Goldilocks section, where the idea of turning work into play appeared.  I have heard this idea many times; however, this was the first time it was actually explained and while it was used with job motivation I believe it can be applied to student motivation.

I agree with Laura’s previous post (Chapter 5) that no person can truly ever master of the art of teaching because students and the world we live in is constantly changing, therefore it is vital for the teacher to continue to change and grow throughout his/her career.  As she pointed out, technology is something new to the education world.  When I went to high school laptops and smartphones weren’t a part of the classroom, now I have yet to visit a classroom during practicum that doesn’t have both.  For teachers they must “get on the bandwagon” in some cases in order to keep up with their students.