CLT and Kuma Ch 3

I found both of the articles we had to read rather interesting and pleasant.

First of all, the CLT article. I liked all of the examples that were given and how specific each activity was explained. It's especially good for new teachers that are looking to generate lesson plans by looking to different articles for inspiration. I like how all of the concepts touched upon were varied and helped with real-life application.

I specifically want to point out that error are not corrected or recognized. Making mistakes is part of learning, and you don't learn unless you make mistakes. The teacher understood that his students would make mistakes, and that they are not perfect. The focus of the activity of majority of the activities students partake in doesn't have to do with accuracy either. The teacher is usually evaluating fluency or whether or not a student understands a concept.

Now, obviously, this method worked well for this classroom. However, we, as future educators, need to understand that we aren't always going to use this method. We have to look into the context of our classrooms and figure out what works best for the students collectively. It could be a combination of methods, including CLT. Regardless, with that being said, it is important to understand that teaching is versatile, and not one single method will always be continuously used in practice.

Touching on Ch. 3 of Kuma, I would just like to say that I agree with him when he says that it is the teacher's job, not the students, to maximize every learning opportunity. Classes are not limited to (sometimes boring) lectures and questions that lead to dead ends. I think that in order to make the best use of each day and time the teacher has in a classroom, he needs to have good classroom management skills for starters, and a good understanding of who his students are, where they come from, what their want to learn, and HOW they learn best.