Reflections about CTEs and students' comments about EDU378, fall 2008

EDU378 is a new course in the new program. Teachers who have taught this course shared their syllabi with me. They have taught the course in their unique manner and they all have their own strengths. I used the textbooks that were recommended for this course and taught it with my strengths.

The new course in the program was intended to integrate classroom management principles, approaches to teach social curriculum to early grades, and approaches to teach early grades social studies. I made sure that all three components were included in my course and showed the students that building the connection between social and academic curriculum is imperative for the development and growth of every child.

The adjusted mean for the two sections I taught in fall 2008 is 4.62 and 5.00 respectively. After I carefully reviewed all students' comments, I realized that students responded positively to my way of teaching this course. However, here are three things that I plan to do to improve when I teach this course in the future again.

First, I should organize the content of this course more thoughtfully so that the course has distinctive content and students will not repeat what they learn in EDU378 in other courses. In spring 2009, I met with instructors who teach other new courses in the new program to coordinate better.

Second, I should explain more clearly about course assignments. A couple of students recommended that I could have been more clear about the course assignment about the cultural universal concepts. .

Third, I always encourage students to work in teams. A couple of students recommended that I could have allowed them more time in class to work in teams. I will consider their recommendations in the future.