Paul Pearson ECUI 521 Scott Reilly January 24, 2014 Personal Theory of Learning II

I was worried about how di erent today!s classroo" would be# $ow do students beha%e, how do they interact with their &eers, and how do they treat their teachers' I was sur&rised to see how "ature (r# )ur"an!s classes acted# (y obser%ation u& to this &oint has not consisted o instructional ti"e* I ha%e only been &resent or the inal e+a"s o the endin, se"ester and the introduction o the be,innin, se"ester# -hile I ha%e not seen "aterial co%ered yet, I ha%e ,otten a sense o what li e will be as a teacher#

In .ust the irst day, I ,ained a wealth o /nowled,e ro" (r# )ur"an# $e was willin, to share e%erythin, he has learned o%er his 10 years as a &hysics teacher# (r# )ur"an i""ediately be,an to e+&lain to "e "any o his &rocedures concernin, ,radin, and ad"inistrati%e duties# It beca"e e%ident that this is certainly is not the "ost ,la"orous or e+citin, career choice one could "a/e# $owe%er, it "oti%ates "e to see &eo&le li/e (r# )ur"an who ta/e their &lat or" and use it to &re&are students or li e a ter hi,h school#

I ha%e been so in%ol%ed with content and curriculu" that I o ten or,et that a teacher in &re&arin, students or their uture# (r# )ur"an uses &hysics to teach &roble"1sol%in,, studyin,, and test1ta/in, s/ills# $e "entioned to "e that is he saw any o his students i%e years down the road and be,an to 2ui3 the" on /ine"atics 4not that he e%er would, he ad"its5, ew students would be able to recall the in or"ation he tau,ht the"# 6his is why the constructi%ist a&&roach to teachin, science is so i"&ortant# 6he real world re2uires us to thin/ critically, sol%e &roble"s, and coo&erate#

6hese unda"ental lessons are what dri%es (r# )ur"an!s teachin, "ethod# I belie%e this is one o "any reasons (r# )ur"an has tau,ht "ulti&le sections o &hysics o%er the years and why students steadily enroll in his class# (r# )ur"an is a teacher I would li/e to e"ulate# It is not his &ersonality, ,radin, style, or curriculu" that attracts students to his classes# Students co"e to his class because o what they ,ain ro" it# I ho&e to be the ty&e o teacher students see/ or the sa"e reason#