Christa Scheffler Teaching and Learning The two psychologists, Piaget and Vygotsky, suggest effective ways of helping

students learn. Piaget states that teachers should teach alongside a students preexisting schema so the student either assimilates (fits into existing schemas) or accommodates (added to schemas) the new information. My PDE used a metaphor about having a sore throat to explain the New Deal to his students, helping the students accommodate the information about the New Deal into a schema similar to one of having a sore throat. Using metaphors to teach students new material is an effective way of teaching, and I will use this very often in my own classroom (especially because my students will need to learn what metaphors are, anyway!) My PDE also used a game of Jeopardy to help students review for an upcoming test, which allowed students to assimilate information they may have already known so they will do better on the test. While I may not use Jeopardy in my own classroom, I very much like the idea of getting students involved in studying and learning through games and participation, because students typically do well in classroom settings where theyre having fun. Vygotsky states that students need to be taught with cultural tools and by their Most Knowledgeable Others to their Zone of Proximal Development in order to learn so that they are not over or under challenged. In my PDEs classroom, my PDE and the assistant teacher that comes in for the disabled students are the Most Knowledgeable Others the majority of the time. However, when the students are in groups, students that retained more information and understand the directions are the MKOs in that specific group. In my PDEs classroom, he assigns groups so that each group has an equal number of students that do well in the class and

students that dont do as well. This way, the groups are more equal and all the students learn more effectively. I find group work particularly useful in English classrooms, especially when it comes to editing papers and discussing works, so I will definitely use group work often in my classroom often. I feel that my PDEs classrooms would benefit more from group work because he often uses lectures to teach to his students Zone of Proximal Development (he stated that he wanted to prepare his students for college, where classes will be lecture-based), which doesnt hold the students attention for long. However, when lecturing, he gives the students worksheets with fill in the blanks (a cultural tool) so that as he speaks, they can fill in the blanks and still pay attention to what he is saying. While I wouldnt lecture my students, I can see the benefits of giving out fill in the blank worksheets. I could use this in my own classroom when teaching students about grammar, specifically verb tenses or confusing words like than and then. Special needs seem to be dealt with very effectively by the administration. The administration makes sure that students who are disabled but are able to function appropriately in a classroom setting are permitted to take classes with non-disabled students. The administration also offers transportation and funding for students to attend CV-Tech if they desire, disabled or non-disabled. However, the students grades must be kept above passing in order to attend CVTech. I believe that the combination of all types of students is beneficial for the enhancement of the learning environment because students who have different scholastic and personal backgrounds will bring a lot of diversity to the classroom. The fact that CV-Tech is offered to students is a great way to teach students responsibility, as well as teach them a skill and how to put their traditional learning into practice. I almost wish I had gone to a vocational school similar to CV-Tech so that I would have a marketable skill to add to my resume. In the future (hopefully I will teach at a school that offers vocational schooling as well), I will explain to my students the

benefits of vocational learning in the hopes that they would want that for themselves as well. This will also help to exterminate the stigma of a vocational school being only for students who dont do well in a traditional classroom. The school, teachers, and students are also very receptive to students who have special needs. The school is handicapped accessible for students who need wheelchairs or other special needs; there are ramps next to all the staircases, and extra wide doors for wheelchairs and student flow to fit through. The teachers, my PDE specifically, are unbiased when it comes to dealing with their students and treating them fairly. My PDE does not assign seating, which allows students to mingle with whoever theyd like before and after class. All the students talk to each other, whether theyre disabled or not. I did not see any discrimination from students towards other students while I have been observing, which I thought was very honorable. In my school, there was a distinct divide between disabled and non-disabled students. In fact, the only reason I could tell the difference between a mixed class and a traditional class was the fact that there was a teachers aide in the mixed class. The mixed class was also more talkative that the traditional class, which could be because the students were younger, the students had louder personalities or because the class was mixed I honestly dont know. When in my own classroom, I hope I will have the help of a teachers aide for mixed classes. This is because I would like the extra insight and support when it comes to dealing with disabled students. I know a fair bit about some types of disabilities and disorders, but I am not nearly as knowledgeable as they would be.