What have I learned in class?

Cristina O’Farrill Perea

ENGL 6100
Dr. DiLorenzo
First (Past experiences)

I learned…”Let teaching be fun; don’t kill students curiosity.”

Many of my past learning experiences ,at another university, I can compare to the concepts
in Paulo Friere’s “The Banking Concept of Education”. Many of the courses were based on
the “learn, memorize and repeat” concept.
However, ENGL 6100 was based on an problem-posing environment. It consisted of many
group work and presentations where you had the opportunity to take charge of the way
you wanted to learn it or present it. I feel that in these situations I encountered less stress and
was given the opportunity to be very creative and become self-expressive.
Second

I learned …..”how to cite sources correctly!”

 I finally learned how to write APA style papers with CORRECT citations and it has helped
me learn how to cite quotations properly and how to use quotations in the text of my
writing. This will help me in just about every course I take, as many classes use this
common form of citation, so I have learned a skill that will be valuable for many years.
Third

I learned…”that the technicist approach is considered negative.”

 I learned about the advantages and disadvantages of the role and function of teachers
as passive technicians. The advantages of a teacher being a passive technician is that it
provides a safe environment for those who have difficulty or simply do not have the ability
to come up with innovative teaching strategies. I learned that this is a negative approach
which leads to disempowerment of teachers causing students to receive knowledge
instead of lived experiences.
Fourth

I learned…’the importance of maximizing student’s learning opportunities.”

 As I began reading Kumar’s book ,“Beyond Methods”, I was fascinated by his two quotes:
1. “This is not instruction but provocation that I can most accept from another soul.”
2. ‘We don’t give English to students, we give students the opportunity to learn English.”
This is everything a teacher must do, provoke in students an interest in learning. This book
also taught me that theory and practice should go hand by hand. Dichotomy between
theory and practice is more harmful than helpful for teachers. Teachers not only need to
learn the theory but also learn how to observe their teaching , evaluate their outcomes,
identify problems, find solutions and try to see what works and what does not work. Teachers
simply need to know how to put their theory into practice. This is why teaching is not
instruction but provocation.
Fifth

I learned…”language is power.”
 Chapter 7 (Kumar) was extremely interesting for me. As an educator we are so focused in
teaching students grammar, vocabulary and spelling during their whole school years yet it
really is not the only thing we should be teaching. We should also teach them how to find
the meaning behind each message when they go out into the real world.
 I learned that teachers should be aware of doublespeak. We should be teaching students
how to spot it, and how to defend themselves against it.
Sixth

I learned….”that teachers should let students pick the techniques that work best for them.”
 Brown’s taught me that autonomy is not independence. It is letting the students find their
own techniques that help them learn. This way they can take charge of their learning.
Let students “branch out”.
Seventh

I learned…” to understand the nature of mismatches between learning and teaching”.

 There will always be a certain mismatch. Nevertheless, it is the teacher's job to find ways
to narrow it. For example, students may be made aware of the mismatches by evaluating
their own performances or the teacher can explain to them why simplifications can hinder
their learning.
Conclusion

I learned…”the objective of education is learning, not teaching”.

 A great thing that I am able to take from this class is to teach students to “learn how to
learn”. Lastly, I want to thank this class since I learned how to became a better teacher.