Welcomed or less than welcomed

I think there are several ways that can make me feel welcomed :
- people are friendly and smiling at me (body language)
- people are willing to answer my questions
- people remember my name
- people treat me like an old friend (interactions between people)
- appreciate what I have done
- willing to accept my mistakes
- not being the target of others

Since my teachable subjects are science and mathematics, I hope I can make these subjects interesting to students. There are some ways that I can do:
- make the subjects related to their daily lives and the things they like to do
- honest and open to critiques
- understand the needs and backgrounds (culture) of students so that I can make them comfortable   without embarrassing them

Embodied learning

I think bodily experiences might be helpful in learning aspects of chemistry because students can do experiments to learn and understand more about the concepts or theories of chemistry. Many experiments involve color or temperature changes (exothermic and endothermic reactions) that students can see or feel respectively. These sensory experiences can impress students, making them remember the chemical ideas related to the experiments. Also, this sensory information can act as a "flag" to remind students's prior knowledge. All these sensory experiences can be easily provided in laboratories.
In addition, bodily experiences can be applied in learning mathematics.  Based on the TED talk given by Erik Stern and Karl Schaefer, dancing related to mathematics can happen in the classroom. They taught students to use dance to count combinations by shaking hands. This activity was interactive and fun for students to learn. Therefore, it is possible to use sensory experiences and movement as resources in the classes.

Inquiry Topic

I think I would choose to investigate the way of how to design the classroom arrangement or interactive activities to promote student engagement in learning . I always want to find a way to get students more engaged in classroom learning.

What do marks do in school?

As a student, I think that assigning letter grades is not a good way to motivate learning. However, some students may think the percentages or letter grades can show the level of their performance in classes and this may remind them whether they should spend more time to study the subjects. If I were a teacher, I would need to find a way to assess my students' performance and assigning percentages is one of the possible ways to achieve my goal. The percentages are based on the students' performance on homework, tests and group projects. Also, teachers can discuss with students about how a certain percentage of the performance will be graded so that students would feel they are fairly assessed. Although tests or examinations produce certain pressure on students, I think this may be an opportunity for them to experience so that they will not be so frustrated by the pressure when they are working in society.

Since many people view grades as an indicator of whether a student is smart or not, grading would certainly create pressure on both students and their parents as they think bad grades would hinder the students' future. Also, grading would make people focus on the academic performance, neglecting the importance of other skills and qualities like interpersonal skills and morality. In addition, the grading system would create a competition environment in a classroom or a school and I'm not sure whether is is good or bad to students because competition can be a motivator to students but at the same time, it can put pressure on them too.

I think it is possible to teach mathematics/science without giving grades if people do not view the student's future success in society is determined by grades. Teachers can focus on connecting the students' interests with mathematics/science in daily applications to encourage learning among students.

Exit slip about media for teaching

Media like YouTube or other video channels can be used for teaching in classrooms. I remember I read a paper and it says that the impact of images/pictures is more powerful than that of words. Watching video clips or listening to the interviews related to the subjects can help students learn more easily. They can remember the content more easily or even be inspired to set their educational goals. Also, if the video clips are related to their interests, students can be more engaged in learning. There are some online software (e.g., Kahoot! and Meetoo) or simulation platforms (e.g., Phet) providing useful and interesting activities for students to learn. These interactive tools can help students learn in a fun and relaxing way so that they can enjoy learning in classrooms. Students can also understand technology is not only for fun but can be used for teaching and learning. 

Exit slip about the children's gardening program

After participating in the activities designed by Susan, I believe teaching gardens are beneficial to students. First, students have more opportunities to observe the nature and this would promote the student-directed inquiry, as well as increasing their interests in protecting the environment. Also, asking students to draw things (which they like) in gardens would make them focus on different aspects of plants and organisms, motivating them to learn how these living things interact with humans. Second, I found drawing natural things took more time since the features and details of the plants and organisms are usually complex and not easily portrayed by simple straight lines or curves. This sort of drawing can help students develop creativity and patience. These two traits can help students learn in other areas or subjects. Finally, introduced by Susan, the dance comprising the component of mathematics is an innovative way for students to learn mathematical concepts. Besides exercising their bodies and enjoying the dance, students can learn mathematics in a relaxing and joyful way which can help them remember the mathematical concepts more easily.
The disadvantages of teaching in gardens are the restrictions due to weather and the students' allergies to plants. During rainy or chilly days, it may not be suitable for kids to learn in gardens. Also, if some kids have some pollen allergies, teaching in gardens is not appropriate for them. 

Entrance slip about the children's gardening program

After reading the paper, I think the children's gardening program is a good way to educate children of different cultural backgrounds. Besides teaching children about the benefits of growing food, gardening and cooking, the program is also beneficial to cultural exchange and language learning. The garden environment makes students more relaxed to learn and it is also good to their health. Also, what they see in gardens may arouse their interests in other subjects.

Without the constraints they feel in the classroom, they are more likely to speak and share their ideas with one another, and discuss the given topics more easily. Also, nowadays students mostly spends time on their electronic gadgets and do not do much exercises. The garden program is a good way for children to do exercises outdoor. The flowers, plants, insects and animals in gardens can ignite their interests in biology and other science subjects. So I believe the gardening program is very good for students to learn outside the classroom.