Class Notes Journal

March 11, 2010
Today, we looked at Trish Garcia's blogsite and her student. Then we read Dr. Vowel's article on "The Historical Perspective on Cultural Needs of Diverse Students."

Some interesting statements from this study were "Who students are influences how they interact, respond, and learn in the classroom." This means that teachers must value each student and their uniqueness and include this in their classroom instruction. Another interesting statement was that the 5 year-old mind is not yet patterned, as a rule a 5 year old child is not boring. I think this means that a young child's mind is like a sponge. It is ready to learn. I thought of the statement, "Everything I learned for life- I learned in Kindergarten." I believe this statement is exactly right, because a child's first 5 years are the most important in determining how he will learn. Another statement, "In the infant room we still have identity." Again, this shows that even as an infant, children have their own uniqueness and identity. Those first 5 years of a child's life are crucial.

The article's main point was a message to educators, that we need to be inclusive of all students and consider all aspects of their life while teaching them.