Ms. Johnson's degrees include
a B.A. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in School Counseling. In addition,
she is
certified to teach all levels
from kindergarten through Community College, and has taught parenting
classes through Deer Valley School
District and an Adult Development class to seniors in Sun City
Grand through the Extended Learning
Program of ASU West.
Ms. Johnson began her involvement
with the MI/LfU program by attending the "The Sky's the Limit" Institute
in
April of 2000. Since then,
she has utilized it on a limited basis for two semesters, and will again
this
coming fall in her Developmental
Psychology class. Her reaction:
"I have have been very pleased
with this approach for several reasons. One, I see great things coming
through my students. Standing
up and lecturing to a class gives me little feedback as to how much
they are actually absorbing.
Their participation through the Learning Options not only puts the
responsibility for learning -
and some of the teaching - on their shoulders, but also provides them with
the opportunity to put themselves
into their learning and teaching. Their personalities come through
by the types of Learning
Options they choose and through their "performance of understanding.".
Secondly, I find that as an instructor
with a great deal of material to cover, I frequently feel obliged
to
skim over a large quantity of
material. When students have the assignment to cover one particular
concept or a limited quantity
of terms, they can take the time to creatively cover the material, in a
manner which is often more appealing
and understandable to the other students.
Thirdly, but not lastly, I like
the opportunity the MI/LfU approach provides for more individual
interaction with the students.
This demonstrates to students that they really are valued by their
instructors. Students who
get to know their teachers - and who are known by their teachers
- must
feel a greater commitment to
their education, and have a more satisfying educational experience.
Developmental Psychology is a
great course for utilizing the MI/LfU approach. Whether it is through
a collage that demonstrates prenatal
development, a poem that reveals the angst of adolescence, or
a dance that takes an individual
from youth to old age, MI/LfU is extremely versatile in covering the
topics of this discipline.
MI/LfU is an approach that can
be utilized by all students, regardless of their strengths and
weaknesses, but I find it to
be especially helpful to students who do not have their strengths in areas
that are tapped in traditional
classroom settings. Those who are not strong in verbal areas can
find
other means of demonstrating
their understanding, perhaps through role-play, dance, or sculpture.
The grading rubric makes grading
these non-traditional demonstrations of learning easy and effective
for the instructor.
One of the greatest insights I
have received as a beginning MI/LfU instructor has been how much my students
put of themselves into their
projects. Their "performances of understanding" have been very personal,
which
demonstrates to me the meaningfulness
of the material we cover. It is very gratifying to see them so
involved in their learning."
Sally will co-facilitate the session, "WADDA U WANNA NO?" with Kam Majer, Psychology.