December 18, 2014 - 18:59
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Sophia Weinstein
Professor Cohen
Identity, Access, Innovation
December 18, 2014
Self-Evaluation Reflection
My learning process throughout this semester has been a mix of progress, challenges, limitations, and successes. The overarching concepts of access and identity issues in education were very new and unfamiliar to me to start out, and it is highly evident to me how my thinking about these issues has influenced how I think about education in general. Participating in small groups in class, hearing experiences that my peers have had throughout their time in school, participating in book club as my Praxis placement, and reading ethnographic accounts of school, communities, and education have changed how I think about the world and have solidified my interest in studying education. Part of this interest is tied directly to the edges of my learning this semester, and how I hope to challenge myself in the future to be a more active participant in shaping classroom dynamics and discussions. A central theme I am drawn to in identity Ed is the importance of providing students with opportunities to feel personally connected to learning material, and have the knowledge that their stories and lives are relevant and valuable. I have been frustrated with myself throughout the semester when it comes to participating in full class discussion, and in participating more in book club. I understand that student voices are intrinsic to the learning experience of the class as a whole, and though I never felt silenced or unable to say something I wanted to, it felt more essential to me to participate as an active listener. I feel content in my participation in small groups, blog groups, and in listening in class, but realize that I need to extend myself and challenge myself more in future education courses in regards to participating in a more active capacity.
The readings for this course have been really meaningful to me, and especially influential in helping me build connections between themes in my sociology and psychology courses, and have strengthened my interest in pursuing both sociology and education at Bryn Mawr. When we began to focus more on innovative education upon returning from fall break, there was a shift in our readings to more ethnographic accounts of educational settings. These were especially important for me as I worked to put the issues that we talk about in class into a greater context, and had an urge to focus more on how to address the problems of the lack of agency that seemed unsolvable for many students. I struggled more towards the end of the semester to feel that I was on top of our readings, and was only able to skim-read a couple of our assigned readings, but overall feel that I followed through on making comprehensive reading a priority for this class.
The writing for this class was definitely a learning experience with each assignment. I am proud of how I have grown as a student from the beginning of last semester when I was uncomfortable with using Serendip, and how I was able to jump in this semester entirely comfortable and excited to use it again. The curriculum and legal analysis papers were challenging for me, but I feel like my learning was enhanced as I came to figure out what I wanted to say and do with those assignments. The final field paper was perhaps most frustrating for me, because I feel as though I only just starting in book club, and am very unfinished there.
I have learned a lot this semester, and I am eager to expand on identity issues in education. For my future work in Education, I am eager to form more concrete connections between this course and issues of ecological literacy from our 360. I recognize that these issues are strongly tied to one another, and want to explore where they intertwine in an intentional way.