Changing Role of the Teacher
In several paragraphs, compare the learning environment presented in the video to the environment(s) you were exposed to as a K-12 student.
Describe your ideal learning environment. What will your role as a teacher be? What will your students' roles be?

The learning environment in the video was much like the environment I had as a K-12 student. Instead of just telling me that I messed up because i didn't catch a wasp; my teachers, like the one in the video, would suggest an alternative and wait for me to make a decision.
I don't believe the student, whose name I think was Albert, really understood the concept that a bee and a wasp have very similar characteristics. I think if he understood that under a microscope a bee and a wasp would look very similar he wouldn't have had a problem with the substitute. I think that is one difference between this environment and mine. Most of the teachers that I had made sure that I completely understood something if I got frustrated about finding a solution to a problem.
An ideal learning environment for me is the same as I grew up with and what was presented on the video. I feel that this is a very productive environment, especially the fact that the teacher didn't force the solution on the student. He simply stated that the student should sit down and think about it for a moment.
When i become a teacher I will try to do the same. That is, I will try to make a solution clear to the student without forcing him/her to do it that way. I think it's good to let them decide for themselves.
As for my student's roles... they'll be the same students that I saw on the video. Hopefully I can help them to step back at a problem and look past it instead of focusing on the immediate problem. (the immediate problem being: not finding a wasp...or leaving it in the garage I should say)

The learning environment shown in the video was similar to the environment that I had while in K-12. Some of those years were more like the video than others though. I had years where my teachers expected all the students to know everything. While other years my teachers would do just what the teacher in the video did.
Albert and I can relate in a sense. Just like him, I would get frustrated with some concepts until they were shown to me so that I could fully understand. I think that if Albert could have seen a wasp and a bee under a microscope, it would have helped him to see the similarities between the two and the frustration would have been lifted.
My ideal learning environment is the same as in the movie. I have always believed that trying to force a concept or solution onto a student has negative outcomes. It's happened to me before and it only made the situation worse. I think that every teacher should learn to have the patience and the skill to be able to jump back a few steps and make sure that every student understands. That is what I hope to be able to do for my students when I start teaching. I did it while interning in a 3rd grade class and it seemed to have a great positive outcome.
When it comes to the role of my students, I hope that they will be similar to the students in the video. I hope that I can develop the skills to have my students sit down for a few minutes and think for themselves to come up with a solution to a problem instead of forcing one on them. If my students can do that, then I will have accomplished my goal and they will be better at solving problems and coming up with solutions.

The learning enviroment in the video has some of the same charcteristics that were involved with my enviroment in the k-12 setting. Looking more at what could be done to help the student, other than complaining that it was not done correctly.
I feel that this time period that students are in school is a very important time to teach them that looking at what could be done instead of dwelling on what wasn't. This is critical in getting the student to have confidence in themselves.
An ideal school enviroment and setting is basically one that demonstrates a positive outlook on the situation at hand, comfortability, understanding and communication between the students and the teacher.
I would like to let the students have an opinion on what should be done with the situation at hand and what should be done to work it out. I think letting the children give feedback will help the teacher know if the student is understanding what is going on and let the student express his/her feelings and thoughts about the situation.
When I become a teacher, I want to be able to help my students come up with solutions that will help them understand the situation by taking it one step at a time.

     While in K-12, my teachers would just provide the problem and asked me or the group I am in to solve it. The teacher would then give an examples to provide a better understanding of what need to be accomplished. When I am stuck, they would provide some examples and help lead my decision to the answer so I understand how the problem is solved and the steps.
     In the film, the teacher provide the student options and also don't force them, but let them choose on their own. The teacher also provided examples that since they're insects, bee can subsitute Wasp. The teacher wants the student to understand the concept, so thus let the student think about it.
     My ideal learning environment is one in which the students and I are both having fun learning the materials. I would give examples and also help these students build upon their own knowledge and think creatively. My role is a mentor, a teacher and also someone interesting to help them and have fun during class.

 When I was in elementary school I never had to bring in insects or bugs for lab experiments. The only bug I ever brought to school for credit was a bag full of snails, this project happened to be for extra credit.
 When I first viewed the movie I thought that the teacher was being kind of mean to the two boys about not bringing in a wasp. But, after I watched the video clip another time I put myself in the teacher's position and I understand his frustration and thought that he handled the situation quite well. The children should have been more prepared. I thought that it was kind of funny how one of the boys was trying to give an exuse for not having the wasp in class. The teacher in the clip even let the children have a substitute insect, a bee, which gave them choices. I believe that during an assignment children should have the option to have choices. It makes it easier on the students to have options, as long as the teacher can in turn be flexible.
 Unfortunately in this situation the children were not prepared for the project. I believe that even though a few kids might not be prepared for a project with technology, microscopes, the rest of the class still has the right to learn from these important assignments and projects. I wish when I was in elementary school I got to experience these types of projects as the children in the movie clip did.

After first viewing this it seemed that the teacher was being a little unreasonable, after I learned more of the situation I found out that he was being very fair to the two boys. He wasn't angry at them and didn't show any form of harsh feeling towards them but instead tries to work with them to come up with an alternative solution. One of the boys was having a tougher time understanding what he needed to do and was hooked on the fact that he thought he needed a wasp and that was his only way out. The teacher handled this very well and showed great composure.

My experience in elemrntary school was very simular to that of what the video described. My teachers were always extreamly helpfull when it came to any matter that came up among the students. They were always there for me when I was having trouble, much like Albert. I do believe that it would have been very helpfull for Albert to view the two insects under a microscope. I do understand the frustration that was presented in the video, and hope to be able to help the kids deal with their many frustrations in my classroom.
My ideal learning envoirnment would be one simular to the one in the video. It will be filled with understanding, as well as construtive critisim. My role as a teacher would be to guide the students in a way that will be beneficial to both me as a teacher, and them as students. My students role would hopefully be one that shows intrest and determination to what is going on in the classroom.

     When I was a k-12 student I didn't have many opportunities to do experiments with any type of bugs or animals. I didn't even get to do on-line experiments. The only way I got to learn about things was by reading from a text book and getting a lecture by the teacher. I think the best way to learn about something is by exploring it yourself. What teachers call a hands-on experiment.
     In the video I think the teacher did right by telling the two boys that they needed to get everything prepared before they can do the experiment. Since they didn't they would have to come up with a alternative. My role as a teacher would be the same as the one on the video. I would listen to my students to why they didn't have what they needed on time. I would ask them what they think they should do and together we would come up with an alternative. In a learning enviorment the role of a teacher and student should be equal. Both the student and the teacher should listen to each others ideas and work together to come up with the right solution to any problem.

My experience as a K-12 student and my learning environment was quite different. In elementary, we never did projects like discussed in the film. The teachers lectured, we read, and did written on paper work.In high school classes, such as biology, when we did do experiments all the supplies and things we needed to collect were eiher already present on we did it as a class.
Ilike the way that the teacher handled this situation. My ideal learning environment for my students would be similar. I would want my students and I to be on a level of respect and equality. I would want us to exchange our ideas, listen to each other, and come up with answers together that we both agree on and feel comfortable with.
I would also want my students to give me feedback.

Every elementary school has a different environment that affects its students in different ways. My middle school and high school environments were focused on getting the basics of the course over with ASAP. But my elementary environment was similar to that in the video, I noticed. My K-5 teachers were always helpful like the teacher was towards Albert. Each student was important in the teacher's eyes, and that's what I especially want the children to know about me- I feel the same way.
My ideal classroom environment would be very similar to the one in the video. The teacher wasn't very strict but wasn't very soft either. As a teacher someday, I want to be the same. The whole point of being in school is to educate as well as interact with other people. The students in my class will be taught but will have fun at the same time. Experiments and/or projects like the video's are a good idea to have in a classroom because it encourages logic and enthusiasm about different aspects of the world. And I can't wait to share the world with children.

I can relate to the students when they were a little frustrated that they couldn't find a wasp. I can't tell you how many times i've not been able to complete an assignment because i was missing a piece to the puzzle. At first i thought the teacher was being a little tough, but then i realized that he was just trying to help. One of the boys didn't really understand what the teacher was saying, and the other one did. I too can relate to that because there have been some times when i've been lost or the person who is waiting for the other person to catch up. I think it's important that we get more teachers who can be more understanding and be willing to work with students and compromise.

This video was very interesting. It was nice to see how the teacher was interacting with the children and he was helping them accomplish their experiment. He was asking them questions in order to help them come up with an acceptable answer. When I was in elementary school, my teachers would help me reach the right answer, but they would not give me the answer. I like how the teacher was a little harsh on the kids because it helped them strive for the answer in their experiment.