Making Connections Class Analysis

The importance of connections is an idea that this class (EDUC 160) has stressed from day one. Making connections with students improves their academic experience, while making connections with content, such as in our journals, allows us to better understand the subject matter. While I wholeheartedly agree with the importance of making connections, my experience thus far at Asa Packer has shown me how truly beneficial it is, specifically when in the role of teacher. When acting as a student, I have always focused on making connections with the text because it enables me to fully grasp the topic at hand. It is considerably easier to comprehend something new when I can compare it to something I already know or an experience I have had in the
One of the girls was having a difficult time understanding why the article before a word needed to be “an” rather than “a.” When she called upon me for help, I asked her to look at the word and tell me what she noticed about it, trying to hint to her that it started with a vowel. When that did not provide clarification, I pointed out exactly what I was trying to allude to; however, she was still having difficulty comprehending. I soon realized that she had never been taught the way to differentiate between “a” and “an”, which did not make her stupid; it simply meant she did not have the same prior knowledge as some of the other kids. When I explained to her the trick to remembering, she instantly understood, and I noticed she applied that understanding to the next sentence she was tasked with correcting. Before helping her make that connection, she consistently made errors when using the two articles because she never found a way to remember how to differentiate. My point is, it is vital as a teacher to both help your students make connections to aid them in understanding, as well as remember that what works for you will not necessarily work for your student.
In addition to connections with content, forging connections with your students undoubtedly enhances their academic experience. School climate is paramount, and as a teacher, that climate obviously extends to your classroom. Children cannot learn if they do not feel comfortable, so it is a teacher’s job, my job, to ensure that they do. When I first began at Asa Packer, my goal was not only to learn the kids’ names, but to learn something unique about them. Doing so has led to the kids warming up to me significantly faster than I expected, while also resulting in me enjoying my time there