What am I learning in grad school ?

Wow. If I even try to put into words what I have learned, I might be here all night! I might also lose any followers I might have had before this reflective learning blog. All kidding aside, the discussions in my group have been interesting; however, I don't know if they are "real." I feel like everyone just gives the answer that is "soft on the instructors ears." I know that the year is 2010, but I do feel there is a place for some behaviorism learning styles in today's classroom. I am not saying that we should all teach from a basal, and have children memorize answers just to complete test and activities. I do believe that there is a healhty balance in teaching styles and we should vary in the way we teach children. I received several comments on my lesson plan about how to use more visuals and more repeat learning techniques to accomodate for any ELL students, but these same individuals had just commented on not using these techniques in their classrooms because they are "outdated" and don't involve interactive learning techniques. Overall, I did teach in a rural area when I was in the classroom and the administrators didn't care for teaching styles that differed from traditional behaviorist styles; however, I do know that all children learn differently so we should vary our teaching techniques and this includes "old school" techniques. It was difficult to write a detailed lesson plan since it has been 11 years since I have written one, but I do enjoy details and organization. I wish my children were still in school at the present time so I could really apply what I am learning in class.