Journal Entry #2 (C&I 426-01)

I was reading "Scientific Knowledge: It's Construction and Development" today, and did the activity in it called The Pattern of Knowledge Construction. First, I had to look in the mirror and write my name so that I could read it while looking in the mirror. It was much harder than I anticipated; in fact, I was halfway through writing my name before I even realized it was backwards in the mirror. Next I was asked to trace a four images, and then copy eight as best as I could.

Though it was hard in the beginning, I found myself getting better at it the further along in the activity I went. Also, stabilizing the paper against my chest and my elbow against my side helped me maintain control of the pen while making it perform these new actions. My hand, however, remained shaky, and any fine motor skills I had developed over the past twenty two years went out the window. The response questions suggested that I try to do it with my eyes closed, or with my left hand. The left hand was even worse than the right, but it was a bit easier with my eyes closed. All in all, it was a fairly frustrating exercise.

I enjoyed the article's discussion on where our initial mental structures come from. The process of self-regulation, that mental structures are built up by the interaction of an organism and its environment, and the production of the state of disequilibrium is an interesting throwback to educational psychology. Most of the article was, I found, an enhancement of the material we have been discussing in class, specifically, the construction of accurate understanding of science through direct interaction and experience with situations relevant to subject matter.

In any case, I am very much looking forward to starting up my field observation. Student teaching is fairly intimidating, and I feel that I need all the experience I can get.