ECONOMIC RENEWAL

The very first day of this program we were shell shocked at what we were required to achieve by the end of this course. We felt very uneasy and unsure about what was required of us. We wanted to be told exactly what your expectations were for this course. This feeling of insecurity helped us gel as a group, in actuality it allowed us adequate time to vent our frustrations. We then had to take ownership of the situation and seek ways to successfully fulfill the course requirements. Many of us felt we would not make it till Wednesday of the first week. It is difficult to believe that we are presently composing our final thoughts on the process of engaged learning. Finally, as you said, "it will come together."

We discovered a common interest in a local community project which we felt needed addressing. This common element helped us to develop our strengths so that we were all able to make a unique contribution to the group project. Each of us had skills which we were encouraged to use to benefit the learning situation. We were very fortunate that our personalities didn't clash. We suspect this was due to the way you approached the evaluation of the project. The lack of competition and personal benefit certainly lightened the pressure and helped enhance of our team. Many of us felt, at first, that we were in above our heads. Perhaps, the technological language we were unaccustomed to inhibited us from approaching this inquiry with an open mind. As we engaged with the professional readings and conversations we began to reflect on our own personal theories about learning and classroom pedagogy. We were surprised with how in tune some of us were with the authors of the assigned readings. We realized that many of us were struggling with similar beliefs and ideas. This empowers us to make new connections and to take risks as active learners. We found this to be challenging and it encouraged us to reflect about children and their uncertainties with uncomfortable situations. We began to understand why some students choose to be "NOT LEARNERS."

As in life, we must take ownership of learning in order to move to a higher understanding of our role in this complex world. We now realize how intrinsic this entire process can be, but the rewards outweigh the pressures which were placed upon us. The fact that we had to become action researchers made us more cognizant of our students as learners. We can now empathize with children who decide to tune out. We feel more confident with applying various questioning strategies that will allow children to become engaged learners.

The processes of reflection and continuity were two issues we felt strongly about. We want to use more reflective techniques in our classrooms to make the children aware that their opinions are valid and worthy of being addressed. We plan to keep in mind that these practices should not be taught in isolation and that we adopt a facilitator role rather than one who transmits factual knowledge.