Michael Brunovsky; Cleveland, Ohio; mpb1993@msn.com.
BA, History and Education, John Carroll University, 1988
MA, Theology and Monastic Studies, St. John's University, 1993
I am currently enrolled in the MEd program for school administration (secondary).
I have taught full-time in secondary education for the past 18 years in the fields of social studies and theology.
I currently have a license from the ODE for social studies 7-12.
I was appointed the academic dean for Benedictine High School in 2008 and began my responsibilities in this role with the 2008-2009 school year.
I enjoy reading and exploring places of natural and historical interest. I am a musician and play the cello and keyboards (mostly piano and organ). I also serve as the director of music for the religious community of which I am a part and have instructed many students in rudimentary chant as well as keyboard basics.
Learning Style:
I believe that a teacher should be organized, but also flexible. Familiarity with the learning atmosphere is essential. As a teacher, it helps very much to know the intellectual level of your students as well as how they best learn, as well as their cultural and social backgrounds. It also helps to have familiarity with the technical tools available for learning. I am comfortable with many different learning styles: lecture, small group discussion, research with presentations, projects. All of these interest me and have helped me learn.
It is imperative for the class material to be organized in its presentation; being unorganized defeats the purpose of the lesson in my opinion. I have no problem asking questions in the classroom. If misunderstanding occurs on a deeper level, I have no difficulty in making an appointment with the professor and discussing the relevant issues.
Education Past and Present:
I have been most successful as a student when I have researched topics and been able to present them. I also have enjoyed the opportunity to see the relevance of the lesson in a field trip or actual application. Examples have been: 1) studies of the Civil War and then visiting battlefields; 2) researching topics and then presenting them to the class.
One of the interesting issues that I face is the relation between testing and curriculum--how can we utilize testing to assist our work in the classroom and student knowledge?
For the course to be the best, I would think that we should study the recent literature on the subject of educational theory. We should explore new ideas and also take a look at what is actually working in classrooms: theory that is applied and shows results. It is good for us to theorize, but there has to be application in mind also, so that there is practical application.
Dr. Shutkin:
I would like to know about your experience in the classroom, where you have been, your years of teaching and where, and how long you have been involved in university education.
A soon-to-be-parting thought.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I am so pleased that you were in our class to clarify historical points! However, in addition, I’ve both attended and worked in public school, but only attended Catholic college. You were able to complete the picture by sharing the point of view of Catholic private school staff. The business of straightening out education is complex, and your experience and perspective were very helpful! May God bless you in your life and ministry!