Mark+Nelson


 * Mark's Page**

Well I guess it's about time for me to put something on my page. I am taking this class to fulfill a prerequisite to teach as a graduate teaching assistant of Spanish in the fall semester. I hold two BA degrees; one from U.C. Riverside in Political Science/International Affairs with a Spanish minor in 2002. The other I recently finished in April of this year at UVU in Spanish. I will be entering the MA Portuguese graduate program with an emphasis in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture and a minor in Hispanic Linguistics this fall. I hope to continue on and earn a Phd in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture or Hispanic Linguistics after my studies at BYU. I served a two year mission in the Brazil, Campinas Mission from July 1993 - July 1995. I ended up meeting and marrying a beautiful Brazilian girl Stella Arce da Silva in 1999. We have four beautiful Brasicanos: 3 girls and 1 boy ages 11, 9, 4, & 2. We travel to Brazil every other year to visit Stella's family in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso Do Sul. I have taught one year of middle school introductory Spanish as well as US History in Riverside, CA in 2007-2008. I also taught a second-year Portuguese course at UVU this last winter semester. I love language, culture, history, and politics and learning more about all aspects of them.

I love sports especially basketball. I also like football and soccer. I like to try and fish when I get a chance even though I don't really know what I am doing. I was born in Belleville, Illinois, lived in Springfield, Massachusetts until I was 14, and finally moved to Riverside, CA for high school. I am a die hard Celtics and Red Sox fan, but I chose the Dallas Cowboys as my football team because my grandpa liked them and the Patriots were horrible in the 80's anyway. Oh yeah, also a big Cougar fan.

This class is fun and I enjoy learning together with all of you. Best of luck to all in your life's endeavors and dreams.

This article I found to be really interesting and an easy read for. You could say I was in the “Flow” while I was reading it. I had never truly stopped to think about what makes someone an expert in any particular field, but I would have given some generic answer and said it had to do with hard work and practice. Those are obviously key ingredients that are mentioned in this article, but do not explain in great detail other elements of the process of expertise. The principle of riding the edge of your competency is something I found interesting because I feel we are always trying to do things competently or good. I do not feel that in general, most people are trying to be experts in their professions because it requires that extra effort to stretch oneself beyond the accepted norm. I enjoyed and totally agreed with the part about motivation and especially the heroic aspect of being an expert. I truly am convinced that experts love what they do and have a sense of purpose to what they do. There is almost a sense of an innate calling that keeps them working towards improving their trade or profession. The key for this to happen however is for the expert to find the “Flow” in what they love to do. Applying this article to teaching one can see that Margot truly loved what she did and found it exciting to find new creative ways to reach her students and help them learn, while Cynthia was content to do what “worked” in her classroom instead of trying out new methods and approaches to similar problems that arose during class. The expert teacher always thinks there is a better more efficient way, while the competent teacher is content to use the technique or method that worked once, and hence will work again. Even though that method may not be the best way to help the students learn.

Hannah's Comment: I agree with your comment that the article did "not explain in great detail other elements of the process of expertise." I suppose that would be impossible, but I did find myself worrying about becoming a "fanny teacher" and I wanted some specific advice on how NOT to be! The article had more //analysis// of the process than //advice// about it, but one thing I will take away (as advice) from the article is to stay on the edge of your comfort zone (like you mentioned, Mark). I think we can all feel when we are stretching ourselves or not.

Miguelina's comment: Hannah, me gusta tu opinón sobre la importancia de descubrir nuestra zona de comodidad. Es importante ser auténticos, no podemos tener la personalidad que otros tienen para enseñar. Cuando conozcamos nuestra personalidad de profesor, hay que fortalecerla y todo estará bien.

Miguelinas comment: Mark, concuerdo contigo sobre las habilidades personales que deben acompañarnos cuando tratamos de buscar el conocimiento en un área. El objetivo es el mismo para todos los profesores: que nuestros alumnos aprendan; pero, el cómo lo lograrán, tiene varias respuestas. Dependerá de la forma en que ellos aprenden individualmente, y también, dependerá de cómo los profesores enfocamos el tema. Incluso todos podemos ser como Margot; sin embargo, como tenemos diferentes habilidades, intereses, etc.; llegaremos al mismo objetivo a través de diferentes caminos.

Mark: Thanks for your insight on the Heroism. I took it a little more cynical approach and I like your refreshing interpretation. I love what I do despite the fact that it lacks some of the rewards I had hoped for. $$$. I will probably keep doing it because I love it and find other areas to achieve expertise to make up the difference.