I became a teacher because through life experiences I found
that I REALLY enjoy working with middle and high school aged people. That has not changed
one bit in my five years of teaching so far. If anything, I love it even more.
My philosophy is pretty simple-everything I do in my career
is to advance student achievement.
I realize that is pretty broad and simplistic, so below are
some of the ways I understand myself as a teacher and education as a
discipline.
Clear Goals
When I set out to teach a subject I look at the big picture
first: what skills do my students need at the end of this school year? After
that I set to work on how I am going to get them there. While there is a
curriculum in place that sets the broad strokes for me, it’s the middling
ground that is up to me. And as they say, the devil is in the details. I always
try to remain true to those skills and standards I am working towards. I find out where my
students are weakest and that is where we practice.
Thoughtful Planning
When planning out how I am going to get my students from
point A to point B, I am always looking for new and engaging ways to get them
into the content I want them to master. Whether it is talking with colleagues,
reading articles, or searching Pinterest, there is always a newer, better, or
more effective way to do what I want to do-teach. I really enjoy finding new
ways to get material across. It is genuinely exciting to try a new way to
organize a discussion, or do a jigsaw, or review for an assessment. I am generally planned out in a fairly detailed way four to six weeks out. Along the way I make adjustments based on the needs of my students. Those formative assessments are my guideposts; when my students aren't grasping a skill, it's time to reteach. For example, one of the skills I have to reteach and practice with them the most is paraphrasing. I have found that the paraphrasing vs. plagiarism line is a difficult one for most students to grasp.
Instructional Technology
While I think technology in the classroom is great, I am
always asking myself, “How is this benefiting my students’ understanding?”
Sometimes after a technology lesson I have found that it distracted from their
learning rather than enhancing it.
Here are some of the ways I think about technology use in my
classroom:
- Easy access to accurate information.
- Increases the ability for students to learn together.
- Facilitates effective group work.
- Helps students to demonstrate their learning in a fun and engaging way.
- Helps students to think critically and creatively.
Positive Atmosphere
High school students can be a tricky bunch. In my earlier
years of teaching I became aware of situations that were going on between
students after the fact. I try to be among my students, rather than completely
on the outside as much as possible. For example, during small group discussions
I sit in the different groups and join their discussions. By doing this I can
assess the quality of their discussions and their understanding, and also
assess how they are doing as a group. It is my endeavor that my students are at
ease in my classroom so that they can relax, be engaged, and learn.
Professional Development
I just finished my first PDP! I am really happy with the
results. In broad strokes my goal was to increase my understanding of and use
of technology in my classroom. Some of the things I tried were: Glogster,
Google Drive, Quizlet, Edmodo, Prezi, and Moodle. I found varying success with
each. I really enjoyed giving student surveys to find out what they thought
about the technology we were using. Often I was surprised by what they had to
say. For example, I thought they would really enjoy the cool presentations they
could make with Prezi, but it turns out they were really annoyed with how
fidgety it was and they would prefer to use Microsoft Office.
In addition to my PDP, I have also completed my first
Student Learning Objective with the Educator Effectiveness Plan. I will admit
that, along with my colleagues, I was skeptical about this process. However, I am
pleased overall with the result. I feel that the process facilitated some good
reflection for me, pushed me to try new things, and also helped me to really
target and measure a specific learning goal with my students. –All good things!
My goal was for 70% of my target population to attain a 70% or higher on an ACT
based vocabulary assessment. My actual number is 87% of the target population
attaining a 70% or higher.
Reflection
One way I reflect is to keep a teaching notebook. I use it to keep daily agendas of what we do in class, notes about students, faculty meeting notes, and my personal teaching reflections. I find that by making notes for myself, it is easier for me to improve my instruction and remember the ideas I have for my lessons. I know that I can always be improving my craft and reflecting often is one way that I do that.
