Road to TEACH video reflection

I the "Road to TEACH" video incredibly refreshing and inspiring.  I was very much able to relate to the students as I "followed" them throughout their cross-country journey, particularly in that I felt as though their experiences helped to validate many of the fears I have as my college years are coming to a close.  Like the students in the video, I know what my passions and aspirations are, but unfortunately, outside forces have sometimes made me second-guess my decisions regarding my future.  The teaching profession certainly doesn't receive the credit it deserves, but at the end of the day, what matters is how important it is to you as an individual.  Teachers know that their work is hard but ever so meaningful, even if others don't take it so seriously.  One thing that I really liked about this video was being able to hear how the educators being interviewed responded to the questions posed by the students.  It seems as though there were many common threads between the interviews, particularly regarding the fact that it's okay not to have everything figured out all at once, and that if you stay true to yourself and to the things you believe in, great things will happen.  I also loved getting a glimpse of how broad the field of education really is--there are so many unique people out there doing so many wonderful things that they are deeply passionate about, and it doesn't have to fit a certain "ideal" of what makes a "great" education, but instead comes down to the individual doing the teaching, and, even more importantly, the students they are working with.  The enthusiasm of these educators was contagious, and it honestly left me feeling so excited to see what I am capable of achieving once I enter the profession.  Finally, I really appreciated the fact that so much emphasis within the interviews was placed on embracing your genuine, inner self, and not being afraid to share that self with your students.  The more "real" you are, and the more opportunistic and enthusiastic, the happier you will be, and the more likely you will be to connect with your students and really make a difference in their lives.

ELL presentation reflection

I thought that Sarah, Sam, and Jordan did an excellent job of teaching us strategies that can help ELL students succeed in the classroom.  The stations were super effective in focusing on specific areas that ELL students may need extra support in, and after leaving each station I felt that I was better prepared to serve these students, whether it was in teaching vocabulary in ways that they can better understand, aiding them in reading comprehension, or using hands-on and concrete methods to teach scale in math (although I will never teach math and should never teach math for my own lack of skills).  I was also able to connect many of the topics they discussed to some of my other courses here at UMF, which I felt was a great way to reinforce best practices.  I also appreciated how this group brought to light many of the challenges facing ELL students, particularly those that may seem overwhelming to at teacher.  For example, how can we differentiate without singling students out?  I will certainly have plenty to think about walking away from this presentation and am very grateful for the website of resources that the presenters put together for us to use--I will certainly be referring back to that!  Thank you!

My Philosophy of Education in the Classroom

When I envision my future classroom, I see an organized mess: I see lots of plants, bright colors, student work on display, tables that are easily moved to accommodate different groupings of students for collaborative learning, and shelves full of books and resources for student use and enjoyment.  I believe that the classroom should show signs of life, learning, and positivity.  The classroom should be set up in a flexible manner so that students can maneuver and rearrange as is necessary for their learning goals, and resources and materials should be easily accessible for all students.  The teacher’s desk should not be in the front and center of the room, but in the back and off to side, assuming that the teacher will not spend much time at her desk but rather moving about the classroom and working directly with students.  Students should also have a role in designing the classroom, including the expectations that are put in place to keep it running smoothly and to foster an environment of respect.

It is above all else that I want my classroom climate to be one of respect.  I want my students to feel comfortable expressing who they are, what they think, and how they feel without fear of getting ridiculed.  If my students are supposed to be making meaning out of their lives and learning to become authentic human beings, they need to be able to do so in a safe and comfortable environment.  Furthermore, if they are going to be taking educational risks by challenging themselves and applying knowledge to real-world situations, as a pragmatic philosophy of education implies, then they need to have the confidence to do so.  As the teacher, it will be my job to act as a role model that practices ongoing respect for all students.  I will treat each of my students equally (even I develop “favorites”) and show genuine interest in each of their lives.  Whether that means having detailed discussions about my student’s extracurricular involvements (whether it’s a discussion about track and field or World of Warcraft, I will do my best to approach each conversation with equal enthusiasm) or simply offering them compliments for their personal achievements, I will make it part of my daily routine to show respect in the classroom, hoping that my students will learn to follow suit.  Furthermore, I hope to incorporate some team-building activities into to curriculum, particularly in the beginning of the year, and I will have my students engage in collaborative learning activities on a regular--if not daily--basis.  By the end of the year, I want my students to leave my classroom feeling like they have become part of a family that they know will “have their backs” throughout the rest of their educational journey.  After all, each student is just as vulnerable as the next; they all have their fears and insecurities, and I want my classroom to be a place where those fears and insecurities can vanish, so that they can have a chance to be free as their genuine selves while focusing on learning instead of social anxiety.

I want my students to be intrinsicly motivated individuals, and I believe that this type of motivation is best developed when a student is able to participate in an adequate level of self-directed and student-centered learning.  In order to create an environment that is conducive to this kind of learning, I must give my students freedom and choice as much as possible.  For example, I may have students help design units based on their interests and questions about the world, have them select their own books to read, design their own assignments and assessments and the criteria by which they are to be graded, and to give them plenty of time to reflect and self-evaluate.  I understand that my students won’t be able to choose everything that happens in the classroom all of the time, and that a certain degree of structure will be necessary, but I want to make sure that I do my best to provide them with opportunities to take ownership over their learning.

Fortunately, English, as with most subjects in the humanities, offers endless possibilities for students to learn more about who they are as individuals while also mastering content standards.  When I teach a work of literature, or a poem, for example, I will continuously be looking for ways to help my students connect with the text and find their own meaning within it.  In English, there is no “right or wrong” answer, so I will challenge my students to think outside the box, and encourage them to approach a text with an open mind, for they never know what they might discover about themselves in the process.  In my personal educational experience, I stumbled across books and poems that touched places in my heart without my even entirely understanding why or how.  My inner existentialist probed me to figure this out, and I made some valuable personal discoveries.  Who would have known that Emerson and Thoreau would have helped me find the inner peace I so craved as an adolescent, or that Isak Dineson’s Out of Africa would spark a desire to possibly join the Peace Corps later in life?  I want my students to take their understanding of certain works of literature and poetry to this next level--I want something to move inside of them, perhaps opening a door that allows them to see deeper inside themselves.  Of course, the best way to do this will be by giving them the freedom to explore texts that interest them.  Along similar lines, I hope to use writing as a way to help my students develop more insightful relationship with themselves, and to use it as a means of reflection and comfort.  I understand that not all students will see writing in this way, but it will be my goal to create prompts and assignments that will capture their attention enough to get them to gradually discover how valuable writing can be.

Each lesson taught within my classroom will have an underlying goal (besides content-related goals) of allowing my students to draw some level of meaning from their own lives while also practicing applying their knowledge and to the “real world.”  Essentially, I want to teach content in ways that require students to take their own values into consideration while looking at the “big picture”, whether that involves them analyzing overarching themes within a work of literature, or even better, considering how those themes are played out in the real world and how they can relate to those themes.  The themes found within literature and poetry often focus on the human condition, i.e., what it means to be human and how humans cope with and react to the events in their lives.  The human condition is, in many ways, the cornerstone of existentialism, and therefore will be a great topic of discussion and exploration within my classroom and learning focuses.  I want my students to further explore their own “human conditions” through not only analyzing texts, but also by writing their own.  Finally, I hope that once my students have had ongoing opportunities to understand themselves on a deeper level, they will be better suited to become active problem solvers in a changing world, particularly through a gained ability to empathize with other humans.  This pragmatic application of understanding will hopefully inspire my students to take what they have discovered about the human condition and go out and “do good” in the world as lifelong learners.

I understand the importance of regular, ongoing authentic assessment as a way to keep track of student understanding.  I plan to use a balance of both formative and summative assessments within my classroom so that I can adjust my teaching methods accordingly.  I will be sure to make the learning goals for each assessment clear from the beginning, so that my students will be able to know why they are performing each task, and I will provide them with a scoring criteria at the same time I introduce the assessment (i.e., rubric, analytic grading sheet, etc.).  I would like to allow my students to determine how they will be assessed as much as possible.  For example, I may as them a question such as “how do you think you can best show me that you have learned this material?” and then facilitate a class-wide brainstorming session.  If for whatever reason students can’t design their own assessment format (as I realize some structure and guidance may be necessary), I might provide them with a handful of different options and allow them to choose from the list with the hope that it will allow for some differentiation and that each student has the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a way that is most conducive to their individual strength or learning style.  Finally, with each assessment, I will offer prompt teacher feedback as well as opportunities for peer feedback and self-reflection, and students will more often than not have the chance to re-do any work that they are unsatisfied with for full-credit.  I believe that learning is a process of reflection of improvement, and would rather give my students the time and option to improve their work than to expect “perfection” on the first attempt, as this will only make the learning process that much stronger.

Fortunately, my time as an undergraduate student in the field of education has made me more confident in my abilities to use technology in the classroom in meaningful ways.  When I first started out as a teacher in training, I was a bit doubtful of the positive impact that technology can have on a classroom, particularly in the way of being a distraction and taking away from students’ connections to and appreciation for the “natural” world.  However, I have since some to believe that technology can be a very valuable tool in the classroom when used in balance with other teaching tools and methods.  For example, I can easily envision myself having my students use laptops and other forms of technology as vehicles for bringing the outside world into the classroom.  Since I want my students to be able to look at “the big picture” and apply their knowledge to the world as a whole, I think that it is important that they have the means to further explore the world that exists outside the walls of the classroom, school, community, state, and even country.  There are so many excellent Web 2.0 tools that students can use for communicating, sharing, collaborating, designing, creating, exploring, etc. that I feel it would be a shame to overlook them.  Furthermore, it is clear that we are entering a digital age, and it is my responsibility to prepare my students to be competent and well-informed digital citizens for this reason.  If I want them to be able to apply their skills in a changing world, technology integration will be a necessity in the classroom.

I believe that my most significant role as a teacher will be that of a positive role model and facilitator of learning.  Aforementioned, as a role model, it is my job to demonstrate empathy and respect on a regular basis.  In terms of teaching methods, I do not believe in the teacher as a “giver of knowledge”; instead, I feel that the teacher’s role is to bring to the forefront the questions that students will explore in their learning.  As a proponent of student-centered learning rather than of teacher-centered learning, it is only right in my mind that the teacher opens the doors to the questions that will motivate students to learn more about themselves, the world, and their role as lifelong learners in the grand scheme of things.  In my mind, it is less likely that my students will become intrinsicly motivated learners if I am handing them all the “answers”; after all it, it is more important that they develop the skills necessary to become active thinkers and problem solvers throughout the continuation of their lives.  If they aren’t given the opportunity to think for themselves as adolescents, how else are they going to move forward as dynamic, innovative, and self-motivated individuals?  Lastly, I envision my leadership style in the classroom to resemble that of a coach as well as a facilitator.  The best coach I ever had in eight years of competitive running used methods that closely modeled a quote by Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph: “Everything you need is already inside.”  He brought me to believe that I was capable of achieving everything I always dreamed of on the track, and never pinned my success to be a result of his coaching; he simply believed that his coaching had the ability to bring out the best in me, not turn me into someone or something that I already wasn’t.  Instead, he gave me my workouts, watched closely as I ran them, provided feedback and made adjustments accordingly, and when it came time for me to race, I always knew where to find him: standing alone on the final 100-meter stretch of track where he knew I was most likely to die out, giving me words of encouragement that he knew I would respond to because he took the time to get to know me as an athlete.  I hope to practice similar strategies as a teacher by “coaching” my students to success in an individualized, responsive manner that keeps the power, drive, and credit in the student’s hands.

My biggest goal as a future educator is to inspire and bring out the best in others, whether they be my students or colleagues.  I hope to be able to promote student-centered learning through success within my own classroom, and to be an active member in the school community and district by attending meetings and events where I can learn from other teachers as well as share my own ideas and practices.  I hope to bring positivity, optimism, and a progress-oriented vision to my school and district.

Voices of Educational Pioneers Reflection

I was fascinated by the differing philosophies of education within Madonna M. Murphy’s compilation, The History and Philosophy of Education: Voices of Educational Pioneers.  I found it interesting how much variance there was in beliefs between philosophers, but also how many of their beliefs overlapped.  It is rather difficult for me to pick and choose just a few philosophers that I can identify the most with, as some philosophers held beliefs that I agree with, but also some that I strongly disagree with.  Listed below quotes from the overviews of educational philosophers that I felt most accurately reflected my own personal beliefs.

1. Rosseau

“According to Rosseau, the right kind of education puts a child in direct contact with nature without the intermixture of opinions, i.e., it is education independent of society.”  It seems to me that Rosseau’s beliefs most closely align with those of existentialism, a philosophy that I agree with.  While I do not believe that education needs to occur entirely independent of society, I believe that students should be free to develop into their genuine “selves” without societal pressure; education should be a journey of self-discovery.  Rosseau was also the first philosopher to develop the concept of child-centered education in opposition to content-centered education.  I strongly believe that education should be focused on the student before the content.

2. Pestalozzi

“[Pestalozzi] believed that children were made up of head, heart, hand, body, feelings, and intellect, thus introducing the concept of educating the “whole child” long before the twentieth-century theorists advocated this… The purpose of education, according to Pestalozzi, was to bring human beings in harmony with themselves by developing inherent mental, moral, and physical powers given them at birth.”  Like Rosseau, Pestalozzi focused on the child first, placing emphasis on well-rounded individual development.  For this reason, I feel as though Pestalozzi’s personal philosophy also mirrors that of existentialism.  I especially love the idea of the purpose of education as “to bring human beings in harmony with themselves.”  I believe that before anything else, students need to learn who they are as individuals, and then learn how to love themselves.

3. Wollstonecraft

Wollstonecraft’s book Thoughts on the Education of Daughters was “robustly censorious, disapproving of baby talk, cosmetics, theatre, frivolity, and artificial manners.  Mary recommends physical exercise for the body as the foundation of mental exercise.  She insists that women acquire critical thought capacity by reflecting on their experiences.”  Not only am I a firm supporter of women’s rights, even in the twenty-first century, I also very much appreciate Wollstonecraft’s belief that physical exercise enhances mental exercise, and that women should be able to be physically active as well.  As a female runner, I have faced criticism for partaking in an activity that isn’t considered inherently “feminine.”  However, running and being active empowers me and helps unlock my mental capacity for learning and reflection.  Thus, I completely understand what Wollstonecraft is referring to.  I also believe in the power of reflection for all learners, male and female.  (The same goes for physical exercise.)

4. Dewey

“The idea of growth, or the reconstruction of experience, is central to Dewey’s educational theory.  One should not regard education as a preparation for life, but rather as a process of living in itself.”  Dewey developed/advocated for many of the educational practices that I most agree with, such as hands-on/experiential learning, interdisciplinary units, student choice and freedom, democratic education, child-centered and society-centered education, and multicultural education.

Promising Futures Reflection

The biggest take-away I got from reading Promising Futures was the fact that education is constantly changing, and teachers and other school personnel must make ongoing efforts to keep up with the changes while meeting student needs.  This is not to say that change in the school system is a bad thing; rather, it is a necessary thing.  If we don’t change our practices to keep pace with the changing world around us and the changing needs of our students, teaching and learning becomes nearly ineffective.  However, one of the greatest difficulties that prevents teachers from working with change instead of against it is that they are faced with more pressure and responsibilities than ever before.  Also, the structure of many secondary schools is not conducive to the implementation of new and more effective practices.  Promising Futures outlines core practices for learning and teaching and for school support, while also listing current practices that ought to be “phased out.”  Essentially, changing our schools for the better requires everyone to put their best foot forward--teachers, administrators, parents, and students alike.  Nonetheless, teachers should not use the excuse that many elements of school “reform” are “out of their control.”  I know that as a teacher, it is my responsibility to do everything that I can to make my students’ learning experiences all the things that Maine schools seem to be lacking.  According to the Maine Commission on Secondary Education, Maine schools have been found to be “academically focused but rarely exciting or challenging, social but strangely impersonal and sometimes hostile, orderly but ill-suited for learning, predictable but lacking application to life... these schools do not support all young people in attaining the skills and knowledge described by the MLR” (3).  This is not a statement that a teacher wants to hear--it is clear that there is plenty of room for improvement within our schools, even if we are doing better than other states.  If anything, this document inspires me to be a teacher that is innovative, inclusive, and prepared to enter a system that is on the cusp of a positive transformation.

Integrated Curriculum Presentation Reflection

I think that this team did an excellent job teaching us about integrated curriculums within schools.  They began their presentation with a Kahoot that got us immediately thinking about student disengagement, boredom, and drop out rates, and then continued on to provide examples of how integrated curriculums can actually mitigate these issues within schools.  They did a great job of discerning the three different types of integrated curriculums (multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary), which was nice because I had not been previously aware of these differences.  The video they showed us of the Oregon school that has successfully implemented integrated curriculums gave us a clear vision of what these curriculums actually look like, which was really inspirational and made me want to be able to take part in something similar when I am a teacher.

The group also did a good job of not only focusing on the benefits of integrated curriculums, but also making note of the challenges that come along with it, such as finding time for sufficient teacher collaboration and team planning.  I thought that the activity in which we worked with our table to come up with ideas for a integrated curriculum “on the spot” was effective in that it gave us an idea of how crucial this planning time is and what a great experience it can be to bounce ideas off of teachers in different content areas.  The marshmallow challenge had a similar effect in that it taught us to collaborate and share ideas to reach a common goal.

One thing that the group made note of in their paper was the fact that as teachers, we should not blame boredom and disengagement on our students’ lack of interest or willpower, but should instead evaluate ourselves as educators and the methods we use to teach our students.  It is part of our job to design curriculums that will allow our students to be active participants in the learning process while ensuring that the content they are learning is meaningful to them.  Integrated curriculums provide many opportunities for teachers to keep their students engaged and eager to learn, and may even decrease the drop out rate.

Multicultural and Gender Issues Reflection

This paper and presentation encouraged me to think of gender and multicultural issues within schools in a some new ways.  For example, the quiz that we took at the beginning of the presentation had me stumped and shocked in many instances and helped me to realize that I am not as aware of cultural and gender differences as I ought to be (even thought I consider myself an empathetic person!) I guess in truth, I never really considered just how many ways that these issues can present themselves within schools, and to the extent that they are often poorly dealt with.

The presenters made a good point in their paper when they noted that "many teachers are unaware of how to promote and celebrate [student differences] without singling out students and making them uncomfortable."  I feel that it is important to recognize that the issue isn't always the fact that the teacher is oblivious to his/her students' differences or that he/she discriminates against them, but that he/she may actually not know how to go about making all students feel valued and comfortable at the same time.  Along the same lines, teachers may not even realize when they are stereotyping students or making them feel targeted and/or singled out (ahem, Michael Scott in the Office's "Diversity Day" episode).  Therefore, it is incredibly important for teachers to be aware of their own pre-conceived ideas and actions and to learn how to empathize with their students.  As the group mentioned in their paper, it ought to be part of a teacher's job to learn about the different cultural backgrounds of each of his/her students as well as to take the time to reflect upon what they have learned and how they can better support their students based on what they learned.

Overall, after taking part in this presentation and reading the paper that this group put together, I feel that the biggest take-away message for me is to never overestimate myself as a teacher in terms of my understanding and awareness of the many differences that my students may bring to the classroom.  Because I want my students to feel safe, comfortable, respected, and valued, I will certainly put it upon myself to find ways to stay educated and up-to-date about current issues and misconceptions surrounding the cultural and gender issues that may find their way into my classroom.