An overview of my learnings in SED 407 this semester
could probably be best described through a sense of gained comfort and
confidence. As I think back at my
experience in Central Falls High School, I remember feeling quite apprehensive
at first. Central Falls was not a
community I was familiar with and I felt out of place. But over the semester my weekly visits and
interactions with the staff and students allowed me to feel like I was becoming
part of their learning community. Plus,
repeatedly walking the halls and constantly entering classrooms to observe
really helped me establish a normal presence in the school. Through this process, I feel I developed a
sense of professional confidence that now allows me to personally feel that I
belong in a learning environment as a teacher.
Instead of feeling like a stranger I now feel like a welcome contributor
to the learning process. I believe this
new professional confidence I have found is essential to my future success as a
teacher. With it, I feel I can present
myself better in the role of a classroom manager or learning facilitator. Therefore, I feel it is the most important
holistic aspect of my learning this semester.
More specifically, the most valuable experiences I
have learned this semester are how to best design a lesson through backward
design, the fact that students need multiple reading sources, and that student
engagement is difficult and a never ending endeavor. I have found that backward design to lesson
planning is the most efficient method to designing instruction. It is a method that clearly allows the
teacher to plan directly to what they want students to know or be able to
do. Especially with using standards such
as Common Core as goals, teachers can plan units and lessons that specifically
satisfy requirements with in their content.
This process not only focuses instruction to more pertinent aspects of
content and skills acquisition for students, but it also reduces the likelihood
of time mismanagement for the teacher.
Another key concept I have learned this semester is
the importance of a “Balanced Diet of Reading” for students. As a student of history, I clearly understand
the biases, lack of detail, lack of perspective, and the uninviting narrative a
textbook can tend to have. Therefore, I
have come to understand that students need to be exposed to different and
engaging texts that are relevant to their interests. This is a crucial step toward getting
students excited about their content and learning. If I as the teacher can motivate students to
practice literacy through fun activities and readings, then I can possibly
redirect negative connotations of reading and writing for my students as
lifelong learners.
Student engagement and learning is not necessarily
something that I have completely learned how to do, but I have rather accepted
that developing ways to get and keep students interested in my instruction will
always be evolving. I understand that
knowing my students is essential to designing lessons that will to appeal to
them. I have also realized that a
student is never unwilling to participate.
Instead I need to believe that my instruction needs to be better catered
to their interests. I have learned that
I must always hold this belief so I can repeatedly reflect and modify lessons
throughout my career to meet the needs and interests of all my students.
I believe I have met all of the course outcomes dictated
in the syllabus. I have participated in
the different literacies of my content through teaching two lessons, and I
truly realize the importance of knowing my students and the funds of knowledge
they bring to the classroom. Through
multiple readings I have learned about current pedagogical theories and
practices and I have also learned to question all educational strategy’s
effectiveness in certain situations. Our
reading this semester has also helped me question and form my own beliefs about
myself and what kind of teacher I want to be, which is a fun, innovative, and
effective teacher.
