B.
My personal vision is centered around preparing students for what the 21st century demands. This includes: technological skills, word processing skills, colloboration, higher level thinking skills, and the willingness to reflect on their thinking, actions, and efforts to be the best person they can be. As an educator, I view powerful teaching being one that can take the curriculum given and design in it a way in which students are responsible for the construction of their own knowledge. According to Bizar et al. (2001) students must be taught to create knowledge, it is not something they learn by restating other's ideas. It is a learning process that is often challenging, but produces authentic results in students' learning for self.
One action I will implement in CP 2 is to become apart of my school's culture. I will do this by getting more involved in students lives by asking students question and giving them time to talk about what they did over the weekend. I will also share my interests and weekend activities. Seeing as though my class size is small, it will be extremely important that I develop relationships with my students on a much deeper level. I will also make it appoint to get involved in school activities such as, dances, performances, volunteer at events and so forth so that I am able to meet parents, teachers, adminstrators and learn more about the school's culture through through the eyes of the faculty in addition to observation.
I plan on developing a risk taking mentality. I plan on using PE journals even if my colleagues disagree. I plan on teaching students with special needs through hands-on and cooperative learning activities that produce knowledge, not meaningless work that have no context or connection to standards or student's lives. Although to many this may not display risk, but from what I have seen in schools, students are not writing in PE and students with special needs are not learning in small groups in which every student has a role and makes a meaninful contribution. Students are not being challenged and are held to low expectations that are never raised.
An action I will implement later in my career will be to co-teach with colleagues. I am interested in teaching PE in connection with other disciplines (health, math, and/or science). This will not only help me develop greater content knowledge and expertise in my area, but it will help those students that may struggle in one of those areas develop mastery over concepts. I understand the value of collaboration and more importantly, I want students to see how colloboration works.
In sum, my position toward transforming public education is to first understand where my students fall in the order of hierarchy and their particular needs. My purpose for becoming an educator is to teach students what they haven't learned about themselves yet. Why? Because I know how valuable a role model is in adolescents lives particluarly if they can relate to students and their community. Thus, I will begin by taking risk that I feel are appropriate, positive and small in nature. I will also make it appoint to become part of the school's culture through extracurricular activities and designating personal time in getting to know students. Last, I will work to collaborate with colleagues on assessments, content, ITU's and the like so that I can continue working and reflecting on teacher effectiveness. In the end, I want students to leave school prepared and with as many options as possible to do great things.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Reading Reflection 6- Tiffany- Change Agent
I think before change in public education can be addressed on a wider scale, it must first occur within our classrooms. One of my efforts in moving us toward positive change in public education will be by making the invisible students visible. All students need to feel safe, supported and apart of a school's culture/community. Once students feel that they have a personal connection with the school and are safe, the more motivated they are to go along with change as well as be an advocate and take risk for change. I think it also comes downs to getting students to believe in themselves. Our students need to know that we as teaches believe in them regardless of whatever hand they are dealt and hold high expectations for all students.
I also want to create an atmosphere starting in my class, then expanding throughout the school, in which students want to come to school. They want to learn for self and they see the value in peers contributions and thought process. I believe for this to happen students must not only feel apart of the school's culture, but they also must trust the people they see daily. In visiting the social justice department at Lincoln High School and having the opportunity to observe one of the best social justice teachers at the school, I noticed beyond his authentic style of teaching, that his role as an educator extended beyond the classroom. Not only did he involve himself in community events, he brought the community inside his classroom. Students were drawn to him, not because he was a cool guy, but that he could relate and more importantly he cared about each and every student. I noticed this the first fifteen minutes I was in the class. Students have to know and feel that we care on a much deeper level. I think once students understand we care to learn what is going on in their lives and make connections back to their community in our classrooms, change can begin and learning can begin on a much more profound level.
In addition to displaying acts of caring, I plan to develop a risk-taking mentality. This will be a challenge for me, but at the same time I know it's in me. I know that the motivation behind this attribute, is much stronger than for me to ignore. Thus, I will start with small positive acts of risk, and then see what happens from there. In understanding that change is never initiated by passive actions, but risk taking qualities, I will start slowly in becoming the change agent, I know students and on a much larger scale we need to transform public education.
I also want to create an atmosphere starting in my class, then expanding throughout the school, in which students want to come to school. They want to learn for self and they see the value in peers contributions and thought process. I believe for this to happen students must not only feel apart of the school's culture, but they also must trust the people they see daily. In visiting the social justice department at Lincoln High School and having the opportunity to observe one of the best social justice teachers at the school, I noticed beyond his authentic style of teaching, that his role as an educator extended beyond the classroom. Not only did he involve himself in community events, he brought the community inside his classroom. Students were drawn to him, not because he was a cool guy, but that he could relate and more importantly he cared about each and every student. I noticed this the first fifteen minutes I was in the class. Students have to know and feel that we care on a much deeper level. I think once students understand we care to learn what is going on in their lives and make connections back to their community in our classrooms, change can begin and learning can begin on a much more profound level.
In addition to displaying acts of caring, I plan to develop a risk-taking mentality. This will be a challenge for me, but at the same time I know it's in me. I know that the motivation behind this attribute, is much stronger than for me to ignore. Thus, I will start with small positive acts of risk, and then see what happens from there. In understanding that change is never initiated by passive actions, but risk taking qualities, I will start slowly in becoming the change agent, I know students and on a much larger scale we need to transform public education.
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