1. Aims of Education The overall goal of education is to create productive, well-rounded members of society. In my classroom, I would like my students to leave being well mannered, with a desire to be lifelong learners, and to have a love of reading.
December 2015: I still feel this way. Having worked through such a literacy heavy course load this semester and seeing the progress of my Kindergarteners struggling to learn to read, I still think that having a love of reading is such a valuable gift to give to your students.
2. Views of Knowledge and Learning
In my opinion, students learn individually, no two students are alike. An effective teacher would know their students are learning by first truly knowing their students. Teachers also can use creative methods of assessments to gauge student's mastery of a concept.
December 2015: I still believe that no two students learn the same way. However, there are students who learn similarly. Truly knowing your students and how they learn opens up endless possibilities for cooperative learning.
3. Image of the Learner and Teacher
All in all, my expectations differ from my hopes. Ideally, I would hope that every student receives adequate nutrition, parental support, and affection and attention. My expectation is that there will be students who do not receive that level of care. My expectation is that sometimes I will need to feed my students. My expectation is that sometimes we will have to break away from a lesson to settle difficulties in the classroom. Overall, my only real expectation of working in the classroom is that I will need to be flexible.
December 2015: When I wrote this I thought that I would be on the battle lines to fight childhood hunger and child abuse. I am still relatively prepared for that although I think that "settling difficulties in the classroom" has such a larger spectrum. This semester I have learned when to just let a temper tantrum go and when to intervene. This has been a crazy semester, but I still know it is important to be flexible.
4 Beliefs About Curriculum and Pedagogy
Five years after my students have left, I would like for them to say that I inspired them. I want students to be able to say that I inspired them to love literature. I want students to be able to say that I inspired them to achieve everything they can and more. In five years, I would like my students to be able to say they have used what I taught them, that it mattered and they remembered what they learned in our short time together.
5. Influence of the Specific Context
I believe that where you teach has an effect on how you teach, but that effect isn't always negative. When I graduate and teach in a low-income school, I will have to adapt how I teach for that environment. In that environment I expect to have to be resourceful for materials and technology.
December 2015: After this semester, I can add that having a good administration can empower you as a teacher, but having a poor administration can make you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle going nowhere.
6. Criteria for Good (Effective) Teaching
As I stated earlier, knowing your students is so very important. If you know and are in tune with your students' nonverbal languages you will know if a lesson was poor or effective. Another way you can tell if a lesson what poor or effective is by being reflective towards yourself.
December 2015: Sometimes your students' verbal language will tell you the lesson was poor. "I didn't really like that lesson Mrs. Randolph, but you tried hard!" (Literal quote from one of my students after a poorly executed lesson.) Keep reflecting on your lessons, it makes you work harder and it helps you develop.
December 2015: This semester has been a series of ups and downs, I taught one lesson that was an absolute failure, but I taught two others that were complete successes. I have been so frustrated with a student but still love them and want to fight for them. I have learned more about the fifteen students in my class than I ever thought I would. I have learned how to truly work collaboratively with others and seek my peers advice in difficult situations. I have worked with a student who becomes so frustrated with the fact that he can't articulate that he is overstimulated that he lashes out violently. I have watched a student with no ability to recognize letters not only learn all of them, but move on to learning his sight words.
When you read this next semester, remember that every student is someone's Blake. Keep going.
December 2015: I still feel this way. Having worked through such a literacy heavy course load this semester and seeing the progress of my Kindergarteners struggling to learn to read, I still think that having a love of reading is such a valuable gift to give to your students.
2. Views of Knowledge and Learning
In my opinion, students learn individually, no two students are alike. An effective teacher would know their students are learning by first truly knowing their students. Teachers also can use creative methods of assessments to gauge student's mastery of a concept.
December 2015: I still believe that no two students learn the same way. However, there are students who learn similarly. Truly knowing your students and how they learn opens up endless possibilities for cooperative learning.
3. Image of the Learner and Teacher
All in all, my expectations differ from my hopes. Ideally, I would hope that every student receives adequate nutrition, parental support, and affection and attention. My expectation is that there will be students who do not receive that level of care. My expectation is that sometimes I will need to feed my students. My expectation is that sometimes we will have to break away from a lesson to settle difficulties in the classroom. Overall, my only real expectation of working in the classroom is that I will need to be flexible.
December 2015: When I wrote this I thought that I would be on the battle lines to fight childhood hunger and child abuse. I am still relatively prepared for that although I think that "settling difficulties in the classroom" has such a larger spectrum. This semester I have learned when to just let a temper tantrum go and when to intervene. This has been a crazy semester, but I still know it is important to be flexible.
4 Beliefs About Curriculum and Pedagogy
Five years after my students have left, I would like for them to say that I inspired them. I want students to be able to say that I inspired them to love literature. I want students to be able to say that I inspired them to achieve everything they can and more. In five years, I would like my students to be able to say they have used what I taught them, that it mattered and they remembered what they learned in our short time together.
5. Influence of the Specific Context
I believe that where you teach has an effect on how you teach, but that effect isn't always negative. When I graduate and teach in a low-income school, I will have to adapt how I teach for that environment. In that environment I expect to have to be resourceful for materials and technology.
December 2015: After this semester, I can add that having a good administration can empower you as a teacher, but having a poor administration can make you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle going nowhere.
6. Criteria for Good (Effective) Teaching
As I stated earlier, knowing your students is so very important. If you know and are in tune with your students' nonverbal languages you will know if a lesson was poor or effective. Another way you can tell if a lesson what poor or effective is by being reflective towards yourself.
December 2015: Sometimes your students' verbal language will tell you the lesson was poor. "I didn't really like that lesson Mrs. Randolph, but you tried hard!" (Literal quote from one of my students after a poorly executed lesson.) Keep reflecting on your lessons, it makes you work harder and it helps you develop.
December 2015: This semester has been a series of ups and downs, I taught one lesson that was an absolute failure, but I taught two others that were complete successes. I have been so frustrated with a student but still love them and want to fight for them. I have learned more about the fifteen students in my class than I ever thought I would. I have learned how to truly work collaboratively with others and seek my peers advice in difficult situations. I have worked with a student who becomes so frustrated with the fact that he can't articulate that he is overstimulated that he lashes out violently. I have watched a student with no ability to recognize letters not only learn all of them, but move on to learning his sight words.
When you read this next semester, remember that every student is someone's Blake. Keep going.