Evaluate: Self-Reflection on Teaching Abilities
My teaching abilities are shifting with the demands of teaching in the 21st century. When I started using technology tools in the classroom in 2000, I was ahead of the curve in the educational field, but behind the curve in the real world. Unlike most people, I am really
My classroom is messy. Science is messy. When I am under pressure, the last thing I will drop is my time to interact with the students. This has been a very stressful few weeks, so - yes, my classroom is messy. I'll be going in early on Monday morning to start to straighten things up, even though I know that by the end of the day, it will again be messy. My colleagues say that I am creative, and that sometimes being creative has its drawbacks. I would agree. My students love the creativity. I have been told that I "over-motivate" their child by my creativity. Ah, but their child is creating amazing digital artifacts that reflect her wondrous learning.
I give. To my students, to my colleagues, to anyone who needs something. If I have it, I give it. Usually appreciated are my lesson plans, supplies, or chocolate. Usually not appreciated is the unsolicited advice.
I get them. The students know me and i know them. I get them. They are amazed when i seem to be reading their minds. It makes me feel really cool when they say, "Wow, how did you know that?"
They trust me. I am their teacher, not their buddy, and the line of distinction is very clear. Yet, they tell me things and ask for help and are open and honest with me and with each other within my classroom walls.
I forget. I forget their names. I forget the names of these sweet children who love and trust me. Yet, I know their hearts, their personalities, and what they missed on the last test. How can this be? I tell them all the time, "It's really hard living inside this head." When I use work samples from 10 years ago, I can tell them all about the wonderful characteristics of the child who made it just by seeing the project and their name.
I grade with fairness and consistency. Unfortunately, I grade slowly. The rubrics help, and the computerized grading provided by quia.com has saved me on countless times. If I could sit with each of them and grade their work, I would be happier. It is the personal touch and the feedback that i so want to give to them, which is a good thing- and something I do well, but it makes me grade slowly.
I engage them. They do my homework and my projects with relish and gusto. (Think I'm kidding?) I tell lame jokes that they are sure that I made up, and they laugh at them and retell them to each other. It must be a grandmother thing. They listen intently to my talks (lectures with notes) and then to each other as they grapple with the new concepts or apply learned concepts to new situations.
I'm not so good at pedagogical terms. I feel them. An expert can watch me teach, and I am intentional about what I do. Yet- when it is time to use the terminology, all I can think of is that I love my students and help them to grow.
I'm reflective. Brenau University was my Alma Mater, and their teacher training programs put self reflection as a matter of surviving the ever evolving and sometimes revolving education systems that I had aspired to join. In the past 10 years, the focus on the use of data has heightened so much that I wouldn't even consider using a new approach unless there was data showing substantial benefits in doing so.
I creatively follow directions. (That's not saying that I do my own thing.) What I mean by that is that on one day, I will interpret the directions in a completely different way than on another day. Which is why I reflect- and check back, like I did tonight and discovered that I had totally invented my own set of instructions for this last TOOL MOOC blog post. Thank goodness! If I hadn't, what would have been here would have been just what is below this line:
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I am a data nerd. I use data to drive my instruction, my assessments, my choice of learning activities, and any remediation activities needed. What good would it do to use these resources to drive instruction if I were't reflecting on my lesson development, delivery, and assessment practices? A key practice that I employ is active reflection. I model it and my students have take it up. The dialogue goes something like this:
"what worked well with that?"/ "Students were engaged."
"What was their take-away?" / "They understand heat transfer."
"What was supposed to be their take away?" / "Convection, conduction, and radiation." '
"That IS heat transfer. Did they get MORE?"
"Yes, lol- some far transfer to why the cafeteria was so hot at the dance."
"What didn't go so well?" /"It took longer than anticipated."
"How would you improve your plan" / "Use timers for each segment of activity."
They crack up when they hear me, but now, I can tell that they have engaged their minds along with mine and they are actually talking it through for themselves. Students are always engaged in
self-assessment in my classroom; which is a really good thing, as we set goals
together for the student to reach and for me to support. As much student goal setting and reflection
that I put to use in my classroom, I do so much more so in my own self. My community of teachers practice reflection on a regular basis. Why be a stagnant person when you can be
dynamic- and ever changing, improving, and being a part of a society that needs
good teachers now more than ever.
Sometimes it is hard to look at myself, especially as my own worst critic. I could rewrite every lesson and change every lab and certainly find mistakes in every project rubric. But that's not really the point. The point is to keep growing as a person and as a professional. The point is to grow these kids as people and future professionals. The point is to be a part of a community that is preparing society, one child at a time, to be society.
Sometimes it is hard to look at myself, especially as my own worst critic. I could rewrite every lesson and change every lab and certainly find mistakes in every project rubric. But that's not really the point. The point is to keep growing as a person and as a professional. The point is to grow these kids as people and future professionals. The point is to be a part of a community that is preparing society, one child at a time, to be society.
