In her book, What Keeps Teachers Going, Sonia Nieto explains that in order to experience success, teachers should always be in the process of becoming. As one becomes proficient in the craft of teaching, the classroom becomes a source of inspiration, offering those who know where to look the keys to success. Our task becomes a careful examination of knowledge we possess, the ability to seek additional knowledge in developing our skills, and the facility to foster reflection.
Our journey this week documents developing the tools to evaluate our experience, determine their relevance in the classroom, and understand the importance of cultivating resources through participation in professional organizations. Careful application to detail strengthens our understanding to the responsibility we hold for the lessons we learn over time.
It seemed so simple then: survival, consolidation, renewal, and maturity (Katz, 1995). My current level of development has evolved since I began teaching elementary school in 2001 from these basic developmental stages to the wealth of information available to describe this progress today. When you are in the classroom, you are not trying to become an expert, just improve and expect the best in everything you set out to accomplish. A good way to accomplish this is to focus on learning objectives that allow student success to drive my instruction.
It is important for my classroom to become a community of learners who are engaged because it helps students become more responsible with their learning, and also affects the learning success of their peers. Student learning will improve in the end with a group focus of collaboration.
I have reached a point in my alternative classroom where the words of Paulo Freire, writing in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, challenge me to change and adapt our collective mindset, to build up the collective bank accounts of those students in my care. By learning to teach those at the margins of our society, we empower them to teach us in becoming better educators.
Our journey this week documents developing the tools to evaluate our experience, determine their relevance in the classroom, and understand the importance of cultivating resources through participation in professional organizations. Careful application to detail strengthens our understanding to the responsibility we hold for the lessons we learn over time.
It seemed so simple then: survival, consolidation, renewal, and maturity (Katz, 1995). My current level of development has evolved since I began teaching elementary school in 2001 from these basic developmental stages to the wealth of information available to describe this progress today. When you are in the classroom, you are not trying to become an expert, just improve and expect the best in everything you set out to accomplish. A good way to accomplish this is to focus on learning objectives that allow student success to drive my instruction.
It is important for my classroom to become a community of learners who are engaged because it helps students become more responsible with their learning, and also affects the learning success of their peers. Student learning will improve in the end with a group focus of collaboration.
I have reached a point in my alternative classroom where the words of Paulo Freire, writing in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, challenge me to change and adapt our collective mindset, to build up the collective bank accounts of those students in my care. By learning to teach those at the margins of our society, we empower them to teach us in becoming better educators.