Reflection on Personal and Professional Growth in Effective Teaching/Effective Schools (EDUC6835)...
Reflective Statement
Throughout this semester in my first graduate class as a pre-service teacher (Effective Teaching/Effective Schools), I gained a great deal of valuable knowledge and accomplished various things which I am extremely proud of. First, out of the three assignments/performance tasks that have been graded and returned to me at this point in time, I earned 20 out of 20 points, a score of 100%, and 14 out of 15 points respectively. In addition, I completed two additional assignments which have been graded but will not count toward my final course grade. On each of these assignments, I earned 30 out of 33 points and 23 out of 24 points. On each of the above assignments, whether they count toward my final course grade or not, I am extremely satisfied with the grades I have earned and see evidence that my hard work and effort have paid off. Second, I am extremely proud of the way I carried myself throughout the semester with regard to performing to the best of my ability and using my in-class experience during my school profile in Little Ferry to my highest advantage. It is because of the way I carried myself during completion of the school profile, that I was able to learn from and interact with experienced teachers (some of whom have been teaching for 2+ decades), and begin lifelong mentorships, relationships, and networks with both teachers and school administrators.
Third, I am proud of the educational philosophy that I created in this class, for my professional portfolio. My philosophy came as a result of my own experiences as a student, my first Field Experience, a newly developed understanding of several aspects of teaching as well as a great deal of knowledge and insight from Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, and my in-class/in-school experience of completing task #1, the school profile. Lastly, I have experienced significant growth with regard to many aspects of teaching and schools, including but not limited to: knowledge and skills of effective teachers, structures of public education, fundamental functions of teaching, educational research and best practices, classroom management, textbook selection, instructional strategies and models of teaching, special populations, student assessment and evaluation, and lesson planning.
Two of the areas I want to learn more about are how to adapt my instruction to accommodate linguistic diversity, and how to interact effectively with school administrators. I wish to learn more about adapting my instruction to accommodate linguistic diversity because there are currently so many students in schools across the country, which do not read, write, and speak English fluently. Just because there is a language barrier for these students, does not mean they are any less entitled to a full, equal, and high-quality education than those students who are fluent in the English language. The only difference between these two groups of students is that the non-English speaking or limited-English speaking students may require different types of instruction, and this special instruction may take more effort to prepare on the part of the teacher. The strategies required to prepare this special type of instruction are strategies that I am eager to develop, because my ability to teach all students equally will ultimately allow every student I teach, to receive the same quality of education. Second, I would like to learn more about how to interact effectively with school administrators. I will need to acquire this skill as a pre-service teacher because early interactions with school administrators in a variety of districts, states, etc. will provide me with professional network connections. These individuals will hopefully be able to assist me in pursuing new positions in the education field and possibly even serve me as mentors, etc. Finally, these same school administrators may be willing to stand behind me and support me as I break through to the education field and continue to do so as I teach throughout the years. They may help me in times of need, write me letters of recommendation, pass down their knowledge and personal experiences to me, and help me to voice and implement ideas, strategies, etc. in my classroom, school, and school district.