As I tried to prepare myself for my interview, many different questions were brought up. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? Why did I decide to pursue a career in education? If I could change a school situation, what would it be?
Even though that many of the questions that I asked myself weren't asked during the interview, they helped me evaluate myself and answer questions that I had never thought about before. In the interview, I did make the statement "Our students should be learning everyday, and teachers should be learning everyday." There is always someone with a new idea, a new strategy, a new method. It is important for us to branch out and find these things to help our students learn more and better.
The interview and my own personal questions and answers made me begin to think about my Professional Development Plan. I am doing a lot to work towards bettering myself as a future teacher. What made me stop and think twice was "what about after graduation?"
We should continue to develop professional development plans every year as a teacher. That will help us become better teachers and grow in great ways EVERY year.
The article I found on Edutopia discussed an ultimate professional development plan. This teacher discusses the three primary tools that she uses to grow each year.
- "My first tool is my spiral notebook. Here I jot notes while I conference with students, tape in samples of their work, and record insights and observations. Each evening, I reflect on my notes and use them to plan for tomorrow.
- My second tool is my iPhone. Throughout the day, I take pictures and videos of my students' writing samples, projects, and engineering feats. I often interview them as they share their innovative thinking. These visuals sometimes go in my spiral notebook, sometimes in my Evernote app, and often on my blog to parents. I also use them when I share my students' thinking and creations at our research team meetings and when I present at conferences or write about my practice. The visuals serve as an outward product of our classroom's evolution.
- My third and most important tool is my teacher research team. These colleagues focus me and serve as a sounding board and support network for my contemplations in the classroom."
We often talk about assessments. Assessments can't always be tests or quizzes. They often may be verbal assessments. Having a spiral notebook would help a teacher keep track of various students and various assessments throughout the day.
I also mentioned in my interview that I struggle with embracing technology. However, this teacher mentions how she utilizes and uses her phone and other apps to help her develop and grow as a teacher. What a great thought. Something so easy to use and right there at our finger tips. I also LOVE the idea of blogging to parents. Blogging was something totally new to me this semester, but I have found it almost relaxing.
Finally, this teacher talks about her research team. The article goes into much more detail of what this consists of and what they do. It is something that she encourages every teacher to join or start. It is basically a group of teachers reflecting on their own teaching and their students learning. They come together to share and learn from each other. I think that this can definitely be the great tool and resource to ANY teacher. In my opinion, it is impossible to grow and expand learning without collaborating with other teachers. Having an opportunity to do this once a week is especially useful.
All of these tools are ones that I want to utilize when I have my own classroom. I want to make sure that I am reflecting on myself as a teacher and helping my students, and myself, become better. The teacher research team may be something that I have to develop on my own, but this would be an opportunity to be a leader in my own profession (NCPTS Standard 1).
This ties in with all of standard 5 of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers should be reflecting on their practice. They should analyze student learning, but analyze themselves. More importantly, standard 5 tells us to link professional growth to professional goals. We should strive to grow and develop at all times. This is possible if we use the tools and resources around us, and care enough to put them time and effort in.
Check out the article:
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were accepted into the School of Education! It is true that being able to talk up the teaching profession is much more than knowing your standards and test dates. It is so so important to allow students to think creatively, which in turn, trains them to become a critical thinker. Good read!