PED3151 - Learning Log 2
- hodginsjustin
- Oct 18, 2018
- 3 min read
Hello readers,
This week we were asked to identify 10 statements that encapsulate us as teachers and then provide 5 of our strengths and weaknesses. The following statements were formulated in part from the Growing Success ministry document, as well as a blend of my personal experiences in practicum and elsewhere.
Students should be treated as the complex humans that they are in such a way that respects their autonomy and needs. This will help inspire the students to respect and care for us in return.
We should, as teachers and students, strive to take healthy risks and encourage those around us to push our boundaries. Keeping the curiosity to learn more about any given topic or scenario provides students with a plethora of skills to help them navigate the 21st century.
A good teacher is a lifelong learner. I believe that we as teachers should continue to learn from student feedback (both formal and informal), our professional learning communities, and from our experiences.
Just as our students are patient with us as we begin our journey as lifelong learners, a teacher must be patient with their students as they learn as well. This will help students understand that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process in a way that helps develop resiliency.
Every child has the right to an education. Thus, our educational practices should be fair, equitable and actively involve students in their own progress. The right to education is inalienable and should avoid any discriminatory practices in such a way that every student has an equal chance to succeed.
Understanding the needs of a classroom is the essential first step in developing assessments and evaluations that best suit the students’ strengths. We as teachers teach students first and the content second, and our lesson plans and activities should accurately reflect that.
Teachers should involve students when providing meaning to the classroom, whether it be setting the rules, assignment expectations/due dates, or activities. Involving students in their own learning helps them best see themselves in their education, which often inspires them to take charge.
Towards this aim, teachers should provide plenty of opportunities to release the responsibility back to the students so that they can take charge of their learning.
Teachers should take strides in involving themselves around their community in such a way that they can provide their students with a vibrant learning environment. By modeling good citizenship, a teacher is able to provide a different variety of learning experiences for their students and help involve the students in their own community in healthy ways.
If you aren’t having fun while learning, we aren’t doing our job right!
The strengths that I bring to my teaching are my organizational skills, my time management abilities, my positive attitude, my ability to build a rapport with my students as a method of enhancing their learning, and a willingness to collaborate both with students and teacher fellows alike.
The areas of need that I have identified is a familiarity with the content that I teach (most notably, the ability to communicate it best), seeing the “big picture” in some of the curriculum expectations, incorporating student choice in meaningful ways in a variety of assessments, learning resources (for myself when planning lessons and for my students should they require extra help), and the ability to glean the appropriate information from assessments for and as learning.
Image Credit: http://www.donaldsongytherapy.com/therapythoughts/2017/3/7/just-trying-to-be-a-person
