As a graduate of the Colgate teacher education program,
...I am a reflective practitioner who creates and manages effective learning environments.
While student teaching, I found that some of my most important realizations about how to improve my teaching style came while reflecting back on lessons. On the other hand, much of my classroom management skill came from in-the-moment decisions like taking a brief tangent to frame a student in a positive light, or responding to a unanticipated student questions. Below are some illuminative excerpts from my journal, kept during my student teaching experience.
From Wednesday, February 6, 2008:
I began the class with an index card activity, asking the students to write their name and answers to four questions that I had modeled on the board. Collecting each card individually, I was able to relate each student’s name with their face; while waiting for the last students to finish, I could practice the names of other students. By the end of the class period, I had 11 of 12 names down. (Poor Nicole, I’ll get her name soon! She has been really good natured, though, when I call her anything but her real name.) I also told the students it was only fair that I share my own answers with them, so I introduced myself, sharing that I’m the editor of the newspaper, I play water polo, my ancestor invented the Ferris Wheel and I love the Buffalo Bills (a student in the class is also an avid Bills fan).
After integrating Visual Thinking Strategies into the classroom on Friday, February 8, 2008 I wrote:
I was surprised that the VTS did not go as I anticipated....Though a museum educator would face the same issue [of limited report with students], it was interesting to see the power dynamic of the classroom shine through into the VTS exercise. I had anticipated everyone would be taken by the openness of the questioning and the powerful images, but...at one point Jimmy made an observation that contradicted the “reasonable norm” of responses in the class, and received some criticism from his peers. Though I felt able to funnel this dispute through linking, I wonder whether that made people less willing to try on alternate theories. While there was some discussion about what the family was doing around the table in the first image, by the second, Sandy was criticized for thinking that the men under the bridge were well-dressed (they had on bowler hats). I had anticipated the activity going for about twenty minutes (and having to be cut short) but after ten minutes I decided to cut my losses and move on.
Frustrated by the school schedule, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 I wrote:
Today was another one of those terrible days in which 2/3 of the class leaves 15 minutes before the end of the period to go to BOCES. It is probably the worst management of time ever. But with no choice in the matter, I passed out the review sheets to the class and gave those still here the last 15 minutes to work independently. I told the students that if they completed the Progressive review sheet and turned it in to me on the day of the test, I would add five points to their scores. This padding might help some students on the cusp, but as I found in Sociology, those who do the review sheets are in better shape. So any kind of incentive to get them to study I think is helpful in this case. Even so, very few students took advantage of the last 15 minutes of class to work on their sheets. This I find to be frustrating. To be fair, I am giving them that time as their own to manage, but still. This is something else I need to consider.
In light of student responses to a large multi-unit test, I recorded the following on Tuesday, March 11, 2008:
In academic lab the next period, Steve and Drew were really concerned about their test performance and, given their essay grades, their overall averages. “I just really want to pass,” Steve said. “Give us more homework…like three homeworks a week…so I can get my grade up.” Though these are some of the tougher kids, I was impressed that they really still care about their grades. It wasn’t just a plea to pass so they can graduate; they seemed concerned about passing in general. Depending on how the test grades come out, I might start offering some optional homework to help those who want to improve their grades, while not hurting the grades of those who don’t. (I have some high 90s). We’ll see how things go.
For a more lengthy example of how my reflections influenced my classroom management, read my Portrait of a Student. In this short paper, I describe my initial negative interactions with a student, Brianne, and how I was able to develop a more positive learning environment for her based on careful observation. My experience working with Brianne is probably one of the most rewarding parts of my student teaching experience, as I feel that I was actually able to make quite a difference on her classroom learning by turning my attention to learning more about her as a person and as a student. Click here to read my Portrait of a Student.
Additionally, mid-way through my student teaching experience, I began composing my Philosophy of Education. This statement, which details what I value most in the classroom, has served to both allow me to reflect on my own teaching in a comprehensive fashion, while also offering a checkpoint to make sure that I am maintaining my own standards. As my final assignment for the semester, I theorized my experiences based on part of this philosophy of education in my theorized log. For a copy of this paper, please feel free to email me.
All names are changed to protect the privacy of the students.