Hello Everyone! In this blog post I will be reflecting back on all the things I have learned this semester. I have learned a lot this semester that I can take away as I continue on this journey to become a teacher.
One big concept I learned this semester was how to become an effective teacher. At the beginning of the class I only thought that a teacher should be fun, knowledgeable, be able to mange their time, and some other important characteristics. Now I realize that teaching is all of that and so much more! It involves pedagogy, Bronfenbrenner theory of how outside factors affect students, engage the students in learning, being prepared and organized, and build a connection with the students. How I perceived a teacher to be effective has not necessarily changed, but I have added things to what an effective teacher needs to be doing.
One of the teaching standards that this class helped me with is, leverage information literacy to evaluate and select information about students and teaching. This class helped me realize that there is so much more than just to teaching the students. You need to know where the school is at, what the home life is for students, where are the students cognitively, and how does all of this affect their schooling.
The most significant thing that I learned this semester is teaching is an art, or known as pedagogy. Not everyone can teach, compared to popular belief, there is a certain way to teach students in a way that they will engage in and learn what you are teaching them. There should be a connection between the teacher and the student; I also learned this from my Observation and Practice, when my teacher had students go out of their way to say hi to her. These same students are the ones that look forward to her class and that is half the battle with a student is making them want to come to class.
As I continue on with my career to become a teacher I plan on keeping my online identity by continuing this blog and make sure that my social media presence is positive. I also plan on gathering materials from all of my classes, and organizing the materials, so that I can use them when I am teaching my own class one day.
Thank you so much for reading my blog posts and make sure to check back in soon!
-Graham Hevel
Hey Graham, it’s been a real grand ole time in the Pre-Block classes hasn’t it? I really liked how you discussed the differences of what it means to be a good teacher, before and after the semester. I enjoyed seeing you mention Bronfenbrenner’s bio ecological model into your answer. I also saw you brought in your experiences from O+P which is a fantastic way to bring some insight to your blog followers. Overall, your thoughts about student engagement, your personal experiences, and your passion to pursue your blog post are motivating, and hope to see more on your blog in the future. Take it easy man
-Matt Lander
Hey Graham! I would definitely agree with you about how much is involved in education. After taking this foundations block, I have also realized how much more goes into education than I previously thought. Like you said, in order for teachers to educate their students effectively, they need to know so much more about the student, then just what they see in the class. A big idea that I got from our pluralism class, is the importance of teachers having a genuine relationship with their students. I really think this helps make a better learning environment for the students, and this is a practice I hope to bring into my classroom one day. It has been a pleasure being in the same foundations block with you, and I am looking forward to what more the university is going to teach us on education in the future.