Reflection
What is good and effective teaching?
At the beginning of the semester, I thought of all the qualities that some of my favorite teachers have had: humor, passion, organization, knowledgeable, and friendly. These were the things that I thought made a good teacher. Now, although I still think these same things, I have a better understanding of how teachers can be all of things in the classroom while still being effective.
Classroom management is huge. Earning your students’ trust is a great way to ensure that they stay respectful and behaved in your class. Also, creating an environment where the students feel safe, valued, and in control of their own learning. A great way to give students more independence in the classroom is to use more student center techniques.
Teachers know how children grow.
Learning about the different stages of development and how it affects children in their learning is important for teachers to know in creating lesson plans and interacting with their students. As a teacher in high school, many of my students will most likely be in Erickson’s Identity vs. Role Confusion stage, in which they are trying to figure out who they want to be as a person in our society. Also, most of them will be in Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage, where they are able to think abstractly about real world problems and plan for the future. These different stages interact with each other in a way that makes adolescence a stressful time. Many teenagers are trying to decide what kind of person they want to be in the world, and what they should do with their lives after high school. Teacher can offer then guidance and encouragement.
Preparing For the Future
I really enjoyed the backward design lesson, and completing the template for a lesson that I would actually like to teach some day. I’m a very organized and visual person, so having that tangible worksheet laid out with exactly how I was going to teach and asses my students was extremely helpful is using what I have learned in my other classes. Even if I don’t decide to use that exact lesson plan in the future, I now have experience in creating and organized plan for teaching and assessment that I can use in a wide variety of ways to help myself and my students stay on top of their learning.
My Online Identity
One thing I was hoping to change with this blog was the fact that when you google “Mikayla Jones Waukesha Wi”, an “about me” prezi that I made in high school is one of the first things that appear. Even if I don’t decide to continue this blog, I hope that it will help my future employers realize that I truly take education seriously. I’m also excited to add my O & P experience to my resume as I hopefully become more qualified to work around kids.