A Teachers Long and Unexpected Journey

MATC Synthesis Paper

In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Teaching Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University

Christopher R. Zech A10139405 November 20, 2013

As I began to reflect on my time in the MATC program at Michigan State and how it has helped shape me as a teacher, I find that I need to go back to the very beginning. When I first graduated from MSU, in 1990, with a B. A. in Psychology I knew that my future wasnt going to include the use of this degree. I had lost faith in myself as a student and was just going through the motions, by the time I finally earned my degree. I was lost. If there was something that could go wrong, it usually did; so, I gladly took a job in retail management in order to make a living. It took ten long years to get back on my feet and be in a position to try and make something of myself. I knew I wanted to do something where I could definitely make a positive difference, so after doing my research I decided to return to school to become a teacher. After retaking several classes and getting my grades up to where they needed to be, I was accepted into the College of Education at MSU-graduating in 2005. In the fall of 2006, I began my student internship at Aberdeen Elementary in Grand Rapids and this is where my long journey through the MATC program begins. As I entered the classroom where I would begin taking my baby steps towards becoming a teacher, I was hit with an immediate feeling of uncertainty, like being lost in the dark woods without a map. By this time I had many years of experience working with children (ages 0-12).I worked with my mother who ran a daycare and an after school program, earned a B.A. in Education from a highly respected university, and a strong desire to make a difference. The uncertainty I faced emerged from the fact that I had more practice in theory and content knowledge than I did in developing units and lessons, developing my pedagogy and becoming more of a teacher than a student. However, all of this learning would have to take a backseat for now as the kindergarten students I would be spending the next eight months teaching were now entering the our room. Learning From and Working With Others Successful teachers know that they cannot become that way without being able to not only learn from, but work with others as well. True learning incorporates personal knowledge and experience with collaboration in order to obtain the best possible result. The first successful steps I began to take in order to get out of the woods had their foundations laid in TE 801, 802, & 804. It was here during our weekly class meeting that I learned the importance of collaboration. As a furtherance of my theme being lost, I found myself being the only intern working in a kindergarten classroom, meaning that I would often find myself working on my own, seeking help from my instructors and CT because everyone else had groups with which they could meet. Fortunately, these early classes exposed me to one of the important components of good teaching, developing engaging units and lessons. As the year progressed, I found myself collaborating more with interns who were working with first graders, sharing ideas, plans and learning goals for units we were to teach during our
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lead teaching. Once we had developed a working idea, I would then collaborate with my CT (Cooperating Teacher) and come up with viable ways to accommodate our lessons for kindergarten learners. It was while creating units that I would teach during my internship that I would develop, The capacity to plan instruction so that it meets the needs of the students and the demands of content-and therefore is purposeful and adds up to important, well-developed abilities for students-is not something that most people know how to do instinctively or that they learn from unguided classroom experience. (Darling-Hammond & Baratz-Snowden, p.15) The MATC program cultivated and encouraged my growth as a teacher by impressing upon me the importance of collaboration, inquiry, and reflection. In TE 804 (Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice), we were required to do an Action Research paper. The process of Action Research is a daunting one and its success is contingent upon the focus of the individual on his/her subjects and knowledge through a broad and deep research of the topic studied. Artifact 1 reflects my first efforts as a teacher-researcher. I have always been interested in why people do things, especially with regards to student learning; do children learn better when provided with intrinsic or extrinsic rewards? Or put another way, how can parents and teachers better motivate their children and students? Over the course of my program, Action Research has been mentioned as one the best ways to improve the quality of teacher education. While it is an all consuming process in an arena where time is more valuable than gold, Action Research provides teachers, administrators and even students with better educational opportunities. Teachers gain valuable knowledge about concepts and methods of instruction, students have access to better ways of learning, potentially increasing their knowledge and perhaps even their test scores and administrators have a continually improving staff and the prospect of better test scores. The courses I have taken following TE 804 have impressed upon the importance of Action Research and that enhancing our knowledge base or improving the quality of our teaching methods must be embraced in order to improve the quality of our student's education. All teachers are a continuous work in progress. We are always striving to learn more about our craft, our methods of instruction, new technologies to embrace as well as many other skill sets to make us better teachers. In order for me to successfully begin to navigate the woods surrounding me, I needed to accept the skill set I had and to know which ones, like classroom management and student assessment, I still needed to achieve. This was an indispensable learning experience for me as I improved my collaborative skills through discussion and inquiry using peers and their valuable experiences and insight. These were indispensable guides as I continued my journey without a map. So there I was staring at the somewhat scared and excited faces of my 26 new students. The time to run had long since passed and my CT was quickly and quietly moving about the room,
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greeting both students and parents, when I suddenly realized, Hey, I can do this!I quickly jumped head first into the deep end and got to work. I couldnt tell you what happened as the day was a flurry of activities from morning to afternoon working on class rules and behavior expectations to actually working with small groups on introductory lessons. The kindergarten program at Aberdeen was am/pm, so everything we did that first day, and every one after, was repeated in the afternoon. It was during this inaugural year of teaching where I began understanding and implementing Standard 1: Understanding and commitment to students and their diversity and program goal 2: Accomplished Teaching. I was a blank slate entering that classroom, having no solid pedagogy, little in the manner of skills or repertoire, but I was an eager and willing learner. I learned as my students learned. I always told them that we were building a community for learners of all kinds and ages; that it was possible for me to learn as much from them as they did from me. I built my content knowledge through many years of undergrad study, and now I just needed to develop and hone my skills as a teacher, collaborating with peers and teachers alike, including new skills and adding tricks to my repertoire, using my previous skills with young children to teach subject matter to my diverse little learners. With each passing day, I found myself growing more as a teacher and inching ever closer to the edge of the woods and away from the darkness.

Expanding and Understanding My Learning I believe good teaching or even effective teaching must put the students first. What are their needs? Where are they struggling? How can I as a teacher help them and their parents as well? This was the focus of TE 807 (Professional Development and Inquiry). Can we truly define what good teaching is or is an ever-evolving concept? As I reflect back, I realize that over the years I was constantly introduced to many ideas and theories that could be added to this concept. I also discovered the importance of reflection while taking TE 807. Good teachers understand that, Reflective teachers do not act blindly on impulse or rely on routine and tradition. Instead, they carefully consider and reconsider their beliefs and practices to reconstruct and reorganize their experience. For only when teachers activate the assumptions underlying their teaching can they begin to interpret their meaning. (Jalongo, M. R. & Isenberg, J. P., p. 76 1995). One thing is for certain, they all put students needs first and we should never be satisfied with a definition that doesnt allow for change. It was in TE 807 where I was handed my first clue to escape the wilderness I had become lost in. As Sonia Nieto (2003) said, Teachers are always in the process of becoming. Given the dynamics of their work, they need to continually rediscover who they are and what they stand for through their dialogue and
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collaboration with peers, through ongoing and consistent study, and through deep reflection about their craft. They also need to understand the nature of their work and its life-and-death potential in the lives of their students. They need to understand that teaching is neither missionary work (although it may be a mission), nor just another job. (Nieto, p. 396) Her words spoke to me like none before. Good teachers are always trying to improve themselves, thus never truly being but always striving. My first artifact, Artifact 1, is my personal reflection on what makes good teaching. Over the years, I have been exposed to many good teachers who were willing to share their ideas of what is and is not good teaching, why it is important to always be growing as a teacher and reflecting on my successes and failures with a vigilant eye to improve a lesson no matter how it turns out. It is also important to note that, What teachers bring to the process of learning to teach affects what they learn. Increasingly, teachers own personal and professional histories are thought to play an important role in determining what they learn from professional development opportunities. The contexts in which teachers work are believed to affect what they can do. (Ball, 1996, pp. 501-502) To me, good teaching requires an excitement for the classroom and working with young learners and a constant desire to improve ones pedagogy or gain new skills and perspectives. With time also comes reflection, an opportunity to take a look back and see what everything means. The specificity of reflection-looking back in order to move forward, and the benefits of working in an environment conducive to open and trusting collaboration have helped result in the creation of stronger teachers, including me. I believe that my experience in the MATC program has strengthened my abilities as a teacher and help me to put the focus of my work squarely on those who need and deserve my best efforts: the students. These efforts need not and should not be taken upon all by myself. By learning to collaborate, share ideas and work with others, I have realized that not only can I help myself grow, but I can aid others growth as well. Entering the program my goals at the beginning were to address any weaknesses or interests that developed as my journey progressed. I believe that in order to be successful in the new century, teachers must develop technological skills and become adept with many types of software. I used to consider myself functionally illiterate when it came to technology. Sure, I could surf the web but how could I use that skill to help my students grow as learners? I began to address that need with CEP 800, CEP 810 & TE 831. My inexperience was overcome through a collaborative effort of an experienced instructor, peers who have had success working with technology and myself. Here I addressed Standards 1, 2, & 6 as well as Course Goal 2. Using technology allows teachers greater flexibility in presenting material that otherwise may be boring or non-engaging. In TE 831(Teaching Subject Matter with Technology), I was able to explore the myriad of technologies available and was asked find ways of incorporating them into lessons and activities. Artifact 3, is an example of using technology to improve an existing lesson and provide students with a more engaging option for displaying their newfound
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knowledge. Here an assignment that did not readily engage students learning and was given a second life using a technology that I have since found many more options for using across the curriculum. In CEP 800 (Learning in Schools & Other Settings), I was asked to use technology not only in ways to help students, but also in ways that might help teachers become better teachers-maybe as an assessment tool, maybe as a supplement to an Action Research project. The importance of elevating lessons to this point cannot be understated! Of course, we must be careful not to assume every lesson is engaging. Wong (2007) states, An activity is deeply engaging not simply because it gives students control and engages their rational thinking. Rather, deep engagement also requires imagination, being acted upon, spontaneity, and surprise.(p. 210) By exploring new and emerging technologies to present materials, teachers can design engaging, interactive lessons that allow students to be more creative and have more flexibility and freedom in demonstrating their content knowledge. Artifact 4 is reflective of the previous statement. Understandably sometimes teachers fear technology more when they are forced to use it. Why fear something that is designed to make their jobs easier? They are surrounded by a myriad of options and the number continues to grow. In CEP 810 (Teaching Understanding with Technology) I learned to be more judicious with my choices, learn a few programs or applications very well and become familiar with a few more newer techs as they come into play. There is no way to master them all, so master the ones you like and incorporate them as you see fit. This is a great way to make learning more engaging and definitely more fun. As a result of my experience in these classes I believe my professional development and teaching practice will benefit from being able to look at any lesson and think, How can I use technology to improve this lesson and what technology tool(s) fits it best?Artifact 5, is further evidence of my ability to incorporate a familiar activity and create a more compelling and engaging product. A good teacher requires adaptability, creativity and flexibility and these techno-centric courses have provided me with a compass to help me better navigate my way out of the woods. With each successive course, I can feel myself moving away from the darkness of confusion and into the light of good teaching. My coursework with technology allowed me to create connections with other educators to build clearer pathways, akin to the GPS system in our phones, in order to expedite my escape from the harmful problems of practice that await all unsuspecting teachers. Throughout my experience with the MATC program, one thing has stood out and that is the importance of collaboration. Without it, a teacher could wander alone in the forest, blissfully unaware of the many solutions that are available to him/her. Collaboration unites good ideas and weeds out the weak ones. It allows for a greater focus on a topic while also creating opportunities for differing points of view to give it depth and meaning. Artifact 6, was such an experience. In TE 882 (Seminar in Curriculum Teaching), which focused on multi-cultural education, I was assigned a group project which was to set up a 2 day professional development seminar. Working in a group in a regular classroom can be difficult, but this was an online class and there was no way for any of us to meet. However, through collaboration and respectful discourse, we were able to set up roles and assign individual responsibilities. One of the more difficult things for any one person to do is rely on another person, especially someone that you do not know and have never met. Yet, in order for teachers, or any other profession, to expand their craft and address problems of practice, they must collaborate, share ideas and be receptive to new ideas. That is what this assignment and the MATC program, as a whole, has done for me.
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Good teachers also must ultimately become teacher educators. Whether it is through action research, guiding a student teaching intern, or even developing a presentation for fellow teachers at a professional development/staff meeting. In order for true collaboration to occur, teachers must be willing to share their failures and successes in a group setting. Presenting material in this fashion allows for respectful analysis and critique, all in the hopes of creating not only better educators, but educational and learning settings as well. Artifact 7 (TE 872 Teachers as Teacher Educators) is an example of this collaborative effort. In order to be an effective teacher educator, teachers must be able to recognize good examples and point them out. I also found that, By engaging in professional discourse with like-minded colleagues grounded in the content and tasks of teaching and learning, teachers can deepen knowledge of subject matter and curriculum, refine their instrumental repertoire, hone their inquiry skills, and become critical colleagues. (Feiman-Nemser, 2001, p. 1042) I chose this artifact because it is reflective of the course requirement and also demonstrated how difficult it is to be a teacher educator. It also spoke to the difficulty I often encountered throughout the course of my program by not having a classroom of my own. Most of the things I accomplished came as a quite a struggle, compared to my peers, who had their own classrooms. Many of our assignments required us to create a lesson and teach it or observe the collaborative process of professional development days. As I just a substitute teacher right now, these objectives and requirements were more difficult for me to meet since I do not have a classroom or a building to call home. My collaboration came solely through the generous efforts of my classmates. By having to observe and analyze these teacher education opportunities, I gained a better appreciation for the efforts for educators of all types. The final requirement of this class was to write a brief synthesis review paper of our experiences throughout the MATC program. Artifact 8, is the synthesis map that I used to develop my synthesis review. This required critical thought and analysis of the entirety that was my experience. I also chose this map because it is another example of the skills I have developed and nurtured through the MATC program. It required reflection and critical analysis, two of the many important skills, concepts, and ideals the MATC program fosters in its students as they engage in the various requirements of their programs coursework. I look at ideas and concepts at a deeper level now, while also being more appreciative of the insights of my fellow educators. Because of my experiences in this program, I am not afraid to engage in new or existing technology in order to improve a students learning experience, nor am I afraid to collaborate with others in order to improve my craft or even how I deal with problems of practice. It has also become abundantly clear that education must continually evolve to meet the needs of the future. In order for that to happen for me, I must be always willing to wander back into the forest of uncertainty and once again, evolve. After leaving Aberdeen in 2006, I worked as a substitute teacher all over W. Michigan. With the exception of one glorious year teaching 4th grade as a long term sub, I have been in and out of classrooms without having one to call my own. It has been a slow and difficult journey out
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of the darkness of my forest and yet, I am not complete. I am taking the classes, making the connections and sending out resumes but without yet having a classroom of my own, growth as a teacher is a difficult task. My journey through the MATC program has been as long and winding as my search for an open teaching position. I feel like I am developing the necessary skills and knowledge but only seldom do I get to display them. Yes, I think I have emerged from the forest, with an abundance of help from MSUs College of Education and especially the MATC program but, yet, I still can feel the darkness even though Im leaving it further and further behind. This fall I will be taking my last class for my Masters and I decided to continue exploring bias in the educational system with TE 822. When it comes to addressing socio-cultural bias, this change is happening at a protracted pace. Heterogeneity is the norm in public schools and I believe its imperative for teachers to not only be aware of these biases, but how to deal with them. As teachers, we need to accept our students for who they are, not what we wish them to be. If anything, the self concept that children and young adults develop reflects their images of their future and what they hope to become and thus guides their actions in schools and other institutions. (Garrett, 2010, p. 108) Every student deserves a fair and equitable playing field and by examining this topic (TE 822 & TE 882), I continue to meet my goal of improving my teaching practice. By seeing the forest as a whole and using the tools, resources and connections that Ive made throughout the course of my program, one thing is for certain, I will definitely be a better teacher because of it. Finally, I feel as though I am about to break free from the forest of doubt that I found myself in when I began the MATC program. As teachers, we are never through learning because the world never stops changing. I believe that my growth as a teacher, both past, present and future, will be a reflection of continued collaboration and learning from my fellow peers and that, The vision of high quality instruction should emphasize the need for important developmentally appropriate learning goals, engaging instructional activities, a learning environment that supports and challenges students and attention is given to appropriate questioning and sense making,(Darling-Hammond & Baratz-Snowden, 2005, p.28) is attainable. Over the course of the program, my goals have continually morphed from being a nave and passive learner to becoming an active, informed and collaborative partner and I am ready to walk out of the forest and move into my own classroom.

References 1. Ball, D.L. (1996). Teacher learning and the mathematics reforms: What do we think we know and what do we need to learn? Phi Delta Kappan, 77, 500-508.
2. Darling-Hammond, L. & Baratz-Snowden, J. (2005). What do teachers need to know? In L. Darling-Hammond & J. Baratz-Snowden (Eds.) A good teacher in every classroom: Preparing the highly qualified teachers our children deserve (p. 5-28). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

3. Feiman-Nemser, Sharon. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a Continuum to Strengthen and Sustain Teaching. Teachers College Record (Volume 3,Number 6) Teachers College, Columbia University, pp. 1013-1055. 4. Garrett, Et al. (2010). Examining the Success Factors of High-Achieving Puerto Rican Male High School Students. Roeper Review; Apr-Jun 2010; 32, 2; Research Library Cove. Pp. 106-115.
5. Jalongo, M. R. & Isenberg, J. P. (1995). Teachers stories: From personal narrative to professional insight. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 6. Nieto, S. (2003). Challenging current notions of Highly Qualified Teachers through work in a teachers inquiry group. Journal of Teacher Education, 54, 5, 386-398.

7. Wong, D. (2007) Beyond Control and Rationality: Dewey, Aesthetics, Motivation, and Educative Experiences. Teachers College Record, 109,1, pp. 193-210.