Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Elementary Education
6 October, 2017
Introduction
The College of Education at Pittsburg State University has prepared me beyond words in
guiding my future path of becoming a teacher professional in the days soon to come. From the
incredible professors, to the outstanding courses offered, I feel as if I am more than ready to take
the next step into having a classroom of my very own. The Teacher Education Program has
management skills, and deepening my content knowledge within the areas needed to be the best
possible teacher I can be. The Professional Knowledge Base is the foundation of this great
program, and there are many areas within it that I feel very confident in. With that being said,
there are also some areas in which I am aware of the work and effective practice I need to do
towards them. Following this is the evidence in which I have gathered from my experiences in
the Teacher Education Program, as well as the areas I plan to grow on.
In The Learner and Learning, there are several areas I feel extremely confident in thanks
to many things offered from the Teacher Education Program. Many practicum experiences, role-
model teachers, maintaining my substitute license, and observations from an outside class, have
ensured to me, my many strengths. There is one area of weakness of which I am eager to grow
A strength I have within The Learner and Learning is understanding how to manage the
learning environment by organizing, allocating and coordinating the resources of time, and
space. In the spring of 2016 I took a course titled Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In this
course I was able to learn all about the disorder, and even learn about it from first-hand
experiences by observing the two autism classrooms USD 250 has. I spent a total of 10 hours, in
both the middle school classroom and George Nettels’ classroom, for 5 hours each. In my
observing hours, I was able to perceive the importance of time schedules, routines, and most
importantly the significance of space. I am very grateful for have taken this course, for it showed
me the importance of managing all students’ learning environments, and how to effectively do
so.
A second strength I have in this area is being able to understand the processes needed to
foster a respectful learning community. In the school year of 2016-2017 I maintained my Kansas
State Substitute license. By doing this, I learned about many different classroom styles, and how
to create an effective classroom respect level. Along with creating a classroom bond in all the
different level of classes I substituted in. From first grade to high school, I felt extreme pride in
the way the students acted as far as mannerly and academically, while I was in control of their
classroom for the day. Another reason I feel so confident in this area is due to the magnificent
teacher role models I have been grateful to observe through my years in the College of
Education. All of the teachers in the College of Education model strong classroom control, a
high level of trust, and respect. To top them all off, all of our teachers believe in each and every
one of us. They push us to be our best, and for that, we respect them and want to do nothing but
The final area I feel I have a high strength in is how to access information about the
values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate languages, experiences,
cultures and community resources into practice. After many hours spent in various classrooms,
simply observing the different ways to incorporate English Language Learners, and different
cultures, into the class lesson(s) as effectively as possible. Using pictures to communicate and
model for students is one very key importance when doing so. After taking Diversity in the
Classroom, I feel confident in my knowledge of cultural respect, and using those in my future
years as an educator.
The weakest area I feel I struggle with is how to design experiences using strategies that
enhance learner motivation and engagement. Once I begin my semester in student teaching and
as I continue out the rest of my time in internship, I am eager to grow within this area of The
Learner and Learning. I do believe with co-teaching experience, I can grow tremendously in
learning how to motivate my students as well as keep them engaged. It is easy for elementary
students to become distracted, for there are many fun and exciting things going on in the
classroom. With those fun and exciting things come many learning endeavors that the student
would not want to miss out on. I am planning on practicing my confidence and discipline
Content
The many areas of Content from my experience in the Teacher Education Program have
been beyond substantial. Within the Content category there are two areas I feel considerably
stronger in. Those areas are having a deep knowledge of student content standards and learning
progressions in the disciplines, and understanding that learners should question, analyze and
Carpino 4
understand concepts from diverse perspectives. From classes within the Teacher Education
Program courses outline to practicum observations, I have strengthened immensely within these
areas. A weakness I struggle with regarding Content would be understanding how disciplinary
knowledge can be applied as a lens to address local and global issues. This is an area I plan on
The first strength that I noticed is that I have a deep knowledge of student content
standards and learning progressions in the disciplines. In every single class that has anything to
do with lesson plans, I feel as though I can discover the standards and the learning levels within
each content area. Curriculum Development for Elementary Education, taught by Ms. Goostree,
installed this ability in me. In this class we got to break down the structure of a lesson plan piece-
and the disciplines of a student’s learning. Having this practice and experience has prepared me
greatly for being able to construct every detail of my current and future lesson plans, securing the
Secondly, a strength I have in this category is being able to understand that learners
should question, analyze, and understand concepts from diverse perspectives. Students all come
from their own individual backgrounds, and an educator must be able to respect them. Diversity
in the Classroom, Overview of Special Education, and Clinical Experience has given me a well-
rounded outlook regarding this area. Diversity in the Classroom taught all the different ways
students are brought up, and how the different cultures should be perceived. Overview of Special
Education gave a firm understanding about how students with disabilities each have their own
IEP, and how exactly to work with those IEPs in the hopes of pushing the student to the best of
his, or her abilities. Lastly, reflections and observations from our hours spent in a classroom for
Carpino 5
clinical experience strengthened the ability to work with the diverse perspectives. For example,
in the Kindergarten class I observed, I felt a great deal of learning when seeing the younger
minds understand, work, and mold, something each in their own unique way.
understanding how disciplinary knowledge can be applied as a lens to address local and global
issues. This area is weak to me, simply because of a slight fear in how to appropriately address
the issues the students will see, and go through. I have really enjoyed Mrs. Restivo and Mrs.
Abbott’s courses this semester, for they have given me a better sense of understanding ways to
use student’s own knowledge to address specific issues. I am anxious to observe more examples
from them, as well as from my cooperating teacher, in hopes of being able to practice them in my
Instructional Practice
Throughout my past couple of years in the Teacher Education Program, I feel like the
growth in the Instructional Practice category has strengthened tremendously. The many courses
and practicum experiences have prepared me immensely with the instructional practice I felt
One of those areas is being able to understand how theory, research, and best practices
impact ongoing planning and instructional practice. A course that comes to mind which installed
many theory practices and research would be Mrs. Bartlows’ Early Childhood Foundations and
Curriculum. We learned the basic theories from the many theorists out there, past and present,
who have researched the best ways children look and how to plan instruction based upon those
how a student can, or cannot, learn or retain information. These classes were beyond helpful
when it comes to having the ability of teaching students of many different learning styles.
Secondly, a strength that I see in myself is knowing how to analyze assessment data to
understand patterns and gaps in learning, to guide planning and instruction, and to provide
meaningful feedback. There were a couple experiences that strengthened this area for me. Those
experiences were from practicum in both Primary, and Intermediate Reading experiences. From
running many different assessments on the practicum students, such as running records, and
Where-to-Start word tests, we proceeded to take the information from those assessments and
form our lessons around the results of our students. We were instructed on how to properly
address a problem area for a student, as well as how to accurately provide them with positive,
Knowing how to engage learners in using technology tools and a range of skills to access,
interpret, evaluate, and apply information is an area in which I am the weakest in regards to
instructional practice. I feel as if my generation is assumed of being the ones who are the
strongest in technology, but I find myself to be slightly lacking this generational trait. My plan
during my student teaching semester is to incorporate at least two technology-based lessons per
week. My current school does not have an iPad for every student, but there is one in our
classroom as well as computers, SMART Board, and an Elmo. All of which I plan to work with
Professional Responsibility
much more than just teaching students a curriculum. It is about showing my students that they
can trust me, they are safe with me, and that they know that their goals and dreams are the most
Carpino 7
important thing to me. With that, there are to two strengths, and one weakness, that I find within
One of those strengths is being able to understand the laws related to learners’ rights and
teacher responsibilities. This is a strength that has been supported by my experience in the
Overview of Special Education, as well as the Overview of Autism Spectrum, courses. In these
courses we went into extensive detail on the different laws, and acts regarding the education
field. As a teacher, I feel as if it is more than important to be strongly knowledgeable in this area.
If a teacher is not certain of the laws, and responsibilities to follow, it can lead to trouble in the
classroom, and possible for the entire district. I am proud to say that I can hold my confidence
communicate effectively with all members of the learning community. When stepping into a
classroom for the first time, it is common to not always know where to find something, or what
exactly the teacher is meaning in their sub notes. By that, I have gained the confidence in asking
those around me for assistance, and am confident in the methods in which they guide me
towards. Whether those people are surrounding teachers, secretary, or the school principal, I am
positive that my communication skills with the members in the learning community will be
information and technology ethically, legally, and safely. I am confident in saying how to get the
information needed for my students legally, as well as the use of technology resources safely, but
my biggest fear is that my tenderness in trusting things would lead me astray. My hopes in
Carpino 8
student teaching is to notice the differences in information and technology areas that I can use,
Conclusion
As proven above, this program has given me an abundant amount of guidance and
experiences related to the Professional Knowledge Base guidelines, I can tell within my heart the
areas I am strong, and weak in. Going into my student teaching semester I am more than
confident in taking over my cooperating classroom, all thanks to the wonderful teachings I have
received in the Teacher Education Program at Pittsburg State University. One of the greatest
things I have learned from this marvelous program is that one can never stop learning, and with
that, I plan to abide by that statement in my forever days spent in this amazing career.