Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 8

Haley Carpino

Elementary Education

6 October, 2017

Submission II Reflection Essay

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

strengthened my abilities in developing a strong curriculum, enabling my effective classroom

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.

The Learner and Learning

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

on in my semester student teaching.


Carpino 2

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

please them in ways beyond describable.


Carpino 3

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

strategies in my teaching habits, enabling my ability to take total control of my students’

engagement and motivation levels by the end of my student teaching semester.

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

strengthening during my semester of student teaching, as well as my future as a teacher.

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-

by-piece, standard-by-standard, leading us into an extensive understanding towards standards

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

success of content knowledge my future students will withhold.

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.

A weaker area I plan to grow upon in my experience of student teaching would be

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

student teaching classroom.

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

needed for my future days in the classroom.

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

learnings. Educational Psychology aided my knowledge growth when it came to understanding


Carpino 6

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,

growth-mindset type of feedback.

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

and grow a stronger baseline with, by the time graduation comes.

Professional Responsibility

From my perspective, the professional responsibility of an educator means something so

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

myself in this area.

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

high towards the learners’ rights and my own personal responsibilities.

From my experience substituting, a second strength for me is knowing how to

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

nothing less than exemplary.

A Professional Responsibility weakness for me would be knowing how to use

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,

and trust, and those of which are not so principled.

Conclusion

As proven above, this program has given me an abundant amount of guidance and

opportunities in strengthening my abilities within this great career. With my personal

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.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi