Watching my teacher do her thing up front could easily get myself in a trap. She makes it look so easy, like I could just skip on up there, open my mouth and let good things pour out. And kids would ace their tests, pass their standardized exams, graduate, and go to Harvard. I know that is not the case though. My mentor takes time to prepare her lessons; she has the whole year planned out and is very organized.
What guides her planning though? I know that Romulus is given curriculum guidelines and standards to meet due to being branded with "D" for their AYP. How does my mentor plan her lessons knowing her students must live up to state standards and that if they don't, Romulus will lose more money? What are her objectives as an English teacher?
My methods class shed some light on why I may be thinking the way I am...we took a test that determines the way we learn and I came out as an abstract random learner Oh how I love tests that tell me about myself! I say this sarcastically as well as literally because the outcome was actually right on...I think of things in terms of the whole. I need to know why I think English is an important subject for students to learn in order to teach on a daily basis. What is it that I want my students to leave my class with? What tools, what ideas, what passions will they need to take on the world that I can supply them with as an English teacher?
When I know the answers to these questions (and I have a feeling they will evolve) I will better be able to lesson plan. One of my worse nightmares is that my teaching, my time, my work will be futile. I mean, I know that one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher was and still is to pour into students' lives, to love them, believe in them, help them to see their value and worth but I could have done that as a youth pastor or as a social worker. Why do I think education is so important?
I would really love to read some of your thoughts on how this pertains to your subject matter. Why do you think it is important for your students to study language/math/social studies/science? What do you want to equip them with for their lives? What legacy do you want to leave as a teacher? Why did you choose education as a career?
Give it to me.
For math (which I'm sure you have ideas on, since you'll be teaching it as well) what I want to pass on to my students is critical thinking skills. Math to me is about creating logical arguments and about figuring out how to solve a puzzle based on your current skill set and knowledge. This is so much more important and applicable than rules and formulas. These are skills that we need in daily life, as well as any career path we choose. As a teacher, I hope to foster a sense of inquiry in my students and to help them feel empowered so that they believe they can find solutions to the problems they face.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of planning, it is always important to keep these overarching goals in the back of one's mind (and maybe even mention them to the students). This can give some sort of guide or goal for the year. (For example, this year we're trying to introduce many of the new topics in Algebra through inquiry activities). However, I also think it's important to keep in mind that having lesson plans done for the entire year may not be a realistic goal (especially the first few years of teaching). My mentor teacher and I generally plan out a week or so at a time. This seems to be working well because it's a large enough span to have some vision and cohesiveness, and to not feel panicked everyday. But it's also a small enough span that we can have flexibility and adjust according to what's happening with the students in the classroom. It gives us a chance to speed up, slow down, or modify our methods or structure based on what we're seeing in our students.
Just some food for thought....and thanks for bringing us back to the big picture and to the passion that brought us to the classroom in the first place.
Leah,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good post. Actually a lot of people are asking questions on their blogs that I have as well. I really appreciate what you are saying. More and more, I have been thinking about what my pedagogy will be as a teacher and why I believe in my content areas. One thing I will surely impart on my students is that the teacher is not the "end all." I want to encourage skepticism and learning. I want to foster a liberal approach to understanding. I want to excite students so they seek other answers. I want them to question me and to teach me just as I will question them and, hopefully, teach them.
Thanks Lauren and Jen! Both of your comments were insightful responses to my blog. I think both of you are saying similar things: we need to teach our students how to reason independently, consistently, and confidently. As a teacher it is almost our "job" to teach ourselves out of a job in respect to our current students...we want them to someday not need us, but rather be able to intentionally learn on their own.
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