One of the big ideas I have
walked away from this course is that no curriculum is perfect. I knew this
going in, but I have gained further insight. Many of the curriculums we receive
as educators are basically guidelines for what we need to teacher our students.
They have the standards and suggested lesson plans for teachers to use for the
students to “reach” or “meet” the goal. However, that is not what teaching is
all about. Students will not learn if we strictly follow what is in the basil. It
takes great heart from the teacher. And time. In the article from Great
Schools, two bullet points stood out to me the most. The first was “Great teachers are masters of their
subject matter. They exhibit expertise in the subjects they are
teaching and spend time continuing to gain new knowledge in their field. They
present material in an enthusiastic manner and instill a hunger in their
students to learn more on their own.” I always tell my students that Miss
Davidson is a student too. That I love to learn and continue to learn right
along with them. I learn different skills and strategies to teach them! They love
to know that grown-ups, are learners right along with them. And that even
adults can learn from them. It is so important to know the material you are
instructing. One of my favorite things about teacher collaboration is the
ability to learn new skills and strategies from colleagues about how to teach
certain material in a new way and that will engage our students. And the final
point is, “Great teachers form strong relationships with their students and
show that they care about them as people.” This one is my favorite. I work in a community where my students come
from families that their parents have to work two jobs to make ends meet. Sometimes
they are living with other family members, 10-12 people in a one bedroom
apartment, and live in a community where gangs run the streets. I know that
meeting the basic needs of my students come first if I want them to perform
academically for me at all. I am the teacher that makes my room look and feel
like home. I have snacks in my cabinets for my kiddos that walk in, in the morning
saying they didn’t eat breakfast. I have always been told that I create a
family environment with my students, where the bond always runs deep. People
ask me how, and I am never quite sure how to answer. But I pride myself on it,
every year.
Allowing myself to read and receive feedback from my cohort
members was another huge step for me. As part of the course readings, we read
in the Hattie text and discussed the importance of feedback. In reflecting on
my personal experiences with receiving feedback as a student growing up, I was
always nervous and afraid to read or hear it. Knowing that some kind of
criticism was going to come with the feedback. I am not sure where this
development of fearing feedback from teachers or my peers came from, but it has
stuck with me for quite some time. The fear of feedback and criticism even
followed me throughout my student teaching experience with my supervisor. I
think it really roots down to how the feedback was given. Too many negatives
right out of the gate and not enough positive and critical feedback. However,
my experience with my principal over the last 3 years, my team members at work,
and my classmates with this course, have really put my fears to rest. That
there is a correct way to deliver and receive feedback which really helped with
the development of my unit:
With designing our own units, it takes a lot of time and
effort to make it engaging and worthwhile to teach our students. Creating a
lesson is a huge juggling act. Making sure to teach the skill and strategies to
meet the standard, but also deliver it in a way that the students will be
engaged and be able to learn it. Without collaboration, we are unable to learn
new ways or consider new ideas. I have really learned that there is always a
way to make a lesson better.
There
is an importance of delivery, in which we need to teach our students to value
and appreciate the feedback they receive, such as taking it as a new goal or
challenge to complete, not as a criticism towards them as a person, something
that I had to learn very recently myself. With collaboration comes feedback,
which is important when working with members of your grade level team and other
staff members. Learning from each other is one of the strongest ways to develop
the best type of curriculum. With this new knowledge, it will help me move forward
as a Teacher Leader. Informing my team and staff the importance of
collaboration with units, will better our instruction for our students. It will
allow us to see what our curriculum offers and what it lacks encouraging us to
work together to supplement for the needs of our students.
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