When
it comes to curriculum, it is important to understand that no curriculum is
perfect. I knew this going in, but I have gained further insight with my work
through this program and a few courses, such as Curriculum and Design that I
took last summer. Especially with the assignment of analyzing one of our
curriculums. I had chosen to analyze our newly adopted reading curriculum. With
analyzing and digging deeper into the new curriculum, I really realized that
this “amazing” new curriculum actually had a lot of holes, needing teachers to
supplement a ton. 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.
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.
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.
References:
Collaborative Classroom Curriculum. (2018, February 13). Retrieved from
https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/blog/new-collaborative-classroom-curriculum/
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning: London: Rouledge
Kamenetz,
A. (2016, January 30). How To Be A Great Teacher, From 12 Great Teachers.
Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/30/463981852/how-to-be-a-great-teacher-from-12-great-teachers
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