End of Year-One Reflection
According to the fieldwork observations, I communicated a clear learning arc and vision for what students should know and be able to do by the end of the lesson. Inquiry-based learning is the forefront of my teaching practice which is upheld through constructivist and student-centered learning activities and labs. Additionally, both field observers and I believe my connection and rapport with students promotes a wholesome and safe classroom environment. The genuine care and concern I have for students comes from a recognition of their individual aspirations and assets which validate their intrinsic humanity.
Based on the prior evaluations, one definitive area for growth would be framing lesson narratives and helping students understand early on why they’re being taught certain material. Organized direction can also help me communicate what needs to be completed during the lesson frame. I would also like to continue investigating effective group work settings which could produce healthy student interdependence and individual accountability, while disrupting issues of status and equity in the classroom. Lastly, I want to expand my assessment methods to accurately and fairly evaluate what students are comprehending during and after a lesson segment. How I utilize this information for future learning and refinement is also a critical area of interest for the development of my practice.
I’m learning that building classroom rapport is only a fraction of what’s required to be an effective educator. It’s true students need to be cared for and their aspirations nourished. And although they grow fast, children are still the most vulnerable members of our society. Which is why care is so vital to the very existence of teaching. But I’m learning how the ways I structure a class, from lesson planning to environmental set-up, has a comparable impact on the well-being of students in the classroom. Diversified strategies for status intervention, lesson framing, content organization and understandable flow of learning, and multiple modalities of engagement are now what I’m interested in understanding and developing for the benefit of my future students and personal practice.