I can’t believe we are at the end of this course! I am excited and nervous about the next steps in this Master’s program. This course has pushed me out of my comfort zone when it comes to my own learning. There was many instances when I felt like I did not know my end result; therefore, I did not know how to easily achieve the end goals. Even now as we are coming close to the last session in this course, I continue to waver between knowing or feeling like I completely understand and not being sure if I truly understand what I am to do. I find myself doubting myself and how my entire capstone will come together. It is quite frustrating, but it has allowed me to experience first-hand what many of our students feel when it comes to learning. However, I do feel like I have learned a lot. This course has helped me reflect a great deal on my own teaching and how I view, as well as, take in to account student learning. If I had to take only one thing with me, from this course, it would be that it is imperative to understand the students as a whole and how our students think in order to better teach and assist them in making sense of that they are learning.
When I reflect on the courses we have completed the past two trimesters I realize how long I have come in my journey to become an innovative thinker. I have tried some many new technological tools and have become much more open minded about many aspects of teaching and learning. I have come across a few changes, such as my current placement as Interim AP, which I have had to work with. This has added an additional challenge to my journey for various reasons, but has also allowed me to view this program from a different perspective. I know there is still much work to be completed, but I am better equipped with innovative thinking and strategies to assist our 21st century learners.
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I continue feeling the effects of a roller coaster at times. Sometimes I feel like I have everything straight in my head and then then the dip comes. Currently, I feel like I know what I would like my Capstone project to look like. I think each class that goes by helps in connecting yet another piece to the puzzle that is my project.
I must admit that even though I feel more centered in what I would like my end result to look like, I also feel quiet overwhelmed. I am not sure how challenging it might be to bring it all together as a whole project. Also, having stepped in to help as the Assistant Principal at my school sight has definitely added a complex twist to my life (Yet, I must say I am enjoying the experience for sure!). I feel like I am doing my best, but having added yet one more thing to my plate, my best does not seem to be enough at times. Since I have taken on this added responsibility I feel like I am always trying to just stay afloat. So I am glad for the glimpses of clarity that I get as we meet and have discussions, as well as, complete different assignments. I am hoping that as we continue meeting and connecting different components, will be able to more easily envision my Capstone project. As I sit here and think of creating a prototype for my capstone project, I have so many ideas that I overwhelm myself. (If that makes any sense?!) There are times when I feel like I know exactly what I want to do and what I want to include in my capstone project, but then there are other times when I feel I am completely confused about what I am doing and how to make it all come together. That being said, for my capstone, I want to create a website that will serve as a tool kit for teachers who want to learn more about a reading curriculum that effectively includes guided reading. I will be introducing my driving question along with providing language arts data that shows state and local data; as well as my own data from my research last trimester. I will also review the research that shows guided reading is beneficial for students. I would like to link a video of a guided reading lesson using the program A Flying Start to Literacy. I would also add a link to different lesson plans, possibly one with a screen cast explaining the different parts of the lesson plan. The OKAPI website would also be linked along with other websites that I find. I know I will also be including a survey for teachers as to their thoughts on the effectiveness of the program and possibly another one on how useful the website was for them.
Like I mentioned before, I feel like I have many ideas; yet, I am having a difficult time creating a table of contents. I think I just need to take a break and try again. As I sit here and reflect about my practice over the past few years, I realize I have been in education through many educational fads, a few different curriculum adoptions and a few administrators with different perspectives as to what is the best way of approaching the learning of our students. Yet, what has been consistent for me is the district and school site in which I work. I have been a part of the same community for all of my educational career and this has allowed me to get to know the families and the students quite well.
The SITE Model, is a learner- centered model. After reading this article, it has helped me reflect on different aspects of my students’ learning. This model strongly considers student perspective. It reminds us to acknowledge our learners’ background knowledge as well as their cultural environment. It asks us to consider what motivates and interests them and what tools will enable them to learn them better. As teachers we should all be utilizing the SITE model in our teaching and consider the learner a whole. Teachers must use what we know about our students to adapt our teaching for what best suits their learning. This makes me think about my everyday practice, when I was in a regular classroom set up and now, in my intervention position as well. I always try to prepare everything I can ahead of time, especially when it is a lesson that worked very well. Yet, I never stop to think that even though it worked great with one group of students it may not work the same because of the simple fact that each student is different and each cohort of students is different. Even though I was thinking that by planning ahead I was doing everything I could in order to provide the best learning environment/ outcome possible for my students; I was not truly considering all of what my students bring to the table. Reading this article has reminded me that even though pre-planning does wonder for teachers, it is important to be mindful of each and every one of my students and use what I know about them to create a lesson that is student centered and truly authentic for them. There is yet another thing that continues to pop into my head when I reflect on my reading of the SITE model. Most, if not all districts have a pacing guide that teachers must follow. Many are told to follow this pacing guide with fidelity, but is that the best option, when we must take all of our students’ learning styles into consideration and view each learner as a whole? The audience I want to address the remaining two semesters are my colleagues, particularly those in the lower primary grades. I feel like the teachers who are delivering guided reading lesson every day in their own classrooms, will benefit a great deal from the research I have completed so far in our program.
I continue to struggle a bit with knowing and fully understanding how my Capstone project is supposed to look. Yet, even though I am not completely sure of what I want my end “resource”/ Capstone project to look like I now that it might involve the use of different strategies and possibly guided reading lesson formats. I’m not sure if I would be able to directly link the guided reading curriculum that I researched. When considering the past reading, I know my Capstone must include visuals and tools for teachers to use with students in order to assist them in bridging the gaps in their learning. I must also consider how adults learn and the different components of an Instructional System Design. I have had multiple opportunities throughout my teaching career to experience the cycle of inquiry. When I first began teaching (Many moons ago!) I had to participate in a teacher induction program in which the cycle of inquiry was at the core of the program. A few years later I was asked to be a BTSA support provider for a first year teacher and once again, I experienced the cycle of inquiry. Leading this first year teacher allowed me to experience the cycle of inquiry from a different perspective. As she learned and gained better teaching skills as a result of the cycles of inquiry she was completing; I also learned from her. Similar to my own induction process, I gained a great deal of knowledge and felt re-energized to complete cycles of inquiry in my own classroom. At the time, I was teaching in a first grade classroom and I felt that purposefully completing cycles of inquiry in my own classroom, allowed me to learn more and in turn be a better support for her in her journey of becoming a better teacher. Now that I am teaching intervention groups, I feel that I continue to follow cycles of inquiry with in my small group intervention.
Last semester we were asked to complete some action research in our classrooms. Following the cycle of inquiry to gain knowledge and complete my research allowed me to realize that I continue using cycles of inquiry when I teach different lessons; yet, not to the extent of the formal research process that we followed last semester. Even though the curriculum I am given to follow can be quite scripted at times, it does allow me to complete cycles of inquiry because we touch on the same strategies throughout different stories. I have come to realize that as educators, in order to become better at what we do, we must continue to complete the cycle of inquiry in everything we teacher. Wow! Talk about a dense reading! I started this reading assignment with a colored pen in hand to highlight important aspects of the reading, as I usually do. After reading the first few pages multiple times, I had to put it down (I had printed it because I feel like I understand more when I have a book and highlighter in hand, rather than a screen). I came back to it later in the day and I began to read again. As I began to read again and felt confused about what I was reading once more; I couldn’t help but think of the students in my reading groups that struggle with most of our readings. As I read each paragraph, I thought about what the author was trying to convey in that section of the text. I highlighted, underlined and wrote notes and questions on the margins; this helped me to process the content in smaller, more digestible chunks. I am definitely a visual learner; therefore, figure 6.1, the sense-making metaphor was quite helpful. The exemplars were also helpful in understanding how sense-making has been applied in different areas of research. Even though I feel like I was able to make sense of more of the reading after multiple reads, I don’t feel completely confident that I am able to fully understand all of the information that the author was trying to deliver.
From what I understood, the author was trying to tell us that each individual is unique in how they think about and process information in their day to day experiences. Many aspects come into play when individuals are trying to make sense of things. Different individuals define their own steps on their own terms, but can come up with the same conclusion. Sense-making happens in everyday experiences. In reference to my classroom, this means that every single student can have his or her own path to understanding the material that is presented to them. It reinforces my current belief that the cookie-cutter curriculum that is sometimes used to teach students do not support all of our students varied learning styles and their sense-making methods. I don’t feel that I understood the material enough to teach it to someone. Yet, if I had to teach this to students I would definitely start by using the sense-making metaphor picture. I would introduce it in small pieces, drawing and labeling as I introduced each section of the picture. I would also include video clips and provide examples that they could relate to, at their age. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2018
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