Week Six

Response #1 – From chapter seven of Fulfilling the Promise by Carol Ann Tomlinson I have identified four beliefs I will incorporate into my future classroom. First, “Students consistently want teachers who respect them, listen to them, show empathy toward them, help them work out their problems, and become human by sharing their own lives and ideas with their students.” I can’t imagine how any child could thrive let alone learn in an environment in which the teacher did not care for them in the ways listed in the quote. There is a saying that I do not know the author but it states, “Teacher, I won’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.” I need to respect my students, listen to them, show empathy toward them and understand and help them with their problems in order for them to begin to want to learn. All the great knowledge I have to share with them is not going to be important until they know they are important to me.

Second, “Effective teachers clearly identify learning goals and link them with activities designed to ensure student mastery of the goals.” I learned in Dr. Ramirez’s social studies methods class how important this belief is. Using backward design, we have been taught to identify the “big idea” that needs to be taught and then work towards teaching it in a worthwhile authentic manner. We were warned from just finding a cute activity to have our student do, to really think of how we were going to teach important concepts.

Third, “Effective teachers emphasize hands-on learning, conceptual understanding, and links with the world beyond the classroom.” During my first field experience, I watched a fantastic teacher use hands-on activities to allow her students to develop conceptual understanding. I was amazed at how she moved the students along to the knowledge she wanted them to know. On another occasion while I was substitute teaching, a discouraged student wanted to know what the purpose of reading and writing poetry was – what did it matter to him? I responded by asking him if he liked to listen to music and if he ever thought of it as poetry. Although he did not jump up and down for joy over the assignment, he did seem to make a connection to the music he listened to. I want to allow my students the opportunity to build their knowledge using hands-on activities when I know it will enhance their learning. At the same time, I want to help my students understand how what is taught in school is important and connects to their lives in meaningful ways.

Finally, “Effective teachers know and understand their students in terms of abilities, achievement, learning preferences, and needs.” This is where I think differentiation comes in to play in the classroom. In order for me to be an effective teacher, not only do I need to understand my students, I need to provide activities to meet their needs, give adequate scaffolding, and use different teaching methods to incorporate all learning styles. Now, I am a little bit shaky on what differentiation is right now, but I trust that I will develop an understanding of it and what it means to me as a teacher and how I will be able to implement it.

Response #2 – I could relate well to the metaphors at the end of chapter seven and while reading I pondered how I could respond to each one. However, it wasn’t until I read the metaphor about learning to ride a bike that I really knew I had made a strong connection. I can vividly remember when I learned to ride a bike. My dad had taken the training wheels off my pink banana seat bike. He thought I was steady enough to make it without that extra support. During several attempts at a solo ride, my dad ran alongside holding onto the back seat handle. When he would let go, I would lose my balance and eventually crash. Dad was right there, cheering me on, telling me how much farther I had made it giving me confidence I could succeed. Finally after a great deal of practice, I could control the bike without falling – I was still somewhat wobbly, but I was making progress. Now, of course I can ride a bike and I love it.

So how does this connect to being a teacher? Well, with the hope of eventually becoming a teacher tucked deep within my heart, I have been making close observations of my own children’s teachers for years. I have been making note of the things I thought were great and the things I thought were not so great. While at the University for the past three years I have been learning from coursework, observing in classrooms, and teaching during field all to learn how to be a great teacher. Now the time is quickly approaching to put all this study and observation into practice – I am going to have to get on the “bicycle” and try it for myself. Inevitably, I will hit a rough patch in the road or a bump in the sidewalk and I will fall off the bike. But, I am determined to get up, brush myself off, and keep trying as I work towards becoming a great teacher.