Core Proposition #1
Teachers are Committed to students and their learning.
Artifacts:
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A) You are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. Evidence indicates you believe all students can learn.
B) You must treat students equitably and recognize individual differences that distinguish one student from another. You take account these differences in your practice. C) You understand how students develop and learn. D) You respect the cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom. E) You are concerned with students' self-concept, their motivation and the effects of learning on peer relationships. F) You are also concerned with the development of character and civic responsibility. |
Reflective Writing
Element 1: You are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. Evidence indicates you believe all students can learn.
I believe that all students have the right to attend school and to learn. It is up to us as educators to be able to give our students that push that they will need to succeed in life. I have to present information in a way that students will not only comprehend but that they will also be able to retain information as well. Although dance is considered an elective in our school, we still find moments that students struggle. As a dance teacher I have to constantly come up with new ways to present information to my students. One of the ways I like to do this it to take a survey of the different ethnicity in my classroom. If I am to start a lesson with something that students are familiar with, they will be able to understand the concept better. According to Sagor (2003), just as we teachers can understand that a group failure can breed group alientation, we should also recognize that success when achieved as the result of teamwork, breeds profound feelings of pride. The Differentiated Lesson Plan displays this element. The lesson plan was created to be able to teach the same lesson, but to also be able to break it down so that different groups of students will be able to understand the concept but at their own rate. With this lesson we started with our Latin dance unit, a few of my students struggled at the beginning so I split them into smaller groups with a student who picked up the concept really well. As the lesson progressed many of the students started to notice that a lot of the steps were the same. Being able to provided different ways to present the same information to all of my students helped them grasp the concept better than they would have if I would have just given them one way to comprehend the information.
Element 2: You treat students equitably and recognize individual differences that distinguish one student from another. You take into account for these differences in your practice.
As an Educator, you are never going to have a class where all students learn at the same speed. There will be students who will earn visually and there will be students who learn by listening. We must make sure that we are providing students the same resources a any other student in the classroom by recognizing all of the different learning styles that we have in our classroom. According to Banks and Banks (2010) when using our knowledge of groups to understand student behavior, we should also consider ways in which such variables as class, race, and gender interact and intersect to influence student behavior. The Thematic Lesson plan provides this for all of the students. The intent of the lesson plan is to have the same theme that continues through different subjects. Although a student may not be good at the dancing part of the class, they are a whiz at remembering important people and dates. This gives them a chance to be the shining star in class and display their skills for being able to memorize the important side of dance that does not just involve the technical side of it. There is a variety of students in my classroom, I have straight A students to special needs students and I want to make sure as a educator that I am presenting concepts to them that they will understand and meeting them at their level but recognizing that I also need to challenge them.
Element 3: You understand how students develop and learn.
This concept is almost like Core Prop#1. We as educators have to be able understand how students develop in order to understand how proficient they will be to new things that are being presented to them in the classroom. According to Tomlinson and MCTighe (2006) to be an expert teacher is to continually seek a deeper understanding of the essence of a subject, to increasingly grasp its wisdom. I think that it's vital as a teacher to be able to pinpoint how students develop because you will be able to get a better understanding of how students will function in your class. The Neighborhood Map is a great activity to understand where your students are coming from and give you little insight as to how they will learn as well. This gives the students a chance to voice without using their voice some things that have happened and that may keep them from learning in your classroom. Being able to continually have conversations with your students about how the feel about a new concept and quizzing them to see if they are getting the concept are also great ways of being able to see how your students are developing and learning.
Element 4: You respect cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom.
This topic hits home for because as I student before most of my students are from Hispanic or African American backgrounds. In order to be able to get these students to buy into my dance program, I have to be able to reach the students where they are. According to Banks and Banks (2010) multicultural education is also a reform movement that is trying to change the schools and other educational institutions so that students from all social class, gender, racial , language, and cultural groups will have an equal opportunity to learn. The Muliticultural lesson plan provides a perfect example of this element. I try to bring the outside in, meaning bringing in things that my students are already familiar with to get them to understand that dance is everywhere around them. Since the majority of my students are Hispanic, I started with a Latin dance unit with this lesson plan. While I was teaching this class I also tied it into some of it's African roots so that all the students can see that dance is the same in each culture the only difference is changing up the steps a little to make it your own. Like most of these students, I grew up in a low income, single parent home so I can relate to some of the things that the students have going on. I know that sometimes students can be withdraw or lash out because of these things and I try to approach them with sensitivity because I remember being that student in high school.
Element 5: You are concerned with students' self-concept, their motivation and the effects of learning on peer relationships.
In many aspects we are the only smiling faces that our students see on a daily basis. We have to make sure that we are giving the students constant reinforcement of how great they are learning things and how many things they are achieving in class. In my classroom students are always working in groups and I am walking around constantly monitoring how students are working together and the progress they are making on an assignment. According to Sagor (2013) strategic use of cooperative learning skills can help students see their contribution in others' successes. The Story Narrative is something that I give to each of my students the first day of class, just so they understand what kind of class this is. I want them to be able to understand what we are looking to achieve in our class, what our class is about and the kinds of things they will be doing. I also have a discussion with the students and let them know that they will be working with many different students in class and it's up to them to be able to work out their differences to get an end result. I know when I was put into groups in high school and college, you always have that one student that doesn't want to work and wants everyone else to do the work and get the grade. I think as educators we have to hold that student accountable so we don't disrupt the relationships that students have with each other in class.
Element 6: You are also concerned with the development of character and civic responsiblitiy.
As an educator, there are many times a student has come to my classroom and I've wondered to myself, why is this kid giving me so much attitude? Being a male dance teacher, this has mostly been from the boys that have come into my classroom. According to Sagor (2013) it should be no surprise that students who feel comfortable and accepted at school tend to be those that are motivated to invest in their work and prosper academically. The Classroom Rules are a prime example of this element. As any classroom has rules they are always different for each classroom. Having rules set in place will help the students understand what is expected of them on a daily bases when they enter your classroom. When a student gets in trouble they also know the steps that will be taken in your classroom as well. If there were no rules to be implemented, that would be a display of you not caring about what goes on in your classroom. This will also help students who have not be respectful in other classes, start being respectful and teachers will see a change. Rules are a vital to help with the development of character, they shape how the student will act in your classroom and hopefully take that same respect to another class.
I believe that all students have the right to attend school and to learn. It is up to us as educators to be able to give our students that push that they will need to succeed in life. I have to present information in a way that students will not only comprehend but that they will also be able to retain information as well. Although dance is considered an elective in our school, we still find moments that students struggle. As a dance teacher I have to constantly come up with new ways to present information to my students. One of the ways I like to do this it to take a survey of the different ethnicity in my classroom. If I am to start a lesson with something that students are familiar with, they will be able to understand the concept better. According to Sagor (2003), just as we teachers can understand that a group failure can breed group alientation, we should also recognize that success when achieved as the result of teamwork, breeds profound feelings of pride. The Differentiated Lesson Plan displays this element. The lesson plan was created to be able to teach the same lesson, but to also be able to break it down so that different groups of students will be able to understand the concept but at their own rate. With this lesson we started with our Latin dance unit, a few of my students struggled at the beginning so I split them into smaller groups with a student who picked up the concept really well. As the lesson progressed many of the students started to notice that a lot of the steps were the same. Being able to provided different ways to present the same information to all of my students helped them grasp the concept better than they would have if I would have just given them one way to comprehend the information.
Element 2: You treat students equitably and recognize individual differences that distinguish one student from another. You take into account for these differences in your practice.
As an Educator, you are never going to have a class where all students learn at the same speed. There will be students who will earn visually and there will be students who learn by listening. We must make sure that we are providing students the same resources a any other student in the classroom by recognizing all of the different learning styles that we have in our classroom. According to Banks and Banks (2010) when using our knowledge of groups to understand student behavior, we should also consider ways in which such variables as class, race, and gender interact and intersect to influence student behavior. The Thematic Lesson plan provides this for all of the students. The intent of the lesson plan is to have the same theme that continues through different subjects. Although a student may not be good at the dancing part of the class, they are a whiz at remembering important people and dates. This gives them a chance to be the shining star in class and display their skills for being able to memorize the important side of dance that does not just involve the technical side of it. There is a variety of students in my classroom, I have straight A students to special needs students and I want to make sure as a educator that I am presenting concepts to them that they will understand and meeting them at their level but recognizing that I also need to challenge them.
Element 3: You understand how students develop and learn.
This concept is almost like Core Prop#1. We as educators have to be able understand how students develop in order to understand how proficient they will be to new things that are being presented to them in the classroom. According to Tomlinson and MCTighe (2006) to be an expert teacher is to continually seek a deeper understanding of the essence of a subject, to increasingly grasp its wisdom. I think that it's vital as a teacher to be able to pinpoint how students develop because you will be able to get a better understanding of how students will function in your class. The Neighborhood Map is a great activity to understand where your students are coming from and give you little insight as to how they will learn as well. This gives the students a chance to voice without using their voice some things that have happened and that may keep them from learning in your classroom. Being able to continually have conversations with your students about how the feel about a new concept and quizzing them to see if they are getting the concept are also great ways of being able to see how your students are developing and learning.
Element 4: You respect cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom.
This topic hits home for because as I student before most of my students are from Hispanic or African American backgrounds. In order to be able to get these students to buy into my dance program, I have to be able to reach the students where they are. According to Banks and Banks (2010) multicultural education is also a reform movement that is trying to change the schools and other educational institutions so that students from all social class, gender, racial , language, and cultural groups will have an equal opportunity to learn. The Muliticultural lesson plan provides a perfect example of this element. I try to bring the outside in, meaning bringing in things that my students are already familiar with to get them to understand that dance is everywhere around them. Since the majority of my students are Hispanic, I started with a Latin dance unit with this lesson plan. While I was teaching this class I also tied it into some of it's African roots so that all the students can see that dance is the same in each culture the only difference is changing up the steps a little to make it your own. Like most of these students, I grew up in a low income, single parent home so I can relate to some of the things that the students have going on. I know that sometimes students can be withdraw or lash out because of these things and I try to approach them with sensitivity because I remember being that student in high school.
Element 5: You are concerned with students' self-concept, their motivation and the effects of learning on peer relationships.
In many aspects we are the only smiling faces that our students see on a daily basis. We have to make sure that we are giving the students constant reinforcement of how great they are learning things and how many things they are achieving in class. In my classroom students are always working in groups and I am walking around constantly monitoring how students are working together and the progress they are making on an assignment. According to Sagor (2013) strategic use of cooperative learning skills can help students see their contribution in others' successes. The Story Narrative is something that I give to each of my students the first day of class, just so they understand what kind of class this is. I want them to be able to understand what we are looking to achieve in our class, what our class is about and the kinds of things they will be doing. I also have a discussion with the students and let them know that they will be working with many different students in class and it's up to them to be able to work out their differences to get an end result. I know when I was put into groups in high school and college, you always have that one student that doesn't want to work and wants everyone else to do the work and get the grade. I think as educators we have to hold that student accountable so we don't disrupt the relationships that students have with each other in class.
Element 6: You are also concerned with the development of character and civic responsiblitiy.
As an educator, there are many times a student has come to my classroom and I've wondered to myself, why is this kid giving me so much attitude? Being a male dance teacher, this has mostly been from the boys that have come into my classroom. According to Sagor (2013) it should be no surprise that students who feel comfortable and accepted at school tend to be those that are motivated to invest in their work and prosper academically. The Classroom Rules are a prime example of this element. As any classroom has rules they are always different for each classroom. Having rules set in place will help the students understand what is expected of them on a daily bases when they enter your classroom. When a student gets in trouble they also know the steps that will be taken in your classroom as well. If there were no rules to be implemented, that would be a display of you not caring about what goes on in your classroom. This will also help students who have not be respectful in other classes, start being respectful and teachers will see a change. Rules are a vital to help with the development of character, they shape how the student will act in your classroom and hopefully take that same respect to another class.
Goal Setting
As a teacher there are always things that we need to work on to make sure that our students are getting the right education and that we are pulling things from their culture so that way they can see something familiar in everything they learn. My goal as an educator is to get more immersed into the culture of my students so that way I am able to understand more things about them and be able to implement more things from each culture into my lesson plans.
resources
Banks, J. and Banks, C. (Eds.). (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives.
Hoboken: NJ, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sagor. R., (2003). Motivating Students and Teachers in an Era of Standards. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Tomlinson, C. & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated Instruction & understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.