I had the pleasure of working with my peer JT Richards this week to inform our discussion of professional development in the classroom as well as trends in our teaching philosophies. Working in pairs this week allowed us to work through some of our similarities and differences in teaching style and help each other find places we are thriving and challenged by in developing as future educators.
Our discussion began with working through our previous written assignments and seeing where we overlapped in our teaching philosophies. As it turned out, we had the same teaching philosophy from Sadker and Sadker’s “What is Your Educational Philosophy” quiz, progressivism. This student-centered method for teaching requires that the educator create a plethora of assessment techniques in order to adequately cater to the body of students in the course. We examined the various modes of assessment which could be appropriate for both of our fields of study, specifically methods that we had seen used in our educational careers. We came to find that often we were impressed with teachers and professors who offered many avenues for success and growth for their students. Dually, we discovered that it was the enthusiasm for students and their success which ultimately moves a good teacher to a great teacher. We are both involved in different sides of the academic spectrum (English and biological sciences), so for us to both find teachers who we related to in a more personal level suggests that it may not be the subject which affects student interest, it may be the educator. In our discussion we each commented on not wanting to allow our preferences to affect a students learning. Two places where an educators personal biases may show are in the educators opinions of subject matter and the educators learning and teaching styles. Perhaps the more explicit translation of bias in the classroom is when a teacher or professor suggests that a subjective concept has only one way to consider an answer. For example, as a hopeful English teacher, I could translate my bias by suggesting my opinion of a novels worth. Rather than address the text as a neutral work for students to discover, I have just given the students an opinion about the text before they even encountered the words. Another way that bias could be introduced is from allowing students to be affected by your (the educators) social and political affiliations. Whether or not they engage with your subject well, they may decide to forego their understanding because they do not agree with your views. Perhaps the less recognized space for bias in the classroom is the assumption that the classroom of students has the same learning style as the teacher. Just as teachers each have different teaching philosophies, students have different learning philosophies. For these reasons, the educator must cater to several methods for learning and assessing in one classroom. This provides for a space in which the educator is not favoring one style. For example, if a student is not particularly inclined to classroom discussion, but is more gifted in writing, the educator must provide a space for them to grow as a discussion mate and a place for them to thrive as a written communicator. While each subject works more closely with a specific assessment style, it is important to understand the students may disengage from your subject if you do not offer them a space to do what they do best. On the other hand, it is imperative that educators create an environment where students see their growth and progress in spaces where they did not find themselves to be talented. As educators we are tasked with created rounded learners, and this is only attainable if they are assessed in various mediums. Some ways to showcase the compassion necessary to be an educator are in the various roles that the educator fills. Working with students and families of various cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds requires a constant use of compassion and understanding from the teacher. Understanding that students are not all afforded the same level of encouragement outside of schools means that the teacher may have to gage which students need a but more educational encouragement in the classroom. In addressing each student and family member, the educator must approach each interaction professionally and patiently. From there, understanding that each student may require the teacher to adopt a slightly different tone and role in the classroom is imperative. In moving forward in my pursuit of the MA in Education, I have several goals in the field of my professional development. I hope to learn various tools for addressing the needs of each student quickly. In order to learn these skills, I believe working in the classroom will be the best way to quickly maneuver through the various teaching styles. This will come I believe with the student teaching element of the degree. Another goal of mine is to learn how to appropriately discuss students educational enrichment with parents. In speaking with several educators (at the secondary level), I have gleaned that parents and teachers often have a disconnect in understanding a students successes and failures. I hope to find manageable skills to translate into conversations with parents who may be unhappy with their students progress in my course. Works Consulted Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics. Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016). California Teaching Performance Expectations. Retrieved from https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2016.pdf?sfvrsn=8cb2c410_0. Sadker, M.P. & Sadker, D. S. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4th ed., pp. 403-405.) NY: McGraw Hill.
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