Blog Four - The End of the Semester!

The end of the semester is upon us and it is time to write my fourth and final blog post for EDUC 250. I cannot believe how quickly the semester has gone by and I am so amazed by all I have learned and experienced. I am excited to reflect on all of the experiences from the last month as we move into the final two weeks of the class.

One learning experience I have had since my last post was getting the opportunity to teach my lesson plan in class. As I have been working on my lesson plan since early September, it was exciting to finally get to teach my standard. Teaching and then watching a video of my lesson was eye-opening. The lesson itself went well but was by no means perfect. By watching the video, I got ideas for how I would improve this lesson and my teaching in the future. I was also excited to implement some of the technology I have been working with into my lesson plan. Way back in September, when I first started planning, I found an incredible app called Solar Walk. The app takes the user on a journey through the solar system by zooming in on planets, moons, and stars, as well as reading information about the various bodies in the solar system. It was a fun activity and I plan to use it in my classroom in the future. This experience was also good for my confidence. Before teaching, I was a little nervous. My nerves disappeared the second I started teaching and I was able to teach with a confidence that I didn’t even know I had. The experience energized me and I was excited for the rest of the day. The experience aligns perfectly with a standard outlined in the NCTCS. Standard 3 states that teachers are to know the content they teach. My instruction was aligned with a 3rd-grade science standard from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and in order for it to be effective, I had to know what I was talking about (Standards 3a and 3b). I do not think that I would have been confident in teaching if I had not been comfortable with the content I was supposed to teach. For me, this just confirmed a concept that has been rolling around in my head since the beginning of EDUC 250. Students expect teachers to be content knowledge experts, so it is highly important for us as future teachers to not only know our content but also be comfortable enough with it to teach our students.

Other learning experiences I have had have been related to coursework I have completed in EDUC 250.  The Level 1 Planning Questions had me begin thinking about ways I could meet the needs of different learners. In writing my responses for that assignment, I did some research about the needs of audio, visual, and kinesthetic learners. Much of that research influenced some of the things I did in my lesson plan. It certainly made me more aware of what different types of learners need. For example, I learned that kinesthetic learners not only like motion and hands-on activities but also benefit from being able to write with different color pens (especially when taking notes). Now that I know this, I will be better equipped to serve kinesthetic learners in my future classroom. I will provide opportunities for kinesthetic learners to use different colors in note taking, as well as building in hands-on activities into my lesson plans. This learning experience fits well with Standard 4 of the NCTCS. Standard 4c says that teachers use a variety of instructional methods to meet the needs of their students. Part of this is adapting instruction to fit the various learning styles a community of students may have. By having activities that fit each students’ unique learning styles, teachers are better equipped to meet students where they are and help them grow. In my future classroom, I will develop activities and lessons that will meet the needs of the diverse community of learners that pass through my classroom.

I have also had learning experiences outside of EDUC 250. A couple of experiences that come to mind have been in my Math for Elementary Educators (MATH 204) class. I recently completed a Teacher Research Project for that class that allowed me to look at a math problem and write out how I would solve it. The project allowed me to work on my written communication while also giving me exposure to content I could potentially teach. The class has also allowed me to turn in an assignment called a ShowMe. Though more informal than the Teacher Research Project, the ShowMe’s have also been a learning experience. They force me to solve a problem and communicate the answer in an oral and visual presentation. The two activities have been especially effective in shaping my written and oral communication, which applies to another standard of the NCTCS. Standard 4g states that teachers communicate effectively. If teachers are to help students with their communication, teachers should be able to communicate themselves. Oral communication has been a weakness of mine in the past, but through the ShowMe assignments and presentations for other classes, I believe that I have seen a lot of growth in this area. I have come to realize that no lesson, assignment, or presentation I prepare is ever going to be perfect - there is always something that could be improved. I have adopted a mindset of growth that I hope stays with me as I continue in teacher education and go into the classroom. I am looking forward to these next few years with great anticipation and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!