Week 2 Investment

 Identifying 3 Questions from Our Readings this Week!

A Question for my Cooperating Teacher/ University Supervisor:

How does a teacher that is not an expert in content knowledge organize their lessons in the appropriate sequence to make logical sense of what they're teaching?

This question is derived from the article focused on the principles of teaching of learning. The article includes that a teacher is supposed to be an expert on subject matter and will consequently have an understanding of how sequence their lesson plans. A practical example would be teaching animal nutrition before teaching reproduction in order to express the necessity of calcium in a gestating heifer's diet. However, my question relates to a situation where a teacher is required to teach content they are less familiar with, which I would argue is pretty common. 

A Question for my Future Students:

Are you willing for learning to be hard at times?

I pulled this question from the principles of teaching and learning, regarding the problem-oriented learning. This is a question I would ask my students at the beginning of the year to set a precedent that I will be  pushing them to achieve more by asking questions like "Why?" and "How?". Furthermore, it would be the desire of a good educator to foster the growth of intrinsically motivated learners that are prepared for a cognitive battle with their own brain. 

A Question for my Cohort:

How do you personally check yourself for areas of growth?

This question comes from the article focused on how to be an effective teacher. I was intrigued by the blurb that included the statement "We are at our best when we teach ourselves what we need to learn". I read this as having to reflect upon areas necessary for growth and identifying strategies to make that growth happen. My concern, however is that we could easily diminish our abilities by not effectively implementing our identified strategies or by focusing on too many areas of growth at once.

That's all I have for now!

Touching Base Regarding My Reflective Teaching Lesson

Sharing The Results and Progress of my First Reflective Teaching Lesson This Semester...

o What happened?

Alright, here is the scoop. 

I was given a deciphering task where the students are given a set of symbols, a key to interpret those symbols, and an assessment to determine whether they learned the information. Being a sort of "hands off" teacher, I put the onus of deliberate independent learning as I provided the students with the symbols and the key with instruction to, as a group, learn how to translate the symbols into a paragraph without a key in four minutes time. I'm happy to share that the students (my peers) were able to complete the task successfully!

o How does it relate to what I know about teaching and learning?

Nevertheless, this doesn't mean I'm shooting from the gate as a Rockstar teacher. In my opinion, this is how my experience relates to what I've been taught about teaching and learning. Yes, my students were able to complete the task successfully but student performance can't be my only indicate of teaching success. A confounding variable in this pedagogical experiment is that I had a group of excellent learners. Therefore, I am recognizing the importance of taking variable teaching approaches depending upon the community of learners involved.

o What did I learn from the experience?

As a result of my first crack at teaching surrounded by peers, I learned first and foremost that I've got more to learn. After all, isn't that the reason we become teachers?

I'm grateful for the feedback I've received and I look forward to growing with you.