8 – Internet & Teacher Movement

The teacher movement will not be televised but will it be broadcasted via internet to other classrooms? The internet appears to be the new swing (push) in education, and I wonder how long will it last. Just who will be in this education movement and could my classroom be a place to witness this? An interesting survey would be to measure the percentage of teachers who are willing to make a commitment to integrating internet technologies into their classroom. Then out of ‘those willing’, I would further inquire into how many are currently doing so. My guess would be that be that 1 out of every 5 (20%) would be willing and 1 out of every 10 (10%) are doing so. (I think that these are high estimates) This scenario reminds me of how TI calculators can be used in a math class room, and I am sure there are examples for other disciplines. Plenty of money is put towards buying the technology, a few teachers here and there use the class set of calculators here and there, and then three years have passed with the technology never coming close to reaching its potential as it sits in the closet with other manipulatives. However, the internet is becoming a way of life more and more everyday, creating a sense of lifestyle with it. I mainly say this because that is how the internet is for me. But then I talk to friends, who are teachers, and they mention how they use the internet once a week or use it just to check email or only use it at work. Overall, I still feel that by becoming involved and aware of the internet capabilities out there the exposure will help me keep at least one foot in this possible current teacher movement.

7 – Student’s Needs

There are many catch phrases that I toss around in my education jargon and student’s needs is certainly one of those. I have written in growth reports, which are handed into the principal, that I desire to more effectively reach my student’s needs and I have surely talked about it in my education classes at college. But did I truly know what I was talking about or did I simply understand how to form a catchy phrase with it? This is sort of like one of those words that everyone hears, yet once they are asked to define it; the struggle begins as the word sits on the tip of their tongue. Well, I guess that means that I should stop for a second try to formulate a definition for student needs. (Five minutes later.)

Student needs: Tactile tools and cognitive processes that are service in a student’s learning.

Okay, that definition is wordy, technical, and purposely vague. Not to mention that a student would be instantly confused if I told them this is what I am providing for them. Therefore, should I be able to explain what student’s needs are in order effectively reach them in my classroom? Being able to define a math term is when I have a deep understanding of the meaning. Also I properly apply the word towards concepts and correctly use it when articulating thoughts. By this comparison, it is possible that by not being able to define student’s needs, then I have a weak grasp of understanding. Exposing a misconception such as this is scary yet now that it is in my awareness I can grow from it. This is the whole idea of reflection; growing from strong and weak attributes.

6 – Educators & Community

Time to reflect on if I have I ever been a member of a true education community. Is a community a place where teachers actively participate as a group to construct the growth of the community or is a community a place where educators work? I question my membership because I really do not know the characteristics in a community of educators. There has to be a difference between teachers who just work together and occasionally gather for a staff meeting and those who participate as a living community of educators. When I say community, I specifically mean an educational community where the community supports each other through educational means. Just thinking about being in a community makes me feel nervous and vulnerable. I also feel overwhelmed that my participation would have to be that of leader, which makes me uncomfortable because it feels like it would expose the teacher I am. Moreover, this fear allows me to avoid the risk of people judging my teaching negatively or positively. Perhaps I am revealing an errouneous belief that being a leader of a community means that I am the one with all of the great ideas and that people should teach exactly like me. However, an education community empowers individuals to be leaders with out followers. Each member is confident in their teaching, is an effective listener, and is able to self-assess objectively. Most importantly a commnunity of educators is not about me telling teachers what to do; the communication is more about telling teachers what I do.

5 – Difficulty Level

When I was a college student I told my friends, “Oh you don’t want to have that teacher, they are way too hard. Take the class with this person, they’re a lot easier.” Now as a college teacher, I wonder what students are saying about my class. Should I pay attention to these comments or should I just brush them off as “student issues”? I think a balance between the two works best. Listening to a student speak about why a class is difficult provides wonderful insight, while at the same time their input can simply be a form of venting. Plus, I want my class to be challenging but not impossible. When I write challenging, I mean that my class offers countless opportunities for a student to challenge themselves towards the growth of their understanding. But how challenging does my class have to be before it is impossible? The boundary between challenge and impossible is cloudy and different for all. For some students, the first hint of difficulty means impossible and for others impossible is not in their dictionary because they keep trying and trying again until they understand it. With the difficulty level of a class being so complex I will only focus on assessment and personal intentions in this reflection.