Yearly reflection
"Although I am not sure which difficulties I will encounter next year, I know that I have the tools to overcome them…"
"Be authentic! Give them a structure! Where is the production?" At the beginning of the year, these comments gave me a shock. It was not enough that it was our first time in a junior high school, but we also needed to cope with a totally different approach and expectations of our new pedagogical advisor Dorit. Furthermore, I felt that all the things that I learned the year before were not relevant anymore and that I should stick to a certain format of lesson planning, which made me feel like a machine.
However, throughout the year after I planned various lessons in this way and implemented my plans, my perception had changed. Finally, I understood that it was like two different aid kits, with tools that you can make them your own. Nevertheless, I needed to master the various tools and skills in order for me to start and do it my own way while using what I learned. Thus, it seems that my lesson at the end of the last semester and in this semester was much better and I enjoyed all of them even the partani lessons. Nowadays when I plan my lesson I always think how I can scaffold the lesson in a
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As a pupil, I did not see any importance in it since the Bagrut exams required mostly writing and reading and those were the skills I most needed. However, this year I got to the understanding that social interaction might not be significant for the exams, but it is definitely a skill for life and English lessons can provide opportunities to promote and encourage this skill. It appears that most of the subjects we learn at school cannot provide the same opportunities except maybe the Education lessons which are rare compared to the English lessons. Nonetheless, I still need to improve and think about different ways to incorporate it into my
"Some do not realise the journey they are taking until they are faced with its obstacles."
As the time approached, my attitude toward student-teaching was one of confidence and in some ways overconfidence. I believed that I was equipped with all of the tools necessary to be a superior teacher. Little did I know what truly goes on behind the scenes of a teacher. Between grading papers, attending meetings, and preparing lessons, I would often feel overwhelmed. Still, student teaching would prove to be much more valuable than I anticipated. It would teach me to appreciate the wisdom of mentors and experienced teachers, value or being organized and prepared, and lastly the resilience of students.
“If you would just get up and teach them instead of handing them a packet. There’s kids in here that don’t learn like that. They need to learn face to face. I’m telling you what you need to do. You can’t expect a kid to change if all you do is just tell ‘em.” Texas student, Jeff Bliss, decided to take a stand against the lack of teaching going on in his class (Broderick).
English has never been my best subject. Reading books can be exciting, but the writing aspect of English can be dreadful. Somehow, however, I passed all my advanced English classes with at least a B, and my teachers always considered me to be “above average.” My impartiality toward English shifted to an indifference near the end of my high school career; my indifference then shifted to appreciation. This appreciation is attributed to American Studies and Honors Writing, the most difficult English classes at Belleville East Township High School. American Studies and Honors Writing have strengthened my writing skills beyond what I believed possible. I still do not believe that I am the best writer, and English may never be my best or favorite
...roughout the session. “Good teachers are not born, nor are they made by tutors. They make themselves. Whats more, anyone can teach well. Research shows that there is no personality type that makes a good teacher. Whether you are a shy introvert or an enthusiastic extrovert, you can teach effectively, but only if you know how to learn from your mistakes and your successes”. (Petty 2009 pg.516 2009)
English 111 was different from what I expected a college English course to be. I was expecting to have to read books and analyze the meaning of the themes. I found it challenging to have to analyze different websites and design our own. This was different from what I experienced in high school English classes. This course required that I expand beyond my comfort zone when writing essays. This required that I put more time and dedication into projects. It allowed me to learn valuable skills to use in other courses in college and I learned what abilities I need to concentrate on. I carry with me the abilities to use rhetoric devices to analyze websites, research techniques to polish the ethos of my papers, and the knowledge that I need to refine using other sources of media (i.e. websites, PowerPoints, etc.) to present an argument from English 111.
The obstacles which we must face are not there to hinder our daily life. They are there to provide countless opportunities to obtain greater success. In order to be successful we must look at every obstacle as a new opportunity.
The town and the school reminded me immensely of my hometown and, I felt an immediate connection with the students from the community. Consequently, I recognized what it means to be a teacher throughout those five days when taught the students of the community. Immediately, on Monday we discovered that some of the lessons we had planned before the trip were not the best for the students, therefore, we needed to create modifications on the spot, I grasped that an outstanding teacher needs to be flexible and adapt in order to meet the needs of the students in the classroom. For that reason, we would modify our lessons as the day went since we would teach Kinder through 5th grade all on the same day, it was a daunting task, but in retrospect, I feel a considerable superior confidence with my abilities as an educator. I am eager for my residency to begin in order for me to put into practice the skills I acquired during this study abroad. Without a doubt, I have a different mindset as a beginning teacher due to this experience and I have gained a newfound attitude about what it means to be a
In freshman seminar, I learned so much that could help me out with any class in college, with maybe the exception of science. I acquired the knowledge of how to write a self-evaluation, a biography, and a resume. Critiquing myself in a self-evaluation is better than trying to watch myself in the mirror and fix my mistakes on the spot. Taking the time to write out notes and learn as I go helps me remember what areas I need to improve in. Even though I gained an excessive amount of knowledge from freshman seminar, I still struggle with writing papers due to uninspired high school classes and the inability to reach into expanded detail. An important subject that was greatly appreciated in freshman seminar was eating habits for dancers. Eating
The year is almost over, meaning the time spent growing and learning new linguistic and writing strategies is coming to a close. Looking back on the long journey I have experienced first-hand, I have noticed growth with every piece that I wrote. At times the class was stressful, but it was always an extreme accomplishment to finish a paper and grow and develop as a writer. First semester, I set goals that I felt would be attainable, yet beneficial for the AP exam. The goals I established were to become more creative in my writing, expand my use of rhetorical strategies, and improve my vocabulary. In order to achieve these goals, I reached out of my comfort zone and attempted to try new tactics in my writings. Additionally, I studied and brushed
Over the course of the semester, I feel that I have grown as a writer in many ways. When I came into the class, there were skills I had that I already excelled at. During my time in class, I have come to improve on those skills even more. Before I took this class I didn’t even realise what I was good at. This is the first class where I felt I received feedback on my writing that helped me to actually review my work in see what areas I lacked in and where I succeeded. Some of the skills I had shocked me as I didn’t think I had those capabilities in me.
Along these two weeks we have been prompt to make a recall to our own way of learning and why we became a teacher: Was it because coincidence, due to life circumstances, maybe because family tradition, was it a conscious decision or because someone influenced us? Whatever the answer is, we have to face reality and be conscious that being a teacher does not only means to teach a lesson and asses students learning. It requires playing the different roles a teacher must perform whenever is needed and required by our learners, identify our pupils needs and preferences, respecting their integrity and individuality but influencing and motivating them to improve themselves and become independent.
Much like Benjamin Franklin believed, I feel that a person should take advantage of the time the person has in life with activities a person wants to do or needs to do. A person should not spend much time on activities the person does not want to do. Life is way too short to concern oneself with work or other activities one wants nothing to do with all the time. When possible, I try to forget about my responsibility and just let go of the ‘things’ that do not matter to me. I think a person should try to occupy oneself with something productive, worthwhile, or necessary at all times. Even though a person’s life is left up to a person to live, I cannot imagine thinking that I owe my time to society through working a job that I simply despise. I am a compassionate person, but I do not owe anyone anything regarding my time.
In the process of completing this coursework, I have realised that every teacher should be all-rounded and equipped with adequate skills of educating others as well as self-learning. As a future educator, we need make sure that our knowledge is always up-to-date and applicable in the process of teaching and learning from time to time. With these skills, we will be able to improvise and improve the lesson and therefore boost the competency of pupils in the process of learning. In the process of planning a lesson, I have changed my perception on lesson planning from the student’s desk to the teacher’s desk. I have taken the responsibility as a teacher to plan a whole 60-minutes lesson with my group members. This coursework has given me an opportunity
I will try to prepare my lesson 100% to enhance learning. I will try to research my topic and try to integrate different resources and activities to make my lesson engaging and interesting to my students. I am able to use a variety of methods to teach a lesson to the students. This helps the students to get engaged visually, physically and verbally. I did not know, but I really like to use different resources and art materials to create something that will enhance my lesson and able to engage my students throughout the lesson. By creating and using a variety of methods and activities during the center time, I can meet the student’s needs to help them to learn.