I’m
always excited to see the end of a quarter, because it means I’m one step
closer to achieving my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. However, this
quarter was such a challenge for me that I’m even more excited than usual. Without a doubt, this has been one of the
most difficult quarters to date, yet also one of the most rewarding quarters I
have experienced in my educational career. Taking this class alongside English
408 has monumentally impacted me as both a teacher and a student. English 493 was extremely insightful for me, and I feel as though I not only learned
lessons about how to effectively teach literature to adolescents, but also how
to think practically about the way I approach curriculum development.
One major takeaway that I took from this course is to pay attention to what my students are reading. This might seem like a simple step to take in the classroom, but it helps create an important connection to students through literature. In order to maintain student engagement in the classroom, good educators attempt to utilize what students are experiencing in their own lives to incorporate it into their learning. This quarter I have made a point to ask my students in my placement classroom what they are reading out of class, and I have found that it has helped me connect with them in ways I didn’t expect. I now make a point to read what they are reading, because as a teacher, I think it is important to never lose sight of what it’s like to be a student.
I loved doing the book talks this quarter! It was like a glorified show and tell. I spent weeks thinking about the one perfect book I wanted to share with my classmates, and in the end I picked a book that I have wanted to reread since my freshman year of high school: Watership Down. Not only did the book talks help me further my own love for reading, but also determine the ways I can help my students fall in love with reading as well. I have made it my goal to stock my classroom library with as many books as possible, and this quarter alone I have added roughly 40 books that I can’t wait to share with my future students.
I also found the mini-lessons to be extremely beneficial for my growth as a teacher. Stepping outside of my actual 8th grade classroom to teach a lesson in front of my colleagues was extremely constructive. Planning an entire lesson in only twenty-minutes was way more challenging than I expected it to be. It forced me to consciously plan every moment so that directions were clear and transitions were smooth. In the end, I think this was one of the best learning experiences I had this quarter.
The biggest challenge this quarter was the unit plan. I put a lot of hours into my 3-week unit plan, but taking twenty credits, having a family, and doing my practicum made me feel as though there was never enough time. However, in the end, this was the most rewarding project I have ever completed. During my time in the education program I have received lots of excellent information regarding how to teach, what to teach, and how to assess, but I have never had to put it all together. Developing my unit plan allowed me to pull together everything I had learned so far into one coherent piece, which was a really enjoyable process. Nothing has prepared me more for the reality of teaching than this class, and the unit plan was a major component.
I was very much influenced by Paulo Freire’s critiques of the banking metaphor for education, where teachers view students as passive, empty storage receptacles and schooling becomes a process whereby knowledgeable experts “deposit” pieces of information into the oppressed and impoverished minds of students. To combat the banking model of education, Freire advocated a pedagogical practiced centered upon dialogue, inquiry, and the real exchange of ideas between teachers and students, who, he felt, had a great deal to offer one another. Freire’s words will continue to monumentally impact the way I think about curriculum for the rest of my career.
Kelly Gallagher’s Readicide is based on the concept that standardized testing and the mind-numbing practices found in classrooms all over the country are killing reading. It also contains a fair amount of information on how to prevent “readicide.” Gallagher defines readicide as: “Noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools” (2). He suggests several reasons why the love of reading is being killed in schools: too many standardized multiple choice tests and all the test practice that goes along with it, the over-teaching of books, the lack of enjoyable reading time in schools, and the lack of emphasis and time for free reading provided to students.
Beach, Thein, and Webb’s Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core Standards: A Literacy Practice approach for 6-12 Classrooms was one of the most valuable resources I have encountered in my educational journey to become a teacher. As a preservice English language arts teacher, the education I have received in regards to CCSSs is that I must use them, even if I don’t know why. The first chapter of this book brilliantly highlights the fact that Common Core State Standards are general goals for students to achieve outstanding intellectual and academic accomplishments. Their effectiveness depends entirely on educators, to appropriately develop curriculum and teaching approaches that teach to exceed the guidelines set by CCSS.
Overall, I’m happy I have made it out of winter quarter 2016 alive! These past ten weeks have been some of the longest of my life. Although I still have much more to learn in regards to being both a student, and teacher of English, English 493 has provided me with an excellent framework to build upon. I am so excited to be an English teacher, and the time spent in this class has helped me feel more prepared for the challenges I will one-day face in the classroom.
One major takeaway that I took from this course is to pay attention to what my students are reading. This might seem like a simple step to take in the classroom, but it helps create an important connection to students through literature. In order to maintain student engagement in the classroom, good educators attempt to utilize what students are experiencing in their own lives to incorporate it into their learning. This quarter I have made a point to ask my students in my placement classroom what they are reading out of class, and I have found that it has helped me connect with them in ways I didn’t expect. I now make a point to read what they are reading, because as a teacher, I think it is important to never lose sight of what it’s like to be a student.
I loved doing the book talks this quarter! It was like a glorified show and tell. I spent weeks thinking about the one perfect book I wanted to share with my classmates, and in the end I picked a book that I have wanted to reread since my freshman year of high school: Watership Down. Not only did the book talks help me further my own love for reading, but also determine the ways I can help my students fall in love with reading as well. I have made it my goal to stock my classroom library with as many books as possible, and this quarter alone I have added roughly 40 books that I can’t wait to share with my future students.
I also found the mini-lessons to be extremely beneficial for my growth as a teacher. Stepping outside of my actual 8th grade classroom to teach a lesson in front of my colleagues was extremely constructive. Planning an entire lesson in only twenty-minutes was way more challenging than I expected it to be. It forced me to consciously plan every moment so that directions were clear and transitions were smooth. In the end, I think this was one of the best learning experiences I had this quarter.
The biggest challenge this quarter was the unit plan. I put a lot of hours into my 3-week unit plan, but taking twenty credits, having a family, and doing my practicum made me feel as though there was never enough time. However, in the end, this was the most rewarding project I have ever completed. During my time in the education program I have received lots of excellent information regarding how to teach, what to teach, and how to assess, but I have never had to put it all together. Developing my unit plan allowed me to pull together everything I had learned so far into one coherent piece, which was a really enjoyable process. Nothing has prepared me more for the reality of teaching than this class, and the unit plan was a major component.
I was very much influenced by Paulo Freire’s critiques of the banking metaphor for education, where teachers view students as passive, empty storage receptacles and schooling becomes a process whereby knowledgeable experts “deposit” pieces of information into the oppressed and impoverished minds of students. To combat the banking model of education, Freire advocated a pedagogical practiced centered upon dialogue, inquiry, and the real exchange of ideas between teachers and students, who, he felt, had a great deal to offer one another. Freire’s words will continue to monumentally impact the way I think about curriculum for the rest of my career.
Kelly Gallagher’s Readicide is based on the concept that standardized testing and the mind-numbing practices found in classrooms all over the country are killing reading. It also contains a fair amount of information on how to prevent “readicide.” Gallagher defines readicide as: “Noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools” (2). He suggests several reasons why the love of reading is being killed in schools: too many standardized multiple choice tests and all the test practice that goes along with it, the over-teaching of books, the lack of enjoyable reading time in schools, and the lack of emphasis and time for free reading provided to students.
Beach, Thein, and Webb’s Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core Standards: A Literacy Practice approach for 6-12 Classrooms was one of the most valuable resources I have encountered in my educational journey to become a teacher. As a preservice English language arts teacher, the education I have received in regards to CCSSs is that I must use them, even if I don’t know why. The first chapter of this book brilliantly highlights the fact that Common Core State Standards are general goals for students to achieve outstanding intellectual and academic accomplishments. Their effectiveness depends entirely on educators, to appropriately develop curriculum and teaching approaches that teach to exceed the guidelines set by CCSS.
Overall, I’m happy I have made it out of winter quarter 2016 alive! These past ten weeks have been some of the longest of my life. Although I still have much more to learn in regards to being both a student, and teacher of English, English 493 has provided me with an excellent framework to build upon. I am so excited to be an English teacher, and the time spent in this class has helped me feel more prepared for the challenges I will one-day face in the classroom.
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