Final Exam

1. One of my personal visions for Secondary Schooling in the 21st Century is for students to learn how to problem solve. I highly believe that it is easier to give up than to push yourself to your potential. Students need to learn to critical think and problem solve to break down the wall of frustration. Once that wall is down, the feeling of accomplishing and pushing through the frustration will stay with them. And my goal is for them to carry that feeling with them and continue to problem solve.
2. For this semester in all of my classes, there is a lot of individual work not a lot of talking. I will try to implement group work within the classroom. When I asked the students on their survey how they would change the classroom, majority of them said more group work. Some of the students said that the PowerPoints help them but I believe that I can infuse both.
I plan to start this immediately. Since I only have two months with the students, I want them to be able to at least have the opportunity to develop the communication skills. By starting from the beginning the students know what is expected. I feel that I may get some resistant at the beginning since they have never done it in this class but it shouldn’t last long. I think that the students will enjoy working together and having the opportunity to think and discover for themselves.
3. For my first two years of teaching, I want to implement being flexible with activities in mathematics and have the students problem solve. By being flexible and implementing more meaningful activities will allow me to collaborate with other teachers to find ways that work and help me to think of creative ways to assign them, using technology will be a helpful tool. By allowing the students to problem solve with infuse my 21st century vision from the beginning. I want the students to be able to explore themselves so they can discover and feel that it has more value.
By collaborating with other teachers on meaningful activities, not only will I be able to learn from the veterans, I will be able to introduce my new thoughts and insists to their “old” way of teaching. I will begin immediately implementing my strategies. If another teacher is able to take some fresh ideas from me for the same school year, then that teacher’s students will benefit from it!
4. Later on in my career, I will want to implement Interdisciplinary Thematic Units. I like the idea of the students making more connecting to topics. Especially in mathematics, students will be able to see how mathematics not only will apply to their own lives but the past and other aspects of the world.
I plan on implementing this when I gain the respect of other teachers. This is solely for the reason that I don’t start off on the wrong foot. I want to change the ways of the “old” education system but I want to get a good response from my fellow colleagues.
5. I believe that these visions are categorized under new professional roles, comprehensive support for all students, creating new curriculum paths, and powerful teaching under the Reform of Secondary Education. I believe that problem solving is necessary for creating new curriculum paths for students. This will allow them to think for themselves and push through the frustration. I believe that being flexible is important as an educator because we need to be able to adjust to the students and their needs which is under both powerful teaching and new professional roles. Group work is under comprehensive support for all students because I am able to give the students support when I am unable to. Lastly, implementing an ITU is under creating new curriculum paths since combining different contents will be essential to the students which they are not use to seeing.

Reading Reflection 5 - Im thinking...

Anything on my mind, huh? Frustration is a word that comes to mind. I do not like to be frustrated however I cannot help but feel overwhelmed and powerless against all this work. My anxiety tends to get the best of me even though I seem to work best under pressure. Although one person can only take so much.
I can’t believe that we only have a couple weeks left of university classes and then we are FINALLY able to teach full time. I am well aware that teaching is more work than the university classes but I rather put my heart and hours into my teaching than to empty assignments. As reading Teaching in Secondary Schools, again, classroom management varies depending on each class. So sitting and re-reading the chapter seemed like a meaningless assignment when I can’t immediately apply it to my classroom. Although I enjoy reading Groupwork because I am not use to assigning or working (before this program) in groups and it helps me consider what works and what doesn't.
I’m not saying I think that these classes are completely pointless or that all of the assignments given are empty. I understand how important they are and how much information that needs to get across in such a short amount of time but I feel that they could be more meaningful. For example, during Pat Stall’s class when the GSA students from Carlsbad High School came to talk to us and teach us, that had so much impact and meaning. From that visit, there could be some meaningful assignments.

I'm never one to complain but this is my venting blog! :/