As I think about the work I’ve done toward achieving my Masters in Literacy, I think it’s also important to consider the reasons why I’m continuing my education and what I plan to do with what I’ve learned. When thinking about my goals for the future, I want to more forward in creating a classroom that provides rich experiences for my students particularly in the area of literacy. To accomplish this, I want to continue designing my classroom and my instruction in a way that is engaging to my students, allows them to be challenged, and requires them to use skills important for today’s job fields. Meeting the needs to today’s unique learners is one goal I’ve set for myself, as differentiated instruction replaces “teach to the middle.” In addition, another goal for me is to structure my classroom to be a place where inquiry-based learning is supported and students have the chance to take learning into their own hands. Finally, becoming more comfortable with teaching using technology and incorporating it into how my students share their writing is another important goal that will help my students use today’s advancements with technology to showcase their work.
In many courses I’ve taken, one of the major themes I’ve noticed is how learning today needs to be accessible for all students. As I continue to grow as an educator, one of the goals I hope to accomplish is my ability to meet the needs of all students in my classroom through the use of differentiated instruction. I think this is an important goal to keep in mind because it supports the growth of struggling students while also allowing high-achieving students to continue to be challenged and to move forward. While I’ve been introduced to various methods for meeting the unique needs of students, one instructional strategy I would like to master is the use of literature circles. Although I’ve used a similar strategy with book clubs, I feel that literature circles allow teachers to level students by their reading abilities and for all students view texts with a critical perspective. The video attached shows how one teacher structures literature circles in his classroom. To me, this video serves as a guide toward what I’d like to set up in my classroom someday.
|
While literature circles lend well toward meeting the learning needs of all students, I also believe it provides students with the practical skill of taking learning into their own hands as they discuss texts with their classmates and find evidence in what they are reading. In addition to meeting the needs of all learners, another goal I want to work toward is creating a classroom in which students take on the responsibility of finding knowledge and information for themselves. In type of classroom, I hope to foster creativity, provide experiences, and engage students in inquiry. Inquiry-based learning requires students to ask questions and find the answers out for themselves through experience and interactions with others. In his TED Talk, teacher Brad Chumrau provides his rationale for inquiry-based learning and how it allows students to gain skills and experiences they’ll remember and truly learn from. I found that this video helped me better understand inquiry-based education and helped me set goals for my own style of teaching.
|
|
As inquiry-based education allows students to be more responsible for their own learning, it also provides an engaging way for students to gain knowledge. Students become immersed in their discovery and see value in the learning process. One final area where I would like to see value in my own learning is becoming more confident in teaching with technology and finding ways to use it in the classroom. Sharing writing is one particular area that I’d like to use more technology as a way for students to creatively showcase their work. Troy Hicks, author of Crafting Digital Writing, provides numerous ways for students to display their work using technology but also explains how teachers can incorporate it into their instruction. This article provides a conversation with him about his book. I found that both the book and the article helped me set my sights on being more knowledgeable about the different tools my students could use for showcasing their work.
|
In closing, I’ve gained so many new ideas and perspectives as I’ve worked toward completing my Masters. As my program comes to a close, I believe that my goals not only show my passions for both teaching and learning, but also highlight how I how to use what I’ve learned about literacy to better my students in the years to come.
Photo Credits:
http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/3_4masa/2011/11/literature-circ-1.php
http://www.amazon.com/Crafting-Digital-Writing-Composing-Across/dp/0325046964
Photo Credits:
http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/3_4masa/2011/11/literature-circ-1.php
http://www.amazon.com/Crafting-Digital-Writing-Composing-Across/dp/0325046964