As we have just finished the final in this course, a nice overview of the class is fresh in our minds. As I look back at what was taught and learned in the course I am excited to be able to apply it in my teaching. Especially because for me, teaching is just a few weeks away.
I have decided to come up with a sort of bulleted list of the things that stick out to me that I have learned in this course. This list is obviously not everything that I have learned, but simply what sticks out to me the most and what I perceive to be the most important.
Firstly, through this course I have learned great things regarding literacy. Previous courses I have taken have focused on literacy, but through this course I feel I have gotten the best understanding.
I have come to a better understanding especially of critical literacy. I have always felt that I am a critical thinker, but I have learned how to better help my students become critical thinkers. This will be done by giving students a variety of views through various texts. Also, teaching students to question “who what where and why” is important to helping them think critically.
On top of critical literacy, I have gotten a good view of the students’ levels of literacy through a great activity I completed through this class. For my self-selected project, I conducted a survey that evaluated and compared students’ levels of literacy. It was a very fun and rewarding project.
The next thing that sticks out to me that I am excited to implement in my class is writing. I am excited to implement the different forms of writing and the six traits of writing. Along with that, I have learned, and am planning on implementing using rubrics effectively. I feel rubrics make assignments and projects easier to understand for students and easier to evaluate for the instructor.
Another thing I am excited to implement is my newly gained knowledge on vocabulary instruction. This semester I was placed in South Cache for my clinical experience. The teacher I observed used vocabulary words extensively. Through observing his class and learning the techniques, I feel as though I am highly prepared to properly teach vocabulary. This includes the number of words that should be used, themes, multiple encounters, etc. This is important in teaching social studies as vocabulary is traditionally used often. I plan on using vocabulary to prepare students for larger projects such as essays or projects in History and Government classes.
The last topic I would like to point out is that of differentiation. I took another course this semester that dealt with assessing students. Through that class and this class, I learned many strategies of differentiation. I have learned the importance of giving students a choice in what they do (where possible). I know that by doing this, they will be more motivated in completing the activity at hand. I learned this first hand through the self-selected project. Due to the fact that I chose and designed the project, I was highly motivated to complete the project. I hope to be able to give students choices as well so that they can be motivated and excited about assignments and projects. Through the instruction of differentiation, I have gained a better understanding of the definition of “fairness”. I plan on differentiating in my classroom according to time, choice, interest, number of problems, etc. I also feel that this is easily done in social studies. Social studies subjects are not set in stone or as black and white like math or sciences. Therefore, I am able to implement differentiation on projects and assignments.
I could go on for numerous paragraphs explaining what I learned and how I plan on implementing it. These paragraphs would include topics of reading in the classroom, oral language, before/during/after reading instruction and activities. I learned many important concepts and teaching strategies through my participation in class and I plan on implementing these effective strategies in the coming weeks, months and years.
