Cathy Boerner Ed 201 April 28, 2010 Final Paper

I Have What It Takes!

Wow, Im amazed by how quickly things have been coming along since I started school in the fall. Last August, when I was about to begin my first semester, I was full of nervous excitement. It had been six years since I obtained my BFA in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After waiting tables for several years after that and trying to make it as a wedding videographer, I was more than ready to make a big change and finally follow what I had always considered my true calling. This is why Im at Alverno College and my, has it proven to be a great decision for me! Starting things out a little backwards, I took a graduate course my first semester (and I am applying to graduate school this summer). I absolutely loved this course because we learned all about various theories of education and development and formed our own teaching identities. I feel like the course made me appreciate the fundamentals of education and made me more than ready for ED201. This semesters course reiterated what I learned in ED611, but offered me my first hands-on experience with field experience. Throughout this course, we were given a core framework of dispositions meant for us to exercise and reflect on as we proceeded with our assignments and observations. As I present

these core dispositions, I will offer evidence of personal development in these areas. The first of these abilities is Conceptualization, a word linked with the ability to analyze situations using varied perspectives in the context of educational frameworks and liberal arts knowledge. (The Advanced Abilities in Teacher Education, Alverno) My bachelors degree helped to give me an edge in this area, as well as my outside-of-school experience in a professional work environment. Still, my degree was in fine arts, and it had been awhile since I was encouraged to think analytically about fundamental topics such as learning and development. Ive always considered myself to be an eager learner; wanting to use every opportunity I can to develop my mind further. This semesters ED201 course has stretched and strengthened my mind in a number of ways. One of these ways was through our assignment on building our own philosophy tree. It allowed us to not just learn the core philosophies of education, but to be able to use the theories to build our own reasoning. I discovered that I strongly follow the basic tenets of Progressivism, which is a student-centered philosophy of education that focuses on a curriculum that is of interest to students. (Powell, 277) I was able to practice this philosophy during my field observations when I led small reading groups and developed appropriate lesson plans for them. I encouraged the children to think about the subject matter in their own way, helping them to strengthen their ideas as we went along. I made sure everyone cooperated in ways they felt comfortable, and made sure to maintain a safe, yet stimulating learning environment.

These small group discussions also helped me to build my Communication proficiency, which is another one of our core dispositions. I gained experience in how to create an efficient lesson plan that could engage students and allow them lots of opportunities to voice their knowledge and opinions. I made sure to make myself clear and keep the information accessible, offering the kids visuals as we went along. I also made sure to ask if they knew about a certain topic before I presented it to them. In my teacher evaluation, it was stated that I appeared to listen attentively to the students as they spoke. It is very rewarding for me to be given this evaluation because I really value my ability to truly listen to children. I believe they offer refreshing perspectives that deserve ones full attention. As weve discussed in class, learning is a joint endeavor. It isnt just the teachers task to offer insights on new subject matter, but the childs as well. I think this proves to be the most meaningful and memorable method of learning. One way to ensure a strong disposition to communicate is through the development of Coordination. Something I need to develop more, coordination is the ability to identify, allocate, organize, and manage resources as they relate to the total learning environment. (The Advanced Abilities, Alverno) We strengthened this ability throughout class, practicing time management and learning practical methods of classroom management. We also spent time mapping out an ideal classroom based on what we observed through our inclass videos as well as our field experiences.

Im naturally an abstract thinker. Often this causes me to struggle with time management and structure. My cooperating teacher Ms. Studer was very helpful to me with this matter. She displays proficiency in coordination, consistently keeping track of time and keeping a daily routine. She also manages transitions very well, and is quick to bring her kids back on task if their attention strays. I feel a lot more confident in classroom management since Ive had the opportunity to watch my cooperating teacher. It is definitely the hands-on experience I needed to be able to find my own ways to practice good coordination. Another core disposition that I value greatly is Diagnosis. This is the ability to analyze and solve problems; moving flexibly between seeing the group as a group and seeing the group as a collection of individuals with varying characteristics, needs, and talents. (The Advanced Abilities, Alverno) This disposition is particularly meaningful because I sometimes found it difficult as a child to grasp things through the standard ways in which my teachers chose to instruct. I was more of an experiential learner, and from 3rd grade and on, much of the school curriculum was hypothetical. We were instructed the standard way, but often this meant not having much hands-on experience. It is my goal as a future teacher to be sensitive to all of my students specific learning needs and to accurately determine the best way to teach a particular topic. I want to be able to diversify my methods, being able to offer several ways to teach everything. I can imagine this isnt always the easiest thing to do, especially when children need to acquire certain skills within a certain way in order to pass school

benchmarks and standardized tests. It would be ideal for me to maintain an enthusiastic approach to the core curriculum for my students. One way I can do this is offering several options within a particular subject, all of which should teach children what they need to know. I saw examples of this within my field observations. When it was time for a small reading group to start a new book, Ms. Studer would offer a few different books for the children to choose or vote on. This is a seemingly small thing that has a big effect. The children can feel like they are part of a democratic environment. Another method in which I practiced my diagnostic skills was through my self-assessments. This is a new experience for me- one that has proven to be very beneficial. While I have a tendency to be overly critical of myself, I need to learn to rein this in while writing my self-assessments. It was helpful to be given the task of acknowledging my strengths. Until recently I havent been able to express myself this way. Self-assessment gives us students the ability to evaluate ourselves professionally. Naturally we should want to give our performances a fair evaluation, and through this we can gain important experience in diagnostics. The final advanced ability that puts all of the dispositions into action is called Integrative Interaction. This is something I practiced quite often with the ED201 classroom as well as my field observation. In both cases, I saw the teacher take on the role of director, guiding inter-student discussion and encouraging individual participation. In Ms. Studers class, the children were asked to discuss the topic at hand in small groups with their peers and then come back as a class to

raise hands individually. This provided a cohesive analysis of the topic being presented. Our ED201 reflections offered us another opportunity to strengthen our Integrative Interaction dispositions. With each reflection, we explored how societal issues and diversity play a role within the context of all our analyses. Examples of this include our introduction to the SEED School and other alternative choices for education. We also explored Julies brain and other children with diverse learning needs. Within our field observations it was expected of us to reflect on what we saw and discuss ways we thought the class environment excelled, as well as ways we would want to change things. Observing a classroom that was part of the SAGE program offered me a unique experience because I was able to see two teachers working separately but within the same environment. Sometimes they joined together on a certain topic, but mostly they led their own students on opposite sides of the room. Ms. Studer and the other teacher provided me important insights into how varying methods of discipline can affect a classroom. I think I show my Integrative Interaction ability through my eagerness to learn and to change. I can observe others behaviors objectively and encourage people to be themselves and enjoy one anothers differences. This is especially true with children, as they are in their formative years and it is crucial to give them room to grow. I have a lot of patience for children and want to be able to give my future students the time they need to be able to learn things in their own way. I will want to build strong relationships with all of them, and reach out to

their parents whenever I can. I also look forward to creating my classroom environment and applying all the things I have learned thus far. Im truly excited to continue my journey as a life-long learner. I feel more ready than ever before to share my knowledge with my future students. I also looking forward to all the opportunities for which I can explore my advanced abilities in teacher education. I hope by now the consensus for me by my peers and instructors is that I have what it takes to be a great teacher!

Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure A companion guide to I Have What it Takes Final Essay by Cathy Boerner The following three WTSs are to be regarded as companions to my final assessment paper. I will state the three WTIs I find to be most relevant to the outcomes of this semester and briefly explain how I fulfilled these standards. Teaching Standard #5) The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. I demonstrated this ability through my organized lesson plans for my fieldwork, my reflections, as well as my in-class participation. This ability is described further in my final assessment, within my discussions of Diagnosis and Communication. Teaching Standard #7) The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals. I demonstrated this ability with my organization and preparation in leading a reading group during my fieldwork. I demonstrated initiative to practice this ability by preparing and teaching at least three additional lessons besides the video and instructor observations, which were not required of me. I used my

knowledge of the blue group (proficient literacy) to guide my instruction and assessment of this group. I chose to use curriculum that followed the teachers lessons in order to keep the group in sync with the planned curriculum for the subject (reading). This ability is discussed further in the Coordination and Diagnosis portions of my final paper. Teaching Standard #9) The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and action on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally. I demonstrated this ability with my self-assessments, reflections on the Powell reading, reflections on my observations, as well as my final paper and video montage. This is discussed further in the Conceptualization and Integrative Interaction portions of my final paper.