Professional Readings
Thornton reading and response.
Key Characteristics needed to be a responsive teacher:
- To be critical in my thinking and justify why I am teaching what I am teaching, this can be achieved through intentional planning.
- To challenge my teaching and students learning, this includes having high expectations for all students.
- To be facilitative in my thinking, this means creating an active learning environment for my students.
- To be creative in my planning and teaching. This means teaching the content using numerous techniques and not just expecting one answer to my questions.
- To empower my students to think deeper and connect the learning to real life situations.
- To be connected to my teaching and my students learning. This means working as a class and be collaborative in the learning.
Biggest Challenge:
The above characteristics are all challenging for me as a teacher. The main challenge for me is to be intentional in my planning. This means knowing my students and their learning needs and planning my lessons to cater for all the individual students in my classroom. On practicum 4 I am going to observe my teacher and see her intentions behind her planning and pick up some tips on how I can do the same.
Feedback from my critical friend:
Ella,
I like how you have pulled into your reflection all of the key elements from the Thornton reading such as challenging, facilitative, creative, empowering and connected. I liked how you related them to your own practice.
I liked that you were honest that all of the key elements were challenging for you. You could have perhaps have shared a little more reflection of why you found these challenging.
It was good to see you reflect on one of your main challenges being planning. As teachers it is important to know the areas that we are deficient in so that we turn them into strengths.
I like the fact that you will be looking for assistance from your AT for strategies as to how to fix this in this coming practicum.
Thankyou for letting me read your key points
Bex
My feedback to critical friend:
Bex,
I can see you have engaged well with the reading and pulled out the key points for being a responsive teacher. I especially liked the part about going past the content knowledge and connecting through your passion. I also thought the point about giving 100% to the children you are teaching was a key one. It’s a hard task to leave your personal life at the door and give everything to the children. I commend you for realising the importance of this.
The conclusion you wrote was well thought out and incorporated the main points of the reading. You could work on proof reading your work, as there are a few errors in your spelling and grammar. Apart from that you have done an amazing job at pulling out the key points and relating them to your teaching practice by setting goals for practicum 4.
Ella.
* Note: I didn't participate in the group discussion.
Robinson reading and response
Reflection of the ideas in this reading:
- Teachers consume research by applying it in schools and classrooms.
- Teachers have a responsibly to be researchers because their practice can have powerful consequences for students if teachers don't investigate their adequacy.
- Teachers must research methods of best practice.
- Teachers have a ethical obligation to research so they can teach to the best of their ability
- Researching is a form of professional development.
- Its challenging for teachers to see how researching can benefit their practice and its something that is beginning to be expected of teachers.
- Researching is a way teachers can give evidence for why they are putting certain practices in place in their classrooms.
- Teachers consume research by applying it in schools and classrooms.
- Teachers have a responsibly to be researchers because their practice can have powerful consequences for students if teachers don't investigate their adequacy.
- Teachers must research methods of best practice.
- Teachers have a ethical obligation to research so they can teach to the best of their ability
- Researching is a form of professional development.
- Its challenging for teachers to see how researching can benefit their practice and its something that is beginning to be expected of teachers.
- Researching is a way teachers can give evidence for why they are putting certain practices in place in their classrooms.
Dall'Abla Reading
Gailer Reading
Response
What challenges me that will influence my practicum 4 experience?
- To be intentional in my tasks and planning during the day. Intentionality enables us to complete tasks and activities and prevents operating in a mode of averageness (Dall’Alba, 2009).
- Continue to work on who I am as a person and who I am becoming in the role of teacher.
- My commitment to being a teacher!
- Continuing to transform into my role as a teacher.
- The tricky balance between the professional and personal relationships with students, staff and parents.
- Being a professional on practicum while at the same time being secure, teachable, relatable and gracious.
Key quote from the reading:
“ While knowledge and skills are necessary, they are insufficient for skilful practice and for transformation of the self that is integral to achieving such practice” (Dall’Alba, 2009, pp.34).
In my own words…
We need to have the knowledge to teach our students what they need to know but at the end of the day it is important that we know who we are in ourselves and work on areas that will help us to be better teachers. It also reminded me of the importance of teaching from who you are.
Critical friend feedback:
I liked how you were self-reflective with your practicum four intentions. It is good to be able to look at ones teaching as a student teacher and even when you are qualified to always be looking to give the children in your care the best you and the best teaching you can strive for.
Another point that I found useful was that you need to be yourself when you are a teacher. To know who you are and what you stand for. To not just transform in learning but to fully transform as a person also. Good reflecting
Bex
What I learnt from my critical friends response:
Bex,
I related to the challenges you chose from the Dall Álba reading. Especially the importance of knowing who you are and therefore teaching from who you are. I commend you for making this a goal for practicum. The quote you chose from the Thompson reading wasn’t something that stood out to me. However after reading the quote in your own words I can see how you related it to the challenges you previously identified. I really liked the way you put the quote into your own words and one hundred percent agree with your statement.
Ella.
- To be intentional in my tasks and planning during the day. Intentionality enables us to complete tasks and activities and prevents operating in a mode of averageness (Dall’Alba, 2009).
- Continue to work on who I am as a person and who I am becoming in the role of teacher.
- My commitment to being a teacher!
- Continuing to transform into my role as a teacher.
- The tricky balance between the professional and personal relationships with students, staff and parents.
- Being a professional on practicum while at the same time being secure, teachable, relatable and gracious.
Key quote from the reading:
“ While knowledge and skills are necessary, they are insufficient for skilful practice and for transformation of the self that is integral to achieving such practice” (Dall’Alba, 2009, pp.34).
In my own words…
We need to have the knowledge to teach our students what they need to know but at the end of the day it is important that we know who we are in ourselves and work on areas that will help us to be better teachers. It also reminded me of the importance of teaching from who you are.
Critical friend feedback:
I liked how you were self-reflective with your practicum four intentions. It is good to be able to look at ones teaching as a student teacher and even when you are qualified to always be looking to give the children in your care the best you and the best teaching you can strive for.
Another point that I found useful was that you need to be yourself when you are a teacher. To know who you are and what you stand for. To not just transform in learning but to fully transform as a person also. Good reflecting
Bex
What I learnt from my critical friends response:
Bex,
I related to the challenges you chose from the Dall Álba reading. Especially the importance of knowing who you are and therefore teaching from who you are. I commend you for making this a goal for practicum. The quote you chose from the Thompson reading wasn’t something that stood out to me. However after reading the quote in your own words I can see how you related it to the challenges you previously identified. I really liked the way you put the quote into your own words and one hundred percent agree with your statement.
Ella.
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