Successes

It is inevitable that at times in the classroom, we as teachers will have our good and bad days. The goal, as in any profession, is to have those good outnumber the bad. There are a few steps I have noticed that I can control in order to try and achieve just that. The first one in is preparedness. When I walk in to school for the day and already have everything laid out and ready to go I have a more comfortable feeling which allows me to enjoy the class period even more. I can then take the extra time in the beginning of class to sort of ease the tension with students and talk for a few minutes about life outside of the classroom. It is days like these where I see true connections occurring which only carries over to the students motivation to do work and learn. When they can see that I am putting an effort forward for them, they will return the favor and do the same.

Some of my best successes have come from making those connections outside of the content. I make it a priority to try and find something in relation to each student to try and connect with them over. Teaching here in Baltimore County provides a unique and diverse student body, and with that comes some students who bring a very low motivation to succeed in the classroom. I can think of two different students who arrived in my classroom with little to no work completed on the year and carrying barely passing grades of Ds. The teacher I had took over for had essentially told me not to worry too much about them, but I felt it necessary and the right thing to do to still give them a chance regardless of how late it was in the year. The first few weeks consisted of their same old behavior however little by little I started talking to them about random things and not getting on them too much about missed or uncompleted work. Eventually we found a bond in connecting over shoes, music, and some other aspects of pop culture. It was crazy to see how quickly, once they realized I was just another person like them, they would complete work and participate. Both these students are now carrying B averages for the last quarter after failing to get higher than a D the first three.

The MAT program has prepared me in so many ways, but none more than through events such as the one mentioned above. The coursework made sure to always go back to creating a foundational relationship with students. This above all in my opinion defines a true and valued educator. The second biggest aspect the MAT course has taught me is the value in Hands-on engagement type activities for students. Through examples in coursework and my own Action Research project I see the difference it makes to incorporate STEM-like activities and increase the demand of 21^st century skills for students. This is especially the case in students who have trouble focusing or caring about material they cannot find relevance in. At least with a hands-on activity they are forced to remain focused and experience more of a connection in completing their own work and thinking in new ways as it demands that from them. Overall I could not be more thankful and appreciative for the MAT program, in the beginning they asked what we wanted out of it and I answered relevance, I got just that.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Culturally relevant pedagogy is one of those terms in education that can carry with it a long and sometimes confusing definition. But breaking it down, to me, it simply means utilizing a student’s culture to enhance the learning experience in the classroom. The difference lies in what exactly we teach them and how we have them think to make connections to content. It is easy for example, to use content that is common to help explain topics. But what would be even better would be to use an example your own students have experienced in their lives or know about, in which they can relate and feel more of a personal connection. This affects teaching and communication with students in many ways. For starters, the lesson planning process becomes more challenging as you not just hit on the examples given in a curriculum but rather seek out further content that can connect to each of your students. You have to find a way to make more broad topics hit home on a smaller and personal level, which requires more time in doing so. In terms of your students, it is the idea of getting to truly know them and where they come from. Things such as interests, background, outside school life, types of intelligences, and for lack of a better term, “what makes them tick”. By using this process students become more aware of themselves and their own potential. They are not just recalling information and being told where they stand academically. Students develop the right to think highly of themselves and strive to achieve more by understanding the opportunity at hand. With these types of patterns engraved in them from early on, they can move on to the next chapter of their life making a significant and positive impact in their world.

One of the many benefits that comes with teaching in a community such as the one in Baltimore County in which I found myself, is the cultural diversity that makes up the school. I have students from multiple different backgrounds including African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American, and White/Caucasian. Some students are first generation in their family to attend high school here while others are second or third. Each and every student brings with them a very unique background and outside-school life. Further adding to the demographic is the fact that a majority of students in the school are of low-socioeconomic background. These facts are things that make culturally relevant pedagogy very important within my own classroom. Multiple examples have already arisen in my classroom in which culturally relevant teaching practices have taken place. Within a unit discussing genetic diseases students were prompted to research a disease within their own families. Because of the different demographics of students, a variety of different conditions that are more prevalent within different cultures were showcased, ultimately expanding classmates’ perspectives. As you can see, a two-fold benefit occurs here, as students expand their views and also have a pathway to learn more about themselves and their families. For some students this also serves as motivation, as one of my students of Asian decent shared how she aspires to be a doctor and hopes to work on such issues. This type of practice helps to create thinkers and innovators of students in which they strive to exceed any boundary they may have once thought existed for them. Moving forward, I plan to utilize relevant local examples to apply concepts and content. I want to use discussion prompts that challenge students to think more about where they stand and challenge any social or political boundaries they believe exist. In doing so, I will put in the necessary amount of time and preparation to teach students about themselves and others, so they have a firm root in their understanding of their own education.

Affective Assessment

One of the most relevant and intriguing topics we have covered in our MAT course work has been that of Carol Dweck in her work describing the growth mindset. It was easy to see from the get go, why we started with this work and began to plan our instruction with this important concept in mind. Within our own classrooms, concepts such as this along with the habits that come along with it are of utmost importance and even hold a higher standard then that of content-related knowledge. The whole idea incorporating a growth mindset is having students value the learning process and showcase the ability to work at taking risks, rather than worry about “who’s the smartest” or “who got the highest score”. I realize now being in a classroom, that this type of thinking and behavior is necessary to establish with students before hitting home on some science related material, because without it no student will succeed.

Within my classroom there are a number of ways I can work to establish this growth mindset idea and get kids out of their comfort zone. The number one thing I want my students to do is take risks. When students take risks, it means they are working slightly outside their comfort zone, hence where true growth occurs. When students take these risks, I value their “failures” that may arise. These “failures” spark opportunity to learn from mistakes and to dive deeper in to content to seek answers. In this process students can work with peers to increase collaboration. If at first their way of thinking and completing work did not let them succeed, they can attempt the problem from a different perspective and seek a new strategy. In these instances, students gain a sense of a number of 21^st century skills. To help students feel more comfortable in this process, I make examples out of my own mistakes. I applaud students when they question information I have provided them and make note that I may not be correct with this.

This type of instruction and feedback allows students to gain a sense of comfortability after a few instances. When students feel more comfortable they begin to simultaneously respect the learning process in your class more while also opening up to you. When a greater relationship is produced, I can require students to complete higher levels of thinking and content and know that they will respect it enough to give it a go. A specific example arose recently on a day when I was absent from a class.  There had been a mix-up in the substitute scheduling and students were in class, alone with no supervision, for the first half. Students without a growth mindset could easily do as whatever they please. However, knowing the respect students have between them and myself, they took it upon themselves to pass out the work in the sub-folder and collaboratively work on the assignment. This exemplifies the growth mindset in that these students stepped outside their comfort zone and took a risk without any instruction in working with peers to seek out a solution to this unfortunate event.

Affective assessment comes along with making sure students are valuing the process and feel in that comfortable zone in which we want them. Most of the time I use this domain in lesson closures to gain a familiarity with how students felt each day. A simple thumbs-up survey when asked how students feel working with the material and concepts is the simplest fashion to do so. In many exit quizzes and tickets I add confidence indicators to each individual question so I can narrow in on what aspects students feel comfortable with. Not only can I do this relating to material, but overall their moods on the day. If I can survey their before and after moods, I can gain a sense which type of instruction and content helps to increase student mood.

Cultural, Socio-economic, and Linguistic Diversity

Teaching in Baltimore County provides a unique opportunity to work with a great diversity of students regardless of school. In my current position, a majority of my students come from a low-socioeconomic area. Chesapeake High School is located in an area that is a little more rural then other schools in the county, and the student body reflects that in some fashion. In terms of ethnicity, it is a pretty even mix of several different examples. The school features an even amount of African-American students and White/Caucasian students. A small percentage of Latino/Hispanic population is also present in the school. Due to only a small percentage of truly “foreign” students, I currently do not have any English language learners.

The main influence that my students background has on my teaching and instruction is the ability to relate material to them. One of the main theories I keep in mind when tailoring instruction is constructivism which allows students to call on prior experiences and knowledge. If I begin a lesson by discussing an example of an event or concept that may have happened outside of Baltimore County, there is a very good chance the students have little to no idea what I am talking about or simply do not care. Many of them have not traveled due to a low socio-economic background or lack of opportunity to do so.

Certain UDL strategies can also be implemented in my classroom to help even the gap between lacking factors. A lot of student choice comes in to play in terms of articles to read, grouping choices, and presentation methods. Due to some background experiences, some students are hesitant to work with others while others crave that type of work. By allowing them to choose, it allows for students to feel comfortable to maximize their learning environment. The other form of UDL framework that comes in to play is creating clear, concise goals and accessible feedback. A lot of the students here have a tendency to show a dislike for interaction with teachers/elders. They also feature a sense of communication issue with teachers for several different reasons. By appropriately assessing students and offering feedback we can break this barrier/trend here that students bring with them for whatever the reason may be.  

With all this diversity present, it is important to use it to my advantage as much as possible. Often class discussions or “debates” offer students the opportunity to hear and experience multiple perspectives and points of view. When students become fully engaged in these discussions, they expand their way of thinking and collaborating with others who differ from them. Content aside, this offers a unique and valuable skill that will be important for them regardless if they go directly in to the job force or on to a higher education institution.

Rock Star Theorists

When looking back on the many theorists we discussed throughout the MAT program, it is quite hard to say that just one stands out as more important over the others. At some point or circumstance in the teaching experience, ideas and concepts from each have played a vital role in determining how to deal and best serve a situation. However, there are a few that seem to be a tad bit more prevalent than others. For me, some of the most helpful theorists have been Vygotsky, Piaget, and Dewey. The theory they all share in common are ideas surrounding constructivism. Before teaching I always thought of learning as just that, acquiring new information you never had before or understood. What I was quick to find out is that there is much more that goes in to that. Constructivism calls on a student to connect prior known information to new concepts in order to make a firm and concrete understanding. From a teaching perspective, this means finding a way for students to make a personal connection with material to make it more relevant. The second theorist that resonates the most with my instruction is Howard Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences. Within instruction this requires the opportunity for students to not only gain comprehension but also deliver what they know through multiple different forms. Some of those include bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, or musical. By varying instruction and assignments, we can provide all students with the equal opportunity to succeed on the classroom.

Constructivism has become ever so important in my role teaching in Baltimore County. A lot of my students come from a demographic of low income, which means they have not really left the area as much as students in other areas of the state or country. When teaching science, I want to find ways to make local examples and discuss material that they can experience right here at home. Since I have such a diverse background of students, it almost comes without question that they are unique in their own way and bring with their own form of intelligences. This is where Howard Garner’s theory comes in to play for me. It is easy to tell from the get go that there is no “mold” here so to speak and therefore to reach all students I must vary the delivery and assignments. To do so I leave a lot of student choice in the mix when completing assignments or projects. For example, recently students had to complete a model of the carbon cycle with specific impacts and scenarios. They had to record a video explaining their model however it could be explained in multiple ways. Some math inclined students showed specific equations to explain the cycle, a musically inclined student created a “rap” while explaining their model, and a artistically inclined student used white board and dry erase markers to create a large colorful display. These forms of delivery allowed students to obtain and make sense of information in whatever form best suited them.

Classroom and Career Goals

In order to have a productive and successful classroom, it is important to set goals and work to achieve those goals. One of the main classroom goals I have is to simply stay organized. In my experience so far, I have seen both classrooms that are and those that are not. The practices by these two groups of teachers are also directly reflected upon by their students. By practicing what you preach so to speak, students see a direct example of what you can get done by staying organized and being efficient. I believe it can be a potentially positive experience to set common goals in which both you and your students can work towards at an individual level, and the aspect of organization is one that fits that model. Another classroom goal I have is to have students more interested leaving class the last day as the first. For many teachers they resort to “just getting through the year.” However, I want my students to walk away sparked with not only more knowledge but more inquiry in to the subject. The more questions they have the better, meaning they want to know more and are thirsty to figure all of it out. If I can achieve this goal, then learning will exceed just the classroom and create some well-rounded 21^st century thinkers.

In terms of my career goals, they are a little more vague. I would love to say that I want to stay and teach in one spot for the majority of my career. While I have no plans to not do so, obviously life happens at moments and it is hard to say I will absolutely be able to do so. By staying in one school I can work towards becoming staple in that community and hopefully someone students, families, and faculty look up to as an example of how to do it the right way. Another career goal I think that would be of interest to me down the line would be to take a higher up position within a school. Whether this be a department chair or an administrator, this has become something that has started to cross my mind and could become a possibility. Obviously to help achieve this goal down the road I would take the necessary continuing credits to do so.

As I move forward in my teaching career, I am sure more goals will pop up and become clear and important to me. For now, my focus is one keeping them small and attainable. I am a firm believer in the idea that a series of small attainable goals have compounding effects in to something bigger and better. My first goal was simply to obtain a full-time position as soon as possible, and since I have already done so I am headed in the right direction towards the rest of them.

Resolving a Student Issue

Within the district in which I am completing my internship experience, it appears to be the norm that an equal number of succeeding students are accompanied by a group with behavioral issues in the classroom. While I have seen and heard about many extreme cases in the building, I myself have been fortunate to only deal with minor issues. The largest issue for me revolves around student motivation in the classroom and work ethic pertaining to content-related material. The first step in attempting to resolve the issue was to take ownership of the problem and look to engage the student in this example with more hands-on or personally relevant material. After doing so, the student continued to show a lack of initiative and effort in the classroom, which his grades directly reflected. Luckily for me, my mentor teacher also happens to be the department chair, so after discussing with the student informally that his effort needed to change we scheduled a meeting with just the student after class.

As you could probably guess, the behavior continued following the after-class meeting. A call home to his parents ensued in which the mother informed us that she had also received the same complaint about the student in several other of his classes. With this information it was requested to have a parent-teacher conference within a conference style room with all of his teachers. The student accompanied by his mother met with the group of teachers to confront the student on the issue and attempt to find a resolution. Fortunately, in this case, the parent was on the side of the teachers and pressed the student to change his ways.

Following the conference there was some noticeable change from the student in the classroom. While he may not have been the most enthusiastic when completing work, he was sure to turn in assignments on time and limit his distractions during the class period. The conference seemed to resolve the issue for a few weeks, however, a slight dip has started to show as he reverts to his old habits. To address the change again, I had a quick discussion with him recently before class in the hall, in which the student was respectable and complied. It seems as if this student is one in which we will always have to stay on top of, but at this point at least he knows we truly care.

Looking back on the whole situation, as I am so often inclined to do, I cannot think of a better way of dealing with the issue. A hierarchy of proceeding steps was taken to attempt to get through to the student. Unfortunately, it took going all the way to the top, his mother, however in some cases this may be just the thing that is needed. I often wonder about what would happen if the parent responded in the opposite way and put blame on the teacher? I know this case has happened for other educators and it is one in which I have to truly sit down and think about the best approach to get through to both parent and student alike. While there is no easy answer for this type of situation, it may be one in which you do not know how to respond until you are faced with doing so.