Self Assessment

I'm not going to lie, I was dreading this class. I heard so many different things about it. So much work to do, so many assignments, you have to travel to Newark, and so many other things. But at the end of it all, I'm surprisingly thankful for all of this. The trips to Newark were interesting and got me excited to become a teacher. I loved observing, meeting the students, and seeing what I am going to be doing in the future. I enjoyed our class discussions and liked discovering different ways of looking at things.
As a teacher it is important to go into things with an open mind and be ready for whatever may come your way. This class got us prepared for that and we now are closer to our final destination. This class took a lot of work. We could not miss more than three, we had take home tests, blogs, writing assignments, hours to get done, observations, and an inquiry project. Yes, this is a lot and remembering back to the beginning I was dreading getting it all done, but now that it is the end I'm proud that I got it all done and that I achieved it all. Not only did this class make me absolutely sure that I wanted to become a teacher, but it also taught me how to manage my time well and prepared me for the work that I will be receiving in the future. I am excited for classes to come and more observations that I will be doing, but I am also excited for the chance to stand in fornt of my own classroom and teach my own students.

Inquiry Project

For our inquiry project I worked with Maryann and Lauren. We met at the library a couple of times and took advantage of our time in class to get things done. We are very happy with the turn out of our paper and are ready to present with our poster. I thought at first that this was going to be a lot harder than I expected. I heard 12 page paper and was ready to run, but grouping together for a group of 3 made things a lot easier and the paper was actually finished very quickly. If I had to give anyone advice for taking this class and having this assignment, it would be to do it in a group. There is a lot of writing and things to do that goes along in this course and a 12 page paper, along with other finals and projects is not something that can easily be done by yourself. It was helpful that throughout the semester we had to hand in things but still, once the end rolls around it is still a lot to handle on your own. So I would inform everyone to get together with people in your class and write together. Divide it up, and research separately then pick a couple hours to collaborate it all. Not only will things get done faster, but you won't have to do the presentation by yourself and you get to meet new people!

The good, bad, and ugly

A lesson we did in class regarding the different teachers, students, and a couple other things that fit into different categories such as good bad and ugly made me realize a couple things. The category that left me thinking was that of the students. I personally think that it is too difficult to put students in such categories. Yes, there are some with more challenges and difficulties to overcome than others but they all have potential. With the proper help and guidance a student can reach that potential and achieve its greatest. I;m not saying that every student can reach Harvard and graduate with stellar grades, but they have a level that is their best that can bee reached with some help. To put students in a category and have them be defined right off the bat as a good kid, bad kid, or discipline problem student, then we as teachers are already downgrading their potential and putting them either down further to prove themselves or up higher to prove themselves. As hard as it is I think that most important thing is too look at each student individually and with a clean slate. Yes, I'm sure another past teacher of theirs is going to come in and "warn" you about their problems, but that was the relationship that that student had with that student. You are a whole new person with a different personality that can bring out the best in that student. It requires a lot of patience and a lot trial and error but it can be done and I think that it needs to be done. Our students deserve to be treated equally and with respect. If we as teachers want respect from our students then we should do the same for them.

Conclusion of Inquiry Project

After researching, we have discovered that there are many different teaching styles and it is important to understand how to use them effectively. We learned that all students have different learning abilities and ways of obtaining information so as an instructor it is important to know who your students are in order to apply an effective teaching method. Educators do not have to stay with one particular teaching style, it is better to choose which aspects of each work best for your classroom. Overall, one universal method should not be used when teaching a class. The instructor should change their lesson plan or classroom work, and how they would teach it based on the students that make up each individual class. It is the instructor’s decision to decide what is best for his or her students that will result in classroom success.

Introduction of Inquiry Project

As future educators we need to be aware of different students learning abilities and the varying intelligence levels that make up our students. We should also be considerate of how to incorporate different learning styles to accommodate the diverse learning abilities students have. There are many methods of teaching that benefit some learning styles over others. We will explore the different teaching styles which will provide us an understanding of how students’ best obtain information. We will also talk about student based learning, teacher and student based learning, teacher based learning, as well as the level of intelligence students acquire.

Abstract for Inquiry Project

The purpose of this paper is to explore why it is important to use different teaching methods. This is necessary because each student has his or her own way of obtaining info. Data and statistics from scholarly journals were collected to investigate the different teaching methods and what makes them effective. We learned that all teaching methods are made up of positives and negatives and that it takes multiple methods to make up a successful classroom. In conclusion these methods will provide skills needed to develop ourselves for our classrooms in the future.

Community Service and Meetings at The Arts

During my time at Arts High School I was able to attend two meetings and do ten hours of community service. At the first meeting I attended it was only the math department. The second meeting I attended was a faculty meeting. I must say that the one I enjoyed most was the department meeting. During my community service hours, I helped a lot in the guidance department, sorting out papers and ballots for different events. It was a nice environment that I got accustomed to easily. All members of this department were excited to see students enter in and out of the office and always had smiles on their faces.
Since the orientation I was so curious as how the math department was able to incorporate the arts with mathematics. At the department meeting the math fair and math Olympics were discussed. This math fair had things such as “Mathematics of Sound” and “Architecture of Acoustics”. Not only was this highly math related, but it also incorporated the arts of the students. I was eager to pay attention and see what else was in store.
As an outsider at both meetings, I was able to sit back and relax and take in the relationships among the teachers. They seem to have a strong unity and all seem to be on the same page with each other. It is apparent that working in a school is teamwork and can not be fully successful if each person only fights for themselves and works to only achieve for their own satisfaction. Working together on different projects and collaborating only makes the school a stronger and more welcoming environment for the students. Every teacher has one thing in common and that is their students. It is extremely noticeable at Arts High School that the teachers and staff are there for the students and want to see them succeed to the fullest. It was so nice to see the staff know every student’s name and have a quick compliment or reminder to tell them. I know if I felt comfortable and at home that the students definitely did as well.