Weaknesses

As a future teacher, what do you see as your main weakness (or weaknesses) and how will you work on improving this (these)?

As a future teacher, I feel I have two main weaknesses. The first is my knowledge of content as an expert concerning physics and some of mathematics. There are definite areas in mathematics and physics where I feel I am an expert. However, there are other areas where I worry that I am not as knowledgeable as I feel I should be. This is very stressful for me. However, the fact that I acknowledge this as a weakness is a step in the right direction. I also feel that I am comparing my knowledge to the knowledge of a college student, not a high school teacher. I talk to a particular professor often to expand and strengthen my knowledge. When I can't answer a question he asks, he often reminds me that he doesn't know everything and he can't answer every question. The thing that matters is that he finds the answer. I need to remember that. Knowledge will come with questioning and working at it. This is one way I will work on improving this weakness. Another way I will improve this weakness is by being a life-time learner and working with other professionals. This is the only way for me to become an expert.

My other weakness will be the tendency to teach the way I was taught. I am grateful for the education I received as a high schooler, but it could have been improved on greatly. I was most often lectured at without much discussion, my classes were somewhat lax, and I rarely got to experience hands-on learning. It was truly unfortunate. I don't want to teach like this. However, I know that teachers often teach the way they were taught. Again, I believe that by being aware of this weakness I am taking a huge step forward. The ways to improve upon this weakness is similar to the weakness above. I need to be aware of the way I am teaching and I need to evaluate myself. I need to collaborate with other teachers to see how they are making their class exciting and fun. I especially need to continue to educate myself. If I follow through with these steps, I believe I can be the best teacher I can be.

Every teacher has weaknesses. The first step is to be aware of weaknesses. Only then can they be approved by furthering education, evaluating yourself, and collaboration.

Name and describe some teaching strategies you might use to enhance the learning experience of your students.

As I have gone through my education courses, I have come across many strategies that I hope to incorporate into my everyday teaching. To be honest, at first I didn't believe I would use some of the strategies given in these classes. After some thought, I realize that they can really make your teaching exciting and different for your students.

The first strategy I hope to use Think-Pair-Share. I love this strategy! When you pose a question to your class, first you allow each student to think about the question on their own. Often, as teachers we don't give students enough think time. This allows for this option. After thinking, students pair up (or get into small groups), and talk about what they thought about the question. Finally, someone from each group shares the group's thoughts with the entire class. Because of this, Think-Pair-Share also makes answering questions in the classroom not nearly as intimidating since the students are sharing ideas of multiple students, not just themselves.

A second strategy that I hope to use will help alleviate students' fears of saying "I don't get it." The strategy is Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down. After finishing teaching a concept, the teacher simply has the students give a thumbs up (to say yes I understand), a thumbs down (to say I don't get it), or a sideways thumb (to say I am not sure). This allows the student to actually say when they don't understand without feeling uncomfortable in front of the entire class. It also makes students who don't speak up in class tell the teacher what they are thinking. I think both of these problems are common in math and physics classes, leading to a lot of unnecessary confusion; Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down can definitely help.

Finally, a third strategy that I hope to incorporate into my classroom is the concept of multiple intelligences. This is one strategy that I was a little hesitant about as I first began to learn about it. However, I think MI can be a powerful tool in the classroom if used. It allows students to be given choices and to cater to their own educational needs. I can't imagine what my education could have been like if my former teachers considered MI. This will be strategy I will have to work at to make it work well. However, I believe that I will be able to do amazing things for my students by incorporating MI into my classroom.

How do I plan on putting my teaching philosophy into practice?

When I first read this question, my thoughts where "How true is it. It is easy to say what you will do something; doing it is often the difficult part." I hope to do what I say I will.

The first way I feel I can put my teaching philosophy into practice is to revisit (and revise if necessary) it often. Often, I feel we don't intentionally lack as teachers; I think we just forget. By revisiting, I will remind myself what my goals are as a teacher. Revisiting my philosophy may be looking it every year or may be hanging it in my office or room so I can revisit it daily.

I also feel that I need to tell my students my goals and my philosophy for our classroom. When they know what I want for our classroom, it will be easier for those dreams to become a reality. This is especially true for my goal for our classroom to be a comfortable and safe learning environment. We will all work together to make this a reality. In addition, when my students know that I want them to be excited for my class, we can all work together to make sure the class is what they want and hope for. This is also true for my philosophy statement regarding our relationships. Simply by letting my students know that I want to get to know them and understand them, my goals will be more easily obtainable. This is not to say that putting my teaching philosophy into practice is dependent only on my students. It only acknowledges that they can help me in my journey in putting my philosophy into practice.

My other philosophy statements include the way I actually lead instruction. I hope to provide my students with hands-on and problem solving activities that keep them engaged. In order to continue to achieve these goals, I believe it is essential that I continue to grow as a professional by attending conferences, conferring with my peers, and educating myself in general. Thus, I will be able to give my students new and exciting experiences in the classroom that they may otherwise not experience.

Overall, I feel that there are so many ways I can push myself to keep my teaching philosophy in my practices. However, I am reminded of something my grandmother recently said to me regarding a cousin, "Don't just tell me, show me."

To see my teaching philosophy, go to the following link: http://students.uwsp.edu/jeise014/soeportfolio/TeachingPhilosophy.htm

My Big Questions

I am a future educator. As a future educator, there are many questions I ask myself regarding my teaching. These can be considered "The Big Questions." By investigating my own answers to these questions, I hope to grow as a professor and as a person.

Looking through the big questions posed by Professor Leslie Wilson, I initially had a difficult time deciding which questions I wanted to consider for this project. I wanted to dig deeper into my thinking, and because of this I chose the following questions to answer throughout this semester:

1. Name one social issue of concern and project how schools, schooling, or you as a teacher might be able to help address this issue. What good will it do, what part can you play?

2. As a future teacher, what do you see as your main weakness (or weaknesses) and how will you work on improving this (these)?

3. Name a serious challenge you may face as a teacher, and some strategies you would use to correct, amend, accommodate mitigate, or fix this challenge.

4. Name and describe some selected teaching strategies you might use to enhance the learning experiences of your students?

5. How do you plan on putting your teaching philosophy into practice?

6. What makes you marketable as a teacher? Why should a district hire you over someone else?

7. What is an important part of your professional training where you feel you need more training?

I may add or eliminate one or more of these questions as I begin to answer them. Check back soon to see what I have to say...