Standard 8: Engages with Profession of Teaching as a Reflective Learner
A crucial component in the teaching profession is the quality of being reflective. Similar to a piece of art, the practices of a teacher can never be fully complete. A successful teacher must always take steps to improve his or practice. In my experience as a teacher, I have learned how being a teacher is another way of saying that one is a life-long student and learner. The knowledge that I have obtained through my reflections on classroom management strategies that I have tried, activities that I have ran, and assignments that I have created is too significant for me to ever drop a reflective teaching practice.
I created a small close reading unit that aimed to expanded students’ understanding of how to construct a deeper analysis of a text. However, I wanted to understand how to improve students’ engagement through learning this particular skill. Therefore, I thought about different modes of text—music, video, paintings, etc.—which would result in different levels of engagement. After the unit was over, I collected data by surveying students over which mode of text they found most interesting and determined which mode of text produced the highest quality of work. After reflecting over my experience and research, I discovered how the aesthetic appeal of a text distracted students from producing a quality close reading. Looking forward, I will make sure to include time for students to appreciate the text, so they can then harness their engagement towards conducting a close reading of the text.
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