Oh, the Places I’ll Go!
As I complete my Masters of Arts in Education through Michigan State University I look to the future now as a learner. There are numerous opportunities available to further my education and knowledge of today’s practices. The courses I have taken thus far are showcased on this e-portfolio and display my diversity in learning and reflect on two areas that I feel are both important in education today and ever changing in their teaching methods.
One way I will continue to learn is by professional development courses within my school. My career experience has been a mix of working with the American curriculum in an Early Childhood setting in Wisconsin and with the National Curriculum for England within Yew Chung International School of Shanghai in China. I have worked with children from 18 months to 7 years of age in a professional school setting. The high level of EAL (English as an Additional Language) students within my previous school in Shanghai has provided me with excellent preparation for international teaching. Through professional development courses offered by YCIS, I have also had the opportunity to utilize Inquiry Based Learning in my classroom. Within this teaching method, students are engaged in their learning process by drawing on their prior knowledge and identifying their own learning needs. My students are actively involved in the learning process through exploration, observation, questioning and discussion. This enables the students’ to feel more involved in their own learning which makes the process more meaningful. I have also had many professional development courses on Assessment for Learning provided by my previous school and have applied this method in my class for the last four years at YCIS. This enables me to use assessment in the classroom as a guide to raise my students’ achievement. My students understand the aim of their learning as well as the lesson objective or target that they are working towards learning and achieving. Students are taught to reflect on their progress and review their learning techniques and processes. By using effective assessment methods, students are motivated to learn and increase their own self esteem by being engaged and empowered in their own learning. I look forward to my new school in Italy where I will once again learn a new curriculum that will challenge my knowledge and teaching methods. The school follows the International Primary Curriculum. I am not familiar yet with this curriculum and I am eager to participate in the professional development courses offered by the school in order to help me learn and accumulate different resources to coincide with it. The school has also provided me with a username and password to log on to the curriculum website (https://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com/) in order for me to familiarize myself before the new school year starts. This has also helped to show how technology plays a huge role in today’s world with online learning. Regardless of the location in the world, the same resources are at the disposal of teachers.
I feel that another way to challenge myself as an educator and learner is to not only challenge myself as an individual but also to learn as a team member and learn from my colleagues. Having worked as part of a team throughout my career, especially in the last four years with my co-teacher, I learned and understand the importance of shared ideas and mutual respect. It is important to build a positive relationship with the school and staff in order to model appropriate behavior for students. I also understand the importance of maintaining positive relationships with parents. Parents’ are welcomed into my classroom both as a helper and as an observer. To challenge myself, within the last two years I have had the privilege of being the Team Leader for the Kindergarten team. Through this, I have provided professional curriculum leadership and management to a group of three teachers in order to secure high quality teaching. I lead the weekly curriculum meetings and ensured that my team remained on task with planning, school wide goals, individual goals, student development, assessment, evaluation, parental relationships and performance development. In addition to this, I upheld my roles and responsibilities as a classroom teacher including team planning in Literacy, Mathematics, and Topic (Geography, History, Science and Design and Technology). Within my team, I closely monitored student progress through observation and assessment, work folder collation, reporting and parent/teacher conferences. My teaching methods have ensured that I regard each student as an individual. I do not expect a child to change so they fit the curriculum. It is more important to adapt the curriculum to the fit the needs of each child. I look forward to being a part of a new team in Italy where I can learn from my colleagues. For teachers, learning from colleagues is a huge part of broadening teaching styles and methods. Especially with international teaching, teachers move a lot between schools, so I am always able to learn from other experienced teachers who all have different backgrounds. Some of my most engaging lessons now come from teachers who have learned and taught in Australia and England.
I feel that the most important aspect for me as a future learner is to continue challenging myself and being enthusiastic about learning new methods. The internet is always available for research on lesson plans and tutorials, and I know that I have the willingness and interest to further my career. For me, I associate my continued learning to be a benefit for my students. I am a young teacher and it is important to remain up to date on new teaching methods in order to individualize and differentiate my teaching style and methods to my students’ needs. I look forward to the many new learning opportunities that wait for me in Italy and in my future.
By: Carley Hackney