Diversity!
Throughout my master's program, I learned how to better teach mathematics as well as the fundamentals of being a school leader. While these were the focus areas as a result of my choice of study, a much bigger lesson was learned...the necessity to be ready for the diversity that occurs so naturally in education.
During this process, an unexpected skill was obtained...the ability to be a diverse learner. I found there were many topics covered that I did not forsee but that served as a valuable take-away from the program as a whole. Here are examples of just a few.
During this process, an unexpected skill was obtained...the ability to be a diverse learner. I found there were many topics covered that I did not forsee but that served as a valuable take-away from the program as a whole. Here are examples of just a few.
A high school math teacher can teach kindergarten; who knew?
I have to say that the most anticipated course of the entire program for me was Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners. I took this course as a requirement of obtaining my Michigan Professional Teaching Certificate. I had spoken to multiple colleagues who had taken this course through other institutions and heard horror stories of how much time was required and how useless it was. So, I entered it with very low expectations and dread. To my suprise, I walked away from this course with some of the most valuable learning of the entire program. Not only was Dr. Li very passionate about the topic of diverse literacy learners but also challenged us to make real connections with the assignments of the course. The first of which was an autobiography. Having taking this course towards the end of my program allowed for this particular assignment to be an opportunity to self-evaluate where I come from, who I am, and how I've gotten here! Next, I was asked to choose a student to write a biography based on their literacy learning. As a math teacher and an individual who does not consider reading as one of my strogest abilities, I was not eager to tackle this assignment. I chose my neighbor's daughter who has struggled with reading. Not only did this assignment give me the opportunity to look at this particular student's struggles with reading, but also compare and contrast with my own. The culminating assignment for this course was to teach a literacy lesson to an individual or small group of students. I was clueless initially but after much pondering I chose to teach a math vocabulary lesson to two kindergarten students; one of which was advanced and the other was an English as a second language learner. I have to say that this challenge was the most rewarding and influencial. I realized that real, meaningful learning happens at times when it is least expected.
So how about the other end of the spectrum?
Post-secondary education or leadership, what next?
I am happy being a classroom teacher, but I am not sure that I will spend the rest of my working years in this position. I see myself moving up the ladder; I'm just not sure where that ladder may lead. As a high school teacher, there are multiple ways that I affect the post-secondary education of my students. First is exposing them to the options out there. In my Learning Math with Technology course I created an analysis and breakdown of Michigan post-secondary insititutions. This information fed into my passion for math and interest in post-secondary education. This was a valuable piece of information when considering the possibility of pursuing a position as a college professor in the future. With those future options floating in my head, I decided to include Teaching in Postsecondary Education as part of my leadership concentration. One of the most valuable learning experiences of this course was to observe and interview a college instructor. As I look back on my experiences and interest in becoming a school leader, I have to ask myself, does being a woman impact my ability to be a leader or the type of leader I would be? My Case Studies in Educational Leadership course gave me an oportunity to ponder the idea of women in leadership and difference gender would make. Aditionally, this idea of being a leader and how to be most effective brought me to the most valuable learning of the program and that was the discovery of Choice Theory. It has impacted my teaching and personal life more than I can begin to describe. So many others struggle to understand what Choice Theory is and how to use it in day to day life that as part of my Psychology of Classroom Discipline course I created a user friendly guide to explain Choice Theory vs. external control.
Autobiographical Sketch.pdf | |
File Size: | 86 kb |
File Type: |
Biography of a Literacy Learner.pdf | |
File Size: | 159 kb |
File Type: |
Literacy Lesson Plan Kindergarten Vocabulary.pdf | |
File Size: | 131 kb |
File Type: |
Michigan Post-Secondary Education Analysis.pdf | |
File Size: | 598 kb |
File Type: |
Observation and Interview Assignment.pdf | |
File Size: | 108 kb |
File Type: |
Women in Leadership.pdf | |
File Size: | 185 kb |
File Type: |
External Control vs. Choice Theory | |
File Size: | 5470 kb |
File Type: | ppt |