Student Enhancement

Improvement is seen daily with my students because of the types of questions they ask throughout class time. My students are starting the relate concepts and skills and see the bigger picture. For those who are working towards the bigger picture, they are asking the appropriate questions to guide them to their discovery. Each day of the units that I plan, different concepts and skills are jotted down to go over and teach to my students. To have a successful lesson, it feels good to go back to my curriculum map, jot down a summary of how the lesson went, and how to piggy back from the day's lesson to move into the next skill/concept that I want to teach. I place written and oral assessments throughout my lessons in each unit. On the curriculum map I jot down the type of assessment I want to execute, and from the responses of my students, I can clearly tell who has learned and mastered the concepts, who needs more work, and who can take the concepts and relate them to their daily living. Each day the students are being assessed, whether it is listening, imitating, discussing, or a written assignment. Each following day I try to test the previous learned material by adding skills concepts that connect directly to what they have learned the day before. This way the previous concepts are kept fresh and I can continue to add on to my students' memory. Each day becomes a brand new learning experience.

Curriculum Mapping...

The curriculum mapping project has enhanced my thinking as an educator. If I can sit down and come up with the main criteria of what my students to learn, at any point in time I can go back and improve lessons and/or ideas because the base is already set. As each unit takes place, I can say that I see constant changes in my students. They become strong in certain areas, their weaknesses are brought out in others, and there will always be a lesson we have planned but does not go quite we way we pictured it going. With my curriculum map, I am able to move things around, and play of the success of my students. If I see the students enjoying a specific activity in one unit, I may change an activity in another unit to create the same positive atmosphere. The curriculum map also helps when it comes to cross curricular teaching. I can simply go to another teacher and ask what they may be teaching a particular week in their class. And from there they may be able to incorporate some of my objectives in their classroom as well. Curriculum maps bring alot of aspects together for the success of our students.

Teacher Improvement

Throughout this course I have strengthened my knowledge of academic content pedagogy. I believe that my teaching has improved because I have focused more on the needs of my students, and not so much the standards an curriculum of the state. I have built stronger rapport with my students, and because of my outreach my students enjoy class more, ask more questions, and are eager to participate in whatever the lesson may be. I make my rules and expectations clear at the beginning of the class for each assignment, and the students get right to work because they understand and looking forward to the finished product of what is being taught/learned. With each unit I give a pretest, whether oral or written, to see the progress (or lack thereof) of my students. With the pretest I am able to adjust my lessons to accommodate those students that need more help, and those students who need more of a challenge. Paying my students more attention and focusing on their strengths and weaknesses has allowed me to become more effective in my classroom. I am already thinking of ways to change my units for next year to adapt to the new possibilities.



Can a teacher ever stop learning? Can a teacher ever stop learning from his/her students? I know I don't!