PRINCIPLE #9: The teacher is reflective practitioner who
continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others
(students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who
actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
KNOWLEDGE
What
better way to stay abreast of the professional community and the developments
which further the practitioner’s knowledge bases than mailing lists. I am a firm believer that by receiving
current copies of the professional newsmagazines and journals a teacher can
continue to grow as a practitioner through the exchange of other ideas and
styles. In the home as well in the
school, current information needs to be constantly cycled through the students
access. Just as I receive current journals
targeted for my developmental level, so to do the students need to feel as if
where they go to school is where they also live. What is done, on wide generalities, in the
home, must certainly be modeled in the classroom. There are some types of newsmagazines which
must be circulated regularly through the classroom, to the point where the
students realize their importance and learn to be discerning buyers of
information. Through this type of ongoing exercise the students will begin to subconsciously reinforce their
critical thinking skills, decision making skills, and they will self-reflect on
the issue of what types of information really get them going. When considering a current events type of
assignment, I can’t think of one better suited to instill ownership of
knowledge into the learner than one modeled after the professional research I
do for myself.
As
for the methods by which I reflect upon my professionalism and practice of
craft, I can say only that they are a conglomeration of many experiences which
have affected my techniques. However, it
would be safe to infer that I consider myself to be one who is self-actualized,
one who is driven by a high sense of purpose, and one who has a firm commitment
to the future. I have beliefs which place the skills of self-directed learning
and critical thinking at the pinnacle of a hierarchy of important skills to
learn while each student is under my watch.
Through the examples set by myself, and hopefully my colleagues, the
students will learn to excel at being themselves, at learning, and at
life. They will obtain the necessary
models by which they can think it “cool” to act. Safely and with consciousness, with fortitude
and good humor, with seriousness for learning and a love for playing; all of these associations are important, in
my mind, for the formation of excellent learners and people. “Habits of mind . . .” is how it was once
described to me. As a teacher, it is my
duty to exemplify the very character from which productive, contributing, honest,
compassionate, tolerant, and fair examples exude. I must be cognizant of my surroundings and
how I am affecting them at that very moment.
This means that when it is journal writing time, I am concentrating on
writing in my journal, which the students can clearly observe me doing, and I
am corresponding with them through their own.
I am showing them how to sit in a theater, in an auditorium, and in a
lecture; how to get along with one another, and letting them decide which best
ways are optimum for each individual. I
am thinking of creative and engaging ways for my slowest learners to benefit
from the knowledge that the group shares.
I am slowly but steadily proceeding through the material, snipping a bit
here and pruning away some here, like
bonsai techniques involving the
practice of indulgent and calm shaping exercises. As I’ve walked in front of the board in the
classroom during my first grade experience in a Cleveland City school, I’ve had
to be aware that the procedure in the hallways is to walk with hands calmly
folded in back of them, at waist level.
And I’ve caught myself modeling that position, almost
subconsciously. And so I’ve come to
realize that as jail-like as some practices may seem, they are really much more
beneficial for the student population than a dozen or twenty different
programs, all striving to control, rather than guide.
The
community can provide a wonderful support structure for the dissemination of
information. A teacher is responsible,
by definition, to be able to call upon these resources in quick time, so as to
not completely lose the moment.
Additionally, it is a obligation of a teacher to share information with
colleagues and other members of the community, both at-large and school
domains. The teacher is a primary source
of feedback; it is up to the teacher to make that as positive as is necessary
to reach that individual learner.
Reality is a construct of one’s
imagination, it has been said;
“imagination” -- the word-- has roots leading back to the word “mage” -
one who uses magic to alter the perception of reality. Each person is his or her own “mage”. It is the responsibility of the teacher to
encourage all their images to grow and use their power to learn.
EXPERIENCE
Discussions
Skits
Creative
Writing Assignments
6B
Contracts
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