As I stated last week, I haven't really had the opportunity to make progress on my goals because we are on summer break. So I will do my best in answering these questions.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
One of the most important things I have learned so far is the importance of understanding the learning needs of my students. For my students especially, being able to differentiate lessons in both learning styles and level of ability is central in their success. Remember, I will be teaching in an MD Special Ed program with 7-10 students at varying academic levels. I have learned that the students that I will have this upcoming year have previously been with a teacher that did little to build their skills, so structure, organization, and motivation are going to be essential to having a successful year. The chapter in our text that dealt with UDL and assistive technology are definitely going to be used in my classroom.
As for assessment, I believe that I will learn more about what to use and when as I gain experience. To begin with I expect to use mostly performance based assessments on students.
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
Along with my original goals, I know that I want to learn as much as possible about assistive technology. This falls under the NETS-T 2. Design Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Specifically, I want to develop my skills in (c.) customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
Basically, I am just adding a new goal and still working to make progress on my previous goals.
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
I can't really answer this question completely as of yet, because so much of what I will learn will be through experience and reflection. I do plan to reflect on lessons at a minimum of weekly and I have a spot for reflective notes on my daily lesson plans. I still plan to do some research and make use of networking with colleagues, support staff, mentors and classmates in education.
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5 comments:
Janice,
I also am on summer break and it is hard to evaluate my goals, but I’m trying to put myself in my shoes once school starts back up, maybe that will help you! Differentiating lessons can be so tough at times, but I think by you realizing how important it is to at least try to do so is great! I often try to differentiate but I always find myself reverting back to my old ways and wish that I could find a way to reach all of my students. I think that this is something that as a teacher we have to be conscious of and constantly work at.
Darcey Kondel
Hi Janice,I noticed in your review you mentioned that you would like to utilize assistive technology in your classroom. What kind of assistive devices are you planning to use to help meet your students learning needs?
Janice,
I agree that not having classes right now makes it somewhat difficult to determine if we have set the right goals and whether or not we need to change them. I believe once the school year starts then our ability to change and correct what we have worked on a set for ourselves will be easier. I like that you said differentiated learning styles need to meet all ability levels. If we do not meet to needs of our students first, we are failing them. Also the goal that you set for NETS-T2 is a great goal. Making sure that our students are digitally capable of creating projects in the tech savvy world is one of the goals all teachers should set. How would you create projects for your students? Also what if there was not a set assessment for the project, what would you do? Just a couple questions for you, keep up the great work!
Janice,
I agree that not having classes right now makes it somewhat difficult to determine if we have set the right goals and whether or not we need to change them. I believe once the school year starts then our ability to change and correct what we have worked on a set for ourselves will be easier. I like that you said differentiated learning styles need to meet all ability levels. If we do not meet to needs of our students first, we are failing them. Also the goal that you set for NETS-T2 is a great goal. Making sure that our students are digitally capable of creating projects in the tech savvy world is one of the goals all teachers should set. How would you create projects for your students? Also what if there was not a set assessment for the project, what would you do? Just a couple questions for you, keep up the great work!
As the new school year is upon us, I am slowly beginning to prepare for my first year of teaching.
I am not sure yet what devices I will need or use, but I will regularly be meeting with support staff to help guide me. I have one student that will use a lot of assitive technology, as she is non-verbal, but very, very bright. We will be using communication devices such as the Vantage to help students that struggle with verbal communication and I think that I might be using Kerzweil (sp?) as well. I am not sure what all is available for me to use, but I know from my long-term sub experience that the assistive technology staff is very accommodating to those teachers that want to learn.
I am not sure what kind of projects I will design for my students. As this is my first year and it is with Special Ed, I first need to know what skills my students possess and what academic level they are at. Simplicity is the key, especially at the beginning. I want to use technology to help students reach their IEP goals, motivate them and to build confidence. Assessing will be mostly based on simple rubrics or checklists and based on the process more so than the product.
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