Week 2: What role does professional satisfaction play in the effectiveness of a classroom?1/27/2017 This week, we were challenged to think about our "mighty purpose" in the classroom. When I hear that, the first thing that comes to mind is from when I did my special education student teaching. My mentor said over and over again, "All kids can learn, just maybe not in the same day or way." This has stuck with me throughout my career and has been my slogan as a teacher. I think sometimes with the day to day routines, it can be easy to just go with the flow and forget about the inspiration that makes me love teaching. I think often about how all kids can learn, but I think that a “mighty purpose” may go deeper than that. Professional satisfaction plays into that “mighty purpose” and keeps us going for effectiveness in the classroom. In his book Teach like a pirate: increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator (2012), Dave Burgess challenges the reader by asking them “Do you want to be great?” It is a question that many people struggle with. Teachers are often hesitant to say that they want to be great, but Burgess (2012) says to teachers that “Your greatness only enhances the opportunities and possibilities for others. By being great, you are raising the bar and providing a model for others to emulate. Being your best possible self contributes to the school culture necessary to create the environment for greatness to flourish” (145-146). In our pursuit of greatness in teaching, we need to find our “mighty purpose.” What else would keep us going in this pursuit? This “mighty purpose” that Dave Burgess speaks about is something that brings us joy and has such a high calling that other things cannot drag us down. This question has really made me think about what keeps me going and what my “mighty purpose” is. An article called “Great Teachers Don’t Teach” by Ben Johnson talks about how inspiring students and letting them take the driver’s seat allows for experiences they will remember. Giving students authentic learning experiences and skills they will remember is a mighty purpose to have. Allowing them to explore and see them light up is inspiration for any teacher and the students will want to come back to school. An example of this is in the form of inquiry based. A video from Edutopia in 2015 follows a school in Colorado that school is inquiry based, so the students are asking questions that drive the direction of their learning. The teacher’s guide them through the curriculum and know the general results the students should come to, but they let the students learn for themselves. An example of what this school does is allowing the students to create their own paint in art class. This is not only bringing in the topic of science, but it is also using math for measurement. The students have to problem solve if the texture is not correct or if the color they got is not what they wanted. Part of this inquiry process is teaching the students to ask questions that are appropriate and also teaching them to think deeper about problems. Allowing ourselves as teachers to take the leap and pursue our mighty purpose towards greatness will not only be beneficial to the students, but to ourselves and other teachers. Greatness in teaching is not something that only one teacher can have, all teachers can be great. This is an attribute to strive toward because our students will be getting all of what we can give them. Helping each other achieve this creates a community that is centered around and geared towards educating the children in the best way possible. As a special education teacher, I share all of my students with other teachers. I think that my "mighty purpose" is to educate them in a way that creates lasting experiences. Knowing that not all students "learn in the same way or in the same day." I think that through collaboration with the general education teachers, I can use my time with them not only to reach their IEP goals, but do it in a meaningful way that connects with the rest of their educational experience. In the past, I have been nervous to achieve greatness. This may come from the part of myself that is scared to fail, but Burgess says that, "self-defeating attitude and lack of self-confidence destroys all forward progress. You can’t grow, advance, and move forward without repeatedly stumbling and falling on your face" (p. 182). He says that starting can be the most difficult part of becoming great. Even though it is difficult because I don't have students for a long period of time, I can make their learning meaningful and by doing this it completes a circle of professional satisfaction which then motivates my effectiveness in my own classroom. Resources: Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate: increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Edutopia. (2015, December 16). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAYh4nWUkU0 Johnson, B. (2013, June 28). Great Teachers Don't Teach. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/great-teachers-do-not-teach-ben-johnson
2 Comments
Natalie
1/28/2017 09:43:18 am
The inquiry based video from Edutopia was was so interesting and fun to watch! The students were engaged in their experiments by asking questions and trying to solve problems. I like that the inquiry model is learning through an experimental process. The students weren't stuck on "right" or "wrong" but through observation and trial/error.
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Sarah Kitzan
1/29/2017 10:13:15 pm
Andrea,
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