Reflective Analysis (10/26):
Looking back at this journal entry, I can see how I aimed to model resilience. When the hurricane hit our community, thousands of families lost power or were driven out of their homes by flooding, putting inordinate burden and stress on many students. I believe that one of my roles as a teacher is to demonstrate the tenacity, perseverance, and flexibility that it takes to succeed in the face of adversity. With the support of positive mentors, young people can learn to transcend barriers and weather challenges to become achieving young adults. Positive relationships compassionate role models are powerful tools to teach resiliency and I worked to cultivate caring relationships with students by asking about their experiences with the storm and by listening to them share stories. This type of non-judgmental active listening is essential to the foundation of successful mentorship. Additionally, these sympathetic discussions with students are evidence of Danielson’s second domain, The Classroom Environment, specifically, 2.a. Creating an environment of respect and rapport. This mutual interest and consideration functions to foster reciprocal respect that positively impacts student learning.
Understanding that most students weren’t prepared to take the test which was scheduled for that class day, in light of the extenuating circumstances created by the hurricane, is evidence of the second component of Danielson’s first domain, 1b. Demonstrating knowledge of students in Planning and Preparation. When I looked around the room, I could see that students seemed especially tired and many didn’t have their book bags or other usual supplies with them. I heard stories from students about staying with friends and family because of flooding, power outages, and contaminated water. Teens who feel like they have a compassionate adult to advocate for them and listen to them will have strengthened social and emotional core competencies (SEL) and can learn to overcome difficulties. Anticipating students’ needs and informally assessing the readiness of students at the start of first block, led me to believe that an adjustment to the lesson plan was necessary.
Designing and implementing a lesson activity to replace the scheduled traditional grammar assessment, which worked within the same lesson objectives to scaffold an upcoming authentic assessment, demonstrated evidence of my improving flexibility and responsiveness within Danielson’s third domain, Instructional Delivery. When I adjusted the lesson, without compromising the long-term objective or expectations of students’ engagement with the content, teaching was sensitive to the actual situation of each learner. Students seemed uplifted and eager to engage in this alternate lesson activity!
I’ve learned from this experience that being responsive to student issues helps to build trust and genuine friendship with students. Usually, I struggle with changing my lesson plans, even when that’s the most sensible choice at the time, but this experience has assured me of the palpable benefits of adjusting lessons to meet the students’ needs at the time. As a result of this learning, I’ve set a goal for myself to find opportunities to reconsider lesson plans and schedules for change. It’s my hope that I become a more responsive and flexible teacher who’s able to flow with the dynamic needs of students, to capitalize on opportune moments for learning, and to negotiate timing and arrangement of objectives to reflect actual circumstances which impact our school and community.
Looking back at this journal entry, I can see how I aimed to model resilience. When the hurricane hit our community, thousands of families lost power or were driven out of their homes by flooding, putting inordinate burden and stress on many students. I believe that one of my roles as a teacher is to demonstrate the tenacity, perseverance, and flexibility that it takes to succeed in the face of adversity. With the support of positive mentors, young people can learn to transcend barriers and weather challenges to become achieving young adults. Positive relationships compassionate role models are powerful tools to teach resiliency and I worked to cultivate caring relationships with students by asking about their experiences with the storm and by listening to them share stories. This type of non-judgmental active listening is essential to the foundation of successful mentorship. Additionally, these sympathetic discussions with students are evidence of Danielson’s second domain, The Classroom Environment, specifically, 2.a. Creating an environment of respect and rapport. This mutual interest and consideration functions to foster reciprocal respect that positively impacts student learning.
Understanding that most students weren’t prepared to take the test which was scheduled for that class day, in light of the extenuating circumstances created by the hurricane, is evidence of the second component of Danielson’s first domain, 1b. Demonstrating knowledge of students in Planning and Preparation. When I looked around the room, I could see that students seemed especially tired and many didn’t have their book bags or other usual supplies with them. I heard stories from students about staying with friends and family because of flooding, power outages, and contaminated water. Teens who feel like they have a compassionate adult to advocate for them and listen to them will have strengthened social and emotional core competencies (SEL) and can learn to overcome difficulties. Anticipating students’ needs and informally assessing the readiness of students at the start of first block, led me to believe that an adjustment to the lesson plan was necessary.
Designing and implementing a lesson activity to replace the scheduled traditional grammar assessment, which worked within the same lesson objectives to scaffold an upcoming authentic assessment, demonstrated evidence of my improving flexibility and responsiveness within Danielson’s third domain, Instructional Delivery. When I adjusted the lesson, without compromising the long-term objective or expectations of students’ engagement with the content, teaching was sensitive to the actual situation of each learner. Students seemed uplifted and eager to engage in this alternate lesson activity!
I’ve learned from this experience that being responsive to student issues helps to build trust and genuine friendship with students. Usually, I struggle with changing my lesson plans, even when that’s the most sensible choice at the time, but this experience has assured me of the palpable benefits of adjusting lessons to meet the students’ needs at the time. As a result of this learning, I’ve set a goal for myself to find opportunities to reconsider lesson plans and schedules for change. It’s my hope that I become a more responsive and flexible teacher who’s able to flow with the dynamic needs of students, to capitalize on opportune moments for learning, and to negotiate timing and arrangement of objectives to reflect actual circumstances which impact our school and community.