Leading Tomorrow's Leaders
During Student Teaching
I am in the business of teaching the leaders of tomorrow, and to do so I must be a good leader. The U.S. pedagogy for teaching places modeling high on the priority list meaning I must model how to be a good leader. I can't assure that students see a good model of leadership every year, but I work to be a good leader whenever I am with students. What makes a leader into a good leader you may ask? To which I would say, a good leader leads his followers based on what they need, not simply based on the leaders wants and needs. Thus as a teacher, I plan to lead according to what my students need most and according to what learning is about, not what teaching is about.
During Student Teaching, I managed to keep busy not only leading my students in their learning, but to also assist other math teachers around the country. The document below and to the left is titled Selecting Systems of Linear Equations that was written in collaboration by brother Samuel Otten and myself. This article is being published later this school year in an NCTM magazine's activities section. Throughout the writing process, I worked with Otten and with NCTM reviewers to make edits and improve the article. My work in creating and publishing this article shows my dedication in leading the teaching profession, collaboratively when possible (InTASC 10), and my engagement in meaningful and appropriate professional learning experiences that align with the needs of my students and my Algebra II classes of which I used this activity (InTASC 9).
While teaching, it often feels inefficient to only model problem solving methods to learners. I find it is often better for a teacher to step back, give the learners the steering wheel and guide them while they discover and learn new ideas themselves. Below and to the right is a lesson plan of which I demonstrate my ability to guide and formatively assess student-centered learning. In this lesson, about the laws of exponents, I align the learning goals within three steps that are scaffolded so that each student can succeed with minimal guidance from myself. Between each step I use plicker cards to assess whether the class is ready to move to the next step. This enables me to quickly and easily assess each part of the overall learning goal while using individual confidentiality to avoid bias (InTASC 6). The plicker cards also allow me to see any misconceptions that may arise so that I may address them before the lesson is completed and homework is assigned. Additionally, I am able to collect individually specific data on which students are struggling and which are excelling which I can use to plan future lessons (InTASC 7). With this evidence I feel confident in my ability to use technology to enhance and create high-quality teaching experiences for all.
While teaching, it often feels inefficient to only model problem solving methods to learners. I find it is often better for a teacher to step back, give the learners the steering wheel and guide them while they discover and learn new ideas themselves. Below and to the right is a lesson plan of which I demonstrate my ability to guide and formatively assess student-centered learning. In this lesson, about the laws of exponents, I align the learning goals within three steps that are scaffolded so that each student can succeed with minimal guidance from myself. Between each step I use plicker cards to assess whether the class is ready to move to the next step. This enables me to quickly and easily assess each part of the overall learning goal while using individual confidentiality to avoid bias (InTASC 6). The plicker cards also allow me to see any misconceptions that may arise so that I may address them before the lesson is completed and homework is assigned. Additionally, I am able to collect individually specific data on which students are struggling and which are excelling which I can use to plan future lessons (InTASC 7). With this evidence I feel confident in my ability to use technology to enhance and create high-quality teaching experiences for all.
InTASC Standards Addressed
Standard #6: Assessment
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
Standard #6: Assessment
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration