Professionalizing Teaching During
Teacher Assisting
So many education reforms have centered on a main goal of professionalizing teachers and making teachers better. I believe rather than focusing on teachers being good or bad, we need to focus on professionalizing the act of teaching. We should make sure everyone in the profession of teaching agrees that teaching consists of collaboration, coherence, and most importantly, centered around student learning. To some of us these characteristics of teaching seem obvious, but throughout grade school I was not taught this way and I have observed teachers today not teaching with these characteristics in mind.
Below is a link to a group activity I created where students discover their walking rate. This allows a great learning experience where the students are allowed to get out of their seats and discover what it means to have a constant walking rate and how distance traveled depends on time. This activity has worked well for me, and now that I understand more about using group labs I can make sure the activity will work even better next time. Additionally, I have some exit slips from students from the lesson the day after the walking rate lab. It shows that the students have learned how to use the rate to find different kinds of information. They are basically using an equation (Distance = Rate x Time) in their heads without knowing they are using the equation. The next lesson the students learned how to write out an equation, or essentially, write down what they are already doing. As you can see there is some coherence to these lessons and connections to be made between making equations and finding your own walking rate.
INTASC Standards Addressed
Standard #1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Standard#2:The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.
Standard #1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Standard#2:The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.