Reflection and Development Competence
Never stop learning,
even if you are a teacher,
you never stop being a student.
My Vision
Reflection on one's actions in the sense of lifelong learning contributes to the further development of one's professionalism. Constant reflection of your strengths and weaknesses and understanding how your behavior affects others is necessary to grow and improve. Through the feedback of students and colleagues, you can be supported in this task and often become aware of factors you could not see beforehand.
"Self-monitoring is useful for determining how all your behaviors contribute to how you manage your class.
There will always be areas of your practice and relationships that need to be adjusted, enhanced, and improved." (Cremin, & Burnett, 2018)
It is important to reflect on your behavior regularly. Teachers can, if they are seen as admirable, become role models, and therefore influence the student's behavior. Bandura's observational learning theory states the effect these role models can have on children's behavior and development. It is therefore important to constantly reflect on your behavior as it can also affect children negatively.
(Shepherd, & Linn, 2015)
Self-evaluation
During teaching practice, I set myself various goals and realized the importance of reflecting on them. I often used similar goals with different approaches as I recognized that the first approach might not have been efficient enough. I learned to value these personal reflections and their importance to develop further. When observing other student-teachers or my mentor teacher I was able to see new effective methods and strategies but was also able to give them feedback on aspects they had not noticed before.
ITEps helped me in this development by asking us to do assignments like the "Me as a dream teacher" presentation and report letting us express our own personal identity and our objectives and goals as a teacher.
In math, we were asked to reflect on our overall numeracy development during this first year at ITEps. This helped me realize how much I grew during this year and summarize the knowledge I gained during various assignments.
(Year 1)
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During my second year, I was able to improve my reflection and development competency by doing a short internship at Kokon- a rehabilitation center for young children and young adults. I was able to develop further by learning more about children with different needs through conversations with psychologists and doctors at the center and by supporting the children in the on-site primary school and during group occupational, speech, and music therapy sessions.
Additionally, I was able to create a tool centered around the different mathematics needs of the students in my school and in a school of another peer. I did so by reflecting on observations and research.
In order to create a tool that supports teachers in becoming aware of their own gender bias, I had to first reflect on my own behavior and my own possible reasons for these stereotypes. This helped me develop further as a teacher and as a role model.
During my teaching practice, I was able to reflect on my teaching and noticed that I need to work on creating good endings to lessons that are not too abrupt. Thus, this became my goal for the following lessons and through research I did I was able to find and apply different good closing activities.
(Year 2)
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Feedback
"In my 7 years of teaching, rarely have I come across a student-teacher as easy-going and eager to challenge herself as Ms. Julia. Whenever she was presented with a chance to teach a lesson, you would never know if you were putting her out of her comfort zone, because she always took on any challenge with the same readiness and enthusiasm as if it were her favorite subject. Another set of strengths was her charming humility yet cool confidence. If a suggestion was ever given to her, she accepted it with sincere appreciation. But when it came to things like classroom management, she had a natural command and a definite grasp on behavioral psychology. Very thankful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such a special educator."
- Waleska Heredia (Classroom teacher Year 1)
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Julia is very reflective. She is aware of her own strengths and also recognizes areas in which she can create even more potential. In addition, she is open to criticism, accepts suggestions very well and implements them promptly. For example, we were able to determine that she should improve her time management.
She took this as an opportunity to define her upcoming goals in this regard.
- Astrid Mitschka (Classroom mentor teacher Year 2)
Self-evaluation and Feedback
Personal Development Goal 1 - Year 1
Personal Development Goal 2 - Year 2
Evidence- workshop about child abuse
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I used the opportunity my school offered me for my personal development.
I attended a workshop learning about different types of abuse of children, their symptoms, and how we as teachers should react.
This is an important topic I did not learn in my prior education and was lacking knowledge.
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Year 1 (PYP school)
Evidence- workshop Marte Meo
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I attended a workshop educating me about Marte Meo a method of educational counseling.
I heard about this counseling method and was surprised by the new strategies I learned and applied some of this new knowledge in my teaching practice.
Evidence-Diploma thesis: sexual abuse of children age 3-6
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During my final year of college for nursery education, I interviewed Dr. Fried, Michaela: Specialist in pediatrics and child psychiatry, psychotherapist and Mag. a Bischof-Brünner, Gabriele: Child protection team - Möwe and psychotherapist, and did further research writing my diploma thesis about sexual abuse of children age 3-6.
Because of the knowledge I received from interviews I took and research I did, I was able to react appropriately and knew which steps to take next when I was confronted with a situation when a child reached out to me about physical abuse at home.
Evidence- Tool ReflectRethink Challenge your own Gender Bias
Together with two peers I created Reflect – Rethink: Challenge your gender bias, a professional development programme for teachers in International Baccalaureate PYP international schools. It is based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Goal 5: Gender Equality.
The main objective of this programme is to support teachers to become more aware of their behaviour regarding gender stereotypes, and in turn foster a gender-equitable learning environment in their classrooms.
The programme is structured into 4 weeks. Each week focuses on one aspect of gender stereotypes. The workshop session at the beginning of each week will include a PowerPoint, an interactive activity amongst the teachers, and a challenge for the week. In addition, teachers will receive a poster that can be put up in the staff room, as a reminder of the information from the PowerPoint. At the end of the week, the teachers will be provided with a few questions to reflect on their experiences.
In order to help remind the teachers to challenge their gender bias, this tool includes additional materials that can be used throughout the year and the years thereafter.
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Reflection and further development is the main goal of this tool. In order to create the tool we first had to think about how adults work best, and to so we had to reflect on how we learn best and what motivates us. In addition, creating this tool required us to reflect on our own gender bias the impact it can have on children.
Moving forward in my teaching career I want to keep falling back on this tool reminding myself and constantly reflecting on my behaviour in the classroom. This will help me and already supported me in becoming a more inclusive teacher.
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Year 2
Evidence: Justification for the second consecutive math lesson
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I was able to use the feedback provided and my own observation during the first math lesson to justify changes to the second lesson.
I was able to reflect on the mistakes I made and notice methods to better the learning atmosphere, possibilities of student contribution, and outcome of the second lesson.
I used methods described in the "Talk Moves - Teacher's guide" and "Elementary and Middle School - Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally" books and the KLM method used in my teaching practice school.
To improve my personal development goals I need to work on choosing goals relating to my weaknesses, to use it as an opportunity to develop further.
I will keep attending further conferences and workshops educating me about adjusted and different pedagogical approaches.
I need to become better at making sure to end every lesson with a short reflection time about what the children learned and still wonder about. I want to use this to reflect on the learning outcomes of my lesson.
During my last teaching practice, my mentor teacher often gave me short and positive feedback but to make sure that during my next teaching practice I get feedback centered on what I can improve I want to create and use feedback forms with clear instructions for constructive feedback.
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(Year 1)
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My goal for next year is to continue to learn about teaching students with different needs through my own research, my next teaching practice experiences and hopefully during my year 4 elective inclusive education.
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In addition, I would like to take different opportunities for personal development and growth and use this to reflect on past actions to see what I can improve. I will look for opportunities offered online and in my studies or by my teaching practice school.
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I want to keep researching and observing different reflection strategies for students and apply at the end of each lesson during my next teaching practice. This will allow students to see the importance of their own learning process and will help me reflect on my teaching strategies and context.
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(Year 2)
Further Development
My Math Development
What I learned, in the classroom, working on assignments and during teaching practice and where I still need to develop further:
Knowledge of content and teaching
In class, I was introduced to the knowledge of content and teaching. I was able to observe talk moves methods being used by our lecturers, long before they were introduced to us. Engaging us in discussions and letting us share our own invented strategies. We were asked to display them using semi-concrete learning tactics. For example, when demonstrating re-grouping. During my second year, I want to find out about different manipulatives and when to move from one model to the next oft the iceberg model and how to differentiate the material based on the needs of the students.
I did not know smart math strategies before coming to ITEps, but it helped me gain a better number sense. During next year I hope to learn when it would be the best time to introduce these. I want students to be able to see the number of relationships and become flexible in using and seeing these numbers and concepts.
Common content knowledge
I am now much more confident about my common content knowledge and feel more prepared in using the math I teach and feel better prepared for the upcoming exam especially after being introduced to smart math, especially through the support lessons and studying for the oral exam, I was able to make connections between the different content.
Knowledge at the mathematical horizon
Working on the math on the streets assignment I gained knowledge at the mathematical Horizon and knowledge of content and students. Researching where ideas come from and how different it is taught in different countries.
As I will see these different methods as an international teacher, I set my personal goal to learn more about these strategies. I want to learn to find the best methods for children as a group or individual also depending on the abilities of the children to help the children move forward within their zone of proximal development.
In my TP school, I focused during the first 3 weeks on supporting a child with dyscalculia. I learned to use manipulatives and taught her one on one based on her speed. I worry about how I would have been able to do so when only I have to teach the entire class?
Knowledge of Curriculum
Writing my math justification, helped me gain Knowledge of Curriculum. Based on the time of the year and curriculum of my PYP-TP school, I was asked to teach a specific topic. I gathered information from many different sources including the schoolbooks online sources and methods I observed in my PYP school. I still need to research and gain experience in teaching in a different school with different curriculums, what topics to introduce in which grade and in which order, learn how the different curriculums vary, and stay flexible based on the students’ needs.
Specialized content knowledge
Creating numeracy cases I was able to practice my specialized content knowledge. I was able to notice many real-life math problems and making connections not only to my life but also to the life's of the others. This helped me but will also help the students realize that math is needed everywhere in our daily life in areas other than teaching mathematic. I still want to improve writing and thinking of cases related to the student’s life’s so they can practice their problem-solving skills.
Knowledge of content and teaching - Knowledge of content and students
During teaching practice, I was able to practice my knowledge of content and teaching but for the first time see and understand the importance of knowledge of content and students.
I noticed misconceptions and errors during my TP in Germany. I was confronted with an issue handing out worksheets using decimal points instead of decimal commas. I explained to the children why I made this mistake and that math might look different in other countries.
I want to learn how to link Math to English, possibly through word problems, how to link it to PE, maybe to demonstrate jump strategies.
I created lessons that allow students to share their background knowledge and research and investigate the content. I practiced Talk Moves strategies, worked on the ability to “hear” students’ ideas, and use it as a teaching source and gained more confidence in teaching math lessons.
A SMART goal till the end of next year’s teaching practice is work on, introducing, and practicing talk moves methods and creating an environment that allows students to take ownership of their learning. I want them to formulate their own definitions based on their investigations and provide the students opportunities to listen to other students’ ideas and learn how to reason their opinion.
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Bibliography
Keenan, T., Evans, S., & Crowley, K. (2016). An introduction to child development. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Nunez, C. (2018). Intercultural sensitivity: From denial to intercultural competence. Assen: Koninklijke Van Gorcum.
Cremin, T., & Burnett, C. (2018). Learning to teach in the primary school. London: Routledge.