I have had the interest to become an elementary teacher for
a number of years.
But, I always thought
about how and when will be the right moment to do it.
I was also somehow scared of the change of
profession.
Even though teaching had
been part of my public health career, I often wondered if
becoming a teacher would be the right thing for me to do
. Throughout
the years my husband kept telling me,
you
would be a great teacher. You have to
give it a try!
I am now in the process to become a teacher. And, I realized that I responded to my husband’s
high expectations. Someone meaningful in
my life believed in my capacity and talent.
So, I started to believe that yes, I would be a teacher, a great
teacher.
The learning curve has been quite steep for me. Learning a new subject in the digital age has
been intense. But, learning about all the new learning
frameworks has been fascinating. So far
I am enjoying the ride to becoming a teacher. I know I can do it.
Developing high expectations in the classroom should ideally
be part of a comprehensive approach to learning.
With this comprehensive approach, policy
makers, school districts, teachers and parents would take responsibility for a synchronized
response.
As we have studied in previous
modules, education is pulled in several directions.
This leaves the teachers often alone in their
effort to find the best way to provide an exciting learning experience at the
same time that he or she is accountable for all state, district and school
regulations.
Yes, I will be the ultimate person responsible for
developing a positive relationship with my students, creating high expectations
and providing an exciting curriculum in my classroom. As I am learning about developing high
expectations I cannot stop thinking about high expectations for teachers. How would I be able to provide mentorship in
an area that I may need to improve?
The following is a list of strategies that will help me to
develop high expectations when I am in charge of a classroom. I will start by defining what do I mean by
high expectations and why it is important.
High expectations
are a list of academic and behavioral standards I would like to see in my students,
under the assumption that each student has the capacity to succeed in my
classroom.
Developing high
expectation in my classroom is my pledge to see each individual as a
successful learner. I must give him or
her the necessary resources and tools to realize his or her potential despite of
his or her gender, social, economic, or ethnical background. My ultimate goal must be to provide a life-long
learning experience to each of my learners.
Strategies to develop
high expectations will be mentioned for both academic and behavior
standards. The following is a mixed list of strategies that I consider
important in the development of high standards in the classroom.
- Develop high standards from the first day of
school:
- Rules and procedures,
- Consequences,
- For both academics and behaviors
- Provide verbal and non-verbal reinforcement
throughout the school year:
- Display a list of desire outcomes in a place
where they are visible and accessible, e.g. walls, communication books and
desks,
- Model the desire outcome. Kids will learn from observing,
- Explain rules, procedures and high standards off
an on,
- Tell students you are proud of their effort and
their accomplishments so that they develop pride on their work
- Organize curriculum to develop including academic
and behavior standards:
- Keep in mind high standards while creating
rubrics,
- Write concrete goals and objectives for the day
on the whiteboard. Students will know what they are supposed to accomplish and
how,
- Include assignments and assessments that promote
high standards,
- Leave appropriate space for clarifications,
assignments or assessments.
- Organize classroom to promote productivity:
- Organize desk, so all students can see
instructor,
- Having neat and appropriate areas to work and
concentrate can give a powerful message to students.
- Provide timely, appropriate and meaningful
feedback:
- Being proactive when students are misbehaving is
a way to tell students that they are not following the standards they are
supposed to follow,
- This can be done in a verbal or non-verbal
manner depending on the situation,
- Allowing students to analyze the situation and
provide recommendations of their own can be a powerful way to engage students
in following high expectations,
- Including other educators or school staff to
validate or provide an input to a situation is beneficial for the student and
the instructor.
- Reframe failure
as a positive part of learning:
- It is important for the student’s learning
process to not be afraid of making mistakes.
This will allow students to freely explore and use their creativity to
learn.
- Inform and engage parents:
- The parental involvement is key for the
student’s success,
- Parents can be informed of student’s high
expectations in report meetings or via e-mail at the beginning and end of each
unit,
- Communication books are also a good way to
convey high expectations to parents.
- Promote students’ personal goals:
- Students also have expectations when they come
to school. Exploring the students’
interest and aspirations will give students self-motivation to learn and
grow.
The learning process
is not static.
It is dynamic.
From this perspective, it is important for
teachers to frequently evaluate what is working and what is not.
Students are also very different from each
other.
Each of them will bring a
different set of experiences and preconceptions.
It is in the teacher’s best interest not to
assume that the same strategy will work for all.
I hope I am successful in developing high
expectations in my classroom when I finally become a teacher.
The above list is a good start, which I hope
to follow.
REFLECTING ON OUR GROUP WORK - GOOGLE PRESENTATION ON HIGH EXPECTATIONS:
Working in groups in this program has its ups and downs. It all depends on the group members. If you have responsive and reliable group members, the assignment will meet the learning objectives. And, this will be a satisfying experience. On the other hand, if the group members are not responsive and reliable you may end up having a more difficult and challenging experience. This can interfere not only with the learning process; but, this may also create resentment among the group members.
While I understand the purpose of working in groups, I struggle with the practicality of it. I know that ideally, you will practice your communication skills. You will collaborate to find creative and innovative solutions to a challenge. You will learn from each other. And in this process, you will develop a sense of camaraderie and friendship among team member. But, what happens when these conditions are absence or only partially present in your group? How can groups in a virtual setting work so all members are responsive and reliable? And, how are the student who do complete the tasks is not penalize in the process, and when this does happen, what recourse do these students have?
In our previous module, we were introduced to a Peer Review Form. This form was not required to be submitted. It was an optional, but powerful tool to provide appropriate feedback in a safe environment for team members. I wish this form could be applied across all modules when working in groups. It can provide a better sense of individual grading when working in groups. I also wish online programs had a channel for instructors to communicate on individual and group performance. Sharing this kind of informations can be useful for instructors to know their students and the group interactions.
Our group completed each section of the rubric with plenty of details. Despite different personal situations, two group members were responsive and committed to make sure the tasks were completed with high expectations. Despite being in the hospital and in different time zones, I felt that communication was fluid, open and consistent, all of that during Thanksgiving preparations! I learned a lot from this assignment, including managing my own expectations.
References:
