Standard 1
Educators value and care for all students and act in their best interests.
As a teacher you are in the lives of students almost as much if not more than their parents or primary care givers. As a result of this you become an important role model for the youth, whether you realise it or not. Bearing this responsibility, I believe that this standard speaks to the power you hold in the lives of students and the position you must take to preserve, respect and ultimately focus on the improvement of the student in all aspects of their life and character. I find this standard to really focus on helping the student in the class room as well as helping them prepare for and deal with the problems that may arise outside of the classroom.
A teacher is a mentor, a confidante, a mediator and a guide if they choose to be, along with being an educator, person of authority and bearer of knowledge. This standard ultimately encompasses this spectrum of roles within a single framework and outlines the overall boundaries that teachers find themselves within so as not to exploit, harm or likewise compromise the students, with intention or otherwise.
I have been guided and supported by teachers fulfilling and excelling at this standard, and most distinctly recall this occurring at some of the most difficult times of my adolescence. When I was being bullied they were available to talk, to listen and to provide support, sometimes silently as I struggled with finding my place in the school society. When the bullying turned physical they provided a safe refuse for me both during the school hours and after school, so as not to allow a confrontation outside of the school. These were difficult times for me as a youth but I do recall that the teachers at my school were supportive and caring. Similarly, the door was always open to approach a teacher about any topic, or to allow for inane chatter that passed the time, or even to sit in their classroom in silence, just to be alone. This all sounds very dark and like it was not the best experience to undergo, but I can safely say that without the support of these teachers and without their unwavering support I would not be the person that I am today.
I would like to think that in my future endeavors as a teacher, as a coach and as a responsible adult I would be able to offer to students the same support and caring that was so openly shown to me as I meandered through school. There are obviously distinct examples of teachers that we all call upon when asked about someone that made a difference to our lives and I would hope that I could be that difference to at least one student. My door will always be open and I will always be cognisant of those who may be struggling. I hope to provide for my students what was so gratefully afforded to me, and do so with only their best interests and health, safety and wellbeing in mind.
Standard 2
Educators are role models who act ethically and honestly.
Standard 2 is as much about keeping private lives private as it is about being honest, professional and keeping the best interests of the students in mind at all times. It is almost an innate thing for students to want to know what they are denied access to, sometimes simple things such as your name, your age and whether you are married or not. I know in England it was a rare thing to discover the first name of a teacher, and as a result there were a lot of rumours and guesses. Revealing something as trivial as a name is hardly portraying you in a bad light but it does indicate that if students are willing to question, guess, discover and talk about that, then they are more than likely to take any other piece of information, which may be more personal or used more detrimentally, and treat it as a nugget of information for them to play with. Therefore, it is up to us as teachers to know the line between what is okay and what is not, and to be able to handle any situation that may arise with dignity and with a good sense of character.
The use of social networking is one obvious example of this, as has been covered in earlier responses, and I believe that as a teacher, and as a professional adult, it is important to monitor, filter and keep out of public domains anything that you would not want your students to see, know or spread around. However, the standard also encompasses things such as keeping your cool as a coach, not using profane language and being level headed and not overly emotional when faced with problems or disputes.
It is admirable to be a person that students can see as a confidante that they can talk to, and it is important to make a connection with students on a level other than authority figure and dictator of information but it is also critical that in striving for this you do not sacrifice your professional persona and become the class clown. As Alex experienced, students will know when a connection is not a cemented example of teacher-student relationship and try to use it but I imagine this would not have happened had Alex been presented as a teacher and not a “coach” or “student teacher.” There is a certain no-go area that exists with teachers and I think standard 2 is a reminder that this first wall of security is present and that from there I am responsible for the protection of myself, my information and my life.
I will strive to be a role model for my students and if that means revealing information about my life or experiences I have had then I am more than willing to share, but I intend to monitor what information is publicized and only present that which is relevant. I want to have a relationship with the students such as the one that existed with Nikki and her teacher, but I know that this is something that comes with time and experience. I want to be a figure of authority at the front of the classroom and I believe that the first critical years of my career are the time to become comfortable with this, rather than be the “cool” “awesome” teacher that is more student than teacher. Building my integrity is going to almost as difficult as maintaining it, but as a professional it has to be achieved. My plan for this, as James commented is to be prepared mentally and physically and to present to the students, other teachers and parents a sophisticated adult who is ready, capable and honoured to take the students and help shape them in to adults themselves.
Standard 3
Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.
It is crucial that as educators who spend so much time with students we are aware of and cognisant of the appropriate behavioural stages that the students should be progressing through. If we are not aware of this we will be oblivious when a student begins to struggle, or is no longer meeting all development indicators that could signal a problem. In ED-D 406 we learned about the stages of development, and for the PE Ed students this was a recap of the information learned in Motor Development.
One of the things that should be stressed about developmental stages is that regardless of the fact that adolescents WILL go through these stages the timing is approximate and each and every youth will reach these levels differently. What is important for teachers to recognize is the warning signs, both physically and mentally, that might spell something greater. Being able to notice these and approach the appropriate staff and parents could help a student get back on track or seek suitable assistance.
Another key part of this standard is the understanding of differences and special needs. It would be silly of us to believe that we would never have a student in our class who has special needs of some kind. I believe that this would be a time to be embraced because it will stretch your boundaries when you have to adapt projects and assignments to the needs of everyone in the class as the same time. I think that this is not something to be afraid of although it may be daunting. I believe that having an abundance of difference in the classroom will help all of the students develop a better sense of self and their position in the social community of the school.
In my Grade 11 PE class there was a boy who was developmentally behind the rest of the class. He had a full time teaching assistant who came to class with him but she did not take part in the class, and when we had to partner up for drills and warm up the rest of the class usually moved away from Paul. I was one of only 3 girls in the class and the other 2 always paired up, so often I ended up partnered with Paul. I know that I felt disappointed at the time, but I realise that in fact this was beneficial for me. It helped me to improve my patience, not care so much about winning and to do the drill in the simplest of forms so that I was getting the most out of it rather than trying to go from step A - Z before I was ready.
I volunteer with the Special Olympics in Victoria and I coach floor hockey and track and field for them. Due to this immersion in the world of developmental difficulty and adapted sports I have been able to develop my skills as a coach when normal or regular coaching styles will not have the desired effect. This has made me realise that often all that is required is more one on one assistance or sometimes simply encouragement and affirmation that they are doing the right, and when this happens their achievement drastically increases. Dealing with developmental delay and special needs can be challenging but it is also highly rewarding.
As a result of these experiences as a student and as a coach I am comfortable in saying that as a teacher I will be able to observe students and monitor their development and behaviour, and report any discrepancies to the appropriate staff. As it is one of my ultimate goals as a teacher, I will also use this knowledge to develop the students as rounded, caring and open individuals who can also adapt to and feel comfortable in situations that are outside of their usual comfort zone, such as when doing PE with someone who has a special need.
Standard 4
Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.
As an educator it is important to stay connected to the parents of the students we are responsible for. This could be where we learn vital information about matters that are affecting the student, good or bad, and it is also a connection through which we can be kept appraised of things that are and are not working for the student in the classroom. I have been lead to believe that dealing with parents can be difficult because although they want what is best for their children, they do not always understand the processes and steps that must be taken by a teacher to ensure the success of ALL students. However, I value the fact that a parent has insider information about what makes their child tick, what could be potential problems and how best to deal with them.
Beyond parents there are also family connections and therefore keeping the extended family connected can be a valuable tool. I think that it would be important to provide opportunities for families to connect with the school and the work being done by the students, for example with presentations to the communities and open nights where the work of the students is on display for their families, friends and community. In my experience this was a good way for students to take responsibility for their work and for them to feel a sense of pride in the work that they accomplished.
Education does not just occur within the walls of the school, and it would be silly to think that a teacher could teach the students all that they need to know to get by in life. In fact the parents play a much larger role because of their roles in the unstructured part of life outside of school where much of the real life learning occurs. One method to keep a connection between school and home would be keeping parents up to date with information about how the students are doing in class, what topics are being covered, any problems that the student may be having, or ant instances where they may have excelled. This information is often saved for report cards and parents evenings but in today’s world many parents are unable to attend face to face meetings with teachers. A possible solution to this could be regular phone calls home, or in light of modern technology teachers can use email to send updates to parents. One method that I have seen used and that I think would be quite successful is setting up a blog or website for the parents to access information about classes, students, work, important dates and other such information. This can be a good way to keep parents posted about progress in general and can be a medium for further discussion should issues arise.
“Timely” anything can be difficult to achieve in such a fast paced life but it is critical because if reward or punishment does not quickly follow the act to which it is attached then the student has less recognition of the thing that they have done, and therefore no change will occur. As a teacher it is imperative that problems are dealt with in a timely matter and any steps should be taken by the teacher to ensure this occurs. To let things fester would be like telling the parent that their child fell and was injured 2 days after it occurred.
As a future teacher I am pledging to work with parents, family and communities to help foster the growth and potential of all students and I will do so proactively and in a way that ensures that problems are dealt with immediately and praise and congratulation is given accordingly, because a healthy relationship between home and school ensures a strong platform for the student to stand on and grow.
Standard 5
Educators implement effective practices in areas of planning, instruction, assessment, evaluation and reporting.
I believe that the teacher's job is consistent and ever present throughout the entire period of time that a student is in the class. This process begins before the students ever come in to the classroom in parts such as curriculum and unit planning as a department and individual lesson plans that a teacher would determine before setting foot in the class. Knowing that the principles of learning say that students must be active participants in their quest for knowledge it would be understandable then that a teacher would base their planning and instruction around ideas to foster this principle. Similarly this principle would be worked in to instruction with viable teaching methods and examples such as critical thinking and discussion as well as formal and informal responses from the student.
Another principle of learning, that students learn in group environments and individually would be critical to the planning and instruction part of teacher preparedness as you would need to plan and develop projects that feature and facilitate these styles of learning. This would include planning a group project, working in small groups to develop an answer to a complex question or asking for self evaluation or an individual response. These need to be planned in advance for them to be most effective, otherwise in the organization i think it would become much to crazy for either the students to understand the task or for the teacher to keep control of the direction that the students are going with their responses.
Assessment is a touchy subject but I think that as an effective planner you could work in various methods of assessment without setting off the ticking time bomb of questioning traditional methods versus more modern and less stringent testing methods that look at assessment as and for learning. Having studied these areas I am in favour of using more consciously methods of assessment that step away from assessment of leaning but I would still struggle to step away from it completeley because of the way that it dictates and continues to determine the paths that students can take outside of high school. I am in favour of implementing these different assessment options in various ways such as having self assessment, peer assessment, and teacher assessment, having frequent review questions and check in periods where the students are required to use the knowledge in different ways and to test their own understanding as well as mentoring, tutoring and testing their peers.
This is the biggest change that I have seen in myself from the first week of this course, because I have always been an advocate of assessment of learning, not because I think that it is good or the best way to teat knowledge and understanding but because it is the only way that I have experienced and because it has traditionally been something that as I student I have done well in, therefore, to me it seemed like an unquestioned path that I would take. However, having listened to the discussions and seen the information about principles of learning and classes on classroom psychology and slef regulated learning, I have come to the "in progress" conclusion that I would like to plan and implement a mixture of these methods to essentially get the best of both worlds and to help instill in the students an appreciation of the many ways that knowledge and learning can be accessed, assessed and used.
Instruction is putting in to practice that which has been planned, and it is one of the more critical parts of teaching; however, I believe that in order to know how you are doing as an instructor you must be able to evaluate your progress. As self evaluation is something that I would hope to instill in students I think it would be especially important for me to partake in the same activities as I evaluate myself and my students in terms of my ability to teach them. Evaluating grades from assessment is one method of evaluating both the teacher and the student but this is more difficult in instances where there is not the same strict standards and criteria to be met, such as in projects that are open ended or creative or during assessment of participation in groups etc, During this I would like to think that having an idea of the goal of the lesson will be key to helping determine effective evaluation of the students.
Finally, reporting is something that is questioned because of its link to assessment, in that you report out the grade that is attained on a final test and is it the true indicator of what the student learned etc etc. However in the same vain as above, if the teacher is going to move into differenet modes of instruction and assessment there is no reason why the reporting can not follow as such, I have been able to reinforce within myself the idea that there is no clear answer to this student gets an A or a C, but that, simply, as a teacher I need to be aware of what I was looking for the students to demonstrate i.e. from effective planning and clear instruction as well as fair and differing assessment, in order to be able to grade them and justify the marks that I am awarding,
In summary there are clear and defined links between these different aspects of teaching and the clearest way for me to attach these together is to see that the teacher must be clear and precise in theie goal setting and then need to clearly demonstrate to teh students what they are looking for in both explicit and implicit terms to ensure that there is the most understanding and knowledge retention for the students and pain free administration for the teacher.
Standard 6
Educators have a broad knowledge base and understand the subject areas they teach.
We have spent at least 4 years at this stage learning information relevent to our subject area but also information relevent to our maturity and progession. In schools we will be teaching curriculum that is set, in that the students must learn about this series of events in this grade and this series of events in this grade, and in a lot of cases the things that we have learned in university are unnecessary or are more advanced than what we will be teaching our students. Yet, we still worry about teaching these subject areas to our students because we worry that with all of this added information we have pushed out all that we actually need to know to teach our classes in high school. This is when it is important to realise that as a teacher you are not done learning and at all times you will be and should be adding more knowledge. It may be information that you have covered and knew once upon a time in grade 11 but you must relearn it again, add to it, be able to expand when necessary and answer questions that occur, either through memory or further research.
I have heard lots of teachers say that when they first started they read the textbook a week ahead of the students and although I think that this makes sense when you are in a situation such as a 2 week practicum where you are thrown in at a certain point in time but if this continues then it is evident that the teacher does not have a good grasp on their subject area. The teacher must always be fulfilling the PLO's as perscribed but also enriching and expanding the knowledge of the students. I would like to think that I have a decent grasp on some of the main events that are covered in socials 11 and history and geography 12 but I know that in order for me to teach 2 or 3 basic concepts I must understand a lot more about the context of the era, what other events were occurring at the same time and the effect that these few events had on the bigger picture. I may not be presenting this to the students at this moment in time but I must understand it to be able to effectively empart this information to the students.
Conversely I am concerned about teaching Socials 9 or 10 because I never took these classes in Canada and I think that it would be difficult for me to pick up a lesson plan and teach information when I am not confident in its accuracy or relevence. This would be an example where as a teacher I am responsible for my own learning i.e. I must know exactly what I expect my students to know and more before I can confidently stand in front of a class and teach it. After a few years of teaching the same thing I may be able to teach these topics without prior research but it is up to me to have a handle on the subject matter and material.
In PE however, many of the sports are inter-related in terms of tactics and skills that can be integrated in to the sports and as Adrian said this gives the teacher an advantage because they can enter a class, teaching a lesson they have never seen before and with only a little research in regards to rules and regulations, be able to teach the game effectively. Understanding that these tactics overlap can be factored in to other subjects such as with writing skills that are used across the curriculum but it makes it much easier as a PE teacher to know that attacking skills are as relevent in soccer as they are in ultimate frisbee and field hockey.
Being humble and honest as a teacher is also important in regards to knowing the subject matter because there will come a time when there is a question that you are unable to answer and it is important that you as the teacher do not become defensive, make something up or try to lie your way through becuase it is much too easy for the student to look it up and catch you, ruining your credibility. Rather, you would be the bigger person to say you don't know the answer and to go away and find the answer for the students.
Overall, it is important as a teacher to know the subject matter that we are going to teach, but it does not mean that we must be encyclopedias or genius'. What it means is that we must always be willing to adjust our knowledge, either add or change what we know, and have resources at hand to help with this constant learning curve.
Standard 7
Educators engage in career-long learning.
I think that easiest thing I can address first here is that I already KNOW that when going in to teaching physical education there are a lot of things that I do not know, or that are underdeveloped in my education. Simply put, it will be a case of me having to teach these before I will probably ever fully grasp them myself. More than this though I know that the experience of teaching, of trial and error, will give me the most appropriate learning experiences in this area. It is true that there are going to be instances where the skill I am trying to teach, or the way that I am trying to teach it does not work, but it is the fact that I try, and try and maybe try again before I get it right that makes the difference and shows my continual learning.
A teaching philosphy is something that I have pondered but never really developed to date. I feel like when I try to create one it sounds artsy fartsy and too good to be true i.e. it sounds like I am trying to be Mary Poppins mixed with Martin Luther King Jr, and Barack Obama with my big ideals about fair, equal and perfect education. My friends often ask why I want to be a teacher and to date their responses to my answer is always "that's what everyone says." I'm not sure if that is a good thing, if I should change my response to be 'different' or if I should stick to my guns in an idealist way and try to meet these plans. What I do know is that when experience occurs I probably won't be singing the same ol' happy tune, but hopefully I will be able to construct a realistic, challenging yet attainable philosophy. I don't want to be a modern day Rosa Parks, or that lady from the Freedom Writers, but I'd like to make a difference and if that is all my philosophy says in 25 years than I should still be doing what I want to do, even if the idealism is out the window.
I believe that change of mind, change of ideas and change of heart occur regularly, and I am willing to say that when a good argument is put before me I can and have altered my opinion and seen something that was missing. The only problem is you need someone to challenge you before you are willing to step down and look at other points of view. I think that seeing the students as the challengers is the perfect opportunity. Afterall, we want them to think critically and to stand up for their beliefs, so we may as well learn something new from them.
As Adrian said, teachers like Tim Hopper are examples of the changing faces of teaching, and Tim's use of technology is an excellent example of teachers learning with the times and being able to over come what may otherwise have been a boundary to his generation, and I would like to think, and I do believe that we will face many of these changes in our careers (already we are looking at a change in curriculum to take place as we enter the profession) and it is up to us as people, teachers, students, mammals, homosapiens, whatever to be willing to expend the energy and effort to learning new things.
I am the first to say that in many instances I am a lazy learner, but I realise now, and it has become more apparent over the last few months that I will not be able to maintain a 'lazy' work level as a teacher. There will always be lessons to plan, papers to mark and more information to cram into my little brain space - afterall, what I can provide to the students may not be ALL that they learn but it may be the sole basis - so I feel I may as well start now and hopefully by the time I am adequetly engrossed in my future profession I will have the robe wearing, coffee drinking, journal of eduational psychology reading, Sunday afternoon 'lazy' teacher role down pat!
Standard 8
Educators contribute to the profession.
I remember teachers in my high school were always working with groups after school, either through clubs, plays, sports teams or simply staying to build and put together displays of student work in the classrooms and hallways.
I have a lot of experience with teachers who stay late, because of sports teams and band but also because I had teachers who would let me hang out after school and either help them out or just talk to them, usually when I most needed someone to talk to. This example may not have a lot to do with supporting other teachers in the profession but in a way they were helping me as I made my way up into the career path.
I also always remember the teachers who would sometimes have to stay at school until 7pm or later, but they never really explained it as having to, because it was almost always something that they enjoyed being a part of. This was always different depending on the teacher but it could have been school trips, science club, band and choir, school plays, sports teams or any number of things, because God knows there are always things to do around a school.
What is especially striking from my memory is that it is never the new and novice teachers that are running the clubs, it is the older more experienced teachers who still somehow seem to have the passion and the desire to keep doing the extra work required for these extracurricular activities. I remember sometimes new teachers would come and sit in, or they would hear about the clubs being run by the school and consider putting time in to them, but it would still be rare for them to actually join the club! What I think is important about this is the fact that in todays’ society where jobs are difficult to come across, and schools are crying out for community volunteers to cover all of the clubs and activities that the students are hoping to take part in, teachers should be coming in to the school looking to put their passion to use, especially as it may be the difference between getting a job and not getting the job.
I would like to think that as a teacher I would be interested in taking part in sports coaching because this area is of particular interest to me; however, there are other things that I think would be vital. I think it would be particularly valuable to go on school trips to theatres, and to galleries and museums because this is an opportunity to expand my own knowledge, to get to spend time with the students, to most importantly make it feasible for them to have the opportunity to take part in the trip! I think that I would also be interested in taking part in any number of roles that are needed for large productions like the school play… I feel like this is a chance to see students really excel, to see themselves do something they never thought they could, or even to learn something vital outside of the classroom. Furthermore, who wouldn’t want to take part in an activity in an area that you have no idea about, because then you are putting yourself in the same shoes as the students and keeping your learning fresh, new and expanding.
It is clear that teachers continue to develop themselves personally and intellectually even in the time they spend in school, after all that is what Pro-D days and curriculum development courses are about, right? I can see it being especially difficult to fit programs and courses into a teacher’s schedule, after all they teach 5 days a week and probably do not feel like working on their weekends, but ultimately they do continue their learning, in an effort to keep up with the psychology and learning strategies, undoubtedly in order to improve the experience of the students inside and outside of the classroom.