I’m requiring students in my technology course to keep a blog. I think it’s an excellent way for them to learn about the technology and hopefully develop habits of reflective practice. One of my course goals is to teach students to use Internet tools to develop their personal learning networks. To help them focus their networks, I want them have a learning goal, so for their 1st post, I am asking them to answer the following:
- What do you think is the most important thing you need to learn right now in order to be an effective teacher? Why? What actions are you pursuing to learn it?
Since I’m asking students to create learning goals and develop habits of reflective practice, I think it is only fair that I set the example and create my own learning goal. The students that I will be teaching are primarily pre-service elementary education candidates while my experience is primarily in secondary and post-secondary settings. To best serve my students, I feel it is important for me to improve my understanding of teaching in the elementary school setting. I am teaching in a pre-school co-op and am also teaching a Sunday School class for older pre-school aged children, which does give me some insight into working with early elementary aged children, but not as much with older elementary aged children. I’ve done quite a bit of reading on child development, which also helps some, but I think I need to spend time talking with, and possibly observing, some of my friends who are elementary school teachers. Also, I may be able to contact some additional teachers when I attend the local elementary school’s School Community Council (I’m a community representative). I’d love to hear from any elementary school teachers out there–what do you wish you had known before you stepped in front of your 1st classroom?
