A gardener takes a small seed, plants it in the ground, and nurtures it.

He keeps it free
from weeds, provides water, and gives access to sunlight. And soon enough, that small seed
turns into a flourishing plant. Teachers similarly plant seeds of truth and wisdom inside of
their students. We do everything we can to ensure that the seed we plant today will blossom
tomorrow. A teacher is a gardener. Author Unknown

A classroom is a garden to which the teacher is a gardener

and the students are the seeds. A gardener must take the
time to understand the seeds planted and what each different
plant requires. I must take the time to understand the growth pattern of
each of my students. The teacher must know how to care for each
individual seed.

Just like seeds, students should be planted in good soil and in a safe environment.
The garden must be protected from weeds and other predators that can cause damage
to it. The teacher must protect her classroom from any from unhealthy influence that
can harm her students. Unforeseen circumstances like weathering happens,
and although not in the gardeners control, the gardener still must do
everything in their power to sustain the garden. Events and incidents will
come up in a students life that the teacher will have no control over. The
teacher still must do her best to keep the students on a successful path.
 Seeds need water to sustain life. Water must be given daily to live.
The parents are the ones to maintain the life of the child. They must supply
this water for their children to live. The seeds need watering daily from
the parents.
In the daily planning of curriculum,
it is important to be prepared
with the needed tools.
Gardeners collect tools over
the years, and gardening
would be almost impossible
without them. Teachers
need the right tools and have to know how to
utilize the tools they have. Each tool has an important job and has to
be used correctly to be effective. If the teacher is not prepared with the
correct tools, then she cannot tend to the needs of her students.

The teacher must give direct instruction to her students the same way the gardener must
directly and carefully plant each seed in the ground to take root. If the
gardener just tosses the seeds throughout the garden, there is no way to
control the out come of the garden. The outcome of the students is
based on how well the teacher conditions her class. The seeds respond to
what the gardener does. If they are watered, and nurtured
correctly, the seed will grow. The students respond to
stimuli given by the teacher. The more the teacher pours
into her students, the more they will respond to her
teaching.

The garden is a social construct with lots of different flowers that have different
needs. The teacher must tend to the each plants need in order
to maintain her garden. When the all the plants have
what they need, they come together and form a
wonderful view. Each individual student is unique
in his or her own way, however when the whole
class functions together it is a beautiful sight.
 Reflective Statement for Metaphoric Model

SLO: Demonstrate advanced understanding of the trends, issues, and research associated
with education in general and with their respective specialization.

Relevance: How does this assignment demonstrate your competence with this SLO?

In order to successfully grow my students I have to have an advanced understanding of how to

educate them. Education is constantly evolving and I have to stay up with the trends. Gardeners
have to constantly study its garden and stay up on new practices to contain his or her garden.
They also have to be very aware of potential threats to the garden, and do their best to protect the
seeds from those harmful influences. As a teacher it is my job to research and be very aware of
any threat to my students and d o my best to shield them from it.

Significance: Explain the most significant aspect of your Metaphoric Model that you would
likely share with other professional educators. Justify your selection.

The most significant part of my metaphoric model is the teacher having a good ground to plant
her seed in. The classroom must be a safe space for the students to learn. If the students do not
have a space to learn safely in then they cannot grow. For example, if a student does not feel
comfortable enough to participate in class, due to fear of ridicule, then the teacher did not do her
job of creating a safe space? Students cannot grow in an environment where they do not feel
safe to express themselves.

Growth Mindset: How does your model help you and your students develop a positive Growth
Mindset?

This model promotes a Growth Mindset by letting the student know that the teacher is going to
be there to help develop every step of the way. The teacher does all she can to make sure the
students are in an enriched learning environment. The teacher has to help the student see their
potential. One of the biggest beliefs in the Growth Mindset is that intelligence can be
developed. The more the teacher nurtures her students, the more they are equipped to learn.
When they are equipped they have the confidence to face and embrace any challenges that come
their way. They will be willing to put in the effort needed to succeed in their walk.

Link to Theory: Describe/explain the theoretical/research base for your Metaphoric Model.

Behavior theory is based off a stimulus and response method. My theory talks about how a
gardener has to give direct care to the garden in order for it to grow. The gardener must
explicitly dig a hole to put the seed in and use all the right tools to perform that task. The teacher
must give direct instruction for the student and wait for the student to respond.
When a seed is well nurtured, it grows and can produce more seeds. This is what social learning
theory promotes. As the students grow and learn from their environment, they will be more
likely to lead other in the learning process. They can nature other students, giving them what
they need.

Successful Learning: How does your Metaphoric Model support successful/ brain compatible
learning?

Successful learning is does not occur by happenstance. Students do no learn passively. Since
they do not learn passively, they have to be taught using direct instruction. This is the job of the
teacher. Like the gardener, the teacher has to work directly with the students, making sure they
have everything that is needed to grow and learn.

Personalized Learning: How does you model accommodate personalized learning?

In a garden, each individual flower is unique and must be nurtured in their own unique way.
Each seed has to be individually planted and cared for. Students all have a personal learning
style. The teachers job is to nurture each style so all her students have the chance to be
successful.

Reflective Practice:

Reflection is both a retrieval and elaboration practice. As a means of understanding the

learning process explain how you were able to retrieve information on teaching/learning and
then elaborate on it as you created your Metaphoric Model.

I retrieved much of my information on teaching and learning from direct instruction from other
teachers. I of what I know I have seen first hand in the classroom. I have read and studied this
information, but I was able to get a really strong grasp of teaching my seeing it directly. I was
able to grow by having someone directly instructing me, so that is a practice that I will continue
to use with my students.