Paige Shomin

Elementary Education

March 14, 2018

Submission II Reflection

Introduction:

My time at Pittsburg State University has been an incredible experience and I am

thankful for the opportunities given to me by the College of Education. Throughout my career at

PSU, the courses and field experiences offered has guided me on the path to becoming a

reflective individual and focusing on personal strengths and areas of improvement. I have gained

an immense amount of knowledge as a future educator and understand that there is always room

for improvement. While there are many areas of the Professional Knowledge Base I am skilled

in, there are areas in which I will continue to develop to enhance my learning and teaching as a

teacher candidate and future educator of elementary school students.

The Learner and Learning:

Throughout my field experiences in multiple elementary schools, I have gained

knowledge that is a tremendous asset to my educational career. One of my areas of strength is

that I understand that cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and physical development

influences learning. During my internship semester with a Kindergarten class, one of my

students was having difficulty behaving in class, doing his assignments, and wasn’t focusing on

his learning. Instead of quickly reprimanding him for not doing what was told, I adjusted my

thinking and took the time to figure out what was bothering him because I knew his background,

home-life, and current emotional state was not how he usually behaved. His home situation has

been affecting his learning, the way he behaves when he is alone, and how he reacts towards his
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peers and teachers. I always try to get to the root of a problem or situation before more

interfering of learning happens so that my students can fully grasp what is being taught instead of

worrying or focusing on something children shouldn’t need to worry about.

Diverse cultures and communities are an everlasting part of our society. I have strength in

knowing how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities

and how to incorporate languages, experiences, cultures and community resources into

practice. While in Art Education at Pittsburg State University, the focus of my final project was

to include many facts to intrigue my peers and bring to life the excitement of a culture different

than my own. The main idea that my professor wanted for this final project was to plan, create,

and execute a lesson while already having artwork presented so my peers would get an idea of

what my future students would be completing during this lesson. This is an area of strength for

myself because I am experienced in teaching where to find essential information about diverse

cultures and communities and how to incorporate languages, experiences, cultures and

community resources into my practice to make the most out of my lessons and to teach about the

importance of diversity.

As a future educator, I know the importance of managing the learning environment for

many reasons. Based upon my reading of The First Days of School by Harry Wong, the

importance of classroom management is key for a successful school year. I have learned that

implementing a management plan before the first day of school is a wonderful way to set the

tone for the upcoming school year and to have an effective learning environment. After reading

The First Days of School, I have focused on classroom management strategies in my internship

such as using a timer to continue student motivation and focus, and using the BIST method to

hone in on student behavior. For these reasons stated, I understand how to manage the
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learning environment by organizing, allocating and coordinating the resources of time and

space. Although I have strengths, during my educational career and experiences I will work

toward gaining improvement in my areas of weakness.

One of my areas for improvement is to understand and identify differences in

approaches to learning and performance and design experiences that incorporate

individuals’ strengths to promote growth. My experiences in the field have allowed me to see

the perspectives of students and how they learn and perform, but I have not had much experience

designing lessons to incorporate individuals’ strengths to promote growth unless in a small group

or individual setting. When I am in a small group or one-on-one setting with a student(s), I am

able to be more flexible in my teaching but I still struggle to design experiences that incorporate

individuals’ strengths to promote growth in a whole group setting while working on the same

assignment and in a time constraint. When I student teach, I plan to use numerous resources and

strategies to promote growth to all of my students based on the many multiple intelligences that

will fill my future classroom.

To continue with areas which need improvement, I know that there will be many students

at different cognitive levels in one classroom setting, and I plan to improve upon understanding

students with exceptional needs and know how to use strategies and resources to meet those

needs. One way I will develop this understanding is by looking at each student’s strengths and

using that to as a way to meet their needs. By utilizing their strengths, I will motivate them to go

beyond what is asked from me and make it a challenge. Another way I plan to develop this

understanding is by collaborating with teachers throughout the school and to receive input from a

teacher in which gifted students meet with, such as a Gifted and Talented Teacher.

Content:
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In this section, a strength I have gained from my educational courses at Pittsburg State

University is that I understand that learners should question, analyze and understand

concepts from diverse perspectives. Learners should question, analyze and understand concepts

from diverse perspectives because they need to be able to engage in cross-disciplinary skills such

as problem solving, critical thinking, and communication for them to be able to apply what they

know, what they have learned, and how they can solve problems. I have learned in my courses

(e.g., science for education, early childhood foundations and curriculum, curriculum

development for elementary education) how to teach students to begin questioning what they are

learning, how to analyze the information they are given, how to apply that to new information,

and how to understand concepts from diverse perspectives so they can use those skills to apply

the content they have learned.

As an educator, content standards and learning progressions are an essential part of

planning and teaching. I believe that I have a deep knowledge of student content standards

and learning progressions in the discipline(s) based on my educational courses and my

experiences in elementary school settings. For clinical experience, primary reading, intermediate

reading and internship, I have completed lessons successfully, implemented the appropriate

content standards and planned for the learning progressions needed to continue with student

learning. I have confidence knowing that I am able to read a standard, know what myself and my

students need to accomplish from that standard, and successfully plan and implement that

standard while progressing onward in learning.

Recently during my internship semester, I taught a math lesson using objects, modeling,

manipulatives (e.g., counters, ten frame blocks), pictures, and worksheets. Being able and

knowing how to use supplementary resources and technologies effectively to ensure

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accessibility and relevance for all is a strong point for me. To teach this lesson to students such

as my kindergarten class, I know that by pulling in many resources and technologies is not only

engaging students in what is taught, but it uses Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences for students who

prefer or need to learn a specific way (e.g., visual, auditory). Using many supplementary

resources and technologies is also a fantastic way for students to access the information more

than once and allow for remembering the content, understanding the content, and applying the

content.

I feel as though I have not had much experience understanding how disciplinary

knowledge can be applied as a lens to address local and global issues. While I was observing

my cooperating kindergarten teacher read a book to the class about segregation, she made her

lesson applicable for her students to understand and used age and grade appropriate language.

During her reading, I was debating whether or not it was fitting to be talked about in a

kindergarten classroom because I had worries of parents and school administration. I discussed

my concern with my teacher and learned that as long as it is an appropriate lens that is placed

over local and global issues, students could learn and understand current and past events and

teachers shouldn’t always turn away from issues. I still question how to effectively teach content

as a lens to address local and global issues but I plan to collaborate with other educators and

research the information being taught so that my students can continually gain knowledge from

many subject areas.

Knowing major concepts, assumptions and debates that are central to the discipline

is an area that needs improvement in my professional career. I will gain knowledge of concepts,

assumptions and debates by attaining experience as a professional educator. I have not had

practice with assumptions and debates because I have not had much time in a classroom that
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allowed me to assume how students are thinking about the content or debates with colleagues or

students during my teaching. Personally, this is an area for improvement because I am not

confident in knowing major concepts, assumptions and debates and I will continually grow

towards learning, researching, and increasing confidence so that I can be effective in my

teaching.

Instructional Practice:

Being a teacher candidate, I have learned how to engage learners in multiple ways of

demonstrating knowledge and skills as part of the assessment process from my clinical

experience with fifth grade students and observing lessons from my cooperating teachers.

Learning from my cooperating teachers has been crucial in my learning process and is personally

deemed as a strength because I am able to see how teachers effectively manage a classroom, how

they teach, and how they engage learners through multiple ways of demonstrating knowledge

and skills as part of the assessment process. One example that I have seen in my clinical

experience with fifth graders is that they brainstorm ideas of items they enjoy, they research

information about one of those items, they plan and develop a presentation that would attract

students to want to learn more, and they would present what they learned based on their research.

They were engaging in planning, designing, interpreting their information, and communicating

their results by presenting to the class.

Strength in my professional career is that I know how to engage learners in using

technology tools and a range of skills to access, interpret, evaluate and apply information.

Just as I have experience in a fifth grade classroom with students using technology to research,

that knowledge about how to engage learners in technology tools and a range of skills to access,

interpret, evaluate and apply information came from a college course at PSU named Technology
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for the Classroom. In this class, we used a variety of technology resources to learn more about

what is available to students, teachers, parents, and why and how to use them in a classroom. I

have placed myself in the role of the teacher and student to better grasp the technology, what it is

and can be used for, and how learning can come from it. Engaging learners in this area is an asset

of mine because of that class offered to me in my educational career.

Primary Reading has presented me with being able to know how to analyze assessment

data to understand patterns and gaps in learning, to guide planning and instruction and to

provide meaningful feedback such as reading, writing, and interpreting text analysis forms

from my practice with first grade students in an elementary school. This is an area of strength

because I can effectively assess my students and look for patterns and gaps in their learning, I am

able to guide my planning and instruction based on what I have learned, and I am able to provide

meaningful feedback to my students because of the results I have obtained.

An area I need to improve on within my instructional practice is to know how to engage

learners actively in the assessment process and to develop each learner’s capacity to reflect

on and communicate about their individual process. I have yet to gain experience with

engaging learners actively in the assessment process and have each student be able to reflect and

communicate their individual process. Currently, I have not had a need throughout my

professional semesters to have my students engaged and reflective on their assessment process,

but as time progresses in my career, I will involve my students in my thinking and reasoning as

to why and how I assessed them and to begin getting to the point where they are reflective

learners.

Knowing how to incorporate a variety of strategies that stimulate the cognitive

processes associated with various kinds of learning (e.g., critical and creative thinking,
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problem framing and problem solving, invention, memorization and recall) is currently an

area I need improvement on but I will learn more strategies that stimulate the cognitive processes

associated with various kinds of learning with more experience in the field and as a student

teacher. I am beginning to question my students about problem framing and problem solving and

I am able to effectively use memorization and recall in my internship but I will continue to work

toward using more strategies in my classrooms and plan for them in upcoming lessons.

Professional Responsibility:

Technology for the Classroom has been valuable in my field experiences and professional

career. I know how to use information and technology ethically, legally and safely to

maintain my professionalism as a teacher candidate at Pittsburg State University and as a future

elementary educator. Because of this course, this area is a strength of mine because I know how

to use my students information ethically, legally and safely to ensure confidentiality and also for

the use of technology in my classroom and outside of the classroom. Using this information

correctly will model ethical behavior to others and contribute to accomplishing my school’s

mission and goals.

As an elementary education teacher candidate, I know and value the importance of being

a self-reflective individual. I understand and know how to use a variety of self-assessment

and problem solving strategies to analyze and reflect on my practice and plan for

adaptation/adjustments. In my professional semesters, it is required that I video my lessons and

then write a reflection piece about what my strengths and weaknesses were after watching myself

from a different perspective. I am able to better understand and know how to plan for

adaptations/adjustments when lessons don’t go as planned based on my experience in a fifth

grade classroom teaching a lesson and technology wasn’t working.

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Effective communication is a major part of teaching and collaborating with others.

During my internship in a kindergarten classroom, I have observed and been apart of the

discussions and planning with other teachers and it is a wonderful way to plan effectively, build

relationships with fellow educators, improve teaching strategies, and build an effective and

supportive learning community. Knowing how to communicate effectively with all members

of the learning community is an area of strength I have obtained in my professional career.

What I have learned in my special education course at PSU will directly impact me when

I become a teacher but currently, the laws related to IDEA, FERPA, mandated reporting, etc. are

not regularly used in my everyday life. When I become an educator, the laws will directly affect

me because it is something I need and will abide by. Understanding laws related to learners’

rights and teacher responsibilities (e.g., IDEA, FERPA, mandated reporting, etc.) is an area

of improvement I will continue to work toward learning more about as I become more familiar

and acquainted to the laws as an educator with experience.

In my career, I need to improve on becoming familiar with the historical, cultural,

political and social contexts of my schools I have been and will be in as an educator. These

aspects are important to the community and give a sense of belonging so knowing this

information as a local teacher is crucial to build more of a bond with the place that I work than it

being just a job. To improve this area, I need to understand schools as organizations within a

historical, cultural, political and social context and know how to work with others across

the system to support learners. Wherever life takes me, I will pursue all of the qualities that

make that community what it is and create a bond with the place I work as if it were a second

home.

Conclusion:
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To be an effective teacher, one must always be willing to improve their learning and

teaching. With the tools and information I have received in my professional career from the

College of Education at Pittsburg State University, I am confident that I will be effective in my

teaching and will continually climb the ladder of improvement to enhance my skills as an

elementary educator. I am grateful for my experiences with children in the classroom to help

build a stronger, better future.