While at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service, where I studied foreign service and Latin American studies, I took only a handful of education-related courses. Those courses provided important background information on different philosophies of second-language acquisition and teaching methodologies. (Thanks Dr. Sanz!) This was useful to me in my preparation as a Spanish teacher, as well as in the work I did teaching Spanish while completing my undergraduate coursework. However, I was in college at the time and my focus was on learning, meeting professor’s expectations, and having fun as a student. As you can imagine, I spent little time thinking about being an excellent teacher between club events, social gatherings, and homework. I was distracted! Today, as I struggle to balance work life and graduate coursework at Johns Hopkins School of Education, I find almost all of my studies pertain directly to my teaching. Each assignment offers the opportunity to apply my learning to my teaching practice. For this reason, learning about tenets of effective teaching while working as an educator helps me transcend from philosophical understanding to direct application in the classroom. In other words, my studies at Johns Hopkins are exponentially more effective because I am concurrently teaching and learning. Family engagement is an excellent example of the direct application of my studies. Building meaningful relationships with parents is an essential part of students’ academic success. According to Evanthia Patrikakou (2008) in her article, “The Power of Parent Involvement: Evidence, Ideas, and Tools for Student Success,” it is important that teachers engage in proactive, consistent, and personalized communication with families (p. 5). Teachers should provide families with more positive than negative feedback about students, as well as practical suggestions for expanding learning at home (Patrikakou, 2008, p. 6). Given that knowledge, I am working to write a newsletter for each new unit with practical suggestions for parents on how they can work collaboratively to increase student outcomes from home. Furthermore, I am designing learning opportunities that bridge the gap between school and home though interactive homework and classroom presentations with parent involvement (Patrikakou, 2008, p. 3). These sorts of assignments and family engagement projects are much more meaningful because I can work to improve instructional practice as I learn new strategies. There is no lag in time between my learning and my application of new ideas and strategies. Had I taken a two-year gap in my teaching career to dedicate to graduate coursework, I would never have experienced the same benefits as taking classes while teaching.
To teachers or professionals taking coursework while working: How has your experience been with integrating your coursework into professional work? Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you. Like, share, and comment! Joey Work Cited: Patrikakou, Evanthia N. (2008) The Power of Parent Involvement: Evidence, Ideas, and Tools for Student Success. Retrieved from http://www.centerii.org/
1 Comment
Tony
9/24/2016 06:50:02 pm
Joey, it's so eery how our experience mirror each other. Mine is exactly like yours, down to the article you referenced which I have read and referenced in at least one paper. Much of what we have shared over the last month on the phone directly comes from something that I've learned in my masters program and that I am now applying in the classroom. The classes I am taking directly inform my practice, and often when I see the practices of older teachers, those with more years, I can see that it's been a long time since they've been in school, or their knowledge doesn't reflect current research and philosophies. What you talked about, building those familial relationships as part of your classroom strategy, is something that I do, and I also send home a weekly or biweekly newsletter to inform parents of what's going on, how they can support us, and I even invite their input and phone calls and visits. This is especially true for my students who are ESL. When parents are made to feel like they have no place in our classroom, or that they are made to feel "less than" because they don't teach or have the education, they are far, far less likely to even try to get involved. In our parent conferences, I make sure they are referenced as part of the team. I work with them to help their child succeed, and I value their input. I take detailed notes, both mental and actual, in my studies, and use what I've learned to inform and drive my teaching, and I see it working. I see how it helps. I see the effects. I don't give homework because I can't be sure they are supported at home, but I do periodically give work that parents can help with if I need them to work at home. But more to your point, I do use what I learn in my education as a basis for how I facilitate lessons, how I inform my teaching, and how I drive my instruction. People...experts in the field, spend inordinate amounts of time to study these things, and I'd be remiss in my role as a conscientious educator if I did not use what they've taken the time to transmit to us. I love how seriously you take your role. Some teachers see it as a 9-5 job....they do the very least, just enough to get by, they use outdated practices that satisfy the curriculum, but their heart isn't in it. I am not built that way. It's obvious to me that you aren't either. Love you!
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Currently ReadingAs I work toward developing the perseverance and drive to achieve my goals, I am reading Grit by Angela Duckworth. My biggest learning so far has been the importance of identifying and defining my inner compass, "...the thing that takes you some time to build, tinnier with, and finally get right, and then that guides you on your long and winding road to where, ultimately, you want to be" (p. 60). I use this compass to set goals, plan my daily actions, and reflect. Archives
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