Different Stuff

 I am very much looking forward to differentiated instruction!  If I was to to highlight any part of my experience at school it would have to be that every teacher dutifully provides students with various levels of differentiated instruction!  

From building a complete set of notes for mathematics classes to pass out to students and review with the help of the smart board.  To adaptive questioning in order to include his students to the fullest degree possible. We help build students confidence in their abilities, to communicate their knowledge without demeaning them or making them feel inferior.  I cannot imagine that this is the end of it.  Using the smart board, designing an inviting classroom, being prepared for every class, and inviting students into conversations about mathematics are all things that I am very much looking forward to!

Practice Makes Perfect

Students like to practice.  Who knew!  My sense of students drive to mastery has been thoroughly remixed.  However, I have noticed that students do not care exactly how they practice, merely that they did.  So whether we give the students worksheets to complete on their own or we give them a couple questions to complete in a group, the students will still be driven to complete them.  

I think it’s really important to note that while students will still complete worksheets, they won’t be interested in the material if it is not accompanied by thoughtful, engaging conversation about the topics.  

We should always be ready to engage in conversations about the course content to give students a more holistic view of what they are studying and allow them to develop interests in the material beyond what we have provided them with on paper.

A Meaningful Beginning

I view myself as more of a guide than a lecturer.  Personally, I find it distasteful when a professor chooses to lecture to me for an hour straight without giving me a chance to voice my opinion, ask questions, or contribute in class.  It is insulting I am told that I should know all the material in a class when clearly I am there to learn it.  The most fulfilling part of this career is our ability to ask questions that really strike students as interesting.  

If I really do try and fulfill my end of the bargain, teaching these students, I will provide them with interesting material while they are in my class.  I will provide students with chances to excel outside the class as well as providing them with interesting material in class. The way teachers get involved with the school in meaningful ways shows exactly how much of an impact a teacher can make in a school.