Characteristics of the Novice teacher, Part 2

In my effort to meet all of the characteristics of a novice teacher, I will continue to look at past artifacts that I have completed throughout my professional education.

The 6th characteristic says that a novice teacher should have in-depth knowledge of content. I have taken numerous English courses during my time here at WVU, and have completed a number of assignments that have tested my knowledge of the content. Just recently I had to compile a Content Area Portfolio for my C&I class, which required me to look back all of the work I have completed so far and rationalize how I meet certain characteristics. In doing this activity, I was allowed to see how much I have grown over these past couple years. Any number of these pieces would work to show my knowledge of English content in order to successfully teach it to my future students.

The 10th characteristic states that the novice teacher should be liberally educated. Just this past week I taught the graphic novel American Born Chinese to my 10th grade Honors students. I like the idea of introducing new types of literature and storytelling to my students, and the class reacted very positively to this genre of text. Although they were skeptical at first, I had students genuinely showing interest in the novel and showing excitement when we would read together in class. I want to keep an open mind when it comes to the types of materials I use in the classroom so that my students can have the ability to explore interests when they leave my class.

I am by no means proficient in any of the characteristics of a novice teacher, but these artifacts show specific areas in which I am improving in. I will continue to meet and improve upon these characteristics as I enter the intern year and beyond.

Characteristics of a Novice Teacher

Throughout my practicum experience, it's my job to ensure that I strive to uphold the characteristics that make up a novice teacher. While I'm still far from achieving my goal, it is a constant practice of mine to look for ways to improve my professional education in order to be an effective educator.

The 8th characteristic of a novice teacher says that the novice teacher should be a reflective practitioner. I try to model this trait everyday by keeping a researcher's journal and keeping up with regular blog postings. Oftentimes if I see something interesting in class, I will journal about it as soon as I get the chance. Afterwards, if I get the chance, I will talk with my mentor teacher about the experience and see if they have any comments on the matter.

The 9th characteristic of a novice teacher claims that the novice teacher should have a respect for human diversity. Recently I created a Character Education lesson plan focused on the value of respect for others' dialects. I did a good bit of research last semester on the topic of dialect awareness and I found that the common theme was that one should not stereotype someone because of the way they talk. I want all of my students to feel comfortable in the classroom, and I believe a basic level of respect for other human beings is necessary to achieve this.

As I mentioned above, I still have a long ways to go to fulfill these characteristics, but I believe with the help of my peers and mentor teacher I will be prepared to enter the professional world of education in the coming years.

PDS Definition

A PDS is a professional environment that requires collaboration between both school and university faculty. It works to build community among students and teachers. A PDS's main goal is to improve education for students, teachers, and student teachers.

Tutor Reflections

When first starting my blog, I was excited at the possibilities of sharing my ideas online with others to see. With the busy schedules we have as tutors it can be difficult to sit down and talk with another person about the experiences we've had. With a blog, however, we can post any time in the comforts of our home and people have the chance to respond to our stories. Blogs also give us a chance to reflect on our experiences. Sometimes we can forget to do this and a blog can help us to organize our thoughts and ideas. Many of the blog prompts had me thinking about situations that I might have normally overlooked.
Not only is it nice to post your own thoughts, it's also great to read the ideas of others. Reading over my partner's posts allowed me to see a different perspective of things, and knowing that someone is experiencing the same things you are gives you a feeling that you aren't alone out there. I really value the comments made by Brittany, and it's nice to know that someone out there is listening to what you have to say.
Brittany, how would you rate your overall experience at your PDS these past two semesters? How do you think the time spent there as a tutor will help you as a future teacher?

Learning Goals

One of my learning goals was to try and build better relationships with the students in my classroom. Since I only spend 2 hours a week in my PDS, it's hard to really get to know these students. I want to become a role model for these students, not just some guy who shows up every Tuesday. So far, I like to think I've made a little progress in this area. 

Another aspect of the classroom that I really wanted to get a better grasp of was lesson planning. Thanks to EDUC 400, I've gained a much better understanding of what exactly goes into this. Although I still have a ways to go with both of these learning goals, I do feel like I've made some good progress.

As far as my practicum plan goes, I haven't really made any changes to it. I've been putting some of the activities off, but I am making some progress. I've already completed a few tutor activities, and I'm planning my small group lesson for next week. I'll also be taking a few pictures in preparation for my digital story. Overall, I've gained some valuable knowledge so far this semester, and I look forward to completing my other activities.

Digital Storytelling

Some of the ideas I'd like to incorporate into my digital storytelling include some of the more meaningful experiences from my first semester tutoring. For example, I'd like to talk about my tutor activity forms and how I became increasingly comfortable teaching in front of the classroom with each consecutive one. Also, including some details about my technology activity would be nice. Overall though, I'd like to talk about how this was my first real experience teaching in a classroom. Although I didn't really do much in the way of taking charge of the classroom, as I was just a tutor, the chance to be a part of the teaching process was a great way to see what I may be doing in the future. I could describe my thoughts and feelings both before and after my first semester tutor experience. I'd really like to see some other students do this as well. I feel like many of us may have felt lost or confused when first starting out, and seeing that we weren't the only ones feeling that way could help to increase our confidence in future assignments.

I've never really played with technology in storytelling, but I can only imagine that it would enhance the experience. Watching a video, looking at pictures, listening to audio clips can all serve to immerse the listeners into the storytelling experience. By incorporating technology, the teller can keep the attention of the audience, as opposed to just lecturing in front of an audience.

PDS Experiences

Working in my PDS has completely opened my eyes to the world of teaching. Before this, the only time I had spent in a classroom was either shadowing or writing down lecture notes in high school. This experience has allowed me a chance to actually engage with students, see how a teacher prepares a lesson, and acquire valuable skills that will benefit me throughout my career. One very important thing I've learned from this whole experience is the importance of always maintaining a positive atmosphere in the classroom. My PDS teacher always managed to keep things fun and entertaining for the students, and the advantages showed in the students' work. During my first tutor activity, I decided to learn some of the students' names as I taught the lesson. Every time I called on a student, I would have them tell me their name. This was a simple thing, yet the students showed enthusiasm when called to the board because they got a chance to express themselves a little bit (or maybe I'm just being vain.....). Anywho, I found that this principle is one to always keep in mind when instructing a classroom. I understand that the classroom should first come as a place of education and learning, but I don't believe that there is anything wrong with having a little fun along the way.

Brittany, what experiences have you had that showed the effectiveness of a positive classroom atmosphere? Have you ever had a teacher that seemed to have trouble with this?

--Mike