What are your three most important reasons for wanting to be a teacher?
The three most important reasons for wanting to become a teacher are; 1. Teachers have the potential to interact with students at all stages of development and from all walks of life. I want to help students along this path and play a part in positively shaping the person they will ultimately become. 2. I want to contribute to my community in a meaningful way and teaching is one of the most direct ways to make an impact. 3. I recognize the need to improve the quality of education in this country and through hard work and diligence, as a teacher, I have an opportunity to affect true change.
Why do you want to become an ART teacher?
Answering Soon…
What three things do you most want to know about your students?
Three things I want to know most about my students are; 1. What are their personal strengths and weaknesses about school. I often ask students to answer these questions at the beginning of the year by participating in informal, peer and class discussions. 2. How they respond to structure and open-ended assignments. This will be answered after assessing one of the first assignments. Throughout the class period and soon the entire week, I slowly open up more opportunities for student choice, group work, and creative thinking. I assess each class in their abilities and then use this data to provide more individualized instruction. 3. How they view themselves as a, learner, artist, and an individual. This question is answered last, after the students have had ample time to create connections with myself and peers. These will be answered through independent self-reflection.
How do you feel about collaboration?
Answering Soon…
What do you need to know in order to begin your lesson planning for a class?
In a perfect situation…Prior to lesson planning for optimal class success and engagement, I need to know the following about my students: ability levels, backgrounds, interest levels, attention spans, prior knowledge, ability to complete group work, and if any special needs or accommodations are necessary. After that, I will study the content, curriculum, and standards that need to be taught. Lastly, I will take inventory of the materials available and necessary to complete the learning assignments.
What four key components do you believe you must include in your plan?
The four key components I believe I must include in my lesson plans are; clear objectives, creative instruction, student practice, and checking for understanding. Clear objectives help students to know what is expected of them and what they should learn by the end of the lesson. Creative instruction introduces the students to the content in an interesting and engaging way. It may include direct instruction, inquiry, inductive reasoning, or concept attainment. Students also need time to practice the new material in a non-threating environment and should receive immediate feedback. Checking for understanding needs to happen through out instruction. It allows me to make immediate changes to instruction to facilitate better students understanding. The learning segment should conclude with checking for understanding. This will help e know to what degree the information was received and if more modifications need to be made before moving forward.
What two core teaching strategies do you most use to achieve this result?
One core teaching strategy that I use to achieve student success is through “rubrics.” A second strategy I use is “think, pair, share.” I use rubrics at the beginning of a learning segment to give students clear objectives and guidelines. I have students refer to the rubric throughout the learning as a means for self-assessment. I continue using them for peer critiques and end with the final grading using the rubric. I use the “think, pair, share” strategy to allow students time for self-reflection, peer discussion, and class engagement. It helps students as they share their thoughts and questions with their peers before they are asked to speak in front of the class. Most often students are able to work out questions and concerns with their classmates and this allows them to think critically to solve their problems.