A reflection on deep and meaningful understanding.....
Upon reflecting on my initial professional goals stated in my admissions essay when I applied for my Masters of Arts in Education at Michigan State University, I noticed one common theme in my essay. The common theme was that I wanted to work on ways that allowed me to know that my students had a thorough and deep understanding of the content presented within my classroom.
In my science concentration, I have worked on many projects that have allowed me to check on my students understanding of concepts to make sure their understanding is thorough. In my teaching subject matter with technology class, I was able to work with a program called “Socrative”. This program is an online program that allows your students to individually respond to questions posed in class either on a computer or personal device. After they completed questions, it gave me direct percentages of what the students answered so I could adjust my lesson. In my teaching for science understanding class, I worked on using formative assessments that focused on the concepts of the water cycle. Through these formative assessments, I could monitor the changes of my student’s understanding from their prior understanding of the concept to their final understanding.
My general courses have also allowed me to work on this goal. In my reading for literacy course, I focused on a number of techniques that allow me as a teacher to check for reading comprehension by having a student read a science article and assessing his comprehension through an interview format. My educational psychology course allowed me to create an audio piece like a podcast that allowed me to interview students to check for misconceptions regarding the idea of condensation.
Overall, looking back at my courses, I feel like I have worked on a lot of ideas and tools within my classes that will allow me to be a teacher that ensures that her students have a thorough and deep understanding of the science content. I also feel that without these courses, this goal would not be possible.
In my science concentration, I have worked on many projects that have allowed me to check on my students understanding of concepts to make sure their understanding is thorough. In my teaching subject matter with technology class, I was able to work with a program called “Socrative”. This program is an online program that allows your students to individually respond to questions posed in class either on a computer or personal device. After they completed questions, it gave me direct percentages of what the students answered so I could adjust my lesson. In my teaching for science understanding class, I worked on using formative assessments that focused on the concepts of the water cycle. Through these formative assessments, I could monitor the changes of my student’s understanding from their prior understanding of the concept to their final understanding.
My general courses have also allowed me to work on this goal. In my reading for literacy course, I focused on a number of techniques that allow me as a teacher to check for reading comprehension by having a student read a science article and assessing his comprehension through an interview format. My educational psychology course allowed me to create an audio piece like a podcast that allowed me to interview students to check for misconceptions regarding the idea of condensation.
Overall, looking back at my courses, I feel like I have worked on a lot of ideas and tools within my classes that will allow me to be a teacher that ensures that her students have a thorough and deep understanding of the science content. I also feel that without these courses, this goal would not be possible.