Next Five Years:
My goals for the short term is to reflect over the past few years of teaching and decide what worked best, what I should set aside for now and what to bring back. I want to also improve my website and add on to the “In the Classroom” section. For long-term goals, I want to become more involved through Twitter, share my learning through my website, ask others questions and take a more active role in educational organizations. I will also complete another master's degree in technology and leadership and continue to build a personal learning network with those from the MSU-Wipro Fellowship and others that I have and will connect.
I anticipate change with the amount I share with others. Currently, I follow others on Twitter and read blog posts but I am not actively reaching out and connecting with others. I also anticipate contributing more as I build my website and share my understanding. This relates back to an insight gained from my ImagineIT project of developing strong relationships. Besides building connections, I expect to reflect more these coming years. I have always considered myself a reflective person but I do not write down or always fully gather my thoughts. By being deliberately reflective, I will achieve greater growth.
The diversity measure of my network is growing because of the MSU-Wipro Fellowship. I have made connections with middle school and science teachers where previously I would focus on collaborating with only high school mathematics teachers. Living in the city has also increased my diversity measure from growing up in the suburbs in a neighborhood where everyone looked the same, had the same beliefs and the same economic background. My network still needs more diversity. Majority of those professionally that I interact with are math and technology teachers. Personally, my diversity measure consists of family and friends from college. I have met more people from my neighborhood and through a charity that I support but need to continue building those relationships.
Looking in the past and saying that you will abandon something is difficult. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I tend to revert back to past practices because this is something that I am comfortable with and can accomplish easily. With teaching, I will abandon the need to cover all of the material and focus on uncovering key concepts through exploring, creating and sharing. I will abandon doing more "work" than the students. I must design lessons that are meaningful and creates interest. As Dan Meyer says, I need to “help less” and allow my students to wonder. By connecting with others, I will abandon being isolated while I teach. Most days I am so “busy” that I do not venture out of my classroom to reach out to others. Now, I will find time.
I anticipate change with the amount I share with others. Currently, I follow others on Twitter and read blog posts but I am not actively reaching out and connecting with others. I also anticipate contributing more as I build my website and share my understanding. This relates back to an insight gained from my ImagineIT project of developing strong relationships. Besides building connections, I expect to reflect more these coming years. I have always considered myself a reflective person but I do not write down or always fully gather my thoughts. By being deliberately reflective, I will achieve greater growth.
The diversity measure of my network is growing because of the MSU-Wipro Fellowship. I have made connections with middle school and science teachers where previously I would focus on collaborating with only high school mathematics teachers. Living in the city has also increased my diversity measure from growing up in the suburbs in a neighborhood where everyone looked the same, had the same beliefs and the same economic background. My network still needs more diversity. Majority of those professionally that I interact with are math and technology teachers. Personally, my diversity measure consists of family and friends from college. I have met more people from my neighborhood and through a charity that I support but need to continue building those relationships.
Looking in the past and saying that you will abandon something is difficult. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I tend to revert back to past practices because this is something that I am comfortable with and can accomplish easily. With teaching, I will abandon the need to cover all of the material and focus on uncovering key concepts through exploring, creating and sharing. I will abandon doing more "work" than the students. I must design lessons that are meaningful and creates interest. As Dan Meyer says, I need to “help less” and allow my students to wonder. By connecting with others, I will abandon being isolated while I teach. Most days I am so “busy” that I do not venture out of my classroom to reach out to others. Now, I will find time.
Resources:
Here are resources to help in my journey.