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Admission to Teacher Education Admission to Student Teaching Professional Program Exit
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Reflection - Student Teaching Exit Essay Before going into the professional education program at Purdue, I was uncertain of my capability of becoming an effective, productive, and compassionate teacher. I knew I wanted to become a teacher, but I did not know if I had the necessary characteristics to become a superior teacher. I had my own beliefs of what a superior teacher should be, but these beliefs were based on my educational experiences as a child. As I went through the professional program, I used my experiences as a foundation, and through research and application, I constructed my own personal philosophy, as well as my own personal teaching style. After completing the professional program, I feel I have changed and grown tremendously from my experiences compared to my pre-professional experiences. Before entering the professional education program, my views of teaching were based upon my childhood experiences of the educational process. My teachers used methods such as rote memorization, skills-based instruction, and competitive learning. My view of the teacher was one of authority that did not cultivate the individual growing process of the child. Instruction was teacher-directed instead of child-centered. I brought these pre-conceived notions with me as I prepared to enter the professional education program at Purdue Calumet. During my professional program, instructors exposed me to many different philosophies about teaching such as Bloom’s Taxonomy, Jean Piaget’s cognitive constructivist theory, Lev Vygotsky’s social interaction theory, William Glasser’s choice theory, B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism theory, Dr. Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory, and several more. My professors had their own beliefs about these theories and theorists, but through their constructivist beliefs, they allowed us as students to construct our own meaning and develop our own personal philosophy and teaching style. As I completed each methods course, my philosophy began to develop and my teaching style became more distinct. I went from believing in skills-based instruction and competitive learning, which was the pedagogy taught at the time, to problem-based, inquiry, individualized instruction, and cooperative learning. Through my field experiences, I was able to apply the new pedagogy, and I realized how much more effective it was in increasing a student’s learning capabilities. Through research, reflection, and application my distinct teaching style and philosophy have grown into a constructivist approach to education. This approach combines many of the ideologies listed above to form an approach that nurtures and promotes the student’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical potentials. This approach looks at each child as an individual who strives to make sense of the world through his or her own way. As a teacher, I need to encourage their desire to learn, build upon their prior knowledge, individualize my instruction, and find meaningful and effective methods to apply this approach in the classroom. During my student teaching experience, it was difficult to apply all the concepts of the constructivist approach; however, I was able to use certain aspects from it. Although the arrangement of the students was collaborative, the atmosphere in this classroom was, in the traditional sense, competition over collaboration. While in control of the classroom, I adapted my instruction by including activities that incorporated and promoted group collaboration, which took some time. By the end of my student teaching experience, the students were working more cooperatively and less competitively. My goal when I enter the teaching profession is to continue to apply the constructivist approach and cultivate it through professional development. By attending workshops and exposing myself to current educational literature, my mind will continue to be open to new philosophies and methods that encourage the growth and development of my students physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. One important concept I have learned through my professors at Purdue is that education is like a spiral; it builds on what has been effective in the past but never goes full circle. Similar to the scientific process, education builds upon a foundation and continues incorporating new ideas and methods. In the ever-changing field of education, I must be flexible and open-minded or else risk going in a constant circle and becoming an ineffective, unsuccessful, and non-productive teacher.
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