- What do you love to do? Identify something you understand very well. For example, some people love cooking and are great cooks. Other people dance very well, or play a musical instrument. Identify any skill, ability, or interest that you have and that you are good at. You can choose something related to the teaching profession or something that has nothing to do with teaching.
I love bird watching. It is a hobby that follows me to every corner of the earth and brings me great entertainment. It causes me to pay attention to detail and to slow down and enjoy some of the (seemingly) simpler things in life. I can identify most common birds of the east by sight and many by call. While I am really still a novice in ornithology, I am getting pretty good. My friends and family affectionately refer to me as a “bird nerd.”
- How did you get good at this skill? How did you develop your understanding? Did you have a coach, use trial and error, or did you practice all the time? What were the ways you learned and became good at the skill you have identified?
I have always had a deep love of nature and animals. While I spent my earlier years more focused on cute furry animals (mammals mostly), I had neglected the zoo that is constantly overhead! When I met my husband, I soon came to realize he had a passion for birding and it fueled my fire as well. I started learning by asking him lots of questions and paying attention to his regular observations on the topic. Once I developed a basic understanding, I started to read a lot more on the topic and learned better how to make use of bird books in my home life and whenever and wherever I traveled.
- How do you know that you are good at the skill and that you understand it? Identify the evidence do you have that you are good at it. Does your Evidence include any of the following?
- What issues with regard to teaching and curriculum design have been raised by considering "understanding" from your own personal experience? In your reflection, consider ways you might develop curriculum that supports the kind of in-depth understanding you have been reflecting upon in this assignment.
Dr. Hunt brought up an excellent example that I am experiencing this year. I have looped with my kids from 2nd to 3rd grade and will sometimes run into situations where they have no idea what I’m talking about and I’m sure I’ve taught it last year. While some of my teaching and instructional strategies may have been less than effective in some of these instances, I believe I am working with an age group where repetition and re-exposure is about the only way to cement their understanding. I have found that it is important to begin any unit by tapping into the students’ background knowledge. Because of this, I start nearly every new topic, and will do the same with this unit, with some sort of KWL model. It helps to drive my instruction.
