Final Reflection
Throughout this course, I learned so many new theories. Among my favorites are critical literacy and using funds of knowledge. We rarely are encouraged, in the field, to use our students' experiences in the classroom. These two theories do. They encourage us as teachers to not work against the current, but rather with it and expand upon what our students know to promote their learning and to provide them with confidence as learners.
I really enjoyed learning from my peers. It was very interesting to see many different teaching styles in practice. They ranged from very formal, to very relaxed and many places in between. I was so intrigued by the different perspectives brought in by international students and those perspectives from teachers working here in the public school system. The range of views and perspectives led to some interesting discussions that really got me thinking about what I want to do as a teacher and who I want to be.
Finally, the portfolio process has been long, but rewarding. It is really neat to see everything all together in one space! I have enjoyed the process and hope to apply what I've learned to my own Master's portfolio for my graduate program. My perspective has changed from a portfolio being something I have to do to something I want to do because I know that it makes me a better learner and more critical of what I have done in the past so that I can learn from it for the future. I felt like at the beginning of the semester, my work was sort of broad and not focused. As time went on, I felt more focused and more certain of my work thanks to the background literature and discussion in class. This process has made me rethink how I teach my students and has helped me find better ways to address their needs and see them on their way to success.
Throughout this course, I learned so many new theories. Among my favorites are critical literacy and using funds of knowledge. We rarely are encouraged, in the field, to use our students' experiences in the classroom. These two theories do. They encourage us as teachers to not work against the current, but rather with it and expand upon what our students know to promote their learning and to provide them with confidence as learners.
I really enjoyed learning from my peers. It was very interesting to see many different teaching styles in practice. They ranged from very formal, to very relaxed and many places in between. I was so intrigued by the different perspectives brought in by international students and those perspectives from teachers working here in the public school system. The range of views and perspectives led to some interesting discussions that really got me thinking about what I want to do as a teacher and who I want to be.
Finally, the portfolio process has been long, but rewarding. It is really neat to see everything all together in one space! I have enjoyed the process and hope to apply what I've learned to my own Master's portfolio for my graduate program. My perspective has changed from a portfolio being something I have to do to something I want to do because I know that it makes me a better learner and more critical of what I have done in the past so that I can learn from it for the future. I felt like at the beginning of the semester, my work was sort of broad and not focused. As time went on, I felt more focused and more certain of my work thanks to the background literature and discussion in class. This process has made me rethink how I teach my students and has helped me find better ways to address their needs and see them on their way to success.