EDUC 450 Reflection and Critique
Andres Flores
EDUC 450 was one of the most informative experiences of my time in the educator preparation program at Colorado State University. The hands on teaching in the classroom illuminated the challenges of working with high schoolers and helped me to further develop my emerging teaching style. While delivering my lessons I discovered that my teaching style is dependent upon creating strong and genuine relationships with students. In order for me to deliver effective instruction I first need to know my students on a personal level. I enjoy talking with them to know there struggles and success in school, various interest, and how these factors relate to the current class work. I discovered the importance of this relational element through the success of my first lesson and the relative struggle of my second lesson. During my first lesson in a woodshop class I was able to capitalize on strong student relationships to engage and challenge the students in the classroom. This made the lesson enjoyable to teach and kept the pacing upbeat even when difficult to navigate topics came up. Conversely my second lesson suffered because I had not been able to establish strong connections to the students. I struggled to engage and fully manage the class due to the lack of connection. This made the lesson less engaging and far less enjoyable to teach. This discovery is vital to my practice as a teacher as I will know be able to realize and utilize the importance of having strong connections to my students and how this aids my classroom. These experiences in the classroom also helped me to see the challenge of working with a large number of students who all have specific needs and struggles. Working in the digital art room I encountered students with high emotional needs that effected their ability to learn in the classroom. Seeing the teacher navigate and interact with these students helped me to understand that a level head and utilization of school resources is key to success in these situations.
In addition to learning these elements of how I function as a classroom teacher I also gleaned a wealth of knowledge about myself as a professional individual. Before the onset of this semester I knew that teaching was a passion of my and that my particular style was dependent on strong relationships. This semester helped me to see that my philosophy as a teacher also reflects these values. I think that every student is teachable and worthy of the effort to engage. Students deserve a teacher that creates lessons that are personal, pertinent, and passionate for the student’s individual interests and passions. This semester has helped me to further name and define this philosophy. As a professional EDUC 450 helped me to see how punctuality and other practical applications of professionalism are very valuable to me. I say that professionalism is truly a series of small decisions and actions that add up to define you and your practice. The extensive work that we did exploring and understanding assessment helped me to see this as an extension of professionalism. Assessment data and analysis this semester helped me to see the value of assessment as a tool to continually check and refine instruction. Knowing were your students are allows for constant improvement and adaptation to needs. EDUC 450 gave me a chance to refine and deeply explore who I am as a teacher. The class challenged me with new students and situations and provided a chance for me to understand my practice on a deeper level. As I look towards student teaching I am confident that the lessons and observations that I gained from this course will continue to inform and improve my future in education.
Andres Flores
EDUC 450 was one of the most informative experiences of my time in the educator preparation program at Colorado State University. The hands on teaching in the classroom illuminated the challenges of working with high schoolers and helped me to further develop my emerging teaching style. While delivering my lessons I discovered that my teaching style is dependent upon creating strong and genuine relationships with students. In order for me to deliver effective instruction I first need to know my students on a personal level. I enjoy talking with them to know there struggles and success in school, various interest, and how these factors relate to the current class work. I discovered the importance of this relational element through the success of my first lesson and the relative struggle of my second lesson. During my first lesson in a woodshop class I was able to capitalize on strong student relationships to engage and challenge the students in the classroom. This made the lesson enjoyable to teach and kept the pacing upbeat even when difficult to navigate topics came up. Conversely my second lesson suffered because I had not been able to establish strong connections to the students. I struggled to engage and fully manage the class due to the lack of connection. This made the lesson less engaging and far less enjoyable to teach. This discovery is vital to my practice as a teacher as I will know be able to realize and utilize the importance of having strong connections to my students and how this aids my classroom. These experiences in the classroom also helped me to see the challenge of working with a large number of students who all have specific needs and struggles. Working in the digital art room I encountered students with high emotional needs that effected their ability to learn in the classroom. Seeing the teacher navigate and interact with these students helped me to understand that a level head and utilization of school resources is key to success in these situations.
In addition to learning these elements of how I function as a classroom teacher I also gleaned a wealth of knowledge about myself as a professional individual. Before the onset of this semester I knew that teaching was a passion of my and that my particular style was dependent on strong relationships. This semester helped me to see that my philosophy as a teacher also reflects these values. I think that every student is teachable and worthy of the effort to engage. Students deserve a teacher that creates lessons that are personal, pertinent, and passionate for the student’s individual interests and passions. This semester has helped me to further name and define this philosophy. As a professional EDUC 450 helped me to see how punctuality and other practical applications of professionalism are very valuable to me. I say that professionalism is truly a series of small decisions and actions that add up to define you and your practice. The extensive work that we did exploring and understanding assessment helped me to see this as an extension of professionalism. Assessment data and analysis this semester helped me to see the value of assessment as a tool to continually check and refine instruction. Knowing were your students are allows for constant improvement and adaptation to needs. EDUC 450 gave me a chance to refine and deeply explore who I am as a teacher. The class challenged me with new students and situations and provided a chance for me to understand my practice on a deeper level. As I look towards student teaching I am confident that the lessons and observations that I gained from this course will continue to inform and improve my future in education.
