Sample Summative Checkpoint Self-Assessment Reflections
Outcome 1: Strengths
I began to develop my educational philosophy in EDB 200, where I realized that teaching is
more than presenting information to students in creative ways. I embraced the concept of childcentered learning as described by Dewey in his "Pedagogical Creed." I believe that good
curriculum should emerge from the interests of the students and that students are engaged by
authentic real-world activities. As I learned more about theories of learning and motivation in
EDB 302, I began to adopt Vygotsky’s ideas about setting learning tasks within the “zone of
proximal development” and the power of learning that is inherent in collaborative learning
experiences. I developed my philosophy more to be specific for middle grades students through
my studies of adolescent psychology and my EDB 303 class. There I learned more about the
importance of the social and emotional development of young adolescents, so I began to think
about how to develop collaborative learning opportunities where students are engaged in real-life
problems based on topics of interest to them.
Outcome 1: Areas for Improvement
Although I have begun to develop a solid philosophy of teaching, I am eager to implement some
of my ideas in an urban classroom. I am interested to see how realistic my ideas are. Since my
first methods experience was in a 6th grade self-contained classroom, I know that my experience
may be very different in an 8th grade middle school classroom. During my practicum, I hope to
have many opportunities to see how my educational philosophy helps me reflect on my teaching
and make instructional decisions in the moment.
Outcome 2: Strengths
I believe my strength in this outcome lies in my understanding of different educational contexts,
including suburban schools and communities like the ones where I grew up as well as urban
schools like Case Elementary, where I did my case study for EDB 301. From my EDC 300 and
EDB 301 classes, I have begun to realize the many social issues that may impact students'
experiences in a classroom. Many of these issues are out of students' control, but I have also
begun to think more about how schools may systematically disadvantage certain populations of
students.
Outcome 2: Areas for Improvement
I do not know much about the kinds of educational reforms that are going on in places like
Cleveland. I have heard about the Cleveland Transformation plan, but I would like to learn more
about how teachers, administrators, and parents are involved in helping schools like the
Cleveland Metropolitan Schools improve.
Outcome 3: Strengths
My two content areas are math and language arts. I have a strong understanding of mathematics
and feel much more comfortable explaining that content area. I am very familiar with the
Academic Content Standards and now the Common Core standards in middle school
mathematics. If I have to teach content that I have not studied for a long time, I feel very
confident in being able to research and teach myself any topics I will be teaching.
Outcome 3: Areas for Improvement
I love to read, but I am not really sure what the best books are for students in grades 6-8. I would
like to broaden my repertoire of young adolescent literature so that I can develop a novel unit or
possibly even run book clubs with my practicum students.
I know that I will need a strong foundation in grammar and also have good strategies to teach
middle school grammar. When I was in middle school I had very bad English teachers and I was
completely bored with my grammar lessons. I did not become a good writer until I was
challenged by my professor in freshman English. I would like to help students learn to be better
writers, but I would really like to learn better instructional strategies to teach grammar in a
meaningful way.
Professional Development Plan
I am hoping to teach mathematics in an urban middle school for my practicum experience. Since
I will be comfortable with my content area, I can focus more on understanding how to tap into
the interests of urban middle grades students and implement an inquiry-based pedagogy in a real
middle school classroom. I hope to learn much more about how middle school teachers connect
with students and their parents to develop an engaging classroom environment. I want to address
the social and emotional developmental needs of the students. I am worried about walking the
fine line between being too authoritative and too friendly with the students. I want them to
respect me, but I also want them to enjoy learning in my classroom.
In my practicum classroom, I am really hoping to be able to use some of the new educational
technologies. I have recently heard about how teachers are "flipping the classroom" using
instructional videos. After my first successful creation of an instructional video in EDB 300, I'd
like to try to develop some of my own videos to use with the students.
Finally, I have recently become a student member of the National Middle Level Association, and
I am eager to receive their journals to get new ideas for teaching at this age level.
I know I have a lot to learn, but I am eager to get started with my next major field experience
under the guidance of an outstanding mentor teacher.