1
REFLECTION PAPER
Standard 1: My Reflection on Child Development
I am currently working with middle school students and I plan to be doing this in
the future. Above all, I want to be committed to the learners, be able to make rash
decisions intelligently, be reflective in all the lessons I carry out, and thoroughly
understand my subject matter. I have learned that child development comes with
maturation, as well as, the different stages of development. The thinking, social skills,
and other characteristics of middle school students certainly do differ greatly from those
of younger or older children. I have learned that a trait in middle school children is that
they quickly realize they do not understand a subject. They are much more willing to
raise their hands and ask for clarification during discussion. This knowledge will help
make me a better teacher because it fosters great discussions and new learning, and can
be intentionally used as a strategy for teaching new subjects.
I have discovered that experience alone makes you a better teacher. The more
experiences a teacher personally has, the more he or she can communicate these new
ideas to their students. Teachers do not need to quit researching subjects of interest. This
will enhance their knowledge base and contribute to helping provide more opportunities
for student growth. Teachers that ask questions to their students and attempt to research
the answers as a group will help their students learn and retain useful methods for
personal future research, as well as, their current knowledge base. There are so many
types of research that teachers need to personally use and teach their students to use.
These are descriptive, correlation, experimental, qualitative, scientific based, and action
research. Using these methods and teaching the students to do so will help give everyone
2
more opportunities to become more intelligent, as well as, help the teacher gain more
knowledge of an array of subjects.
Standard 2: School Philosophy and School Organization
What makes me a good fit for middle school is the fact that I do not work well
with little children! However, I like the developmental phase that this group of students
is generally at. For example, I like English and I have observed that students at this age
enjoy acting out different characters. This allows for major kinesthetic activity in the
classroom while still being able to maintain a bit of order. If teachers allow too much
play in elementary school, things can spiral out of control quickly. For example, I like
the idea of playing different characters in a novel and then having students discuss the
feelings and emotions of the characters (Eggen & Kauchak 44). Little children cannot
get this deep whereas, older kids are often too ‘cool’ to participate in these activities.
They may be more concerned with how stupid they look or what their friends will think.
This goes on in middle school too, but statistically, peer pressure is worse in high school.
Another section in chapter two of our text describes an English teacher using
cooperative learning groups to discuss a novel they are studying (50). The students then
share their perspectives with the whole class. This seems like an area that middle school
students would feel more freedom, due to the fact that coming from elementary they are
probably not used to such complex discussions. I would enjoy the opportunity to present
these new possibilities and opportunities, beside the fact that I am big on discussion and
everyone getting a chance to share. During language development, learners can access
knowledge that others already possess. This is done through all the means discussed
previously. This is coupled with cognitive development by using the strategies above so
3
that learners can become more efficient at processing information from their
environment. Information processing theory explains development in terms of
increasingly sophisticated strategies that learners use to complete tasks (43). I hope to be
able to encourage these strategies effectively.
Standard 3: My Views on Curriculum and Assessment
I have learned that teachers primarily use curriculum-based assessments to
measure the learner’s performance in specific areas of the curriculum. To become a more
effective teacher I would follow in line with the status quo by attempting to link
assessments more closely to what I need the students to glean from the lessons. For
example, the learning objectives must be in alignment with the assessments. These
objectives provide an assessment target and a baseline for educators to discover how
students are learning and which steps to take next in the curriculum. The result is an
identification/assessment system that connects curriculum objectives to instruction and
accountability (153). Years ago, curriculum, even unofficial, seemed to be all for one.
Everyone used the lesson planned for that day regardless of how many different levels the
learners were on.
As a teacher, I would hate to not have curriculum based assessments. Students
need to understand curriculum expectations just like the rules in a classroom. Kids need
to learn social responsibility and self-control. These can be taught effectively as well. I
would want to know what level each child was on. I would want to be able to divide and
regroup students for the most effective learning experience. Knowledge of the learners
will make me a better teacher. I believe a great enhancement is parents being involved
in the curriculum and testing. I have also learned that pretesting is important, to go
4
along with all the other assessments. Educators need the division of students to help with
their personal, social, and moral development. Kids that are in need of extra special help
cannot be in classes with those on very different levels. This can lead to bullying because
the students below or above level are at different moral developmental stages. Even if
they are in a classroom with an inclusion teacher, this would enhance development.
Standard 4: My Teaching Field
I have chosen the field of English and I believe there are multiple things that can
be done to teach this. For one, I believe in graphic organizers. Children, especially in
this day and age, are very visual. Without it they do not comprehend well and they get
bored easily. I am also extremely interested in field trips and acting out stories in the
classroom. I have learned from the text that this is much more appealing to middle
school students than high school. Discussion needs to be a big part of the learning
experience. The students need to discuss what they do not know and what they do not
understand. I believe in grouping the students to discuss, study, and read, as well as,
journaling their thoughts and ideas.
I also believe that the students need some incentives for attendance and doing
their best. They need to know that the teacher is available for help before and after
school. Learners with exceptionalities need plenty of resources to reach their full
potential (Kauffman, McGee, & Brigham, 2004). Students with disabilities, gifts and
talents, or both, need instruction designed to meet their unique needs. As a teacher, I
need to understand the different measures of intelligence, such as verbal ability and
abstract reasoning. Many theorists see functioning in the real world as intelligent
behavior. Practical applications do need to be used to get this across, as well as,
5
experiences that include analytical and creative activities. As a teacher, I want to realize
that each child has different learning styles. To help with this I will attempt to keep
group composition flexible, make sure quality of instruction is high for low and highability students, treat student characteristics as dynamic rather than static, avoid assigning
negative labels to lower groups, and constantly be aware of the negative effects of ability
grouping.
Standard 5: My Instruction and Assessment
I believe that students learn through observable behavior and are influenced by
stimuli from their environment. I believe, as our text mentioned, that creating the right
environment from the time students enter the classroom is so important. This classical
conditioning will produce a pleasant involuntary emotion or physiological response
(Eggen & Kauchak 164). This makes for a much better learning environment. For
example, students need to understand that ridiculing others in any way are against the
rules. Respect does need to be a high priority in the classroom (166). Before reading the
text, I was unsure about using class work as a form of punishment. I now see that
students will generalize this concept with many negative aspects. I believe that modeling
in the classroom and life is most important. I like the idea of showing videos, United
Streaming, movies, and plays in order for students to visualize examples. When students
try to solve problems, and they cannot, modeling must be used. A teacher can even put a
well written paragraph on an overhead and show what to do and what not to do. Then,
students are free to ask questions and learn what is right or wrong. Middle school
students are capable of developing self-regulation, but they are unlikely to do so without
extensive guidance and support (189).
6
Standard 6: Family and Community Involvement
I believe the learner constructs knowledge in attempts to understand their
experiences. They want the world around them to make sense and this can be done
through ideas that are being taught a bit differently (197). I will always promote high
levels of interaction. I will do this by checking the learner’s perception of the lesson or
discussion. They will begin to encode new things through activities rather than just
relying on working memory. I will seek to closely guide and monitor them through each
faze of the lessons.
To get parents, guardians, or family members involved I like the idea of preparing
everything exquisitely for open house. I believe sending letters home is a great way to
reinforce open house, grades, progress, and other upcoming events, especially those
seeking parental involvement. To get the community involved, I would seek volunteers
to help with activities that promote some type of learning experience. Perhaps a field trip
or fund raiser for the field trip would involve the local community. I would see if
businesses would donate various items for our fund raisers. Then, the students would
know, that the community cares as well.
Standard 7: My Role as a Professional
To continue to grow as a professional I will continue to have meetings with other
teachers to come up with new ideas and critiques of myself as well. I also want to go to
classes and keep up with the latest technology. I believe this is so important in today’s
society. Kids need to know the latest and be taught using the latest technology in order to
grow with our world. I believe that continuing with as many seminars and teacher inservice days as possible are keys to continuing to learn about the complexity of teaching
7
students. My goal is also to keep motivation alive in my classroom. I need to have many
goal-directed activities that challenge the students. This will help me as a teacher to
grow, as well as my students. Teachers need to stay motivated in their teaching field and
this will reflect through to the students (285). I believe that having collective efficacy
will keep motivation high, because the faculty can have a positive effect on students.
This will make achievement higher, especially with students from diverse backgrounds
(326).
In my classroom, I want students to have a good, productive, and safe
learning environment because this will foster growth for me and the students. I want
clear standards for acceptable behavior posted and taught, as well as a caring atmosphere.
Eventually, it will be important to use the cognitive domain to focus on applying and
analyzing problems. This may not be an immediate approach, but it must grow into this
so that everyone can grow and learn to research and deal with problems. I also want to
incorporate constant rubrics. This helps teachers and students grow, know what to do,
what approach to take, and what their objectives are. If focus can be placed on the
objectives effectively, everyone learns more adequately. Rubrics can be complex to
make but they are well worth it in the end. Rubrics are like a map to learning. I want to
be aware, as a teacher, of the measures of central tendency. If I do not understand what
my group needs to learn and how they are performing, I cannot grow with my lessons or
help them grow and learn.
Works Cited
Eggen., P, & Kauchak, D. (2009). Educational psychology: windows on classrooms.
Prentice Hall.