Characteristics of a Novice Teacher 2

This week, I would like to address the first and eighth characteristics of the novice teacher, one being life long learners and eight being a reflective teacher.  I wanted to talk more about these two characteristics because as I am spending more time in the classroom, I am recognizing the importance of both of these characteristics. 

In order to be a novice teacher, you must be inclined and determined to be a life long learner.  As we know, learner certainly does not stop at graduation.  Learning takes place each day in many different forms.  We must remember, as teachers, that we want to constantly further our knowledge of content, pedagogy, etc.  We must be open to new ideas and in order to acquire new ideas, we must become life long learners.  In my classes, I am learning the logistics of everything that will go on in classrooms.  However, as I am in my Kindergarten classroom, I have quickly recognized that life long learning is necessary to reach across to all students.  The artifact that I have chosen for characteristic one is a Pinterest board dedicated to education.  Although Pinterest isn’t a meeting, or a conference, it is a great way to learn and integrate new activities/teaching methods into the classroom.  Pinterest boards are filled with new information that other teachers are using around the world.  This is a wonderful way to be a life long learner because you are keeping up with methods that seem to be working in classrooms and you are able to integrate what you are learning to extend your students’ understandings of a particular subject/content area, etc. 

The second characteristic that you must possess in order to be a novice teacher is being a reflective teacher.  To be honest, I would often become discouraged that I had to constantly reflect.  I used to think of it as a ‘job’ rather than something beneficial to my own learning as a teacher.  Reflecting on what has happened leads you to think about what you could have done differently, what went well, why did I think that went well, etc.  By reflecting on lessons and experiences, I am able to address me strengths and work on my weaknesses.  In order to be a reflective teacher, I will continue to keep the artifact of a researcher notebook.  By using a researcher notebook, I am able to see what I have overcome, how I overcame the situation, how I addressed a particular scenario, etc.  Reflecting in a researcher notebook is one of the most beneficial actions I have taken while in the Benedum Collaborative Program.  Reflecting in the notebook has been a great way to identify what I need to work on, what I want to extend my learning on, what I have noticed in the classrooms, etc.  It is a great way to keep your thoughts organized as well as document your wonderings for further studying.