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.  

Big Ideas of Characteristic of Novice Teacher

The 2 Characteristics of the Novice Teacher that I would like to focus on today are #2- Effective Communicator and #4- Learning for all students.  I decided to pick these characteristics because I feel that they are both very important (not that the others aren't).  I sometimes feel that the communication between co-workers, parents, students, etc. is lost.  I also feel that we need to remember we are teaching to each individual, not just a particular set of students, so we must address all learners in our lessons.

The first characteristic I am reflecting on is #2- Effective Communicator.  I feel that we must remember the importance of communicating, especially with the families/guardians of the students.  Since I am going to be in Elementary grade levels, it is important to keep in contact with the families of my students.  Informing guardians of every aspect of the child's time at the school is very important.  Although communication is not/should not be limited to parents and guardians of the student, I chose to focus on that with my artifact.  One artifact that I could use in my portfolio pertaining to being an effective communicator would be the parent letters I sent home at the beginning of this semester to my Kindergarten families.  My welcome letter addressed the guardians of the students and let them know who I was, why I was now in their child's class, and what I intended to do throughout the semester with their children.  I also left a message stating if they had any questions to contact me in their children's folders.  I feel that this relates to being an effective communicator because it allows a connection to the parents/guardians of the students that might not have been there otherwise.  It shows that I value their comments/concerns and I am willing to work with them in any way that I can.

The second characteristic I am reflecting on is #4- Learning for all students.  I feel that sometimes teachers lose sight (not purposefully) that every child is unique and not all of them learn the same way.  We, as teachers, must remember that each child deserves a chance at learning, even if that means we go above and beyond to cater to their needs.  Learning for all students demonstrates just that.  We must allow all students to learn in the class.  One artifact that I would use to demonstrate learning for all students would be my Differentiated Lesson Plan from Sped 460.  This was a great way to learn how to adjust the lesson to meet the needs of all students.  By differentiating a lesson plan, we become more aware of the importance for all students to learn.  This fits characteristic #4, as we create an environment where students are comfortable to learn and understand what they are learning.