Collaboration Is A Key Ingredient For Successful Teacher Professional Development Essay

As a future middle school teacher, I know I have much to learn. I have to learn how to effectively make engaging lesson plans that meet the academic standards of my content, I have to educate myself on how to efficiently and promptly determine all of my student’s different learning styles and motivation, and I have to learn how to professionally build classroom management and a safe classroom environment, while still developing a sincere relationship with my students. However, of all the things I still need to learn, there is just as much that I have already learned which has helped build and strengthen my beliefs on what I believe a middle school teacher is and my responsibility as such.

Rhonda Haus started her career in the secondary school system where she has seen and been a part of many changes. She gave a unique perspective into Regina Public Schools and highlight the systems specific goals along with their successes and failures. Underlining it all was her message to put the students and to provide the best education for all kids. These goals were measurable and attainable. Kaylan Gazda spoke about the elementary school system and her experience in a variety of grades and schools. Her time in an experimental classroom and in another country provided many challenges. However, those challenges and obstacles made her a better teacher for her current job in a split classroom. Jordan McFarlan was able to provide insight in process of building a new program in a high school from the ground up. He was able to list challenges he faced and ways to respond to those challenges. Jesamy Unger presented what is was it is like to be a student taking education and the lessons she learned throughout her journey. She gave us useful advice for our field experiences and the tip that not everything you need to know about being a teacher will be taught in school. Every member of the panel highlighted you need to make relationships and networks with students, colleagues and even

During the Spring Semester of my sophomore year at The College of New Jersey, I was placed at Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor Plains Burrow for my practicum experience. My practicum partner, Gwen, and I were placed in Mrs. Jones’ 3rd grade classroom. This portfolio is an accumulation of different lessons and activities we observed and participated in, both in Mrs. Jones’ classroom as well as in other classes held at Maurice Hawk. The portfolio is just a snapshot of all we did and learned, but it serves as a reminder of various learning theories and application of teaching practices in a real classroom.

After being asked to choose an administrator to interview, I did not have to think twice about whom I would be interested in interviewing to speak on the terms of collaboration. After having Mrs. Kimberly Bernard as a teacher, I was extremely curious to learn about her experiences and opinions on this subject. Mrs. Bernard is an English teacher at Elwood Junior/ Senior High School, which is located in Elwood, Indiana. Additionally, she is the head of the English department, which consists of advocating for the department. Mrs. Bernard teaches an eighth grade English class as well as a sophomore Honors class. She has also taught in Connecticut for two and a half years, Illinois for three years, Ohio for one year, Indiana for five years,

Christy Bickett’s greatest influences on becoming a teacher were the teachers she had in her life. Her first teachers, her parents, always emphasized the importance of education. Both parents went back to college while she was attending school demonstrating the changing effect education could play in their life. As a struggling reader in elementary school, teachers showed her the worlds she could discover in books with their constant reassurances. In high school, her teachers and coaches served as a second family pushing her to achieve more than she thought possible.

Collaboration between teachers is a key component to professional development that will lead to higher student achievement. There is a need for schools to set up time for teachers to be able to collaborate together. This allows for teachers to help each other, matchup content, teach each other new and best practices, troubleshoot student issues just to name a few of the areas that collaboration time can help foster within a school. The key is to build time for teachers to be able to collaborate during the school day or week. This collaboration time needs to be between grade levels, departments, and cross curricular when needed. For many schools this is an afterthought to the school schedule or a fleeting thought after the master schedule is completed. A principal needs to keep an open mind to any strategy that will enable the teachers to be able to collaborate for the good of the students and the school.

The Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson has been developed through research as a guideline for current and future teacher’s professional responsibilities in and out of the classroom. Districts throughout the country are using this framework to assess and guide their teachers to build successful methods of planning and preparations, setting up the classroom environment, instruction and professional responsibilities. Each of these domains builds off of each other to form a successful learning environment. Domain 3 focuses more specifically on instruction using communication, discussions, engagement, assessments and flexibility.

I learned quickly that being an effective teacher is an art that takes time and devotion. Many times, teachers are not provided with the necessary materials in order to maintain the various learning styles in a classroom. It is up to the teacher to create an environment where students can succeed. This is a full time job, meaning that a teacher’s work is not done once they leave the school. A teacher must contribute a significant amount of time and effort in order to see positive results in the school and in his or her own classroom. After observing my cooperating teacher’s strategies and learning more about the profession, I knew that I was going in the right direction with my life. I took a significant amount of knowledge away from this experience and have continued to strive to be the type of educator that I was blessed to work with during this experience. .

I had the chance to observe Renee Perry’s first grade class at Lucile Sounders. She has nine years of teaching experience in education, from grades kindergarten through first. She also taught at an elementary school before moving to Fayetteville North Carolina. She shared with me the importance of having a supportive team while teaching. When I say supportive team I mean other teacher who teaches the same grade as you do. Having a supportive team allows you to be able to vent and ask for advice on how to deal with certain situations. It also allows you to share various lesson plans ideas on different subjects.

It wasn’t until junior year of high school, I realized I had a strong passion for teaching and helping others. When I was a child, dress-up and tea parties were never an option for my “play-date” guests. I was always pretending to be a teacher, while my guest landed the role as the student in class along with all of my stuffed animals and dolls. I have always dreamed of becoming a teacher, but it wasn’t until I reached high school I realized I wanted to become a high school teacher. For a while I was unsure of what I would like to teach. All I knew was I wanted to teach at a secondary level. During senior year, I found my passion. I realized Family and Consumer Science was the path for me.

The nominee who I considered displayed the character of collaborative leadership is a teacher who I was honored to work with during my student teaching. Mrs. Calloway is the lead teacher at David G. Sanchez Elementary, teaching 2nd grade and leads three other teachers in their educational endeavors. The methods she represents are all that collaborative leadership defines. The interview discussed: how collaboration is effective with those she leads? How parents are involved in supporting collaborative learning. The roles of the site-based decision-making committee. The importance of communication when practicing the collaborative process. The challenges that come up when utilizing the collaborative approach. Why might a professional move away

At Rowe Elementary Charter School, I directly educate 30 scholars from the Chicagoland area. I serve as the only Special Education teacher for the Kindergarten grade. The Kindergarten team is comprised of seven additional female teachers and one male educator, all of whom are stakeholders practicing under political pressures and technical limitations. As a fairly new educator and new employee to the school, I am metacognitively aware of my development as a leader in regards to the previously established team in which I am a joining member. In regards to daily operations, I consider myself at the co-creator leader leveI. My reflective attention is devoted to learning the procedures of a new school environment. I actively take part in deep collaborations with my veteran co-teacher and experienced team. I am cognizant of my surroundings and take action with the mindset that I do not have all the answers. Due to the nature of joining an established team with well practiced staff members, I accommodate to their needs and ideas to better the development of our shared vision and collaboration

As a lifelong learner, Mrs. Oliver holds true to the values that knowledge is power, and learning never stops. Every day in the classroom, she strives to impact and motivate her students so that they will have a genuine passion for learning. A native of Louisiana. Mrs. Oliver has been happily married for 20 years and is the proud mother of a 13-year-old daughter, Corinn. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Louisiana State University--Geaaauxxx Tigers!--and a Masters of Education in Administration and Leadership. Though she is not a native Texan, she says she, "saddled up my horse and got here as quickly as I could." She loves being a teacher, and can’t imagine doing anything else. "Young people are so much fun, and I feel fortunate

Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve

Robinson, Dailey, Hughes, and Cotabish (2014) sought to discover the impact of teacher professional development, as well as, a problem-based curriculum on gifted, elementary student’s science achievement. The study compared two groups of students in grades second through fifth by placing them into a treatment group versus a comparison group. Over the course of a two-year period, STEM starters provided 120 hours of professional development to teachers in a problem-based, inquiry learning curriculum through 30 hours of summer workshops and 30 hours of sustained coaching during the school year. Teachers were presented the curriculum explicitly through experiencing the content as a student then received weekly coaching throughout the year (Robinson et al., 2014, pp.191-192). Moreover, the curriculum used with the treatment group focused on central scientific concepts at an advanced, higher-level with an emphasis on science-literacy.