What were the most significant lessons or insights you gained during your teacher preparation program?

     One of the most significant lessons I gained during my teacher prep program was learning how to instruct every lesson with intention. This means I learned how to look at the end goal, and using backwards design, create lessons that helped my students meet the learning intentions. This was tricky at first, because it requires so much planning, and learning to look at the big picture was a necessary action on my part. But by the end of the program, I learned how to look at my lessons, and ask myself “Is this particular action helping my students reach the learning objective?” Over the course of the semester, this became easier and easier. Now, it has almost become second nature. I will continue to work on this as I develop as an instructor. 

Also, learning how to develop lessons that included scaffolding up to the highest end of the curriculum so that all my learners were engaged was something I learned to do in this teacher prep program, and my SP and CT really helped show me how to do this in a concrete manner. In my classes, the level of understanding varies so much, that creating differentiated lessons is a necessity. This still challenges me, but my clinical teacher has shown me some of the ways that I can scaffold to ensure my gifted students don’t “check out” while we’re learning material that they comprehend with more ease than their classmates.

Looking back on your capstone project, what aspects do you feel were particularly successful or effective? Why?

     I think that all aspects of my capstone project were successful. I taught the students how to read an analog clock, as well as how to ask the time and respond accordingly. I also taught the students how to use l’heure officielle, or as we call it- military time. They all successfully demonstrated their full understanding of these important life skills by the end of the 3-day unit. I also liked that I got a chance to adjust instruction on the fly, as well as between classes, because this is something that I will have to do throughout my career as an instructor.

During my capstone project I was sure to activate prior knowledge, as well as assign authentic activities that required the students to use the newly introduced information and vocabulary. This gave the students a real reason to learn the material, and see how it could be useful in an authentic setting. Providing relevancy is a wonderful tool for boosting engagement, and I witnessed this when I saw the students work in pair groups. They were using all four of the language demands throughout the unit, which helps better "lock" the new information into their memory.