Once a Procrastinator, Always a Procrastinator
A Synthesis Essay by Dawna Kilgore
Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a bit of a procrastinator. I always have been and I probably always will be. One would think that I would learn my lesson…but that hasn’t happened yet. Starting a master’s degree program was something that I procrastinated. When I began my master’s degree coursework in the spring of 2009 I had already completed three and a half years of teaching in my own classroom, on top of one and a half years of substitute teaching. The reason for my procrastination? I was so wrapped up in teaching and loving what I was doing. At the time I was more interested in investing my time and energy into my classroom. I didn’t see the value in going back to school and taking more courses. I had a hard time coming to terms with the idea of becoming a student again. Eventually I caved and began looking into master’s programs. I very quickly realized that I wanted to continue my education at Michigan State University (the same university I had completed my undergraduate work at) and chose the online MAED program as my path to a master’s degree.
Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a bit of a procrastinator. I always have been and I probably always will be. One would think that I would learn my lesson…but that hasn’t happened yet. Starting a master’s degree program was something that I procrastinated. When I began my master’s degree coursework in the spring of 2009 I had already completed three and a half years of teaching in my own classroom, on top of one and a half years of substitute teaching. The reason for my procrastination? I was so wrapped up in teaching and loving what I was doing. At the time I was more interested in investing my time and energy into my classroom. I didn’t see the value in going back to school and taking more courses. I had a hard time coming to terms with the idea of becoming a student again. Eventually I caved and began looking into master’s programs. I very quickly realized that I wanted to continue my education at Michigan State University (the same university I had completed my undergraduate work at) and chose the online MAED program as my path to a master’s degree.
Planning & Setting Goals
As I began putting together my application for the online MAED program I was asked to write a goal statement. I had to determine what I wanted to get out of my education. At that point in time, I was struggling to “reach and teach” a particular group of students—my special education students. As a science teacher at Holt Junior High School I teach both general education and special education students in the same inclusive classroom. It did not take me long to realize that special education students are a group of students that I lacked skill in instructing. I was struggling with how to meet the needs of a select few students in a class of thirty. So, I set out to learn how I could better meet the needs of the special education students in my inclusive science classroom and special education became my primary concentration area for my degree.
A Tidbit of What I've Learned
While I took three courses for my concentration area, one in particular had a large impact on my learning and teaching. CEP 842, Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms, is a course that has forever changed the way I teach students in my classroom. A major theme and concept covered in this class was universal design for learning (UDL). UDL is a planning and instruction method that focuses on designing lessons so that as many students as possible can benefit from them, as opposed to modifying existing lessons to meet the needs of just a few select individuals. This idea was startling to me. I went into CEP 842 convinced that I needed a new “bag of tricks” for my special education students and not a completely new way of designing and implementing lessons for all of my students. It quickly became evident to me that the most effective way to “reach and teach” my special education students was also the most effective way to “reach and teach” my general education students. I learned that I needed to create lessons that allowed for me to present content and information in multiple (and different ways), I learned that I needed to create multiple ways in which students could express or prove what they know (learned), and I also learned that I needed to create multiple ways in which I could engage all students in learning.
I was able to apply what I learned in CEP 842 through an end of the term project. We were given the freedom to create our own project in which we were asked to apply a concept from the course to a problem/interest/concern of ours in context to our teaching situation. I used this project as a way to address vocabulary instruction. In science education vocabulary acquisition is essential to the comprehension of the expository reading that must take place. Upon conclusion of this project I had a solid plan in place that would help me to increase the comprehension of students with learning disabilities (as well as general education students). To this day, I still use many of the techniques that I developed through the completion of this project.
One of the reasons I was drawn to Michigan State University’s online MAED was the flexibility and variety the program offered. While I choose a concentration in special education, I was also able to dabble in other topics that would impact my classroom teaching.
Another course that I took during my master’s course work that has had a great impact on my own teaching is TE 861A, Teaching Science for Understanding. When I first enrolled in TE 861A I found the title of the course a bit humorous…Teaching Science for Understanding. Isn’t that what all teachers attempt to do on a daily basis? Teach for understanding. I quickly came to realize that there is a difference between teaching and teaching for a true, in-depth understanding. While the course covered a variety of topics there are three topics of the course that have changed the way I teach science—inquiry based teaching, embedded assessment, and student discourse.
Inquiry based teaching in science is a topic that was covered in my pre-service coursework, but until I took TE 861A I had never given it a chance. I have found that students are able to have a more in-depth understanding of certain topics if they are given the opportunity to build some of the knowledge through their own experimentation and hands-on experiences. It has been very hard for me to switch from the role of teacher as leader to teacher as coach (I have control issues), but I have seen the benefit that it brings to my students and their understanding of complex science concepts. As I continue to modify, edit, and develop new lessons from year-to-year, I look for ways to incorporate more inquiry based lessons into my teaching.
Teaching Science for Understanding was essential to my understanding of the role embedded assessment plays in learning and teaching. While I had always used a variety of forms of assessment in my classroom, the piece that was missing from my practice was using the information gathered from my assessments to ensure that students were developing a rich understanding of the concepts I was teaching them. Before this course I stuck closely to my planned lessons, with little to no thought about what my assessments of student understanding were telling me. TE 861A helped me to develop a mindset that I must use the information I obtain from embedded assessments to make more short term decisions. I have come to an understanding that my daily lesson plans are merely an outline of the path that I need to take and that I must use my embedded assessments to make more immediate decisions. If in looking at an embedded assessment from today I realize that my students do not have the underlying understanding that they will need to understand tomorrow’s lesson I must adjust what I am doing.
As a seventh and eighth grade science teacher I had always been hesitant to encourage discourse among my students (again…I have control issues). Seventh and eighth graders aren’t always mature enough to carry on content based conversations in an appropriate manner. Not only did TE 861A open my eyes as to why these conversations amongst students are valuable to their understanding, but it also provided me with several measures I could take to ensure that the conversations that do occur are appropriate and content related. Two of the methods I was introduced to I still use today are guiding questions and report outs. When I want my students to discuss science amongst their peers to deepen their understanding I provide a list or collection of questions that are to guide their discussions and other times I require that any member of the group should be able to be called on and report out their discussion to the rest of the class.
Another class that has had a large impact on my learning and teaching is CEP 883, Psychology of Classroom Discipline. It was my favorite class and has probably had the greatest influence on my day to day teaching. In all honesty, I think that a class very similar to this class should be required for all pre-service teachers. Very rarely do I keep textbooks from my classes, but I still have and still frequently refer to the two texts that were required for this class. For me, the take home message of this course was the importance of establishing a classroom management plan. An effective management plan is absolutely essential if learning is going to take place. When I began CEP 883 I had just completed my fifth year of teaching and was at a point where I felt pretty comfortable and confident in my current management plan. CEP 883 quickly changed my mind! There was a major hole in my plan. I was not intentionally teaching students every aspect of my plan—they were not fully aware of my expectations.
As part of my culminating project for Psychology of Classroom Discipline I created Power Point slides that I use to teach my expectations to students. While creating these slides I carefully thought about what was acceptable and unacceptable behavior for various activities that occur in my classroom on a regular basis. The result of my thinking and planning was the Power Point slides that I now use to teach students my expectations. I often review them with students (even 9 weeks into the current school year) and am planning to turn them into posters that I can hang up on the board at the front of the classroom so that students have a constant visual reminder of my expectations while they are in my classroom.
I was able to apply what I learned in CEP 842 through an end of the term project. We were given the freedom to create our own project in which we were asked to apply a concept from the course to a problem/interest/concern of ours in context to our teaching situation. I used this project as a way to address vocabulary instruction. In science education vocabulary acquisition is essential to the comprehension of the expository reading that must take place. Upon conclusion of this project I had a solid plan in place that would help me to increase the comprehension of students with learning disabilities (as well as general education students). To this day, I still use many of the techniques that I developed through the completion of this project.
One of the reasons I was drawn to Michigan State University’s online MAED was the flexibility and variety the program offered. While I choose a concentration in special education, I was also able to dabble in other topics that would impact my classroom teaching.
Another course that I took during my master’s course work that has had a great impact on my own teaching is TE 861A, Teaching Science for Understanding. When I first enrolled in TE 861A I found the title of the course a bit humorous…Teaching Science for Understanding. Isn’t that what all teachers attempt to do on a daily basis? Teach for understanding. I quickly came to realize that there is a difference between teaching and teaching for a true, in-depth understanding. While the course covered a variety of topics there are three topics of the course that have changed the way I teach science—inquiry based teaching, embedded assessment, and student discourse.
Inquiry based teaching in science is a topic that was covered in my pre-service coursework, but until I took TE 861A I had never given it a chance. I have found that students are able to have a more in-depth understanding of certain topics if they are given the opportunity to build some of the knowledge through their own experimentation and hands-on experiences. It has been very hard for me to switch from the role of teacher as leader to teacher as coach (I have control issues), but I have seen the benefit that it brings to my students and their understanding of complex science concepts. As I continue to modify, edit, and develop new lessons from year-to-year, I look for ways to incorporate more inquiry based lessons into my teaching.
Teaching Science for Understanding was essential to my understanding of the role embedded assessment plays in learning and teaching. While I had always used a variety of forms of assessment in my classroom, the piece that was missing from my practice was using the information gathered from my assessments to ensure that students were developing a rich understanding of the concepts I was teaching them. Before this course I stuck closely to my planned lessons, with little to no thought about what my assessments of student understanding were telling me. TE 861A helped me to develop a mindset that I must use the information I obtain from embedded assessments to make more short term decisions. I have come to an understanding that my daily lesson plans are merely an outline of the path that I need to take and that I must use my embedded assessments to make more immediate decisions. If in looking at an embedded assessment from today I realize that my students do not have the underlying understanding that they will need to understand tomorrow’s lesson I must adjust what I am doing.
As a seventh and eighth grade science teacher I had always been hesitant to encourage discourse among my students (again…I have control issues). Seventh and eighth graders aren’t always mature enough to carry on content based conversations in an appropriate manner. Not only did TE 861A open my eyes as to why these conversations amongst students are valuable to their understanding, but it also provided me with several measures I could take to ensure that the conversations that do occur are appropriate and content related. Two of the methods I was introduced to I still use today are guiding questions and report outs. When I want my students to discuss science amongst their peers to deepen their understanding I provide a list or collection of questions that are to guide their discussions and other times I require that any member of the group should be able to be called on and report out their discussion to the rest of the class.
Another class that has had a large impact on my learning and teaching is CEP 883, Psychology of Classroom Discipline. It was my favorite class and has probably had the greatest influence on my day to day teaching. In all honesty, I think that a class very similar to this class should be required for all pre-service teachers. Very rarely do I keep textbooks from my classes, but I still have and still frequently refer to the two texts that were required for this class. For me, the take home message of this course was the importance of establishing a classroom management plan. An effective management plan is absolutely essential if learning is going to take place. When I began CEP 883 I had just completed my fifth year of teaching and was at a point where I felt pretty comfortable and confident in my current management plan. CEP 883 quickly changed my mind! There was a major hole in my plan. I was not intentionally teaching students every aspect of my plan—they were not fully aware of my expectations.
As part of my culminating project for Psychology of Classroom Discipline I created Power Point slides that I use to teach my expectations to students. While creating these slides I carefully thought about what was acceptable and unacceptable behavior for various activities that occur in my classroom on a regular basis. The result of my thinking and planning was the Power Point slides that I now use to teach students my expectations. I often review them with students (even 9 weeks into the current school year) and am planning to turn them into posters that I can hang up on the board at the front of the classroom so that students have a constant visual reminder of my expectations while they are in my classroom.
Coming to a Conclusion?
As I think back on all I’ve learned I have to ask myself why I was so hesitant and reluctant to begin working on my master’s degree. I procrastinated because I wanted to focus my efforts and energies on my classroom and it turns out that completing my master’s degree allowed me to do just that. I found that each course I took directly applied to what I was doing in my classroom each and every day and the assignments that professors assigned most often involved applying what I was learning with what I was doing in my classroom, in the here and now.
While my formal education is coming to an end, my learning is not. As a teacher, I learn something new every day and I don’t see this ever coming to a conclusion. I look forward to learning in new ways. I think that as I will now have some more time available I will spend time in other teachers’ classrooms. Through several assignments I’ve completed I’ve learned that I learn by watching others. I foresee myself visiting the classrooms of other teachers and observing what they do as a method I will use to continue learning and becoming a better educator that can reach and teach her students.
While my formal education is coming to an end, my learning is not. As a teacher, I learn something new every day and I don’t see this ever coming to a conclusion. I look forward to learning in new ways. I think that as I will now have some more time available I will spend time in other teachers’ classrooms. Through several assignments I’ve completed I’ve learned that I learn by watching others. I foresee myself visiting the classrooms of other teachers and observing what they do as a method I will use to continue learning and becoming a better educator that can reach and teach her students.