Understanding by design - Essential questions

I found this chapter particularly interesting because it is connected with the belief of the teacher seen as a guide. The author explains that through different types of questions, we as teachers are able to promote deeper thinking in our students. In other words, instead of giving our students the right answer to a certain question, we are able to trigger in them the possibility to come out with more questions, which would be the result of a process where student are capable of reaching more complex process of thinking. In this sense, the teacher is not seen as the provider of contents, but is the one who promotes students' higher-order thinking, such as analyzing, relating, connecting, associating, among oyhers. This also entails that the teacher do not states superficial or memory questions, but meaningful and striving ones which lead students to develop the process of thinking and understanding more fruitfully.

Understanding by design - The six facets of understanding

This chapter is really interesting because it deals with the facets thatintegrate or conform the process of understanding. As it was said before, this process tends to be confused with knowledge, however they are nor the same as understanding is by far a more complex process with requires certain evidence. I believe that this chapter is totally useful for us because by getting to know the facets of this process, for us it is easier to know how to reach understanding and how we can find ways in which we can cover the contents more meaningfully based on understanding. Also, by knowing the facets of understanding we will know how to check whether our students are understanding or not.

Understanding by design - Gaining clarity on our goals

In this part of the book the author explains that as it was previously said, goals and objectives are the head that guide our teaching process and the way we face them. In this regard, it is quite relevant to stablish clear and specific goals, which are going to delineate for instance the kinds of activities and the procedures that we will take throughout the teaching process. The author says that the learning goals are not always the same, therefore, we have to know how to differenciate them in order to establish what set of actions we will take to reach those goals. That is why it is important to clarify the objectives of our teaching, so we can be conscious of the activities and tasks we will carry out. In this respect, I may say that in my ELABS I have noticed that teachers in general do not consider the goals when it comes to teaching, therefore their teaching is not meaningful at all, as they only cover contents in isolation.

Understanding by design - Understanding Understanding

In this chapter, the author talks about the uncertainty that exists in relation to the term understanding. Many people tend to confuse this term with knowledge, but actually they are not the same, though in a way they are related. However, it is stated that understanding is a more complex process, which implies a set of actions. As teachers, for us it is really important to be aware of the meaning of understanding, because this aspect is something that we are constantly working with when we are teaching and very frequently that concept becomes part of our objectives and goals. So, if we are going to expect that our students understand certain thing, it is neccesary for us to know what it means and what it implies.

Understanding by design - Backward design

As the the headline suggests, this chapter deals with the fact that teachers need to be aware of the purpose of their teaching in order to plan the activities and actions they will carry out aiming at that determined end. In this sense, it is essential for teachers to know what is the goal we want to reach or the direction we want to move to in order to design the curriculum. According to this, irrespective of the aspects that are considered to be standard when it comes to setting the goals, teachers need to consider the reality and the context they are immersed in when they have to create the curriculum. In relation to this, I believe that as professionals we have to analyze and evaluate what we want to achieve according to the reality of our students and specially their interests, being able to adapt our pedagogical practice to the context we are working at and the people we are working with. However, it does not mean that we have to understimate our students or their capabilities, on the contrary for us it is necessary to boost and encourage them.

Conclusion: What do I walk away with?

At the end of this semester, I can say that I walk away with the huge challenge that means to be aware of the enormous responsibility that teachers have in society. In addition to this, being able to understand that teacher identity is constructed in the way, so through practice and experience we are able to discover who we really are and who we want to become as well. In this sense, teacher identity can vary notoriously from one person to another. Yet, in my view, there are some basic characteristics or responsibilities that teachers need to fulfill as educators considering the important role they carry out in society. 

Video Lesson

Unfortunately, the video I recorded of myself doing classes had problems with the audio, so I could not upload it. However, with respect to the reflection of my practice, I can say that the effectiveness of my communication with students at the beginning (ELAB I) in comparison to current times (ELAB IV), has improved considerably. In this regard, I am communicating more effectively with my students because I have been able to find ways in which my students are capable of understanding what I say more easily. For instance, using simpler words and expressions if their level of english is low or elementary and adapting my vocabulary to the context/reality in which I am working in. 

Teacher Identity Essay

Carolina Berríos

Teacher Mauricio Miraglia

Language VIII

12 October 2012

                        Teachers’ Identity and its Impact in Society.

Throughout history education has been a very important and complex topic to deal with. This is because there are many aspects involved in it which are related to one another. Certainly, all these elements that shape the educational system share the responsibility for the quality of it. However, as an essential component of education, people who are involved in educational issues, especially teachers, play a fundamental role in the development of a society. For this reason, in spite of many factors that may interfere or adversely affect the educational system, I definitely sustain that to a great extent teachers are responsible for the quality of education that is provided, both locally and globally. Regarding this, in spite of the different characteristics and personalities that teachers may have, I strongly believe that reflection must be a transversal aspect that shapes teachers’ identity. 

We cannot ignore the fact that our country, as many others around the world, needs a radical transformation in regard to the current educational system. However, I sustain that teachers’ performance is one of the most important issues to consider if we are to talk about quality education. Research supports this statement. “The benefits associated with being taught by good teachers are cumulative. Research indicates that the achievement gap widens each year between students with most effective teachers and those with least effective teachers” (Center for public education). In this sense, their training becomes a vital part of education, as through it teachers are able to acquire the foundation of their future practice. Now the question is what is central for teachers to know? Or what characteristics should teachers have in order to be competent?

As we live in a diverse world, interests, personalities and characteristics differ considerably from one person to another. The same occurs in the field of pedagogy. Yet, in my opinion there are certain characteristics that teachers must have considering the fact that we live in a constantly changing world, full of new technologies, discoveries and developments. In relation to this, I believe that as part of teacher identity reflection is a very important aspect to consider. As we know, by being reflexive teachers are able to evaluate their performance and consequently they are capable of improving it. As being “reflexive” entails many consequences, I would like to mention that one of them is being able to understand power as a shared right. When students are seen as passive individuals who only have to obey the authorities and follow certain rules, they are not able to develop autonomy and as a consequence of this their learning is not meaningful. “…the very idea of control is antithetical to the democratic classroom and the autonomous learner” (Lefstain). This occurs also because generally students do not see any coherence between the real world and the treatment received at school.

Another feature closely related to reflection is updating of knowledge. If we are reflexive they would be able to comprehend that it is necessary for them to be continuously training, looking for new methods and ways to teach and more importantly to educate students in an integral way. In this respect, technology becomes a major contribution to educational matters as it allows teachers to deal with different styles and ways of learning. “Multimedia makes it increasingly evident that the work of thinking can take place through many forms: verbal, visual, auditory, kinetic, and blends of all and each” (McClintock). Although we cannot deny the accessibility of information and knowledge in our current world, students need something more than information in order to be educated and that is precisely the job of teachers, to make content meaningful and relevant for their lives.

Equally, as it was mentioned before, students need to be educated in an integral way. This means that they need to be prepared in order to be autonomous, reflexive, good citizens, and critical thinkers able to face an ever-changing and unpredictable world. As educators we need to provide our students the necessary tools for them to develop skills in order to face those challenges and be able to contribute to the development of a better society. Also, as educators we need to be in tune with the needs that society has, being able to adapt our practice and knowledge to modernity and produce lifelong learning.

My point to explore in 2013 deals with the fact of finding ways in which a teacher is able to be reflective about pedagogical practice and also about what surrounds him/her. Besides, a point to explore is identity itself, being aware of the fact that identity is constructed in a long term and through experience. 

Teacher Identity Video

During the process of creating this video, my group and I went through different stages in order to get to an agreement on what we wanted to show. In spite of this, finally what I learnt from this work is that teacher identity is a varied aspect in the teaching profession. However, there are certain aspects that can be agreed upon when defining the responsibilities which teachers must fulfill in consideration of the value of their work. 

Poster Session

In the poster session, my group and I agreed on finding out about social knowledge as a theme taken from TPCK text. We believe that as future teachers it is really important to be aware of the social knowledge required by the teaching profession. Consequently, we found and compared two texts related to this topic, spotting ways in which learning might take place in a more meaningful and constructive way.

About this Semester

What I expect from this course is to learn more about how to write or develop academic writing. Related to this aspect, vocabulary is a topic that I think we eill have to improve and work on. Also I expect to continue practicing and improving my language language skills in general terms.
About my strengths, I can say that speaking and writing are the skills that I performe better. In relation to my weaknesses, I would say that listening is a skill that I really need to improve because even though I have enhanced it, there is still a lot to improve.
Regarding myself, I can say that I am  responsible student and I try to do my best all the time. I really love to learn different things, therefore I am willing to to learn and to reach the achievements that I set to myself.

Our expectations Language VIII

With respect to my expectations from this course, I can say that throughout the development of it they were partly fulfilled. At the beginning, I expected to deal with academic writing and ways to improve it. In a broad way, we dealt with this when we worked with international exams practice and also when doing essays. However, there were other aspects that I expected to be covered which were not, but in general terms most of my expectations were fulfilled.