Future Learning Essay
Empowering the Future
One of the biggest misconceptions about teaching is how easy it must get after the first year. According to an outsider, “You can simply just do the same thing every year.” However, those who are educators know it means you have taken on the responsibility of being a life-long learner. You learn and grow with experience, while constantly seeking out new ways to enhance your teaching to meet the needs of your students. Just like we encourage students to set goals, I have set goals for my professional self I would like to achieve. My goals focus around the idea of empowerment which is a value we cherish at my school. My future goals include creating an empowering classroom community, fostering global connections, and taking on a leadership role.
One of the goals for my future is to continue to foster empowerment amongst my sixth graders. This past year my teaching partners introduced me to the concept of Genius Hour. Give the students one hour each week to learn about something THEY CHOOSE and to feel empowered! It sounded scary at first but it was remarkable! The learning that took place was authentic and full of passion! Students were empowered to help themselves, their school and their community. Although I learned a lot about Genius Hour during this first year, there is so much more to learn. One place I plan to start is by reading the book Classroom Habitudes: Teaching 21st Century Learning Habits and Attitudes. The book discusses how and why to teach seven habits and attitudes which will empower students both inside and outside the classroom. Also, I plan to spend time exploring blogs and other articles from educators who do Genius Hour to get ideas of how I can make this time more valuable. Knowing the empowerment I have in my education and in my career, it is important to me that my students feel the same way in our class.
While hoping to empower my students through Genius Hour, I would also like to use technology to explore and communicate with the world outside of our community. Many of my students may never get the opportunity to experience other cultures so I want to empower them, and myself, with the skills to be adaptable and to use their curiosity to learn about the world around them. One way I hope to do this is by creating a classroom blog and twitter account where students take ownership over the content and writing being shared. We can use these avenues to connect with other classrooms across the state, country or even world! I will use Kid World Citizen to find other ways to explore and connect with other groups. Through these experiences I hope to continue to foster my students into becoming global citizens whose perspectives are much broader than they were when they entered our classroom.
Finally, I would like to feel empowered to take more of a leadership role in regards to technology at my school. Throughout the Master of Arts in Education program (MAED), I have not only learned the importance of incorporating technology into 21st century teaching but the importance of sharing this knowledge with fellow educators. Learning new technology and how to use it in the classroom can be a daunting and intimidating task (which is how I felt before starting my MAED) without the proper resources and support. I want to use the knowledge I have gained through this program to be a person my colleagues can turn to for support. My hope is to create a network of teachers in my school and/or district that are trying interesting and new things with technology and willing to share their stories. To fulfill this goal, I plan to attend and be an active member of the Capital Area Ed Tech group to network with other educators in the area. I can then try and share their ideas with colleagues at my school.
As a teacher and life-long learner, I need to model for my students what I constantly encourage them to do. These goals I have set for myself will take perseverance and courage to challenge myself professionally. These goals will never expire but will continue to grow and adapt as I learn and grow as a student and teacher. I hope the empowerment I feel to continue to better myself professionally will be visible and spread to my students as well.