Goals Reflection Essay Shannon McGarry Prior to my student teaching experience, I prepared a set of goals that represent the

five categories of the knowledge base for teacher education at Northern State University. The five areas include: Knowledge of Self, Knowledge of Content, Knowledge of the Learner, Knowledge of Pedagogy, and Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and Member of a Learning Community. A couple of these goals are new for me, while a few of them are continued from my last Junior Field experience. Each goal was planned with a procedure and evaluation method in mind. My goal for Knowledge of Self was to exude confidence and show a great deal of classroom management skills. This was a goal that I continued from Junior Field. My procedure indicated that I would use simple attention-grabbing methods such as a 321 countdown. Evaluation called for self-reflection, observation of my classroom, and obtaining feedback from my cooperating teacher and university supervisor. My outcome with this goal has far surpassed my expectations. I feel that I have exceptional classroom management skills that exude confidence that I wasnt even aware that I had. My university supervisor agreed that I showed great handling of a classroom. I was able to have students complete tasks as I instructed and there were minimal interruptions. Although I do not feel that it would be considered a weakness, I can still continue to master my classroom management skills as I continue to spend time in a classroom. My goal for Knowledge of Content was to become familiar with common core standards of 2nd grade and see how they correlate with standards of 1 st grade and 3rd grade. My procedure stated that I would visit 1st grade and 3rd grade in order to view

how the standards mesh together. My evaluation would come from self-reflection and consultation with my cooperating teacher. To date, I have been able to view the content standards for 1st and 3rd grade and have taught the 2nd grade standards. My next step will be visiting other classrooms. My cooperating teacher has helped me to set up times to spend in other classrooms during the last week of my student teaching experience. So far, I feel that I have done a good job of teaching towards the standards and helping my students to reach their academic goals. After my classroom visitations, I will be able to further assess this goal. My goal for Knowledge of the Learner was to equally involve all students in every lesson that I teach. My procedure stated that I would do things such as provide more think-time before asking students for responses. I also stated that I would use the Popsicle stick method for calling upon students to ensure each student had equal and fair opportunity to participate. My evaluation was to consult with my cooperating teacher and to take notes on my lessons in order to self-reflect. This goal was continued and built-upon from a previous goal. It is still a tricky goal to ensure and be consistent with, but I feel that I have done a proficient job. Students seemed to really enjoy the Popsicle stick method. It also helped with behavior issues since students did not need to raise their hands in order to be noticed. To continue work with this goal, I will continue to focus on how I can pull answers from every student. I feel that when students tend to be quiet and not participate in class discussions, it is often only because they are unsure of what they are being asked or simply because they are shy. I will continue to work on helping them to feel secure with participating and make sure I phrase questions in a way they can easily understand.

My goal for Knowledge of Pedagogy was to keep students engaged and interested in lessons by adding hands-on activities. My procedure simply stated that I would add hands-on activities to as many lessons as I was able to. My evaluation was simply to observe how students reacted and if learning was increased. This goal was more difficult than I expected. Because I was coming into a classroom that was already well-functioning and structured, I was not able to change lessons in a way that would allow for frequent hands-on activities. My science unit was where I added the most. The students really seemed to like the premise of it, but classroom management was a little bit of a struggle due to the strong change of routine. Since I was not able to have as many hands-on activities as I would have liked, I altered this goal somewhat. Instead, I allowed time for movement activities between and, even sometimes, during lessons. When students became fidgety or were losing focus, Id have them quickly stand up and jump 5 times, spin around, touch their toes, and stretch before sitting back down. I would like to add more of this in the future! My goal for Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and Member of a Learning Community was to demonstrate communication between school and families. My procedure stated that I would send notes home to families and then evaluate using a checklist and advice from my cooperating teacher. This goal was not something that was easily accomplished in a short amount of time. I found that this is something that would need to be done throughout an entire school year. During my student teaching time, I was able to send hand-written notes home with students. I made sure the notes were focusing on positive things their child had been accomplishing. Sadly, I was not able to do this for each student due to time limitations. I never received any feedback

from families or acknowledgment that they even received my notes. In the future, I would like to encourage families to write me notes back about any concerns they might have for their child. My student teaching goals have shown me that classroom goals are not something that can be simply accomplished and then never noticed again. They are ongoing efforts on the part of a teacher. Constant self-reflection and consultations with fellow teachers are a necessary part of a teachers everyday life. When I feel like one goal is accomplished, I like to challenge myself by determining how I can build upon my strengths to further benefit my students. It is true that students are constantly teaching their teachers, just like we are teaching them.