Running head: PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS 1

Carly E. Wudel

Professional Dispositions

TED 626: Classroom Management

March 20, 2017

National University

Dr. Torie England

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Professional Dispositions

This was my second time taking this professional dispositions survey here at National

after previously taking it during TED 606. I’m pleased to say that I have grown as an educator

since first taking it a few months ago. The first time I took the assessment, I indicated that I

“need improvement” in the professional dispositions of Scholarship and Active Reflection;

however, after a few more months of teaching experience through an internship and a couple

more completed classes under my belt, I do not feel as though the “needs improvement” category

is applicable. I feel as though I am “emerging” or have “developed” the professional dispositions

of “scholarship, teamwork, active reflection, responsible citizenship, and standards of exemplary

practice.”

After completing this survey, I feel comfortable in saying that the “teamwork”

disposition is one of my strengths. I am extremely proud that I have started my teaching career as

an Elementary PE teacher and I have improved my ability to collaborate with large numbers of

people (colleagues and students at school). I like to think that I have made a positive impact on

the school, especially in the realm of physical activity. The students seem to be a lot more

engaged, interested, and excited about physical activity so I feel like I have developed my ability

to motivate large groups of people. As a PE teacher, I obviously encourage teamwork during

school and value group work among students. I believe there are so many lessons that students

can learn by working as part of a team that can be translated to numerous realms of life outside

of an educational setting.

One area that I would really like to improve is disposition four, “Responsible

Citizenship.” I value diversity and feel as though I demonstrate equity and fairness with my

students; however, this disposition is something that I would really like to improve because I
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currently teach at a school where a majority of the students are of Hispanic or Latino descent and

even more of the students are from households with very low socioeconomic status. I do not

currently “look for and create opportunities to respond to and enhance cross-cultural

understandings…” in my Physical Education classes (National University, 2014, p. 3). I have

learned many strategies for working with English Learners through my classes here at National;

however, I feel as though there is definitely room for improvement in that area because it is not

something that I have practiced for a very long time. Ultimately, I would like to include more of

a multicultural approach to some of the lessons in my PE classes at this elementary school. I

think it would be incredibly cool if I were able to introduce games/activities from around the

world in the small town of Vacaville, California.

In order to improve on disposition #4, I will immerse myself in different cultures by

attending more multicultural events in my community. Being present and showing my support of

different cultures, will help me as an educator. Wubbels and his colleagues were quoted in our

textbook stating that “teachers should empathize with students [and] understand their world…”

(Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2009, p. 44). To improve on this professional disposition, I

will need to plan and implement lessons that are designed to empower students from various

cultural backgrounds. I will assess my progress through a series of self-reflections. I can also

hold myself accountable to improve if I talk about these plans with my mentor teacher and check

in with her to update her on my progress.

In relationship to classroom management, it is really important for me to develop my

responsible citizenship disposition and continue to focusing on teamwork in my PE classes.

These goals are important for me to be able to successfully work with my students who vary in

cultural background, including those who present learning, behavioral, emotional, social, and/or
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health challenges. Being present at multicultural events and showing support of multiculturalism

in my classes will most likely help to foster strong student-teacher relationships and hopefully

lead to an increased mutual respect. I believe that positive teacher-student relationships are built

on a foundation of respect. In order to have good classroom management, the students must

respect you and your teaching philosophy.

With regards to my “strength” goal, I want to improve teamwork skills among students. I

believe that I will be able to work well with students who present learning, behavioral,

emotional, social, and/or health challenges. By encouraging students to work as part of a team, I

will be teaching them life skills that will reach far beyond a school environment. Students on the

lower end of the ability level, will be challenged by the students who have higher ability levels in

physical activity settings while the higher-level students will be challenged to teach their

counterparts who have lower ability levels in the certain activity. The wonderful thing about

teaching PE at an elementary school level is that I can create opportunities for every student to

be successful, even if they face challenges. Because there is such a wide range in the type of

activities that the students participate in during PE, sometimes the students who are not very

good at one activity are actually the best at a different one. Teaching teamwork and creating a

positive atmosphere for my classes is one of my main goals as a PE teacher, along with

improving physical fitness and creating the basis for a lifelong love of physical activity.
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References

Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J. (2009). Classroom management that works:

Research-based strategies for every teacher. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

National University. (2014). Dispositions of effective educators: Guidelines for professional

dispositions candidates and instructors.