Personal Reflection
My goal is to be able to meet my students’ individual needs incorporating non-traditional strategies along with technology into my instruction, and use that as an approach to enhance their learning and allow them to access to a world that is denied to them because of their learning difficulties. I want to create a pamphlet that describes specific problems for students with special needs, along with alternative interventions for those problems using new technologies, programs and tools that facilitate that intervention in an individualized way.
Being more like a traditional and scripted teacher, I always like planning everything I say and do with my students, without a lot of room for creativity and spontaneity. I want to take more risks by being more flexible in terms of using exploration and manipulation, and by experiencing more non- traditional strategies and activities to engage my students. I anticipate a big change in the way I will approach technology as part of my teaching. At first I was very skeptical and afraid of immersing in that field, but as I learn more and more about different ways to present my lessons using audio, animation, virtual trips, shared documents and videos, the more I get convinced that it will be a good change.
Although , it has been difficult finding the right balance between implementing technology, developing appropriate learning strategies, meeting my student’s needs and following the district’s curriculum , the experience I had with MSU Wipro STEM cohort have prepared me to take that step. I am willing to go ahead and teach with ideas and experiences that stick with the students over time. I am willing to go out of my comfort zone, and bring to the class ideas that arouse curiosity. As tools I will use statements that force students to validate their knowledge, lessons that give them a more real-world experience and learning that connects to the level of understanding they have.
The diversity measure of my network includes: participating in grade level meetings with my colleagues, being a member of different CFE ( The Chicago Foundation for Education) groups, participating in workshops and conferences, researching and applying for grants together with my colleagues, participation in math talks, and being a member of different organizations that offer valuable educational resources for teachers.