Running head: CLASSROOM VISION AND GOALS

Classroom Vision and Goals

Kiona L. Davis

Portfolio Development Part I: Teacher Growth

Johns Hopkins University

April 9, 2017
CLASSROOM VISION AND GOALS

Successful teaching and learning begins with a clear understanding of ones visions and goals. Within the educational field, all

stakeholders, to include teachers, students, parents, and administrators, should be on one accord about the purpose and desired

outcomes of all academic and cultural activities throughout the school year. Although considered old and clich to younger

generations, I wholeheartedly live by the proverb, It takes a village to raise a child. I believe that a childs success is dependent upon

the many influences that make up their surrounding environments. Therefore, my classroom vision and goals focuses on students

ability to interact with their own community, as well as those settings that are unfamiliar to them.

For that reason, I have created a student-facing charge, that can be easily followed and understood by all members of our

community. This charge represents our long-term vision, purpose, and motivation for all that we do.

Our Classroom Charge:

We are a classroom of sociocultural aware leaders using our reading, writing and imaginative skills to
become knowledgeable of the ever-changing world around us. Our aspiration is to learn and grow
through the study of multiple cultures, exploring aspects that excite us to become global citizens. Our
purpose is to always feed our minds, to understand others, and to advocate for change in areas that we
see injustice. We have unique voices, and we use them to express our opinions. We actively participate in
moments of ease and struggle to further our individual and collective growth.

Quantitively, our goal is to achieve an 80% or above on all formative and summative assessments, which will be composed of

multiple choice and free response questions that directly align with the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR)

exam. It is crucial to meet these quantitative goals a because this will give the students sufficient skills to 1) be successful within the
CLASSROOM VISION AND GOALS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and 2) provide a foundation for current and future rigorous work. These goals will

also be used to measure the progress of student knowledge and understanding.

Qualitatively, students will aim to reach goals in five main pillarsAcademic Achievement, Leadership, Cultural

Competence, Critical Consciousness, and Long-Term Traits and Mindsets. Success in these pillars (explained in chart A below)

provide a foundation for students to meet and exceed expectations in school and beyond.

Classroom Pillars Explanation

Academic We will all hold ourselves and each other responsible for academic achievement. We must see
Achievement academic achievement as a goal that is valuable to our personal and collective goals in class as well as
in life. We believe learning is a lifelong commitment, and we foster that in one another. We think
critically. We draw connections between our text and the global world. We express ourselves as
creative and unique individuals.
Leadership We will take on leadership opportunities in the classroom as well as in our community. We will
support each other in teamwork and partner thinking. We will advocate for changes that we want to
see in our classroom, school, and community.
Cultural We will learn about diversity and other cultures explicitly through specific text and other learning
Competence methods. We will be curious about them, and reflect about how they are similar and different to our
own culture. We will start to understand what makes us unique cultural individuals by reflecting on
our own personal and community history. We will always speak our own opinions and ideas.
Critical We will examine major injustices in our world and in our community. We will see connections
Consciousness between different cultures in the present world, and search for solutions. We will use our critical
consciousness to advocate for change and become active leaders in our world.
Long-term Traits We will continuously reference the 16 Habits of Mind as well as the 24 Character Strengths to hold
and Mindsets ourselves to high standards in areas outside of academics. Through self-reflection, honest constructive
criticism, and strong classroom culture, we will become better individuals, holistically. By keeping a
positive mindset and classroom environment, we will actively seek the best in ourselves and others so
that we can all reach our highest potential socially, mentally, and academically.