Kari Frauendorfer

September Reflection

EDU 603

September 28, 2017

There were several things that intrigued me when we met. The first was perspective and

mindset and the other was the importance of not only professional development for teachers, but

also meaningful professional development for teachers. I really enjoyed the video of the boy,

Audri, who made a Rude Goldberg machine (Littlepythagorus, 2012) and I can easily connect

this with perspective and mindset. I could not get over this boys enthusiasm and excitement,

even for failure. This boy learned that if he fails, it does not mean that he should quit and instead

he learned through his failures how to do things differently to make things work correctly

(Littlepythagorus, 2012). The way that I look at it, failure can be viewed as a catalyst for success.

I can connect this in so many ways with my classroom. In fact, I am trying to instill a growth

mindset with my kindergarteners this year. When something is difficult I tell them that it means

they need to work a bit harder and it may take a little more time. Just the other day one of my

students looked at me and said, this is hard, but it is just going to take more time, right? This

statement was incredibly powerful and really encouraged me to keep instilling a growth mindset

in my students.

I also enjoyed the video of the photographer and how he viewed the world around him.

He explained that our ability to be creative is so important and that everyone has the potential to

be creative. The central theme for this video was all about perspective and how we view the

world around us. He explained that there is more than one right answer. What this means to me is

if I fail at something then I need to try something different and look for another answer, just as
the boy in the video did when he had to change something in order to make his machine work.

The video correlates with the notion that we should not give up, just as it showed in the first

video. Success is not about getting the right answer the first time and stopping there. Instead,

success is about failure. Success is about going on even after you have found the right answer. If

you stop after the first right answer, you miss an enormous opportunity for growth and

discovery.

We also discussed goals that we would like to implement. I chose a couple of main goals

that I want to implement and focus on. One of those goals is to implement more hands-on

activities with my students and I want to create many more opportunities for peer interaction. I

have conducted different activities that involved hands-on activities and interaction among my

students over the past couple of weeks and I am absolutely amazed at how the level of

engagement has increased among my students. In science we have been learning different things

that scientists study. As a culmination project for this unit I had my students work together to

make collages using pictures out of magazines depicting different things that scientists study. I

also used this as an assessment. Rather than giving my students a test, I had them create

something and they created them in teams. My students were on task and loved every minute of

this project. The level of engagement and learning was amazing. I have also incorporated many

more opportunities for think-pair-share. I really feel as though my students are learning so much

from one another.

The second goal that I would like to implement is to discover opportunities to fine-tune

my teaching, whether that would be through professional development or personal development.

Actually, I feel as though I need to focus on both professional development and personal

development. In my opinion, personal development is just as important as professional

development and Christopher Day puts it beautifully when he states, Good teaching involves

the head and the heart (2004, p. 105). This reminds me of the fact that it is difficult to take care

of others if you are not taking care of yourself. I feel as though it is so important for me to be the

best version of me for my students. If I am healthy and in the right mindset then I will be more

able to meet the many different needs of my students. Day also states, It is important to make

time to breathe (2004, p. 107). I can truly relate to this, as there are days where it seems there is

so much to do. However, on the days where I am really able to focus, breathe, and take a step

back, I am much more able to focus on what is best for my students and my classroom. Along

with personal development, ongoing professional development is also important. However, I

firmly believe that professional development should be meaningful to the teacher. During my

first two years as a teacher I have gone through some professional development that simply was

not relatable to me and I did not feel as though it was meaningful. In my opinion, I think it is so

important to have meaningful professional development opportunities instead of professional

development just for the sake of having it. For me the most beneficial professional development

opportunities comes from the time that I can spend with other teachers collaborating and

discussing various topics and issues. I feel as though educators can learn so much from one

another but, unfortunately, having the opportunity to collaborate together is a rare occurrence.

Just as our students learn from each other, we as teachers learn best from each other as well.

Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan make a good point when they state that teachers should be

in charge of their professional development (1992). They go on to state, When adults feel that

they are in control of a process of change that they have voluntarily chosen, they are much more

likely to realize full value from it(Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992). I can relate to this in that I have

been a participant in many workshops or professional development seminars that honestly did
not pertain to me. I feel as though it would be much more productive to allow teachers to choose

their path of professional development to a certain extent.

I can also see the connection between reflection and professional development.

Christopher Day makes an important connection between reflection and collaboration amongst

teachers and states, The problem with reflecting alone is that there is a limit to what can be

disclosed and what information can be collected and received by an individual with a vested

interest in avoiding uncomfortable change processes (2004, p. 114). He goes on to state that,

Others are needed in the process (Day, 2004). Furthermore, the concept of reflective

practice has been linked with that of collaboration (Day, 2004). If as teachers we are to grow

and learn then we need time and encouragement to collaborate and learn from others. I can

honestly say that many of my aha moments come from when I am collaborating with other

teachers, especially my partner teacher.

A question that was asked at our last class meeting was what am I most hoping to

improve, investigate, or change in my practice. My answer to this is I am hoping to change the

way I view learning. I want to be less of an autocratic teacher and more democratic in my

classroom. I want my students to be able to work together so they may learn from each other. I

want to celebrate the noise rather than stifle it. Ultimately, I want to give more power to my

students and have them be able to take more ownership in their learning as this makes it so much

more meaningful for them. It is scary, however, to essentially hand this power over to them. As I

stated earlier, since our last meeting I have implemented different activities that allow my

students to interact with one another and use their chattiness as an opportunity to enhance their

learning. I think I am in the process of slowly trying to let some of that power go and really feel

as though my students are benefiting from it. I mentioned before that my students created
collages to describe different things that scientists study. My students were extremely engaged

and interested in this project. In fact, I had some students finish a collage and want to make

another collage. This reminds me of something I read in the book, The Book of Learning and

Forgetting, when Frank Smith stated, We can learn without effort if we are interested in what

we are doing (1998). Smith (1998) explains the difference between the classic view of

learning and the official view of learning. He explains that the classic view focuses more on

learning from each other, is enjoyable, and does not take much effort (Smith, 1998). On the other

hand, Smith (1998) describes the official view of learning to be something that is memorized and

easily forgotten, is difficult to grasp, and very individualized. The official view truly reminds me

of an autocratic style of teaching and this is what I want to stray away from, especially after

seeing what my students are capable of. I do not want to underestimate the knowledge that my

students have and what they can teach each other.

In conclusion, there are several things that I have taken away these last couple of weeks

including the importance of reflection, professional development, personal development, as well

as the importance of collaboration with other teachers. I truly feel that I am making so many

connections between this class, my classroom, and my students. I look forward to meaningful

reflection and taking control of my own professional and personal development to help me better

understand and better teach my students.

 References

Day, C. (2004). A passion for teaching. London: Routledge Falmer. 105-114.

Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (1992). Understanding teacher development. New York, N.Y:
Teachers College Press. 77.

L. (2012, March 08). Audri's Rube Goldberg Monster Trap. Retrieved September 30, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uDDEEHDf1Y

Smith, F. (1998). The book of learning and forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press. 43.