Throughout the induction process I have incorporated many new strategies in my lessons providing more differentiation to address my students’ various needs. Many of these strategies have included using technology which is an administrative goal at our school. In addition, using technology and developing note taking methods has given students a greater opportunity to learn new information at home which provides more class time for deeper conceptual understanding. In all areas, I have progressed and become stronger than I was before. I will continue to work on organizing and connecting various lessons to help students see the “big picture”. A professional goal I have is to become more organized so that planning is more streamlined. Rather than searching for the best activity or exercise I used the previous year, I would like to have it readily available. The curriculum I am using requires a a good amount of outside support to go along with it and I know the more organized I am, the easier the following year will be. I will take action by starting binders for hard copies and files in my documents to store additional resources. I will have them sorted by unit and titled by what they specifically address. I would also like to continue to help students become better students such as providing them with study tips and teaching them additional skills that can help them in math and other subjects areas. I will implement study skills of the month and continue to implement the pre-reading notes that I have been using this year. To remain a connected educator with my peers, I will continue to meet with my colleagues regularly for collaboration. To stay connected with my students and parents I will continue to use my website and use the remind app which sends text messages to students and parents. I would like to next year, send progress reports home on a biweekly basis with students to get signed by parents to keep them knowledgeable about the grade and assignments in my classroom. To stay connected as an educator to educators outside my own environment I will continue to follow blogs and use the internet as a powerful resource for teaching. Professionally, I have done things to simplify grading and planning such as implementing a stamp sheet for homework grades. I will continue to find new ways to implement practice for my students that is most beneficial for them without straining me as much. For example, Khan Academy is a good resource for my students because it allows them to check their work and make corrections without me having to explain it every time. Personally, I will continue to try to keep work at work and only take work home with me once in awhile. Lugging work back and forth can be exhausting and I have found it is much easier to just stay a bit late as needed. In addition, including humor in my class and establishing a relationship with my students has made my day to day work more exciting. My principal told me during an evaluation that I am “the future of the math department”. Not just because I am a young math teacher but because I am a leader in my department. I bring in innovative strategies and refreshing perspectives on student learning. My advice for new teachers is to find a system that works for them. Every person is different and your classroom is an environment you and your students will be immersed in for a long period of time. Make it your own. Also, learn from other teachers. Be willing to try strategies you read about or learn about from colleagues. You never know what will work and it is refreshing to try new things.
Grade Level Content Specific Resources
For staying connected: The Remind App is a great way to stay connected with your students outside of normal class hours. Remind allows you to send messages to students via text messages using a coded number. I have used it to send out notes, assignments and general class announcements, Students have used it to easily communicate with me to ask questions about the content or the class. It's especially helpful to remind students about an upcoming event or to announce something you may have forgotten. I definitely plan to use it in the upcoming years.
For additional practice and help: Khan Academy is a tool that I have found to be very helpful if used correctly in the classroom. I often find I don't have as much time as I would like to spend on Khan Academy but the time we do spend is a great introduction to a resource that can really help students. I use it for extra practice in particular concepts. I usually provide students with a list of concepts and exercises that align to what they have been learning in class. Students work on this practice inside and outside of class. One nice thing about Khan Academy is it tells the student if they are correct or incorrect. I find this useful because it challenges a student in a different way than working on a worksheet. A student could complete an entire worksheet incorrectly without ever knowing they were incorrect. The constant feedback is a great resource for self reflection. If a student is struggling they can use hints to get help on a problem and be shown how to solve it correctly. I can even view which skills a student is struggling with, how much time they've spent and which specific problems they worked out. It's a great resource for the skill building in math.
Projects!: The last resource is Big Huge Labs. This website allows students to create a graphic such as a motivational poster or movie poster using a photo. This site is great for quick and easy projects. Although I only used it for a short extra credit assignment, I look forward to using it in my classroom next year.