Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conduct a self-reflection on the knowledge acquired after undertaking the course. As such, it is set to analyze my orientations and perspectives about the needs of the students, the roles of the teacher, and incorporation of culture.
Methods: The paper is based on the analysis of peer-reviewed articles that provide a framework of the self-assessment. In other words, the theoretical stipulations presented by the authors are used as the lenses of the assessment.
Findings: The course has imparted crucial understanding in regard to how I view education and roles of different players. In this case, I have realized that I would want to become a teacher who facilitates learning, motivates students, and innovates better strategies of teaching. In addition, I currently consider students as the most important players in the education system implying that tutors should seek to apply a student-centered approach.
Conclusion: The course has been of immense help to how I will develop my career going forward.
Culture and Schooling
Essentially, self-reflection is one of most crucial undertaking in education because it provides a critical evaluation of the acquired skills and anticipations. In addition, it analyzes the various strengths and weaknesses embodied by and individual. As such, the results of the analysis provide a basis for determining areas that should be strengthened in order to make a holistic professional. In this regard, therefore, I present a detailed self-evaluation on the course material used in the course of the semester with a particular interest in culture and its effect on the school environment. I will provide a detailed analysis of the type of teacher I wish to become and present my perspective on what I think education entails. Importantly, I will reveal some of the ways in which my preliminary thoughts have changed in regard to education and provide an analysis of some of the approaches I would want to adopt in future. This will, therefore, form the basis of defining my personal approach to teaching and handling students once I complete the course and qualify to be a fully fledged instructor.
2.0 Describe the kind of a teacher you will be based on class readings and discussions from class
Having had the chance to undertake the course, I have made critical resolutions on the type of teacher I wish to become. First, I will be very considerate of the cultural orientation of the student, especially during the classroom sessions. Indeed, cultural considerations are essentially crucial when it comes to tutoring. It is important to an extent that Vetter (2010) considers sexual identity as a factor that affects learning proficiency. This is based on the fact that the integrative functions of a schooling institution must envisage student’s enculturation (Johnson, 1980). Actually, it is evident that indigenous groups are seeking to get their cultural orientations reflected in the learning institutions (Kaomea, 2005). In the same light, McDermott & Varenne (1995) indicated that people respond with resistance when they are culturally segregated. I, therefore, consider cultural responsiveness to be very important in the pursuit to transfer and impart skills. In line with this, Villegas (2002) indicates that the teaching career must encourage teachers to stipulate their vision in regard to working and training students amidst culturally diverse environments.
Secondly, I have resolved to take a paradigmatic shift from the traditional perspective where a teacher serves the role of an instructor. As an instructor, he teacher is expected to provide instructions to the students which should be followed to the letter. In my approach, my career as a teacher will be found on three crucial aspects. First, I look forward to being a motivator rather than an instructor. I believe in the fact that students achieve more when they are self-motivated as compared to instances where the follow rules. In this regard, motivation elicits emotional connection between the student and learning. As such, the self drive makes students be more responsive than in cases where they are merely participating in tasks just because they are under instructions. In other words, they are not aware of the rationale behind participating in the tasks.
Thirdly, I look forward to being a constructor or rather an innovator in my education career. In this light, I believe that the 21st century has brought significant changes to the way in which people communicate and share information. As such, it is important to depart from traditional and outdated means of communication even in the school environment. For example, I will come up with effective technological procedures to provide information through mobile devices since the use of Smartphone has been on the rise. This will help to align the education system to the technologies of today.
Lastly, rather than being an instructor, I will seek to be a facilitator. In order to ensure that I understand the student’s characters, problems, and strengths, I will make sure that I spend more time interacting with them both from class and outside the school too. This will play a fundamentally vital role in ensuring that I give individual consideration and attention to each student.
3.0 Explain what you believe is the purpose of education
In essence, it has always come as a disappointment to me when I analyze how people perceive education. In most cases, students and some teachers believe that education is an undertaking where people learn. In my perspective, this is a completely misguided and narrow viewpoint. Critically, education is an undertaking where students learn how to learn. In other words, education is an eye-opener that helps students to gains the skills of searching and creating knowledge. From a critical point of view, this is what Postman (1995) means when he claims that the world’s social problems would be solved if the populace knew how to educate its young generation. In this light and understandably, it is very difficult to read everything that the world has to offer. As such, education is not meant to provide knowledge to the students. It is actually meant to ensure that students have the capability to obtain knowledge. As a teacher, therefore, I will be critically interested in teaching skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Interestingly, these skills can be taught and imparted regardless of the subject being handled. For example, critical thinking can be incorporated into English just as it can be envisaged in mathematics. With such a perspective, therefore, I will be able to create a new generation of students with the ability to innovate and motivate others in the society. In order to evaluate the critical thinking capabilities, I will assign tasks that require the students to solve real life problems. Importantly, these assignments will be completed according to predefined language and writing standards. This approach will help students to think critically within controlled conditions.
4.0 Describe what you think is important through this semester and why
Although Schubert (2009) tries to create a perception that schools and infrastructure are extremely important for an education system to run, I would say that the student is the most important component in the education system. This implies that the sole focus of the education system must be the provision of quality and relevant skills to the student. In other words, the education should follow a student-centered approach. This is the scenario in Japan where most of the learning institutions do not center their interest on the teachers but rather the students (Peak, 1991). This will ensure that the institutional policies and educational improvements are designed based on a prior analysis of the student’s needs.
5.0 Have your thoughts about education and what kind of teacher you want to be changed over the course of the semester.
There are various orientations that have changed in the process of taking this course. However, the two major changes that have taken place include the role of the teacher in the academic environment and the actual need of the students. Preliminarily, I was of the opinion that the student needs to learn and obtain knowledge. As of now, I believe that student needs to be equipped with skills that enable them to obtain knowledge which relevant to their niches. In addition to this, I have also changed my perception of teacher's role. In this case, I believed that education is just about instructing and guiding the students. However, I have to realize that there is more to providing guideline and instructions. Currently, I am of the opinion that a teacher should be a motivator to the students, an innovator to come up with new ideas, and a facilitator. This is seen to have fundamentally critical effects on the performance of the students since they can easily identify with the teacher not only as a senior but also as a colleague in the process of learning.
6.0 Three Supporting Quotes
6.1 Approach 1: Harness Cultural Diversity
In the first approach, I will seek to harness and tap cultural diversity in order to facilitate learning. In this regard, cultural diversity is a crucial component needed to create an effective education system. Actually, it has become very important to an extent that indigenous cultures are seeking to be integrated into institutional systems. I will make sure that discussions held, the questions asked, and the examples given are sensitive to the
Personal Reflection and Example
While reflecting back, remember that I attended a school where students came from different backgrounds. As a result, we shared experiences of the past and hence obtained ideas. Students gave divergent examples which helped me to understand the situations and experiences incurred by people elsewhere. Indeed, if we were from a single cultural background, learning would have been very narrow and deficient of information.
Reference to Reading 1: Vetter (2010). “Cause I'm a G”: Identity Work of a Lesbian Teen in Language Arts
Reference to Reading 2: Kaomea (2005). Indigenous Studies in the Elementary Curriculum: A Cautionary Hawaiian Example
6.2 Approach 2: Using Student-Centered Learning
Besides harnessing culture, I will also work to harness student-centered culture because I believe that the student is the most important component of the education system. In this case, student centered learning seeks to concentrate more on the needs of the learners. Education system of Japan makes sure that the focus is not on the teachers but rather the students. Importantly, students must be considered as the primary concerns leave alone infrastructure as suggested by Schubert. The approach will, therefore, be consistent to these sentiments.
Personal Reflection and Example
When taking my high school lessons, the system was designed to cater for the needs and convenience of the teachers rather than the students. As such, we used to have very minimal time with the teachers for consultations. The teachers had the privilege to attend school in accordance to their will and teach what they planned. In that regard, therefore, the plan was entirely based on their wishes rather than standard practices. I, therefore, seek to change this paradigm.
Reference to Reading 1: Peak (1991).Learning to go to school in Japan: The transition from home to preschool life
Reference to Reading 2: Schubert (2009). Love, justice, and education: John Dewey and the Utopians
6.2 Approach 3: Taking Education as an Eye Opener
In light of my career, I will take it that the purpose of education is learning how to learn. As such, I will always seek to provide skills that students can use to gain more skills and adapt to the real world. Some of these skills include critical thinking skills and problem solving techniques that would assist in such endeavor. Postman suggest that the future of the state relies on how they youth are taught. Based on this proposition, I think that the best way to teach student is by providing a solid framework of creating knowledge such as crucial thinking and problem solving skills. Besides, they should be taught to interact with people from different backgrounds because that is the nature real world situation.
Personal Reflection and Example
When I was in high school, we were burdened with descriptive information such that teachers wanted us to memorize it literally. This did not provide us with a chance to acquire transferable skills in that process. I cannot, therefore, let other group of students miss the opportunity I missed back then.
Reference to Reading 1: Postman (1995). The end of education: Redefining the value of school
Reference to Reading 2: Villegas (2002). Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Rethinking the Curriculum
7.0 Conclusion
It is evident that self-reflection is crucial to the learning process since it forms the basis of improvement and quality assurance. In the process of self-assessment, it has come to my attention that my perspective about education, teaching, culture, and student's needs have changed significantly. In particular, I have realized that a teacher must play the roles of motivating, innovating, and facilitating rather than dwelling on giving instructions. Importantly, I also discovered that students are the most important components in the education system. This implies that a teacher must work towards adopting a student-centered approach when dealing with students. In principle, a student-centered approach is based on the question of whether the education system provides the student with the skills needed to cope with the contemporary world. Having had this understanding, I will use this approach to consider students as individual components and train them in accordance to their weaknesses as well as strengths.
References
Johnson, N. B. (1980). The Material Culture of Public School Classrooms: The Symbolic Integration of Local Schools and National Culture1. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 11(3), 173-190. doi:10.1525/aeq.1980.11.3.05
Kaomea, J. (2005). Indigenous Studies in the Elementary Curriculum: A Cautionary Hawaiian Example. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 36(1), 24-42. doi:10.1525/aeq.2005.36.1.024
McDermott, R., & Varenne, H. (n.d.). Culture "as" Disability. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 26(3), 324-348.
Peak, L. (1991). Learning to go to school in Japan: The transition from home to preschool life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Postman, N. (1995). The end of education: Redefining the value of school. New York: Vintage Books.
Schubert, W. H. (2009). Love, justice, and education: John Dewey and the Utopians. Charlotte, NC: IAP - Information Age Pub.
Vetter, A. M. (2010). “'Cause I'm a G”: Identity Work of a Lesbian Teen in Language Arts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(2), 98-108. doi:10.1598/jaal.54.2.2
Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Rethinking the Curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 20-32. doi:10.1177/0022487102053001003
