4e: Growing and Developing Professionally

I created this video for an educational technology class that I took in my second semester in the program. Before I took this class, I was not technologically savvy whatsoever. I had to learn a lot about technology in order to complete this assignment and it really intimidated me at first. However, I persevered and completed an assignment that I am proud of. The skills that I learned in that class have carried over to my professional development in many ways. Perhaps the greatest thing I learned from this project is that, as a teacher, I must stay current and continually refine my teaching abilities. You have to be open to learning new skills so that you can be the best teacher possible for your students. Additionally, reviewing this professional introduction video now at the end of my time in the program has been a very interesting experience because, while at my core I am the same, I can clearly see that I have grown and developed in many ways. I am more confident and my teaching methods have improved. I also have a firmer understanding of my personal teaching philosophy. I have gained experience through this program and I am very grateful for the growth that I have gone through.

I wanted to take the time to show a side-by-side comparison of one of my earliest lesson plans and one of the most recent lesson plans that I have made. I have definitely grown in my ability to plan lessons. I have grown in my understanding of the content, the pedagogy, setting objectives, and including formative assessment throughout my lesson. When I delivered the lesson plan from Early Field Practicum, I remember being proud of it and feeling like I had lesson planned so effectively. For where I was in my education at the time, I think it was a fairly strong lesson plan. However, when you compare it to my senior practicum lesson plan, the growth becomes obvious. Comparing my two lesson plans makes it easy to see how I have grown and developed professionally. As I have grown in my teaching abilities, I have certainly become a more effective teacher and planner. I remember feeling overwhelmed by all of the content that I would be responsible for teaching my students in my first semester. However, now I feel much more confident in my knowledge and abilities. The content that I will get to teach now excites me and I cannot wait to have my own classroom.