As I continue my journey as a teacher, I know there’s always more to learn. Even with a solid foundation in education, I’m constantly thinking about how I can improve to better serve my students. My learning goals are focused on areas that I believe will help me become a more effective and engaging teacher. I’m not just looking at career goals, but at how I can grow in specific teaching skills to make a bigger impact on my students. In this essay, I’ll share three areas I’m excited to explore further: integrating technology into my teaching, learning more about differentiated instruction, and deepening my knowledge of early literacy development. These are the areas where I believe I can make the biggest difference in my classroom, and I’m eager to continue learning.
Technology is a huge part of our lives, and I know it can play a key role in making lessons more interactive and engaging for students. I’ve used some tech tools in the classroom, but I want to get even better at using them in a way that truly supports learning—especially for younger kids. I’m excited to learn how to make technology a seamless part of my teaching practice.
I chose this area because I’ve seen how much students enjoy tech-driven lessons. It grabs their attention and often makes learning feel more hands-on. I’m eager to dive into more resources that can show me how to use technology not just for the sake of it, but in ways that actually help kids understand and enjoy what they’re learning. I plan to read Mindful Teaching with Technology by Troy Hicks, a book that gives lots of ideas on how to use tech to make lessons more interactive and engaging. I’m excited to learn how to make technology a bigger part of my classroom, and I know it will help my students stay engaged and connected to their learning.
Every classroom is made up of students with different learning needs and styles, so I want to get better at tailoring my lessons to meet those needs. Differentiated instruction is about adjusting what, how, and when students learn to help them succeed at their own pace. I’m passionate about making sure all students feel supported, and learning more about this will help me reach everyone in my classroom.
This topic is important to me because I’ve seen firsthand how one-size-fits-all teaching doesn’t work for every student. Some need more time or a different approach to grasp certain concepts, and others might be ready for more challenging material. Differentiated instruction helps me meet each student where they are, and I want to get better at using it in my lessons. To help me with this, I plan to read The Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson , which is full of practical tips on how to adapt lessons for diverse learners. I also plan to take an online course on differentiated instruction from Coursera to get more hands-on strategies for applying these ideas in my classroom. By diving deeper into differentiated instruction, I’ll be better equipped to help all my students succeed.
Helping young students become confident readers and writers is one of the most important parts of my job as a teacher. I’m really passionate about early literacy and want to expand my knowledge of how children develop reading and writing skills. The more I understand about literacy development, the better I can support my students in becoming strong readers and writers.
I chose this topic because I know how foundational early literacy is for a student’s entire academic career. If kids get a strong start with reading and writing, it sets them up for success in all subjects. To get better at teaching literacy, I plan to read The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists by Edward B. Fry , which is a great resource for teaching reading strategies. I also want to check out Reading Rockets, a website that’s packed with helpful articles and research on early literacy. These resources will give me a deeper understanding of how to teach reading and writing effectively and help me support all my students in developing these critical skills.
As I continue my journey as an educator, I’m excited to focus on these areas of learning. By integrating more technology, improving my differentiation strategies, and deepening my knowledge of early literacy, I’ll be able to provide a better learning experience for my students. These goals aren’t just about gaining new knowledge; they’re about finding better ways to connect with and support my students, so they can thrive in their learning. I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and the chance to keep growing as a teacher.