TESOL Standard 5: Professionalism

“Think like an assessor, not an activity designer. Design assessments before you design lessons and activities. Be clear about what evidence of learning you seek.” - Jay McTighe

Reflection

1. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

Education is about more than the transfer of knowledge. It is about shifting attitudes and mindsets. We must raise critical consciousness by re-framing access and equity to education. Educators are at risk of perpetuating a cycle of oppression if nothing is done to challenge the system that has historically failed to provide equal opportunities to students from all communities.

2. Peer-to-Peer Conferences

Peer-to-peer writing conferences facilitate authentic audiences thus producing authentic writing. The goal of writing conferences is to help as many students as possible in the amount of time allotted. Conferencing is an effective approach to support student learning and should not be limited to writing assignments.

3. Artifacts

Artifacts remind us of the connections and relationships we have with other people. Through artifacts, teachers and students have the ability to reflect and process experiences. These tangible reminders offer assurances that teachers matter in the lives of young people. It would benefit teachers to collect artifacts from students to avoid occupational burnout.

4. Professional Development

The problem most teachers face in implementing professional development, such as action-research, is the shortage of time and support from school administration. While action-research does not address teachers’ immediate need for more time and financial support, it does urge teachers to work as a team.

I believe in forming partnerships with other teachers. Teachers need not always be in the same physical spaces to do this as technology allows us many opportunities to collaborate. Through collaborative professional development, teachers gain valuable insight from other teachers. This practice has tremendous potential to identify issues and find solutions to problems common to teachers of English language learners.

When we consider all views and reevaluate our positions to achieve what is best for student learning, we improve our effectiveness as teachers. We must wholeheartedly take an active role in our training and development to be the best teachers we can possibly be.

Mission Statement

Student performance and malleability develop in environments that nurture affective needs and foster behavioral conditioning and cognitive development. A curriculum unit should address the behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic spheres of learning in order to more effectively aid students in realizing their full potential. My role as a teacher is to raise and address concerns, implement appropriate instruction, and provide adequate support to accommodate the English language learner population. I meet the linguistic and cultural needs of my students by promoting culturally relevant pedagogical practices, advocating for every student, gaining students’ trust and respect, implementing authentic assessments, engaging students through personalized instructional programs and activities, providing sufficient scaffolding, fostering a safe environment, and building tolerance for ambiguity and diversity.