What can you add to your knowledge of you and of your knowledge of teaching in your content area? 

Hi, y'all!  This is the last week of my science teaching methods class.  It has been a wild ride, and I have learned a lot.  I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that I had to take this class, as I thought that I would be able to add a science authorization since I passed the science CSET.  However, a new law was passed recently to require a methods class with each subject added to a single subject credential.  So here I am, back at school, 35 years after getting my first credential back in 1979.

Fortunately, it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks!  I have a lot of experience teaching - but I can always grow and learn.  I have noticed that the good teachers add to their repertoire of teaching strategies as each year passes.  New research provides evidence that certain strategies are more effective than others, and good teachers adapt the new strategies to their teaching styles and content areas.  Students' proclivities change, and teachers must adjust to connect with changed student populations.  This class has made me scrutinize my teaching strategies and teaching styles to evaluate their effectiveness, not only to changed times but to a new content area - science.

I have known that teaching science requires introducing students to scientific inquiry and conducting investigations.  However, now there are many opportunities to use technology to advance understanding.  Computer models for such things as the behavior of waves or atomic bonding allow students to manipulate variables and see the effects.  Many opportunities exist also, for using technology in the assessment process - for example students making videos to demonstrate understanding, or posting comments about a given topic on a social media site or discussion board.  This class has made me more aware, and made me practice using these resources.

I really am enjoying putting together a lesson plan that uses technology - no limits are placed on the type of technology we may use in our plans.  This assignment is forcing me to look far and wide at all that is available.  When teaching now, I limit myself to learning about the technology that is available for me at my school.  However, this class has encouraged me to look beyond these options to all possibilities. 

I hope to be able to use what I have learned in the classroom. Wish me good luck at landing a job teaching science!  I hope to cross paths with you all in the future...

Barbara's Blog

Introduce yourself and share why you chose the education profession and if you are currently teaching

Hi!  I’m Barbara.  I chose the education profession because I love to have an impact, facilitate growth and learning in others, find new ways to solve problems and use my experience to help others.   After I finished college, I worked as a teacher’s aide (now called paraprofessional) for a mainstreamed (now called fully-included) student with severe cerebral palsy.  She could only control her eye movements – she was in a wheelchair and had no speech. These were no personal computers in those days, so assistive technology was not an option. I developed a communication system for her, which consisted of four tic-tac-toe shaped tables – giving spots for 26 letters and ten digits.   If she wanted to signal the letter A, the student would look up and to the left to signal the upper left hand table, then she would look up and to the left again to signal the upper left spot on the table, which held the letter A.  In this way, she would spell out words.  Now, 35 years later, even with current assistive technology, her dad tells me that this is her fastest way to communicate. 

I really enjoyed that experience, and went into a multiple subject credential program the following year.  I taught elementary school for two years, and then stayed home with my own children until the youngest was 6 years old, when I started substitute teaching.  I also did some tutoring and picked up my math and English single subject credentials by exam.  I began teaching full-time again when my youngest went away to college, but was laid off in the 2008-2009 recession.  I enrolled in National University’s Education Specialist program in 2011, and just finished and received my Special Ed Credential in January 2014.  I have been substitute teaching and am now looking for a full-time special education teaching job.  I have passed the Foundational Science exam and am adding that authorization as well.

How did your personality affect your choice of content area?

My personality type, using the Myers-Briggs assessment, is ENFP.  The ENFP personality type is enthusiastic about new ideas and activities and enjoys making social and emotional connections, as well as focusing on the big-picture and creative possibilities.  ENFPs usually have a broad range of talents. 

This interest in a broad range of ideas has affected my choice of content area.  My college degree is in Dramatic Art, but my first single subject credential was in math – a subject many consider to be diametrically opposed to drama.  I then picked up my English credential and now am working on science.   I really enjoy the investigative side of science – using intuition to analyze results and find patterns and relationships in data, people skills to work with others solving problems

How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students?  

I enjoy making social and emotional connections.  This characteristic will be beneficial to creating strong beneficial relationships with my students.  I can see situations from various perspectives, giving me the ability to empathize with my students. 

How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful?

The results of my teaching style survey show high scores as facilitator and delegator, as well as formal/authoritative.  I am also strong in the collaborative area.  Using these predispositions, I will be able to draw my students into active learning situations where they will engage with content and with each other. 
I am a very visual, intuitive learner, but I have the ability to communicate verbally and I understand others who rely more on their senses than intuition.  Knowing my own learning styles will help me be more aware of my students’ different learning styles and take care to present material and develop activities that will make content accessible to all my students.