Lindsay Sherwin

Final Reflection
Over the course of my pre-student and student teaching, I have grown tremendously as an
educator. I have learned a great deal in my time at both Dearborn and Wyandotte schools. All of
the experiences and lessons I have learned at each of these schools as sent me on a path that has
led to me becoming an effective and innovative urban educator who is committed to diversity. I
have grown my own practice in a variety of lastly ways. Specifically, I have learned how to think
reflectively about teaching and learning, to use tradition and innovative strategies to solve
classroom problems, and to nurture awareness and understanding of diversity to foster student
success.
In my two teaching assignments, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of
different students. I have learned as much from them as they have learned from me. Coming into
my field experience, I was unprepared for all that it entailed and the dedication it takes to be an
effective educator. There is a saying that teachers wear a variety of different hats. Teachers are
the: educator, advocate, parent, nurse, referee, and many other jobs. A teacher must wear all of
these hats in order to be successful. However, I disagree with the saying that teachers must wear
all different kinds of hats. That would suggest that the teacher has the luxury and the opportunity
to take off one hat to put on the next when in fact the teacher does not have that sort of time or
luxury to switch between roles. All of these different roles I like to think of as feathers in the
same hat. The teacher is all of these roles at any given time without the chance to switch from
educator to referee or from advocate to nurse. A teachers responsibilities are never ending.

One of the biggest ideas that I will take way from my experience of my teaching is how
important it is for a teacher to be reflective. I have learned this process through journaling
throughout a two semester experience. After reviewing my journals, I really think I have grown
as both a teacher and a student. In my pre-student teaching experiences, I really wrote about
descriptions of the school I was working in. I was a very new teacher who was perplexed by all
the different roles of the teacher that happened simultaneously. Eventually, I was able to conquer
many different roles and to really think about myself as a teacher. Part of being a reflective
educator is being able to look at your own teaching practices and improve upon them. A
reflective teacher looks at each lesson to see what went well and what need improvement. Think
about the lesson is not enough, however. A strong teacher will not only think about the lesson but
take action not only the next time they will teach that lesson but also the appropriate steps for the
current students who you are working with.
During my field service, I have learned that many unexpected things arise in teaching.
Many students do not respond to incentives in the same way. In one of my student teaching
journals I wrote about a student who lacked motivation and was really struggling. I tried a
variety of different innovative strategies to help this student. I allowed her to use play dough and
wiki sticks during spelling since she was a kinesthetic learner. I also created an effort chart where
she was allowed to get a prize if she showed effort throughout the day. None of these things
worked and I was out of ideas to help her in her path to learning. However, I did not give up on
this student.
I worked with other faculty to create a plan that would set her up for success. I worked
with resource teachers to put this student on tier two interventions. Her goals were to show effort
and show active listening. This student really responded well to this system and was able to stay

on a path that would make her at grade level at the end of the year. This commitment to this
student showed my completion of InTasc Teaching Standard Ten which states that that the
teachers seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student
learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, and other professionals, and
community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession. I sought help for
a student from others in order to ensure her success.
I

n my courses at Wayne State, we have learned endless times the importance of creating a

safe learning environment. In my classroom, I really believe that it achieved. Students share their
learning with one another and are able to actively participate in discussions. The students seem
very eager and willing to share with one another through the daily five activities. They absolutely
love giving strategies and answers. One of the most helpful ways to create this environment was
to use the think share pair strategy. Students are able to think and share first with one another
before sharing with the class. We have created a culture where sharing ideas is praised and no
idea is a bad idea it just sparks conversation. Students have set expectations for each time they
are learning. The expectations are well known and reminders of how to interact with one another
are posted throughout the room.
This safe learning environment best relates to InTASC Teaching Standard 3 which states that the
teacher is able to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and
that encourage positive social interactions, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
The students are comfortable enough in the classroom to show their triumphs as well as their
mistakes which is very beneficial for student success and to create lifelong learners.

One of the things I have implemented after reading my journals to reinforce this idea is to
have a weekly class meeting. During this time, students are reminded of expectations. Students
are also encouraged to remind each other of the importance of a collaborative learning
environment. This adds to a safe classroom culture.
Students learn in a variety of different ways. Within one classroom, there are many
different types of learners with many different types of needs to set them up for success. Learners
develop very differently. In my journaling, I have noticed the variety of different students I have
worked with. Diversity does not only relate to race or socio-economic standing but it also relates
to how students learn.
In both of the schools I have worked with I have successfully showed InTasc Teaching
Standard 1: Learner Development and Growth. I understand how students grow and learn and
how that is different between each student you work with. This is evidenced in my lesson plans.
In each lesson I try and incorporate different learning styles for all students. For instance, some
students in my student teaching classroom really need to move and are kinesthetic learners. In a
unit on types of lines, we created: rays, lines, lines segments, and angles with our bodies. I know
that students all learn differently and we have to set them up for success.
For my pre-student teaching, I was working in Dearborn. For me, this was a totally new
experience from anything else I had done. I was working with mostly ELLs which was a new
experience. Although I have not had much experience in this type of setting, I was quickly at
ease and welcomed into the classroom community.
In my teaching, I demonstrated InTasc 2: Learning Differences. The students in Dearborn
needed different instructional practices due to a different culture. I demonstrated this throughout

my time at the school, specifically during reading. Students were having trouble comprehending
stories. I worked with these students to make connections to the stories we were reading with
their own lives. This really improved their comprehension skills. I knew that I was in a diverse
culture and community and I was able to understand their learning differences and embrace
them. I helped them make connections in their reading to their specific culture.
One of the most important aspects of being a teacher is to know the content. You can
have terrific relationships with students but if you do not know what you are teaching, there is no
way that students will be set up as successful learners. You must know content knowledge and
use tools of inquiry to create hands on learning.
In both of my classrooms, I allowed students to lead discussions. I think it is vital for
students to turn and talk to one another to not only create a safe learning environment but also to
learn from one another. Using tools of inquiry relates to standard 4: content knowledge. When
you allow students to learn from one another, it is essential to first provide them with enough
knowledge to integrate new ideas into their schema. I have demonstrated this standard
throughout my journaling and field experience.
I believe that students should be involved in hands on learning that is authentic. Students
learn best through experiments and real world problem solving. I have demonstrated standard
five in my teaching. I understand how to connect concepts and use different perspectives to
engage learners in critical thinking.
One example of my application of content was in a science experiment I did during my
pre-student teaching. Students created balloon rockets to determine whether the or not the
magnitude of the force has any impact on an objects motion. Students worked collaboratively

together to solve the problem. In my journal I wrote that the experiment was a success, however,
I commented on the noise level in the room. Looking back at the experiment now, I realized that
the noise level was excitement and real learning was taking place. I have learned to ease up on
noise level in the classroom for cases where authentic hands- on learning is taking place. I
allow students to work together and appropriately solve problems.
During my field experience, I have seen the need for assessment. I have had the
opportunity to attend parent teacher conferences. I have seen the need for multiple assessments.
Some students need different types of assessments in order to properly assess their learning. For
instance, there is a student who is reading at a kindergarten level and really struggles with
reading a written math test. To assess this student, I read the problems aloud to him and allow
him to work through them on his white board. By doing so, I have shown standard 6: assessment.
I recognize the need for assessment yet I know that not all students can be assessed the same
way.
One of the major assignments in student teaching is to create a unit lesson plan. I create a
unit on shapes. In my unit I used a variety of different assessments and drew upon many different
content areas to integrate into math. I knew the learners in my classroom and was able to fit my
plan to their needs. After each lesson, I wrote a reflection on what went well and what I needed
to fix. The most important idea from my reflections was that I actually implemented the changes
in order to allow students to have the best experience. This fits with standard 8: planning for
instruction. I used a variety of different strategies and planned for student success.
In the same unit plan, I demonstrated standard 8: instruction practices. I used many
different teaching techniques that would work well with this group of learners. This group of

students really loves motion and art in the classroom. I used both of these in my lesson. This
really helped to engage all learners in the lessons. I also used the think share pair method to
ensure that all voices in the classroom were being heard. I think that many teachers focus on
accommodations for lower level students, however, challenging advanced students is equally as
important. In my unit, I included ways for all students to be successful and to have a growth
mind set.
One of the best professional experiences I have had happened during my time in
Wyandotte. During the semester, I attended all professional development meetings. One in
particular was very beneficial. With my team of third grade teachers, we unpacked all CCSS
for Reading. We looked at each CCSS individually and really broke them down into what they
were really getting at. Then we created 15 essential learnings for reading. This demonstrated
standard 9: professional learning and ethical practices. I showed that I wanted to grow as a
teacher and that I continually evaluated myself to improve my practice.
Rereading my journals, I have realized how beneficial they are to being a reflective
teacher. I have seen where I have grown in my practice to become an effective educator who is
innovative and committed to diversity. Through both my journaling and reflecting on my
experiences, I have become an effective urban educator and successfully demonstrated all ten
InTasc Teaching Standards.