Entrance Slip for September 17th

After reading the article posted by Grant and Zeichner, I believe that it speaks to me on a large scale. While the article was written in a different time and place than mine, it pointed out several important aspects that I would incorporate as a teacher.  One of the aspects that Grant and Zeichner mentioned was how there doesn't exist the most effective way of teaching and I agree with that because every class and student is different, we have to accommodate based on the classroom's needs in order to be successful. The other aspect that spoke to me was when the authors mentioned the "how to teach", as it made me wonder what are some of the possible ways I could implement these ideas into my classroom teaching, and whether supervisors would be supportive of it or not. One thing that touched me as a teacher candidate was discussing openmindedness and wholeheartedness, and how they are important characteristics of teaching. While prior to reading this article, I already knew of these aspects playing a role in teaching. However, the authors also dug deeper into each aspect including keeping an open mind about the contents used in the classroom, instead of just keeping an open mind on methods of teaching. Wholeheartedness also gave me a new meaning, as I now understand that it isn't just about enjoying teaching, but rather being open to teaching different kinds of students, regardless of their age and differences. On the other hand, since the article was written in the 20th century, I believe that some of the terminology used by Grant and Zeichner could be outdated, such that the learning environment and teachers are obviously not the same as before, including expectations and diversity of the student population, so whether these ideas are still applicable and as effective as before remains to be seen. The authors also repeatedly emphasized on the importance of self-reflection, but rarely mentioned anything about reflecting with others as a team, which I think is important for growing as a teacher.

The article mentions many amazing ideas such as reevaluating and questioning ourselves when becoming a reflective teacher, which will definitely help me develop my ideas about teacher inquiry as I nurture myself into teaching. There is no doubt that being reflective is a continual path of growth, and that issues of curriculum and instruction play a huge role when it comes to development as a teacher. I can relate to this as I tutor math, I often take the time to look back on the lesson plans that I implemented in class on the day of, and revise them for future classes. It allows me to examine the possibilities among different outcomes which would help my long-term development as a teacher. At the same time, to add on to what I mentioned in the end of previous paragraph, I disagree with the author's suggestion that there is no alternative to the renewal of our schools. With how much classrooms have changed compared to previous years, teachers are now expected to work in a much more diverse and digitally driven educational environment, as self-reflecting on modern day teaching while accommodating students' needs is different from before. On top of reflection, while I agree that it is an important part of teacher inquiry, I believe the access of technology and feedbacks from students, parents and other teachers will also greatly influence how I adapt my teaching.