Future Learning Essay
Igniting the Spark
I became a teacher later in life. When I was in my thirties, one of my parents passed away and I was confronted with the surefire reality that life is short. Not wanting to let unmet dreams fall to the wayside, I decided to fulfill my longtime aspiration to become an elementary teacher. I promptly enrolled in a teacher preparation program, and soon my dream was filled. As a novice teacher, I quickly recognized that I had a special pull towards students who struggled to learn, and my commitment to helping children realize their dreams became the guiding purpose of my professional endeavors. Filling gaps became my mantra. Then came the point that all teachers eventually confront when their provisional teacher certificates are about to expire…I needed to go back to school to fill gaps in my own credentials. Through Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Education program I found an avenue to easily fill my overall objective to support struggling students by pursing concentrations in Special Education and Literacy Education. Somewhere during the past two years of my graduate studies, however, my mantra unexpectedly began to shift. I realized that the purpose of acquiring a master’s degree wasn’t to fill gaps in my own
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” - W.B. Yates
Dumping the Pail
qualifications, but rather to ignite children’s ability to access knowledge. I came to recognize the bidirectional relationship needed to spur my desire for continued education…I am forever motivated to keep learning because I am passionate about inspiring children to keep learning. It’s like a re-igniting birthday candle that keeps sparking up – even when it’s blown out.
With intentions to ignite my learning in order to spark possibilities for struggling students, the focus of my future studies involves evidenced-based practices to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), students who struggle with mathematics, and students who are learning English as an additional language. Recently I read a book that shaped my understanding of lifelong learning. Piano Lessons: Music, Love and True Adventures written by Noah Adams confirmed that the avenues to lifelong learning happen both outside and inside formal learning environments. With burning intentions to improve student outcomes, I plan to follow Adam’s do-it-yourself approach to learning by actively engaging in self-directed instructional modules, joining an online education organization, as well as subscribing to a respected journal featuring evidenced-based practices. Towards formal learning contexts, I plan to enroll in a professional development course at a nearby college.
Lighting My Fire
Over the years I have worked with a number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, recent courses I have completed under the Special Education concentration involved evidenced-based practices to support academic rather than social challenges. Consequently, I believe it is important to obtain more information about research-based methods to support children with ASD in a mainstream classroom, especially given educational trends emphasizing inclusion. The IRIS Center offers a vast array of online resources for classroom educators to gain knowledge intended to promote learning for struggling students. I plan to complete a self-directed learning module titled Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview for Educators that provides information about identification, as well as instructional recommendations to promote participation and academic achievement for students with ASD.
Focusing a great deal of attention towards literacy education in my graduate studies, I feel like I have just brushed the surface of newer evidenced-based practices to support students who struggle to learn mathematics. The IRIS Center offers two self-directed modules that I believe would strengthen my repertoire for high quality mathematics instruction: High-Quality Mathematics Instruction: What Teachers Should Know and RTI: Mathematics. For ongoing self-directed learning of practices to support students who struggle with mathematics, I also plan to become a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which includes an online subscription to Teaching Children Mathematics.
Having taught overseas in international schools, I’ve had a great deal of experience working with students who are not native English speakers. Through my graduate studies, I have learned of the growing number of students learning English as an additional language in the United States, with the greatest number of these children speaking Spanish at home. Consequently, I would like to learn basic Spanish in order to competently help Spanish-speaking students make connections between their home and academic languages to improve their English literacy development. Towards that end, I have found a Speed Spanish course aimed at teachers that is offered online through Schoolcraft College.
The more I learn about the educational structure in the United States, the more I see external obstacles as the true hindrance to student’s pursuits of lifelong learning. This realization has prompted me to inquire about ways to promote learning for all students – especially those with learning differences. The focus of my future inquiries is not intended to fix deficiencies, but rather to kindle access to spark children’s dreams.
Quote:
Goodreads (2016). Yates quote about lifelong learning. Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/lifelong-learning.
Images:
Candle Image. (n.d.) Retrieved February 24, 2016 from Wix.com.
YVSREDDY. (2012). Bucket Image. [jpeg]. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Bucket_%281%29.JPG.