FUTURE LEARNING GOALS ESSAY
Future Dreams in Educating, Inspiring, Learning and Changing
Being a teacher has always been a dream of mine. I can remember very clearly what happened when I fully decided that I wanted to be a teacher and have my own classroom where I could change the lives of future students for the better. I was in second grade and had been struggling with a few areas of mathematics. My teacher, Mrs. Parades, took the time to work with me one-on-one and provide instruction that met my specific needs as a learner. Rather than continuing to try and teach me the same way she had been doing with the rest of the class, she approached the concepts I had been struggling with in a completely different way. Within a few weeks of working one-on-one with her, my mathematical abilities and confidence increased!
That was when I knew that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I wanted to be exactly like Mrs. Parades, who was type of teacher able to support her students’ learning in whatever way they exactly needed. Fast forward twenty years later and that dream has become a reality, except I’m not done dreaming quite yet. There are still many things that I have yet to learn about being the best teacher I can be and they are the future learning goals that I have set for myself during my time in the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University (MSU). In the future, I would like to continue:
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learning about and integrating technology effectively into mathematics
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learning more about developing a “growth mindset” and goal setting for my students
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taking the necessary steps to becoming a reading specialist
Integrating Technology & Mathematics
The school that I formerly worked at launched a 1:1 iPad program several years ago. All students, K-12, have their own iPad that they bring to school each day, so that it can be utilized for learning. Over the past three years, I have received some formal training on effective ways to integrate an iPad into classroom teaching and learning, but I still feel like I am not utilizing the iPads in ways that totally redefine my students’ learning. In order to refrain from feeling overwhelmed at trying to figure out how to do this for all subject areas, I have chosen to focus on just one area first: mathematics. I would like to research math tools and technology I can integrate within my second grade math curriculum that would allow my students to develop their critical thinking skills and apply the mathematical concepts in ways that extend beyond simply paper and pencil. I would also like to learn more about the SAMR model, designed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, and how this model could help me transform the learning experiences my students have in mathematics, resulting in higher levels of confidence and achievement. I was briefly introduced to the SAMR model during a professional development meeting in August 2016 and I would like to seek out a future opportunity to receive more training on using it within my own classroom.
Student Goal Setting
Much like how I set goals for myself as a learner, I would also like to research and learn more about helping my second grade students set attainable goals for themselves in reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, I think it would be helpful to also learn about positively developing and sustaining a “growth mindset” within my students. I do not want my students to become dependent on me, as their teacher, in terms of their levels of confidence and academic accomplishments. I have read about goal setting and growth mindset development in many teaching blogs, and upon doing my own research, I came across multiple Youtube videos from Professor Carol Dweck. In these videos, Dweck thoroughly explains what a growth mindset is and how educators can effectively implement it in their classrooms. To become further knowledgeable about growth mindset and student goal setting, I plan on spending time over the summer watching these videos and attending webinars given by professional, experienced teachers.
Future Career Path
During my time as both an undergraduate student at MSU and a graduate student at MSU in the MAED program, my studies focused primarily on literacy/language arts instruction in elementary classrooms. I chose literacy/language arts as my concentration for both programs because reading has long been a passion of mine and I know how important reading is for success in life. I have learned a great deal about literacy instruction and language arts through both programs and through my own experience as a second grade teacher. My favorite part of each day is the block of time when I am teaching reading and writing to my students. I feel such a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in helping my students grow from early readers to transitional and fluent readers throughout second grade. Because of this, I would one day like to take the necessary steps towards becoming a reading specialist, where I would be able to focus on helping even students who struggle the most in reading develop into fluent, successful and eager readers. To do this, I am now considering adding a Reading Specialist (BR) endorsement to my teaching certificate through the College of Education at MSU.
While all three of my future learning goals are unique in their own respects, they all still relate to my overall goal which is to be the type of teacher who is able to change her students’ lives in whatever ways they specifically need. No matter what school I am teaching at or what grade I am teaching, this overall goal will always be one that I strive to reach. Being a professional educator means continually setting goals for the betterment of oneself and one’s students, and that is exactly the type of educator I aspire to be.