Reflection

Looking back over the course, I feel like we learned a lot of useful information. There were many different types of technology that came into play with the lessons we developed. Some of the types I found very adaptable to my curriculum, others I still struggle to think of ways that they would be viable lessons in my current position. Regardless of whether I can incorporate them into my current classroom, I feel it was worth the time to become more familiar with each type of technology because I do not know what the future holds in my teaching career.

I found developing the GAME plan around an entire unit very useful. One of the reasons I found it so beneficial is because it makes me realize things that I was lacking in my organizing and planning. While I do cover my curriculum, my lessons do not flow in a unit like the three I created this month do. They are very disjointed and don’t link into one another smoothly. Creating the three lessons that tied together where each one built upon the last was good start to being more organized with my year plan.

In addition to organizing my lessons better, the GAME plan made me stop and reflect more often. I have taught for almost 10 years. With so many demands and such limited time in today’s teaching climate, I sometimes forget to stop and reflect. Yes, as a teacher, we are always adapting and reflecting on the fly during our lessons but taking a few minutes out to sit and reflect for a longer time is definitely beneficial in that it makes me feel more confident and prepared the next day.

Another benefit I found is these lessons encouraged me to collaborate more with my coworkers. Having taught the amount of time I had and being on an encore team instead of a grade level team gave me the tendency to keep to myself when planning. Yes, I have my encore teammates but our team is different in that we each have a different curriculum to teach. In a grade level team, each member teaches the same curriculum. This process gave me an opportunity to make a conscious effort to collaborate with others and incorporate other processes into my daily norm.  I think any class that helps me think outside of my own personal box is beneficial to my teaching. When I get comfortable, I tend to fall into a routine or a rut that isn’t good for anyone in my classroom.  Yes, change is hard but this kind of change brings about good things. I look forward to learning more in future courses.