Standard 4: Accomplished Teaching

Standard 4 states teacher leaders “engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices”. Though this standard can be applied to many courses in the Teacher Leadership degree program, the main course of focus was “Accomplished Teaching”.  In this course I engaged in a multitude of activities and assignments in which I grew as both a reflective and collaborative educator.

            At the beginning of this course my thoughts regarding accomplished teaching were shallow and vague.  Are students engaged? Does the teacher possess the appropriate skill set?  Is the classroom managed?  These were the big picture ideas that came to mind prior to this course. After many readings, discussion board posts, and face-to-face interactions my definition changed in many ways.  Some thoughts remain intact but many ideas and principles have changed into something deeper, pointed and more meaningful.  Many experiences this quarter redefined my ideas on what it means to be not only an accomplished teacher but also a mentor and teacher leader.

            The focus of the first face-to-face meeting was centered on equity.  This word has come into discussions at school and previously in college, however it was never a primary focus. In my past experiences whenever I heard the word equity I would brush it off quickly, as if I deeply understood the meaning and its implications.  However, after meaningful discourse with my peers in the program, equity is now at the front of my mind.  For me, accomplished teaching is partially defined as teaching that moves all students forward.  Most teachers would agree that every student needs not only attention, but every student needs to progress.  However, in practice most teachers struggle to truly move all learners forward.  Looking back on my experiences in school, impactful teachers moved all students ahead into new territory and learning.  Equitable teaching is now a main tenant of my definition of accomplished teaching.  One highly effective way of ensuring equity is collaboration and reflection, more on this later.   

After experiencing a shift in my viewpoint on accomplished teaching and mentorship I was faced with a video reflection.  I chose a video that I already reflected on prior to this course.  Previously I viewed this video as a strong representation of my teaching (to some degree I still do).  I felt it demonstrated clear and effective teaching skills.  Clear instructions, strong transitions, effective modeling, strong repertoire, and joyful music making were all apparent in this lesson.  However after this course, I discovered new elements that were lacking, specifically the idea of equity.  My teaching in the video focused on the middle portion of students, however it failed to address the high achievers and the low achievers.  With confidence I can say there were both high achievers and low achievers not engaged with the material, thus not learning.  Using the CEL 5D+ framework, I now see how many domains were lacking in my teaching.  Student engagement, curriculum and pedagogy, and assessment for student learning all relate to equity and ensuring all students progress in their learning.

             Reflection is an incredibly important tool for improving teaching and learning.  As summarized by Nalliveettil George Mathew (2012), “Reflecting critical incidents can lead to solutions that can be transferable to other learning situations. Success in teaching is not just a matter of luck but results from thorough planning, preparation and knowing the learners through reflection, evaluation and practice” (p. 209).  However, most teachers either do not feel comfortable in reflection or do not know how to do so effectively.  As mentioned by Carol A. Corcoran and Robert Leahy (2003), "Teaching is an active process based on a professional examining his or her own actions and the possible links to specific actions of learners".  The important idea in this definition is reflection is an active process, meaning it is constantly ongoing.  As standard four focuses on collaborative practices, I believe reflection can and should be collaborative as well.  As stated by Hilda Borko, Jennifer Jacobs, Eric Eiteljorg, and Mary Ellen Pittman (2006), “Merging the ideas of productive inquiry and learning within a professional community, we argue that professional development programs should seek to foster productive conversations in which teachers discuss issues directly related to their own teaching and their students’ learning” (p. 421).  In short, all of these authors state the value of reflection and its necessity in the classroom. How are we to assess if our teaching is effective if we do not reflect.  Taking it one step further, if reflection is a collaborative process there are more opportunities for growth as ideas are shared between peers. 

            Lastly, Standard 4 focuses on the importance of a collaborative practice between staff and faculty members.  It is important engage in collaborative practice because as we all know, “it takes a village”.  Accomplished Teaching, and other courses and activities, have taught me the value and importance of working together.  Even though I am isolated in my department and classroom, I must engage with my colleagues in meaningful discussions and practices.  Just because I teach music, does not mean I have a free pass to hibernate from my peers.  As stated by Andrew Hargreaves and Michael Fullan (2013) in their article, “The Power of Professional Capital”, “Use the group to change the group. This means developing how teachers as a team or group can best identify and respond to the needs of individual students” (p. 37). The more we work together as a team the more aligned our expectations, teaching frameworks, attitudes, and beliefs are toward our students. We must teach as one unit, which can be accomplished through effective collaborative practices. 

            Moving forward as a teacher and a mentor, my focus will turn to equity and relationships.  I will ensure all students receive not only my attention but all students will progress in their learning.  One way of achieving this is though collaboration reflection, ideally merging the two into a collaborative reflective practice.  Another method, is to establish a class culture in which it is okay to fail.  As stated by Shane Shafir (2016) in the article ""Equity vs. Equality: 6 Steps Toward Equity" in an equitable classroom "there’s no need to hide because struggle and failure are neutralized, normalized, and even celebrated".  I see many low achieving students hiding, maybe because of this very reason.  In order to create this climate, strong relationships are needed.  The students and other teachers must trust me in order to take the leaps of faith necessary for improved abilities and learning.  I will now build relationships of trust and care, relationships that are collaborative.  This course and standard have been eye-opening as my definitions of accomplished teaching, collaboration, trust, and reflection have deepened and become more meaningful and true. 

Sources:

Borko, H., Jacobs, J., Eiteljorg, E., & Pittman, M. (2006). Video as a tool for fostering productive discussions in mathematics professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 417-436.

Corcoran, C., & Leahy, R. (2003). Growing professionally through reflective practice. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 30-33.

Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2013). The power of professional capital. JSD, 34(3), 36-39.

Mathew, N. (2012). Reflective classroom practice for effective classroom instruction. International Education Studies, 5(3), 205-211. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v5n3p205

Safir, S. (2016). Equity vs. equality: 6 steps toward equity. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir