Reflective Journal 2

WOW, a Blog about my reflection, what a chance to get my voice out there on the world wide web. The content of this rant will be based on my reflection of a Curriculum Mapping project I produced for a college course in...you guessed it, Curriculum Design at Kaplan University - online. Blog's are a terrific way to express opinions, from both the author and the readers.

The first portion of this reflection will cover the following:

Reflective Journal 3
The first portion of this reflection will cover the following:
Impact on Learning: I must reflect on how my learners clearly exhibit vast improvement in critical thinking skills, subject matter and/or behavior. Describing how the artifact document, my curriculum map, produced evidence of the specific tools used to show a positive impact on learning in the short- or long-term. Lastly, how the artifact proves a direct relationship between practice and impact.
The students I had the privilege to teach, using my curriculum, began with little ambition or intrinsic value to education. Motivation was the biggest hurdle to overcome and to attempt this I needed to produce lessons and projects that inspired enthusiastic learners and incorporate sustained knowledge. Finding the strengths and weaknesses of my students then focusing on their individual abilities first helped those using creationist approached to learning. When I say creationist I do not mean man comes from apes, but rather a more artistic or creative approach to produce projects based on the content. History is usually the most boring subject matter and my activities brought the inquisitive nature out of children who had previously forgotten they actually existed. Offering engaging question and answer sessions brought about an open rhetoric that sometimes even became quite boisterous for my students. Through this “open forum” of learning enabled the process to become real.
Since my curriculum mapping project was an actual utilized document for learning I was able to encourage growth based on the upcoming OGT – Ohio Graduation Test, and prepared my students for success. The photo journals allowed the kids to retain the information by correlating the pictures in their mind to the events and content of that time period. Making newspapers also helped with retained knowledge since they had to actually report the news – facts are facts as long as they are remembered. When test results come back and the OGT’s are passed the “long-term” rewards are overwhelming. Passing the OGT’s means graduation and graduating is just about the only positive future some of these kids have.
The “direct relationship” is basically just as I stated in the previous sentences. “Passing the OGT’s means graduation and graduating is just about the only positive future some of these kids have.” This is the impact every teacher desires and the ultimate success is seeing that child cross that stage and become an adult. The practice is always and should be “child centered” with no other thought. Make it fun, make it real and you WILL make it last.

Mastery of Program Competencies: Which is defined as, the artifact of your choice should match one or more of the five program competencies. Thoroughly describe how the artifact displays your mastery of the specific program competencies.

My relic shows my ability as an educator to "Demonstrate knowledge of subject matter by explaining ways in which new knowledge is created and curriculum is developed and expanded (Performance Indicator 2P1)." My use of a project based curriculum enhancement was a success when faced with producing knowledge with special education students. I used activities such as photo journals, which brought creativity and personal opinion to the learning process. The students would be given a photo from the period of time and they were assigned to discuss and interpret their thoughts about the image in a way that showed understanding.
Another portion of the competencies that I feel my curriculum touched upon was to "Select, or design, and implement appropriate curricular materials based on curriculum theory, student learning styles, subject matter, and the school’s or your organization’s educational goals (Performance Indicator 2P3)." Faced with many learning styles and student differences in acquisition and understanding of knowledge, I brought group and hands on learning into the spotlight. My interest in Garner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences allowed me to select samples of possible projects focused on the strengths and weaknessees of my students. The basic data required was easily obtained through the student IEP - Individualized Education Program.
Lastly, my final competency comparison would encompass how a teacher would, "Evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum materials for enhancing student achievement (Performance Indicator 2P4)." This was accomplished through the students ability to produce a project worthy of knowledge acquisition. Each step was presented, discussed, and founded on inquiry and the childs own portrayal of the content in an educated fashion.

As I stated in my review of the relic, "To be the educator worthy of my students, I must be able to reflect on my own trials, be willing to be flexible and change my plans. I must also be open to criticism and input from my colleagues, students and peers. My own curriculum map was well intended but as I reflect on its successes and failures I see clearly that my ability to educate will take time and many changes to be efficient. This review has made it possible to critique my efforts, examine my curriculum choices and accept criticisms from my peers to better accommodate my own needs to succeed in my future classes."