Teaching Reflection – Fulfilling Five Priorities and Upholding Principles

Teaching Reflection – Fulfilling Five Priorities and Upholding Principles

Teacher development is a process that is ongoing, lifelong, and individualized. It is also a journey that is full of surprises. Teachers continuously improve their practice, but the process is often met with challenges (Thomas Boyce & Hertzman, 2018). Relationships with children, families, colleagues, and community members are important in the teaching profession. Teachers must commit to upholding the five priorities for self-care and the principles of social justice.

The Five Priorities

The physical self is fulfilled in a teacher’s professional development when they commit to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Whole-Child Approach in Early Education video shows teachers physically hugging their learners as they enter class, participate in class activities, and line up to leave. The teacher is also shown sitting on the floor with her learners during storytime (TeachingStrategies.com, 2019). This level of physical interaction supports the development of positive relationships between the teacher and her students. The emotional self is fulfilled when teachers manage their stress and develop positive coping mechanisms. When learners fail to meet expectations or behave in a challenging manner, the teacher’s emotional reaction can impact her response effectively. The video shows the teacher taking a few deep breaths before continuing the lesson after being interrupted by a student (TeachingStrategies.com, 2019). It demonstrates that she has implemented a strategy to deal with stress and manages her emotions to maintain her composure in front of her students.

The social self is fulfilled when teachers create a classroom environment that supports positive social interactions. It includes setting expectations, providing clear rules for behavior, modeling expected behaviors, and using strategies to redirect challenging behavior. As learners do the painting, the teacher is heard asking them to use their “nice voices (TeachingStrategies.com, 2019).” It reinforces the expectation that students should behave politely and respectfully. The cognitive self is fulfilled when teachers provide opportunities for learners to think critically and problem-solve. Learners raise their hands to offer ideas and are encouraged to share their thinking with the class. The teacher also provides prompts for students struggling to think of an answer. This type of instruction supports the development of higher-level thinking skills. The creative self is fulfilled when teachers provide opportunities for learners to be expressive and innovative. For instance, when they organize the materials for the painting activity, they encourage students to mix colours and experiment with different brush strokes. It allows students to be creative and explore their ideas.

Social Justice

Yes, from the video, I see teachers who seem to be physically and emotionally present with their students, which supports the development of positive relationships. They are also shown to interact with students respectfully and support their cognitive and creative growth (TeachingStrategies.com, 2019). The relationships between the teachers and students seem to be based on trust and mutual respect. These are all essential components of social justice. If I were supervising this teacher, I would discuss the importance of maintaining these positive relationships with students, as they are essential to supporting their academic and social-emotional development.

The environment is also motivating and stimulating, necessary for all learners, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This teacher could continue to create an environment that supports social justice by ensuring that all students feel seen, heard, and valued in the classroom (Thomas Boyce & Hertzman, 2018). Additionally, she could provide opportunities for students to learn about and discuss social justice issues in the curriculum. A hundred languages of children also support social justice by valuing each child’s unique perspective in the classroom. By providing opportunities for students to share their ideas and stories, the teacher can help create a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. The special rights and respect that all humans deserve can be explored in this classroom environment.

References

TeachingStrategies.com. (2019, July 8). The whole-child approach in early education. YouTube. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5usWlAK3Ss&list=PLwlEmipfEbAIUMHXLuDN_VS83NlnwooqA&index=6

Thomas Boyce, W., & Hertzman, C. (2018). Early childhood health and the life course: The state of the science and proposed research priorities. Handbook of life course health development, 61-93.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Fulfilling Five Priorities and Upholding Principles

Choose one of the videos from Stories from Preschool Teachers and Classrooms (Links to an external site.) to reflect on (be sure to specify which video you are discussing). Discuss specific ways in which the teacher fulfilled each of the five priorities from Chapter 16 of your course text and upheld the principles discussed in Figure 1.1 of your text. Do you see any ties to social justice in his/her teaching? If so, what were they? If not, what can he/she do to capture this theme in his/her classroom? If you were supervising this teacher, what might you discuss in their post-observation meeting? Why?

Suggested Assignment Length: One to two double-spaced pages (not including title and reference pages).

The principles discussed in Figure 1.1 are the image of the child, education based on relationships, the role of the teacher, the environment as a third teacher, the hundred languages of children, documentation, the role of the families, the importance of time, children with special rights, and community involvement.

The five priorities from Chapter 16 are: 1). practice intentional teaching, 2). incorporate developmentally appropriate practice, 3). integrated curriculum, 4). emergent curriculum, and 5). focus on teaching happiness and joy in learning as much as academic skills.

Link to chosen video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5usWlAK3Ss&list=PLwlEmipfEbAIUMHXLuDN_VS83NlnwooqA&index=5