INTASC Standard #9
Professional Commitment and Responsibility
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community), and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Headings for INTASC standards are taken from - Campbell, D.M. et al. (1997). How to develop a professional portfolio: A manual
Reflection is an important part of teaching because it pushes teachers to constantly grow and improve that benefits both teachers and students. If teachers are constantly growing, then the quality of instruction is also constantly improving for students. Reflection allows teachers to realize whether or not they are growing as a teacher leading to better job satisfaction through improved teaching efficacy. For instance, did you have the same weakness last year that you have today? If so, what could you have done, that you didn’t, to correct that. How will you work on it now? Without reflection on the part of teachers, we are doing our students a great disservice because the quality of their education is stagnant.
How to reflect is probably one of the biggest reasons why teachers do not reflect. I will continue to allot space on your lesson plan to jot a couple of things down. Teachers should keep track of successes and failures. For example, if you tried a new approach to form that didn’t work, write that down. It is great to try new things, but not all of them will be successful. Keeping track of successful strategies is even more important so that you can replicate it. Teachers do not have to be constantly reinventing the wheel. Instead, should generate a pool of proven successes to draw from and continually add new instructional practices from your experiences and the experiences of others. When reflecting, teachers should always reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in both planning and execution. Neither planning nor execution can create successful teaching by itself. We need to continually work on both aspects of teaching.
I have improved dramatically in reflective practice. The biggest difference I can see in my reflecting is a greater vocabulary for problem solving and not being overly critical of myself. In my reflections when I began, I was very critical and could identify problems but could not always provide solutions, let alone multiple solutions, to the problems in execution and planning that I saw. I will always work on improving my reflective practice, but I find myself to be much more willing to comment on success in my lesson and I can provide concrete solutions to my flaws.
Remaining active in the field is a highly overlooked but extremely vital part of being an effective music educator. Our field is constantly evolving and new ideas are constantly introduced, critiqued and implemented. To think that once we have our degree, our education is done, is to do a great disservice to our students.
Staying active in the profession allows for networking, the transmission of ideas and staying current with instructional practices. Additionally, conferences and networking with colleagues improves teaching through the sharing of successes, challenges and ideas. Colleagues help motivate us, help us improve and inspire us. I know I have learned a great deal from current teachers in the field through my professional networking. I have had the opportunity to see “what’s new” in the profession and to be inspired by some of the great educators in our area. I will continue to get new ideas from more knowledgeable others, be inspired by my colleagues and be pushed to do my best by seeing, meeting and learning from the best.
In order to help me remain active in the profession, I am a member of professional organizations. For my area of music, I will continue to be a member of the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association and the International Association for Jazz Education. Through membership, I will have opportunities for growth, will receive newsletters and journals that will keep me current in the issues of the organization and field, and will also be connected by membership to numerous others in the field that I will reach out to as a resource and for networking purposes.
Some resources that will help me grow and give me ideas are publications (journals, newsletters), conferences and most importantly my colleagues. Publications are a great source of ideas for teaching and often statements about what has been tried and how successful it was. This resource can help streamline my teaching and allow me to try out more successful pedagogies and learn from the mistakes of others. Attendance at conferences (IMEA, Midwest Conference) is a great way to stay current in the field. Additionally, at conferences you can expand your networking to include professionals that you have not previously met and some very knowledgeable educators that I would not have an opportunity to meet otherwise. Lastly, we should not underestimate the resource that our colleagues are to us. They can provide us with ideas, feedback and even resources (music, instruments). It is vital to stay active in the field to give our students the best education possible through the teacher’s ability to stay current and utilize networking and the sharing of resources and ideas.
I recognize the value of membership and stay current in the field through professional journals, professional memberships, attendance at guest lectures, masterclasses and conducting workshops. I also have utilized the professional networking that has been available to me through my work with teachers through my field work and marching band technician positions. I think that I could do more with networking and I will continue to work on utilizing networking as a tool.
How to reflect is probably one of the biggest reasons why teachers do not reflect. I will continue to allot space on your lesson plan to jot a couple of things down. Teachers should keep track of successes and failures. For example, if you tried a new approach to form that didn’t work, write that down. It is great to try new things, but not all of them will be successful. Keeping track of successful strategies is even more important so that you can replicate it. Teachers do not have to be constantly reinventing the wheel. Instead, should generate a pool of proven successes to draw from and continually add new instructional practices from your experiences and the experiences of others. When reflecting, teachers should always reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in both planning and execution. Neither planning nor execution can create successful teaching by itself. We need to continually work on both aspects of teaching.
I have improved dramatically in reflective practice. The biggest difference I can see in my reflecting is a greater vocabulary for problem solving and not being overly critical of myself. In my reflections when I began, I was very critical and could identify problems but could not always provide solutions, let alone multiple solutions, to the problems in execution and planning that I saw. I will always work on improving my reflective practice, but I find myself to be much more willing to comment on success in my lesson and I can provide concrete solutions to my flaws.
Remaining active in the field is a highly overlooked but extremely vital part of being an effective music educator. Our field is constantly evolving and new ideas are constantly introduced, critiqued and implemented. To think that once we have our degree, our education is done, is to do a great disservice to our students.
Staying active in the profession allows for networking, the transmission of ideas and staying current with instructional practices. Additionally, conferences and networking with colleagues improves teaching through the sharing of successes, challenges and ideas. Colleagues help motivate us, help us improve and inspire us. I know I have learned a great deal from current teachers in the field through my professional networking. I have had the opportunity to see “what’s new” in the profession and to be inspired by some of the great educators in our area. I will continue to get new ideas from more knowledgeable others, be inspired by my colleagues and be pushed to do my best by seeing, meeting and learning from the best.
In order to help me remain active in the profession, I am a member of professional organizations. For my area of music, I will continue to be a member of the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association and the International Association for Jazz Education. Through membership, I will have opportunities for growth, will receive newsletters and journals that will keep me current in the issues of the organization and field, and will also be connected by membership to numerous others in the field that I will reach out to as a resource and for networking purposes.
Some resources that will help me grow and give me ideas are publications (journals, newsletters), conferences and most importantly my colleagues. Publications are a great source of ideas for teaching and often statements about what has been tried and how successful it was. This resource can help streamline my teaching and allow me to try out more successful pedagogies and learn from the mistakes of others. Attendance at conferences (IMEA, Midwest Conference) is a great way to stay current in the field. Additionally, at conferences you can expand your networking to include professionals that you have not previously met and some very knowledgeable educators that I would not have an opportunity to meet otherwise. Lastly, we should not underestimate the resource that our colleagues are to us. They can provide us with ideas, feedback and even resources (music, instruments). It is vital to stay active in the field to give our students the best education possible through the teacher’s ability to stay current and utilize networking and the sharing of resources and ideas.
I recognize the value of membership and stay current in the field through professional journals, professional memberships, attendance at guest lectures, masterclasses and conducting workshops. I also have utilized the professional networking that has been available to me through my work with teachers through my field work and marching band technician positions. I think that I could do more with networking and I will continue to work on utilizing networking as a tool.
Artifact 1: Links to Professional Organizations: NAfME, NBA, IAJME
This artifact is one that I compiled as a demonstration of my knowledge of professional organizations in my field. The National Association for Music Education is an excellent resource for networking, professional development and educational resources. I have been a member since 2008. The National Band Association is the largest band-specific organization that host Midwest, the largest band conference with a huge variety of professional development opportunities. The International Association of Jazz Music Education is the newest organization to me but is proving to be an invaluable resource in networking and resources for the jazz educator. I will continue to utilize the resources from these three organizations as I teach to always strive to become a better and more informed teacher.
Artifact 2: Final Teaching Reflection with High School Jazz Band
This artifact is a reflection on my teaching episode that concluded my field experience with High School Jazz Band. This artifact demonstrates my continued practice of reflective teaching as well as the degree to which my reflective practices have grown. I will use this artifact as a template as I begin teaching. When reflective practices will solely be self-monitored, I will return to this as a template of excellent reflective practices in teaching.