Mr. Michael Dickerson

"Before ever stepping foot into a classroom to teach, like anyone else, I had the image of what my idealistic classroom would look like. I envisioned inquiry learning where students were taking the lead and initiating their own learning through student-centered instruction. This student-centered instruction would take the shape of multiple different instructional strategies that would engage students in their own learning and hold students responsible for their own learning. The use of technology would be key in this idealistic classroom, as well, as many different aspects of technology would be used."

 

"As I began teaching, I quickly came to realize how difficult each of the things in my image of my idealistic classroom were to actually implement... Each one of these different things brought challenges to the classroom, not only for me as a teacher, but for the students as well. Due to this experience and the use of these techniques in the classroom I was able to grow as a teacher. I was able to learn the importance of proper scaffolding, modeling of activities and tasks, asking a wide variety of questions, and differentiating lessons to meet the needs of each student within the classroom. I also acquired skills such as classroom management strategies and understanding the importance of structure within the classroom that also effect the flow of a lesson." 

 

"As mentioned earlier, the ultimate goal for students in my classroom would be to show growth in conceptual understanding and reasoning of mathematics. Other goals that I hope for students to achieve throughout their time in my classroom would be the acquisition of or expansion on student’s problem-solving skills, the development of procedural fluency of the concepts, and to understand real-world connections that can be made to the concepts being discussed in class."

 

"In order to continue growing and evolving as a teacher, I feel that it would be necessary to stay current in the field of education. In an attempt to stay current in the field of education, I feel as if it would be important to attend meaningful professional development sessions in all areas of teaching. Some of these areas might include classroom management strategies, differentiation strategies, the use of technology in the classroom, and the incorporation of interdisciplinary topics into mathematics. Another way to stay current in the field of education would be to welcome student teachers into my classroom if I was given the opportunity to do so. Student teachers are a great way to stay current in the field of education because they are going through training programs that introduce them to the latest research and strategies in teaching."

 

-Excerpts from An Ever-Evolving Idealism: A Philosophy in the Making Written by Michael Dickerson