CLARITY.

Looking back on my 490 practicum, and moving into my final practicum, the word I would like to embody is clarity. I think I have noble intentions and put a lot of thought into own learning and planning, but, when it comes time to execute, I am unclear as an educator. In my last practicum, I struggled with timing, transitions, and being explicit with criteria and expectations. One of my goals is to have cohesive unit plans that clearly explain where we are going and what is expected. I also want to be more structured and firm with guidelines at the beginning of the course. In 490, I was wishy-washy with classroom guidelines, and learners took advantage of that. When you have structure in a classroom it creates safety for learners, and this allows them to be more comfortable in the setting, hopefully encouraging self-motivation and efficacy. The struggle will be to find balance between structure and still respond and adapt to the learners and their immediate needs.

I would also like to be more clear in my communication with both learners and parents, highlighting and celebrating learners strengths and successes wherever possible. I hope to send a brief email at the beginning of the quarter to parents, introducing myself and expectations for learners, and to follow through with those expectations, communicating often.This is tied to assessment, which is perhaps my weakest link. I need more formative assessment methods to help me know where learners are at all times. I would like to create an assessment plan that supports learners, and allows me to build a relationship with them based on that assessment.

I know I will not be perfect, but I am excited to begin to reflect and refine what I already have learned. I am hoping by providing clarity for my learners, I will also gain clarity as an educator.