Being a teacher of literacy in my subject area is crucial for the learning of my future

students and, after my experiences in this class, I feel more confident in teaching literacy as it

pertains to biology.

I have learned that encouraging students to actively analyze texts and providing them with

strategies to uncover underlying messages will assist in their learning abilities and allow them to

better understand and grasp concepts. I have developed knowledge about using visual literacy as

a teaching strategy and have noticed during my observations in the classroom how much it helps

students comprehend the difficult concepts, especially in biology. I have also noticed, within

classroom settings, that using images and visual displays is a way of differentiated learning that

gives students a unique way to learn. I have seen students become more engaged with the materials

because visuals and real-life examples tend to be more enticing to them. Students will absorb more

information and learn better if they are interested in the material being taught.

I have seen first hand that incorporating critical and visual literacy into lesson plans,

lectures, and activities increases student’s knowledge and allows them to retain this information

longer. The information learned throughout the educational process can be used to enable both the

learners and the educator to reach shared educational objectives (Spires, 2014).

An issue I have experienced with classroom literacy is when students with diverse learning

strengths and weaknesses are in the same class. I believe it is our responsibility as teachers to be

inclusive of different learning methods to accommodate physical and mental disabilities but also

challenge students who are further ahead than where others might be. When students don’t feel

challenged or they feel too overwhelmed and confused by the content, then they will not learn

optimally (Friend & Bursuck, 2006). Differentiated instruction is a crucial pedological skill to have

in these situations.
 The learning outcomes that need to be taught must be imparted in various ways to target every

learner in the class, while simultaneously keeping them feeling challenged and engaged in the

material. Differentiated worksheets are a great way to keep all students involved in the lessons.

These are 4-5 worksheets with different levels of questions on the same topic that students work

on in class. They start with the first worksheet and try to complete as many of the as they can. This

first worksheet has the basics of information that is required of the students to know, but then each

worksheet after that gets harder.

My cooperating teacher uses differentiated worksheets and believes they are beneficial because

they allow for students to work at their own pace and feel constantly challenged but also because

they give her a good idea of where each student is at with their understandings of the material.

Assessing the learning needs of each student and incorporating the appropriate literacy teachings

into your lessons will give all students a better chance to flourish. I have also learned that this

contributes to a successful teacher because it shows you can properly evaluate where a student is

at and also communicate the necessary information to build their skills (Spires, 2014).

In my experiences as a student teacher, I have come to the realization that learning is done on

an incremental basis and there are building blocks that need to be put in place for students to learn

best. Every child deserves an equal chance at succeeding and for this to be achieved, I believe it is

important that I make every effort to get to know my students on a more personal level to assess

their learning needs to incorporate them into my teaching. This will allow students to have a deeper

understanding of the content knowledge being taught to them so they can truly appreciate the

subject of biology (Spires, 2014).

An effective way to assess the level of knowledge and skill development of learners is by simply

asking them. This engages students in their learning and helps them feel like the teacher really
cares about their needs, which in turn, allows them to become excited and eager to learn (Friend

& Bursuck, 2006). In my school, there is a special class called “Resource” for students who

struggle with school for a variety of different reasons. This small class of 8-10 students receive

one-on-one attention from the 2-3 teachers who wander to help students with anything they need

assistance with. They require students to bring work to complete during the entire class, which

essentially turns this into an extra work period for kids to do homework, study, and ask questions.

I have learned a great deal about classroom dynamics and what influences positive classroom

environments vs. what influences negative classroom environments. Behavioural issues have

arisen from students in almost every classroom I have attended in my student teaching experience.

There is one group of three boys that are a continuous disruption to the rest of the class. With

the constant interruptions, it is evident that the teacher becomes frustrated and distracted. This not

only has a negative impact on the teacher, but also on the learning of other students because the

teacher must take time out of the class to settle the boys down. To overcome this, the teacher

responded with different approaches until one was found that worked best with these students.

This taught me that there are different ways in which discipline can be instructed in a classroom

and one approach may work better than another depending on the community of learners. It is our

responsibility as teachers to understand the context of the community, school, and classroom in

which we are working so we can respond appropriately to influence a positive learning

environment.

I believe there are multiple learning theories have an influence on my teaching choices

and practices that play a critical role in the shaping and development of students learning. Once

students reach high school, I think that learner centered constructivism is a beneficial method to

use because it allows students to learn through self lead constructive knowledge and socializing
(Harris, 2014). This will prepare students for ‘life long learning’ because they are given the

opportunity to teach and support each others ideas. Another theory I support is cognitivism

because I strongly believe in repetition and reviews throughout lessons as this is what helped me

the best when I was learning. I think it is important to constantly review old concepts and terms

throughout the duration of teaching to help students better understand what they are learning and

also draw attention to important concepts and topics that may have been previously forgotten

(Harris, 2014). Lastly, I believe connectivism is becoming more popular because of our societies

increase in access to technologies (Harris, 2014). The number of students who have access to a

computer, tablet, laptop, etc. is growing every year and I believe implementing the use of online

tools and resources to my students is beneficial in targeting the many different types of learning

styles. By giving students opportunities to access different ways of learning whether it be online

games, videos, quizzes, etc. it would further promote their actuation of learning (Harris, 2014).

I see myself working within a multi-disciplinary team with parents, students, counsellors,

and other teachers that I would be surrounded by. Every member of this team would share their

beliefs and knowledge that I would be able to use to further my growth as an educator. Information

within this team comes from different professionals in a variety of disciplines and it works to

develop and support students’ programs, learning, and development. I believe this will help with

the multiple areas of development that are required when teaching diverse groups of students. It

also allows teachers to teach with the viewpoint of multiple disciplines to give the students a better

opportunity to have a well-rounded education.

My main goal going forward in my professional development as a literacy teacher in

biology would be to continue to search for new ways to grow as an educator in my field, so I can

incorporate knowledge to students that helps direct them down the path of becoming a life long
learner. Achieving this goal requires me to gain curricular knowledge that I can refer to when I’m

creating lesson plans and activities for my students. I am also required to find new, unique, and

diverse ways of communicating the content to students so that every different type of learner is

given a fair chance at succeeding. I will learn teaching strategies for this from other teachers,

research, and development on my own as I gain more experience in the field.

Another important task I must accomplish to reach my goal will be to understand the needs

and learning styles of adolescent learners and the context of community. I feel as though I have a

solid grasp on the learning styles and needs of students’, but I will need to continue learning from

my classroom experiences to enhance my understanding of the different factors that contribute

and/or detract from a positive classroom learning environment. Ultimately, I am seeking to use my

pedological skill set to transform my students into life long learners.

References

Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. (2006). Including students with special needs: A practical guide for
classroom teachers (4 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. (Chapter 5, Planning instruction
by analyzing classroom and student needs, pp. 144- 185). Retrieved from
http://www.ablongman.com/html/productinfo/friend4e/contents/0321317742_ch05.pdf
Harris, Jo. (2014, February 24). A brief overview of 4 learning theories. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACowHxGEAUg
Spires, H (2014, September 23). What is disciplinary literacy. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNSzK31V5lg