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Running head: PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS

Professional Dispositions

James Lacayo

National University

In partial fulfillment for the requirements for TED 626

Dr. Navarro

11/09/2016
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Professional Dispositions

One of the most difficult things for a prospective teacher to do is self-assess themselves.

This is due to the fact that most prospective teachers have little in class experience. However,

with the guidance of professional disposition survey one can get an idea of where to begin. The

first step is to take the survey and get an idea of where you are at in regards to the following

categories: scholarship, teamwork, active reflection, responsible citizenship, and standards of

exemplar practice (see Appendix). In this paper I assess where I am at in my progress, how I

plan to grow and develop as a teacher, and how this will fit into my classroom management plan.

Assessing Progress

I have to say that my progress, in terms of where I am in growth, is very similar to where

I was when I first took the professional disposition survey. This is due, in large part, to my

limited experience in the classroom. I have had more experience subbing in between the time

that I originally took the survey and now but I still consider it somewhat limited. I believe once I

start student teaching my outlook on many of the categories contained in the survey will

fluctuate quite a bit. So let's take a closer look on what I had, and still perceive, as my strength

and weakness concerning my growth plan.

Growth and Development Plan

In my original goals/plan for TED 606 I identified a strength in regards to standards of

exemplar practice and a weakness in regards to teamwork. All of the other categories, I felt,

were developing, or emerging, equally. At this point I believe that I am still at the same point,

this in large part is still due to the fact that I have fairly limited, in class, teaching experience. I

say this even though I have gained in class experience by subbing through a school district. This

experience has been beneficial but still limited.

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In regards to, my strength in standards of exemplary practice, which according to the

survey, is the belief that all children can learn, (and a teacher) appreciates their varying abilities

and persists in helping all children achieve success. The reason why I think this is strength is

because, in my limited time teaching, I have witnessed students with all kinds of different

abilities, both strengths and weaknesses succeed in education. There are the students that are

extremely intelligent who get bored with the material and fall behind. There are the students

who cause trouble but who thrive in the material. There are the students who are underachieving

who just need some extra attention to find out what they are interested in and apply it to the

material being learned. Then these students turn completely around and begin to thrive. These

are only a few examples but enough to help me understand that all students have an incredible

ability to learn no matter their background or situation. And with time I think that I will be even

better at understanding how different student think and learn and be able to apply that to my

teaching.

In regards to my weakness in teamwork, which according to the survey states (that a

teacher), demonstrates pride in the education profession and participates in collaborative

relationships with colleagues, students, parents . . . etc. Working in an educational environment I

have obviously had to work with all of these different groups of people but on a far limited

capacity, not on the same scale as a normal teacher so to say. This is the reason why I choose

this as a weakness.

I plan to increase my ability in each of the categories, even in my perceived strength, but

especially in my weakness in teamwork. My plan on addressing this weakness is mainly based

on a more collaborative effort with teachers and staff at schools. Setting up short meetings with

the teachers I work with will allow me to develop better lessons. Coordinating with the teachers
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will help me understand exactly what they expect the students to learn and skills to develop when

they are with me. It will also give me a chance to explain to the teacher what students need to

work on with them. After a couple weeks or so of trying this more intensive teamwork effort I

should see a difference. If the lessons are more informative and correspond more closely to the

lessons that the other teachers are giving and students are improving in communication and

grades I will know I achieved my goal. However, I also know that it might not be that black and

white, especially at first, and I also understand that I may need to continually work on ways to be

a better team player. But it is a step in the right direction.

In an educational setting it is vitally important to work with others not only does it benefit

teachers and staff in doing their jobs but it also helps students succeed. Being able to work with

different teachers, staff, students, parents, and others helps optimize the chance of succeeding

with the ultimate goal of educating the students. This also helps identify the different strengths

and weaknesses of each group and helps identify ways to address those issues. Without

communication and teamwork the system would either be weak or completely broken.

Teamwork also helps on a personal level as well. It can be difficult for a newcomer like me to

know what works and what doesn't, how to spot strengths and weaknesses in students, to know

what students are experiencing at home, etc. Working closely with various groups can help me

grow professionally.

Classroom Management

My strength in standards of exemplary practice helps me know and understand that no

matter what kind of background a student comes from, whether it is socio-economic, racial, or

etc, that they have the ability to succeed in an educational setting. This will help me keep every

student in mind when I create my lessons. This will add to my lessons being engaging to all
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students and as a result add to classroom management. My weakness in team work helps me

understand that I need to work more closely with colleagues, students, parents, etc to know and

understand the diverse situations of the students. This would also give me the opportunity to try

and make my lessons as equally accessible to each student. This, again, will help with classroom

management by keeping all students engaged in the lesson and its content. This will be a

difficult task but one made easier by knowing these strengths and weaknesses and working on

them both.

Conclusion

As mentioned before, self-assessment is a difficult task for any prospective teacher to do

because of the limited experience teaching but it is valuable due to the fact that it gives you an

idea of where you strengths and weaknesses are. My strength was in standards of exemplar

practice, the idea that all students have the ability to succeed in an academic setting, and my

weakness was in teamwork, the idea of collaborating with faculty, administrators and even

family. This reflection will allow me to develop plans in which I can grow and develop my

skills as a teacher. In the end this will make me a better teacher and help in my classroom

management.
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Appendix

Professional Dispositions - Descriptors Form

National University, School of Education

Dispositions of Effective Educators
Professional Disposition Descriptors Form
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(Please review the Professional Dispositions Descriptors Form. Then in the

Candidate’s Evaluation column, highlight what you perceive to be your current
level of development for each disposition.
Alignment to Candidate’s Evaluation
Conceptual Disposition Descriptors (Highlight one in each
Framework cell)
DISPOSITION #1 : Committed to life-long
learning
Committed to continuous, self-directed learning, Needs Improvement (1)
Scholarship critical thinking and reflection in order to refine Emerging (2)
professional practice and deepen knowledge and
skills in the academic disciplines. Connects, Developed(3)
synthesizes, and transforms ideas or solutions
into new forms.
DISPOSITION #2: Builds Collaborative
Relationships Needs Improvement (1)
Demonstrates pride in the education profession
Teamwork Emerging (2)
and participates in collaborative relationships with
colleagues, students, parents, and social and Developed(3)
professional communities and agencies.
DISPOSITION #3: Reflects on Practice
Committed to the expression and use of Needs Improvement (1)
Active democratic values and to creating a learning Emerging (2)
Reflection environment that fosters active engagement in
learning and encourages positive social Developed(3)
interaction.
DISPOSITION #4: Demonstrates fairness and
equity
Appreciates and values human diversity, Needs Improvement (1)
Responsible recognizes community and cultural norms, shows Emerging (2)
Citizenship respect for students’ varied talents and
perspectives, seeks to foster appropriate Developed(3)
communications and demonstrates best practices
in his or her field.
DISPOSITION #5: Believes all children can
Standards of learn Needs Improvement (1)
Exemplar Believes all children can learn, appreciates their Emerging (2)
Practice varying abilities and persists in helping all Developed(3)
children achieve success.
TOTALS
Important Notice: The scores in this form do not impact your grade.