This past week of class, we have been learning about methods to becoming an effective literacy teacher. My favorite activity that we have done so far was making ourselves with some sort of metaphor. This is a fun activity that we could use in our classrooms, but it's also something important for us. For example, my metaphor was that I feel like I'm climbing a mountain. I have a walking stick that is helping me stay up and keep moving forward; and I have a backpack full of all of the tools I need to help me become a great teacher. That is how I feel right now; it's going to be something great to look back on at the end of the semester. It's going to be evidence of how far I've come and how much I've grown by the end.
We also prepared a list of what we believe 21st century classrooms will look like. The list that we compiled is going to help us become better teachers. By realizing the type of technology and the type of changes that are occurring in the classrooms now, we will be better prepared for them when we get our own classrooms.
We have also watched several videos in which teachers explain the important parts of being an effective literacy teacher. The video that my group watched was all about accountability. It was from the perspective of a student teacher (which we will be in that place soon!) and several other teachers. All of these teachers were sitting around a table and simply discussing what it means to be accountable. I think the most important idea that I took away from the video is that even if you make a mistake, you have to turn it into a learning experience. Because each and every one of us is going to make a mistake at one point or another, it's simply inevitable. But it's how we learn and grow from that mistake that really matters.
This week has been very valuable in showing us strategies that effective literacy teachers use. Throughout the course of this semester, we are only going to be learning more. It's exciting!