I had chosen ‘growth’ as my word for 2020 because I was hoping that I would have the chance to grow as both a learner and educator during my final Practicum experience. I think sometimes it is important to be careful what you wish for, as I experienced a lot of growth during this Practicum experience.
I discovered that some of the things that I thought my learners would or should know from previous experiences simply not the case and I found that much of my growth as an educator during this final Practicum took the form of me adjusting my ideas and expectations around what my learners were expected to know and do. This is not to say that I did not maintain high expectations, but rather that I realized in order to move forward a step back might be needed first. This forced me to grow in the way that I approached assignments. I modified lessons and added details, I had honest conversations with the learners in my classrooms and asked if they truly understood things or a concept that was being covered. If a learner expressed that they did not, I would find a way to ask the rest of the class about the concept to see who else might be struggling in that area and then the lesson would change; maybe not that whole class, but for sure the next day. By addressing the topic or area that was being struggled with the next day, I was given the chance to grow as an educator in my knowledge of the topic. It gave me a chance to speak to other educators, to delve into the area of concern as best I could, find videos and examples online to support the handouts and examples I would create.
I found that taking the time to reflect on the things that my learners needed more time or different knowledge to unpack led to greater and more in-depth discussion; by taking the time to focus on the areas that needed more attention, I was able to grow as an educator and I saw growth in the learning taking place in the classroom. In some cases, I think that discussion and growth would not have happened if my learners had not demonstrated confusion either with a lot of nodding while not comprehending or blank stares. This revisiting also caused growth in the relationships that were formed in the classroom – the learners were open to discuss and share ideas, they were willing to dive deep and explore topics, they made me curious to see what they might discover or share next.
I believe that overall, this Practicum was a time of growth for me. I know that as I leave it, I am not the same educator that went in. I have developed new skills and understanding that I believe will serve me well in the future. I have grown my toolkit in terms of classroom management and different types of formative and summative assessment. I am excited for the ways that I can grow my learners assessment practice in the future, taking note of what I did this Practicum and being aware of what learners found to be beneficial. I know that not all that I tried worked as I anticipated, but that is growth to, so I am pleased to have the chance to adjust and then do it again. While I may not have the same learners in my classes next year, I believe that the growth and learning that I was part of this year will benefit my teaching practice going forward. This final Practicum forced me to look at what I thought was important or essential and adjust, it forced me to be aware of the learners in my classrooms in a new way and made me grow in understanding.
As I look back on the classes that I had the privilege to be in for this final Practicum, I cannot help but feel that I learned just as much from the learners in the class as I hope they did from me. And while this year and semester have not been one that anyone would have anticipated, I believe that the learners that will leave school this year and go into the world will be stronger and more capable because of all that they have been a part of; their strength, determination, and personal growth will continue to be evident for many years to come. This final Practicum was a stretching experience that allowed me to grow as an educator because while I was in the same school and classroom as my previous Practicums, the learning that I was a part of was completely different.