InTASC Standard 5 Reflections | Katharine Otolski

Standard #5: Application of Content

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Reflections: Spring 2015

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues. The teacher understands the correct approach in addressing problems, issues, and concerns. They understand that this issues may go deeper, and must be evaluated once they have switched perspectives. They are engaging each student’s perspective, and using perspective to teach. Perspective comes from critical thinking, and developing a child’s skills of producing original work and thoughts.

As a student, I know that when I become a teacher that not everyone is will go on and get a job that requires the use the Pythagorean Theorem or periodic table. However, as a teacher I am aware that I knowledge for local and global issues is key to becoming an informed citizen. Another experience I have is when I was in school everyday for history we had current events, this required us to watch the new and be informed. Even if it is a challenge, it is necessary to get through life. I like to challenge myself. I was never the best English student. The grammar rules never made much sense to me. However, I still work at it constantly. Just because it is not my expertise does not mean that I am not working on it and I am continuously learning.

When you are out of college, and you are working for the very first time in a full time job, you will have so many different aspects to cover. Nothing will be a one subject based experience. There may be times where you are working on task and using content you never expected. In my classroom, I will enforce a sense of flexibility in my students. They will be able to accomplish anything that is thrown their way. I believe that learning does not just happen through a textbook. I believe that learning should be based on growth; I want my students to push themselves in a challenge. I want my students to be comfortable in situations that are not in their normal realm of experience. These experiences are what help students in situations all of their life. There are so many techniques that teachers have used forever. My strength is that I always love finding and using new and fun approaches to learning something. This is where original work comes into play; with a new technique, you will never be able to predict the outcomes.