Aspiring Teacher B:  Reflective Practitioner

Reflective learning offers an approach to education which operates through an understanding of professional knowledge as primarily developed through practice and the systematic analysis of experience - Gould

Key Content

• Teaching as a Profession
• Theories of Instructional Design & Planning
• Learning Environments
• Evaluating Effectiveness of Instruction​

Level-Specific Learning Statements

Teaching:  A Reflective Profession

Some consider reflective practice the hallmark of excellent teaching.  Aspiring Teacher B is designed to promote teaching as a reflective profession.  The course introduces students to professional teaching standards, competencies, and codes of conduct.  Additionally, Aspiring Teacher B provides an awareness of major philosophies of education and promotes reflective questioning about diverse belief systems regarding the purpose of school.   

Philosophies of Teaching

While gaining awareness of major philosophies of teaching, Aspiring level teachers begin to shape their own belief systems about the purpose of education leading to their personal philosophy of teaching.

Teacher-Centered

• Essentialism
• Perrenialism

Student-Centered

• Progressivism
• Humanism
• Constructivism​

Society-Centered

• Reconstructionism
• ​Behaviorism

Teachers are Instructional Designers

Aspiring Teacher B explores the work of the teacher from the lens of an Instructional Designer who Develops Research-Based Instruction.  This course explores work central to teaching:  lesson planning. 

​Students investigate and compare research-based lesson plan models/practices and theories of design in order to understand a variety of options for lesson planning and connections between lesson models and student learning outcomes. 

Learning Environment Analysis
Aspiring Teacher B builds upon the dual-processing of Aspiring Teacher A with students analyzing learning environments and evaluating the effectiveness of instruction.  Student thinking is advanced towards reflective processing of teaching as a career.  This program promotes inquiry-based analysis of classroom layouts and management structures to foster understanding of the impact of physical learning environments on student learning. 

Teacher Decision-Making 
Aspiring teachers consider the level of decision-making teachers are involved in each day and think about the importance of teachers evaluating the effectiveness of their instruction.  This course also promotes reflective contemplation of the flexibility and adaptation required from teachers in order to meet unique student needs. ​

Example 
The MTDS Competency Evaluates Effectiveness of Instruction can be interpreted from both the student and teacher lenses. 

Student Lens
Students make judgements about what is most effective for their own learning as part of their personal learning profiles. 

Teacher Lens
Students may observe and/or analyze learning environments and critically reflect on evidence of effective instruction.  They may ponder the myriad of decisions teachers face every day in designing learning for students and contemplate the impact those decisions have on student learning.  

Critically reflecting on the effectiveness of instruction connects to building an understanding of Using Data to Make Decisions in order to meet unique learning needs within a classroom.