Professional growth through graduate education and Piaget's learning theories

Nature and Extent of My Professional Growth and Development

In the modern-day world, earning an undergraduate degree in education isn't enough to make a real change or difference in the lives of students. Yet for many educators, making a change in the lives of students is the reason why they joined the teaching fraternity in the first place. That amazing feeling of satisfaction as you see your students and former students grow and succeed educationally and otherwise through the hard work you put in is indescribable. A growing body of research is revealing new ways of teaching and helping students learn and retain more information, which means that teachers must also go back to graduate school and get a Master's degree to be better skilled and prepared to guide their students.

The knowledge and experience I have gained from my graduate studies have made me realize that a Bachelor's degree course isn't adequate for a teacher. It just doesn't give you sufficient background information and knowledge of how to integrate teaching theory or the best ways to teach. Before I commenced my Master's degree program, I lacked adequate critical thinking skills. This meant that I taught by the book and did not have the ability to tweak my teaching to suit individual student needs. Since starting my graduate degree program I now have deeper insight into the practical and theoretical backgrounds that drive the teaching profession. I now know better ways to teach and help my students learn more in easier ways. This has enabled me to witness tremendous improvements in class.

One instance in which deeper theoretical background has enabled me to be a better teacher is by getting to explore Jean Piaget's educational theories. Piaget's theories stress the need for tailor-made learning experiences based on individual student needs. He contended that if an educator is teaching a math or geography lesson to eight students then those students would learn the same concept in eight different ways. This led him to conclude that teachers ought to constantly evaluate their instructional methods so as to enhance their individual students learning outcomes.

Without a deeper understanding, I now have of Piaget's learning theories, I would just be like every other teacher dispensing knowledge as I see and understand it from the teacher's guide. However, I now know better because of the fact that I have learned that there is a need to adjust my teaching to suit individual learning needs. In my instruction, curriculum and evaluation units, I learned how to evaluate my teaching methods, make adjustments if need be and to make sure that every student learned the material. Now, I am able to apply many of the ideas and theories that were once hypothesized by Piaget to my day-to-day teaching practices. Each and every week, I write down the individual learning styles and needs of my students so as to personalize course lessons and to cater for each of my students learning concerns. What I have so far learned in my graduate school has enabled me to become a better teacher. I have seen and can only anticipate far greater student educational achievement, which further strengthens my belief that education graduate courses and experiences are necessary for the modern-day teacher. Even though quite a number of people still don't see the need for graduate schooling, my experiences tell me otherwise.

Several studies show that teachers who go through graduate schooling have much more teaching effectiveness compared to those who don't (Ronfeldt & Campbell, 2016). Studies have also revealed that students taught by graduate teachers also record better scores in reading and writing. Furthermore, studies also show that the experiences and knowledge gained in education Master's degree programs lead to improvements in student learning outcomes (Goldhaber, 2015). Utilizing different individual reading and writing skills, I found that my students were more motivated to learn. Even students who had writing and reading problems, I tweaked my lesson plans to meet their needs and make sure they also got something from each lesson. With time, as my students performed even better in their studies, the administrators at my school awarded me with several opportunities for leadership and better remunerations.

Better Pay and More Opportunities for Leadership

Beyond the satisfaction of seeing my students change and achieve better scores, I have also witnessed tremendous growth in my career. The single most tangible growth has been in terms of pay. I now earn higher pay compared to the time when I was just an undergraduate teacher. This has given me the opportunity to take regular vacations -- something I had always wished for. And this is not just true for my case. Every teacher who takes a Master's degree program has the chance of earning between 5 and 14% more than their previous wages based on the state and school district where they are working at. This increase is symbolic of the graduate teacher's higher value. Most school districts appreciate the time and hard work put in by teachers to earn a Masters degree and the benefits of the knowledge learned in such programs to students. For these reasons, they want these students to stay on their districts so as to help them move forward educationally. As a graduate teacher with a master's degree, I am well aware of my value and the fact that I and other teachers like me represent the best chance to enhance student educational outcomes.

My graduate school degree and experiences have also ushered me to various leadership positions. I can now speak and contribute to the state or national dialogue on teaching and education. This is because of the fact that as one learns more, he or she gets more deeply entrenched in the scholarly community making him or her, a more valuable member of the education fraternity. By developing a greater understanding of classroom management and teaching techniques, I have gained a bigger voice in our country's education dialogue. Unfortunately, it is policymakers, politicians and legislators without educational experience who have the power to make changes to our education system. Changes which obviously have great effects on the lives of students. This is deeply worrying especially to teachers who entered the career hoping to make a positive change in the lives of young people. There is a need for these policymakers to consult more with the real experts -- teachers and scholars in the education system to get clear insight before making policy changes or laws.

Many school administrators want more graduate teachers in their schools. They also prefer graduate teachers in leadership positions in the school districts or their states educational communities so as to promote evidence-based teaching practices that address individual learning needs. As an educator who entered the profession with the purpose of making a positive impact, I believe that being given the opportunity to draft and implement school-wide changes is the single-most important tangible benefit I derive from attending graduate school. By getting into higher positions in my school, I will be able to change the learning experiences of my students and make things better for them.

Deeper Respect in the School and Community

Local and national educational communities need more graduate teachers and post graduate teachers to advocate for evidence-based teaching practices. This is because such teachers present a greater chance for students' success, have a deeper understanding of teaching theories and techniques and can be better leaders when they assume leadership positions because earning graduate degrees requires mastery of critical thinking skills, organizational skills and other leadership skills.

Graduate schools provide students with opportunities to not only learn and experience new environments, but also to socialize with like-minded peers. I am a social person and developing relationships with other graduate students and members of the faculty was one of my objectives and the key highlights of my time at graduate school. With each passing day, I got to know more and more students and faculty members and to gain respect among them. I also got to learn new teaching approaches, better ethical behavior, competencies, skills, values and attitudes that I believe have made me a better person. My graduate degree, my contacts in the education community and my experience have enabled me to be a valuable member of my community. Now people and community organizations can seek advice from me and call on me to talk to young kids about making the right choices for their future.

Most Valuable Graduate Course for Me

Even though all graduate courses and units are well geared towards making me a better teacher, the theory and practice course was the most valuable course for me. This is because of the value and the role that theory and practice play in getting students to learn. In the theory and practice course, I learned how to tweak teachers' guides and lesson plans to make sure that none of my students will be left behind when am teaching. A good teacher is one who is constantly looking out for new ways to give his or her students better learning experiences and also looking for ways to make learning easier for them. The theory and practice course has helped me to become a good teacher by helping me to know ways of applying and utilizing educational theories, expanding or rejecting them and even constructing a few of my own based on concepts I have learned in class. The course is like an experience camp where you learn how to teach and act like a professional and experienced teacher within a few months instead of waiting for years to reach that stage.

Learning about educational theories also helped me to conclusively answer some pertinent questions that I had had for a long time. For example, I got to know how children learn, why individual learning is better, and how to incorporate new learning scholarships into my teaching techniques. It is only through understanding teaching and learning theories and all other related educational theories can one make significant progress as an accomplished teacher.

Practicum Observation Lessons

When I commenced my practicum, I was of the opinion that the teacher was everything in the class. He or she acted as the puppeteer directing each and everything that happened to the puppet (class). However, I came to realize that this is not the case. As a teacher, I don't have to always direct everything. I have come to see things differently and to look at lessons from the learner's perspectives so as to plan well in advance for better learning experiences. This has exposed me to a new reality -- the fact that there are times when I may not need to be at the front of class directing things or giving instructions. Nowadays, I am more comfortable walking around class just helping students do group work or showing individual students how to work out or understand certain concepts based on the information I have gathered on that particular student's understanding. At first, I was worried about not having full control of the class but now I am only active if I really need to be.

My practical experience has also helped me to witness how students' groups work efficiently when they are given the materials and clear instructions on what to do. In the school where I was working at, students get clear instructions on what to do on a task sheet. The teacher has to briefly explain what the students have to do. He or she also has to set out the materials required (games, worksheets, or books) and divide the students himself or herself into groups. The students then work on the group activities on their own. Some students work in class and others find spaces outside at other times depending on how soon the work is needed. Even though it got noisy a few times, most students were industrious and always got the job done in one way or the other. I believe that these types of learning activities make learning fun for the students and significantly contributed to the students' achievements.

I also found double periods to be important for teaching the harder concepts as they provide enough time to expound on the topic and answer any questions from the students. Learning for longer without interruptions also kept the students focused which made it easier for them to understand the more complex topics.

Strengths of Observation Practicum

From the observation of his or her students' behaviors, a teacher can collect and analyze important data to enrich their learning experiences. If a teacher doesn't occasionally do this, he or she will be ignoring a rich source of information. The purpose of collecting information by observation of learners helps teachers to not only informally use such information to better their teaching, but also to formally report their progress.

One of the main arguments put forth in favor of using observation in assessments is that it increases assessment validity courtesy of the fact that it extends the range of possible examinations or assessments. This makes teacher observation assessment more comprehensive, contextualized, authentic and holistic. It is comprehensive because it ensures that all learning outcomes are taken into account. Connected because it is closely linked to various learning context and adapts from pedagogical planning and learning experiences. It is contextualized in the sense that it considers the effects of deriving assessment from different occasions and situations, authentic in the sense that it is interesting, meaningful and challenging to students and holistic in the sense that it stresses relatedness between various aspects of learning. Even though I was a little nervous, my observation assessment went smoothly.

Limitations

Information collected from teacher observation activities will only be valid to the degree that the proof is accurately and properly recorded, analyzed and interpreted; i.e. the report correctly shows the learner's performance, and the judgment is justifiable. Precise recording of information requires transparent and unbiased view of the learner's performance. A justifiable analysis or interpretation of a learner's performance refers to taking into account any factor that might have affected the learner's performance. In other words, the observation and the subsequent interpretation of evidence should be defensible and reasonable. The analysis of the data should also be consistent with what another teacher of similar experience obtains.

Another major drawback I found out, to the use of observation, is that there is a strong possibility of an instructor prejudging or being prejudiced against a student. Prejudgments, in our case, are opinions formed prior to collecting observation evidence by getting prior information from other instructors or based on a learner's previous performances records. However, in most cases, such information is irrelevant to the observation assessment being made. Still, prejudging or prejudicing a student may negatively influence an instructor and blind him or her to a learner's actual current performance.

Post-Observation Conference and Recommendations

After my observation assessment, I was quite nervous to head over to my supervisor for that day because I was not sure of what her opinion was about the lessons. I personally felt that the lesson was a success! However, I doubted that whatever I had done would be good enough considering her immense experience. However, to my surprise and relief, she said she was generally happy with the lesson and impressed that it had followed the lesson plan I had drafted before the class. She also commented that compared to the last time she had seen me teaching, I had provided students with more learning opportunities. I agreed with her because the last time she had seen me teaching I felt that I needed to impose my authority in class. But this time, things were different. I had put myself in my students' shoes and taught them from that perspective. This made it easier for me to teach and them to understand. One of the things I changed after putting myself in the place of my students was to slow down every time I introduced a new topic. I was happy she noted this too in our post observation conversation as she had noted it earlier and suggested that I make improvements in that area, which I did. This time she also made recommendations. She said I seemed a bit too tight and that I should liven up to make the class friendlier. I guess that this is true because I was kind of nervous being watched by her during the lesson. However, I think I am usually lively and more relaxed when I am alone with the students. She also recommended that even though I was less authoritative than last time, I should be even more non-threatening to make the class fun and the kids to feel free to ask questions. I think this too was a result of the anxiety of being observed by my supervising teacher but I will make improvements before the next observation class.

Problems Facing New Teachers

New teachers face significant challenges which they must overcome to be successful in the teaching profession. Understanding the challenges and preparing to face them is important to succeed in overcoming them. A problem or a challenge in the teaching profession is anything that can prevent or slow down a teacher from doing his or her work. The transition between finishing training and settling in one's first teaching job is normally quite challenging as one moves from the classroom ideals taught in training to the harsh reality of day-to-day life in the classroom (Menon, 2011). Various studies show that the main challenges for new teachers include: organization of classwork, relationship with parents and guardians, motivating students, tweaking lesson plans to suit individual learning needs and classroom discipline. In some other cases lack of sufficient teaching resources and problematic students have also been cited as challenges (Whitaker, 2003).

Classroom Discipline

A large body of research on the problems experienced by new teachers points to classroom indiscipline as the leading challenge for new teachers. Still, it must be noted that not all new teachers experience this problem. Classroom indiscipline is a broad subject and many individuals in the education fraternity view it differently. The mere mention of the word discipline could lead to varied reactions from teachers. Some think that by being assertive they can overcome the problem; others prefer punishing the students by sending them for detention. While for others, it depends on their moods.

Classroom indiscipline is the culprit behind all bizarre happenings in class and it can take place in so many different forms that there is no particular definition that will sufficiently cover it. For each classroom session, a specific routine is conducted by both learners and teachers. Any other thing that happens outside the defined classroom routine is a classroom indiscipline case. The major challenge in the occurrence of classroom indiscipline is the step taken by the teacher to correct the situation. The majority of new teachers do not have information on the suitable measure to take on the learners that are undisciplined. The contemporary approach awarded to classroom discipline could be misleading to the new teachers (Veeman, 1984).

Beginner teachers have little information when it comes to handling such situations, thus making them helpless in matters of classroom discipline. Additionally, new teachers do not quite understand the link between classroom management and discipline as they actually go hand in hand. All new teachers faced with classroom indiscipline ought to have suitable measures and techniques to discontinue a repeat of the scenario. Unfortunately, both the theoretical aspect of education and teacher training fails to prepare teachers for such events. The way through which a teacher deals with a discipline issue after its happening might not have an impact on the student's level of work involvement as well as class disturbance. Managing the behavior of students could be challenging to beginner teachers, particularly when only minimal support is offered by their experienced peers (Menon, 2011). Disciplining students has surfaced as a main concern for all new teachers. In some instances, discipline issues were linked to groups of students with certain learning difficulties. Inflicting discipline on a class with several troublemakers could be a challenge to beginner teachers. Classroom discipline covers issues like attitude and behavior that complicates the whole process. In other scenarios, classroom discipline might be a source of learning issues such as attention deficit disorder, illiteracy, and dyslexia (Whitaker, 2003).

Adjusting to the Organizational Setting and Realities of the School

New teachers have problems with regards to adjusting to the rules, regulations, as well as organizational practices of the school. With reference to studies conducted on issues faced by new teachers, it is clear that teachers are not well instructed regarding rules, regulations, as well as organizational practices of the school. Adjusting to the system could be challenging to most beginner teachers due to the absence of information on schools with regards to their organization. Beginner teachers have to learn job routine practices like planning, student management, and organizing excursions and events. New teachers have very little information about functioning of schools which actually impede their delivery of services. Different from other professions, teaching needs the teacher to immediately start working. In most other professions, the new employees pass through training before getting assigned any duties in the organization (Menon, 2011). It is, however, a different case for teachers; new teachers are assigned with major undertakings similar to those of the more experienced teachers without any support. This is indeed a major challenge for new teachers as adapting to the new organizational settings with insufficient support could be devastating. This particular challenge also affects outstanding education teachers as this part involves numerous protocols, different for general education teachers. On the other hand, in special education, training and support of new teachers is needed. Emotional support is also important to new teachers, particularly from the experienced teachers as well as other individuals in the same organization (Whitaker, 2003).

Assessing Students' Work and Relations with Parents

This is another area whereby teachers have no previous information as they step into the actual world of teaching. This challenge of relationship with parents has numerous aspects. In accordance to surveys, new teachers were mentioned to have insufficient preparation to develop and even maintain proper relationships with the students' parents. Despite the level of classes, teacher ought to create and maintain contact with learners' parents. Additionally, the majority of parents have negligible concern in the welfare of their children in school. So as to improve student results, there is need for proper coordination between the teachers and the parents, and this is achievable via constant engagement and communication. Parents and guardians should be flexible on the ideas exercised on their children's wellbeing (Whitaker, 2003).

Teachers should handle the individual disparities amidst students. Learners display great diversity in the classroom setting. The most common is the case of fast and slow learners. New teachers are normally prepared for such cases, but the reality of the matter actually dawns on them in the real classroom setting. There are different student categories and it could be challenging to differentiate the learners (Whitaker, 2001). The main challenge in such a scenario is to merge the students with individual differences and deal with the class as one whilst making sure that all students benefit from the class. Diversification of curricular and institutional practices so as to accommodate the different students proved to be difficult to beginner teachers unlike what they actually knew from theory.

Motivation of learners is very challenging particularly to new teachers. It is the responsibility of the teachers to make sure that learners actually develop an interest in the academic work, and put in effort to get the set academic standards. Motivation of the students is something that cannot be taught in colleges. Teachers therefore should come up with ways of capturing the students' interest and attention. With regards to the choice of particular subjects, learners require motivation to pursue a chosen field. Lastly, new teachers are faced with the challenge of lack of support from the necessary quarters. This lack of support affects the new teachers, both general and individual education teachers.

Documented Supports that Have Been Found to Help New Teachers Effectively Respond to Such Problems

Challenges related to classroom discipline call for proper classroom management from the new teacher. A new teacher should be prepared if he/she truly wants to control the classroom. What the teacher does before misbehavior takes place is very crucial in establishing the overall disciplinary success of classroom management. This implies that the capacity of the teacher to manage the class is the most important element in preventing any disturbances and sustaining task involvement. As a new teacher, one ought to have four dimensions of managerial skills; they include overlap, group focus, withitness, and movement management (Whitaker, 2001). Classroom management via withitness simply refers to the teacher's ability to communicate to the learner his/her awareness of what is taking place in the classroom. Teachers having this kind of ability are said to have eyes at the back of their heads. Overlap management, on the other hand, refers to the ability of the teacher to carry out more than one task simultaneously. Beginner teachers without this skill normally end up being occupied in a single activity to the exclusion of the other classroom events (Whitaker, 2003).

New teachers require proper training while going to their very first real class before being awarded heavy responsibilities in the school. Head teachers ought to ensure that new teachers have the full support of their experienced peers and also ensure a smooth transition. It is important for head teachers to have mentoring skills, which will actually be very helpful when dealing with the new teachers. Additionally, experienced teachers could also come in handy via encouraging the beginner teachers to initiatives and also participate in the school unit's management (Doyle, 1975). When dealing with beginner teacher challenges, there is a great need for individual introduction training to prepare the new teachers for certain hardships that are commonly experienced upon entry into the profession. The college and university syllabus ought to be adjusted to accommodate the issues that are likely to be faced by new teachers and also provide suitable solutions to them. The challenges faced by beginner teachers could be solved via reduction of the responsibilities assigned to them. Awarding the beginner teachers a lot of responsibilities leaves no room for adaptation to the organizational system. Other areas whereby the administration could offer support include provision of ample resources aimed to support learning. New teachers experience hardships in properly distributing the duties because of the lack of enough resources as well as provision of the necessary materials which will assist in resolving the issue (Menon, 2011).

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