Looking Back
When I first started my Masters of Arts in Education (MAED) at Michigan State University (MSU) I had several goals in mind for what I wanted to accomplish. All of my goals were very student centered. My main goal was to further the success of my students. Looking back on this now, this goal seems to be very broad and I am not sure if one could ever fully meet this goal. I think that as I make progress toward this goal, I will want to go further and further with it. In my original Professional Goal Statement, I broke this main goal down into two parts:
implement inquiry-based science in the classroom
I would like to learn new ways to implement inquiry-based science in the classroom and how to bridge the gap between “textbook” science and science in the real world.
Incorporate Life-Skills into the Science Classroom
My goal as a science teacher is to not only teach the science curriculum, but also the skill that are necessary to be successful adults.
When looking back at my original goals, I realize that my main goal (to further the success of my students) remains the same. As long as I am teaching I do not think that this goal will ever change. When I look back at how I wanted to accomplish these two goals I find that I have made good progress but am still working on both of these goals. I think that both of my goals can be summed in the idea of making science relevant to my students. I think that I have found some balance in incorporating real-world science into my classroom and fitting this in with the curriculum and standards. I have also been able to incorporate some life skills into my classroom, through group work and discussion. As I finish up my master’s and continue to grow my teaching practices I will keep these goals at the forefront of my mind. Making science a relevant topic will always be challenge and the ways to approach this will always be changing. My teaching practice will also be evolving so that I can continue to meet the needs of my students.