Active and meaningful learning requires students to be independent learners.  They do not acquire this ability on their own; as teachers, we must show them how this ability is achieved.  To impart the skills needed for students to become self-motivated and self-generated learners, educators must possess a wealth of instructional strategies.  The best teachers realize that students’ learning styles are as numerous as the students themselves, and teachers must be capable of adopting flexibility in their teaching as a result.  The following paragraphs will look deeper into this need to diversify teaching styles, examples of best practices for carrying out this needs, and examine how I have used—and plan to use—varied instructional strategies within the classroom.

The first discussion regarding diverse instructional strategies should analyze the different levels of learning for which strategies are applied.  This analysis is best explained using Bloom’s (1956) Taxonomy.  Bloom is an expert in the field who describes learning as six levels of increasing complexity.  His levels of learning begin with learning of terminology (most basic), then continue to comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and end with evaluation (most complex).  At each level, Bloom connects several outcome-illustrating verbs that identify learning at that particular level.  Those verbs guide educators in developing learning strategies for a particular learning level.  For example, level one (knowledge) learning includes students’ ability to define, identify, and state facts.  Another example illustrates that level four (analysis, or breaking information down into basic pieces) learning includes the ability to categorize, compare and contrast, and make inferences about the information presented to the students.  Finally, level six (evaluation, or judging the value of information based on opinion or logic) learning involves such actions as criticizing, interpreting, and forming conclusions about the information presented (Boom, 1956, as referenced in Krumme, 2008).  The structure provided by Bloom provides educators with foundation with which scaffolded instructional strategies can be created.

With the basic foundation of learning defined above, the topic of instructional strategies can continue with a discussion on the learning environment in which the strategies are applied (i.e. the classroom and its students).  As mentioned in the opening paragraph, students’ learning styles, as well as their learning needs, are as numerous as the students filling the classroom.  Additionally, the abilities of students vary just as much, thus the need for a collection of many teaching strategies.  This need is best seen in the inclusion classroom.  Spencer J. Salend (2007) in his book, Creating Inclusive Classrooms:  Effective and Reflective Practices, defines inclusion as the combining of diverse students, families, and teachers into the same classroom as a way to create an environment of acceptance, belonging, and community.  This concept places the urgency of differentiated instruction at a very high level.  Effectively differentiated instruction takes into account content, process, product, affect (emotions and attitudes), and learning environment.

Looking specifically at differentiated instructional strategies within social studies, the learning materials an educator

chooses can make the difference between engaged and lost students.  Often secondary level textbooks—the traditional instructional tool of social studies curriculum—and some instructional materials prove too difficult for many students, especially those possessing learning disabilities.  Because of this fact, educators need to provide various strategies for tackling these overwhelming materials.  Such strategies include pre-reading to discover unknown vocabulary, to analyze the headings and subheadings of chapters and sections to acquire the main topics to be discussed within the materials, and to examine the photographs and captions within to further develop a sense of the main themes (Salend, 2007, pp. 470-471).  Further textbook strategies include guided notetaking, study guides to direct students to key ideas within the text, and the use of graphic organizers before or during text reading for the same purpose as well as in order to organize ideas in students’ minds while reading (Salend, 2007, pp. 471-477).  These strategies also accommodate for the needs of visual and kinesthetic learners, thus further differentiation is taking place through their use.

In addition to textbooks, social studies classrooms use myriad types of materials to communicate course content.  According to B. Keith Lenz and Donald D. Deshler (2004) in Teaching Content to All:  Evidence-Based Inclusive Practices in Middle and Secondary Schools, content can be taught through use of primary and secondary print materials, photographs and illustrations, books on tape, and many other formats.  Many of the same instructional strategies mentioned above for making sense of textbooks also apply to making sense of these teaching materials.  By using a combination of these different types of materials, teachers can better engage students in lessons by meeting the various learning styles of their students.  This student engagement demonstrates educators’ differentiation of their instruction to accommodate those styles.

Just as discovery of students’ varied learning styles is important for the success of teacher instruction, so is the discovery of students’ varied learning abilities and needs.  Every student is at a different place in his/her cognitive development, so instruction should be layered—or scaffolded—to meet each student’s needs and in order to provide challenges to guide in reaching the next level of student-directed learning.  Lenz and Deshler recognize scaffolding instruction as a dialogue that gradually intensifies the learning process and increases critical thinking abilities.  (Lenz & Deshler, 2004).  Lev Vygotsky claims that the most basic level of scaffolded instruction begins with drawing on students’ prior knowledge of the world in order to make meaning of new content.  Once that new content is acquired, it is used in order to make meaning of yet more challenging concepts (Newman & Holtzman, 1992, as referenced in Singer, 2003).  Creating and using scaffolded instruction will aid not only students with learning disabilities, but all students within an inclusive classroom as well.

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All of the instructional strategies mentioned above can be easily applied in the classroom, and importantly should be a part of teaching students.  During my student teaching experiences at Fordham, I was able to use these strategies in both a middle school and a high school environment.  Going forward in my career, I intend to include the following strategies and develop others with experience.

My first example revolves around teaching reading comprehension skills in a middle school last fall.  I accomplished this task by tutoring a sixth grader in finding basic comprehension and higher-level critical thinking through the use of historical fiction.  Through a pre-reading exercise of having the student skim a chapter for unfamiliar vocabulary and look for their meanings in a dictionary, I taught several skills.  First, I instructed him to skim a reading for main ideas.  Second, through identifying new word and finding their meanings, I taught him how to increase his access to the English language.  Finally, through using a dictionary to find these words, I taught him how to use reference materials for information—as opposed to simply asking for the answers.  After pre-reading strategies were completed, I used guided reading to help the student find meaning through stopping after each paragraph, in order for me to ask scaffolded questions which start with concrete components of the book and work up to complex inferences and connections to history.  Finally in post-reading, I guided the student to reflect on each chapter and to write complete responses with supporting evidence.  The results of these instructional strategies were deeper meaning in using historical fiction and improved ability to communicate meaning orally and in writing.

My second example of applied instructional strategies concerns using varied teaching materials for differentiating

curriculum.  In the spring semester, I taught a unit of the spread of communism for a tenth grade global history class.  The final lesson of the unit covered the end of the Vietnam War, specifically how guerilla warfare tactics gave the Vietcong an advantage over U.S. weaponry.  Instead of the using printed text materials, the main teaching materials were photographs in a PowerPoint slide show.  A set of photos, found on the Internet, were sequenced to create the story of how the Vietcong used local land to outsmart the U.S. and South Vietnamese freedom fighters.  As I told the story of the Vietcong’s victory, students would study each picture.  I asked scaffolded questions so students could identify what they saw, to predict how they thought each one fit into the story, and to connect each part of the story to the overall story of the Vietnam War (studied in an activity the day before).  As students answered questions, they would take notes on a graphic organizer provided at the beginning of class.  For homework, students used their notes and memories of the photos to create a cartoon.  The criteria for the cartoon included pictures that showed Vietcong advantages and U.S. disadvantages in the war, as well as captions to demonstrate comprehension of key ideas behind communist victory (which was discussed as a closure question).  The result of this lesson was differentiated instruction through verbal and visual communication, scaffolding through leveled questioning, and higher-level thinking through creation of the cartoon.

My final example of applied strategies utilizes both scaffolded questioning.  In a lesson during the same unit as illustrated above, students completed an activity using propaganda posters to learn the power of propaganda, the emotions this form of communication creates, and how it promotes Cold War ideals.  Students looked at three examples of Cold War propaganda and answered questions to identify the components of each picture, then find symbolism in those components, and finally to explain the significance of the posters to the Cold War and the ideals of the time.  Through this activity, student further discovered why the Cold War was a war of fear and threats, and why it was arguably just as powerful as World War II.

REFERENCES

Bloom (1956), as referenced in Krumme (2007). Major categories in the taxonomy of educational objectives. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from Krumme Family Web site:  http://krummefamily.org/guides/bloom.html

Lenz, B. K. & Deshler, D. D. (2004). Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools. Boston: Pearson Education.

Newman, F. & Holtzman, L. (1992). Lev Vygotsky: Revolutionary scientist. New York: Routledge, as referenced in Singer, A.J. (2003). Social Studies for secondary schools: teaching to learn, learning to teach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Salend, S. J. (2007). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and reflective practices for all students. Boston: Pearson Education.

Curriculum should be differentiated according to students’ needs, so that young people of diverse cultures, learning styles, and abilities can find meaning.  The following paragraphs will address diversity’s presence in the classroom, through students’ backgrounds and abilities, as well as through applied examples of how educators can discover this diversity and use it in instruction.

The first element of diversity among students regards learning styles.  In understanding that students are unique individuals, educators must notice the assortment of learning styles these young men and women possess.  There are four basic learning styles:  visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and analytical.  By creating curriculum that addresses each of these styles, more students are able to find meaning from a lesson or activity.

The second element of diversity among students concerns the lives of the students outside of the classroom.  Effective educators realize that learning does not only occur in the classroom, but that outside factors influence students’ learning and acquisition of information.  Gloria Ladson-Billings (2006) emphasizes this fact in her chapter, “Yes, But How Do We Do It?” in White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms.  She alludes to the idea that students’ entire lives—cultures, living arrangements, and neighborhoods (called “social context”)—provide educational opportunities and shape the way in which they best acquire that information.  As a result, students bring these outside factors to school each day, and so these factors influence how they acquire academic information.  For teachers to address these complex individuals, they must become familiar with them as people—not simply as students.  Doing so provides a canvas upon which genuine curricular learning can take place, and upon which lessons can become “real”, or culturally relevant.

The third and final aspect of student diversity discussed here regards learning abilities.  In inclusive classrooms, teachers will see varying strengths and challenges within each student and will need to address each one.  It is given that general education students will be present, but it should also be understood that many other groups exist.  For example, English language learners (ELLs), learning disabled (LD), and gifted/talented students can be found (Salend, 2008).  In this portion of the essay, I will only focus on the three groups above.

ELLs are students who do not speak English fluently and possess a different language in which they speak the majority of the time (e.g. at home with family and friends).  Angela L. Carrasquillo and Vivian Rodriguez (2002) address in their book, Language Minority Students in the Mainstream Classroom, some specific needs of these individuals.  They note that while most ELLs are proficient in English, they continue to struggle with it in school.  The suggested reason for this struggle is linked to the distinction between “basic interpersonal communication skills” (BICS) and “cognitive academic language proficiency” (CALP).  The former concept is context-embedded, meaning language skill building is hidden within the text and learned through cues and context clues.  The latter concept is context-reduced, meaning language skill building does not exist in the text, and an already proficient grasp on the vocabulary and academic language is required for comprehension—therefore it is the more challenging of the two ideas and the area of concern.

In order to guide these students toward greater linguistic success, teachers must connect subject content directly toELL’s lives.  Activities such as creating oral history presentations, participating in cooperative learning assignments, and working on projects that incorporate multimedia all provide opportunities for these students to excel (Carrasquillo & Rodriguez, 2002).

LD students present another set of academic challenges.  Learning disabilities are high-incidence disorders that hinder ability to understand information, and may manifest itself through inability to communicate or think.  This group is growing, in part, due to social acceptability of the disorders.  However, it commonly goes undiagnosed, so they actual incidence number is probably higher.  LDs are distinct from ELLs in that they often struggle with memory, attention, or organizational abilities, while ELLs may not necessarily exhibit these aspects.  The two groups are similar, however, when LD presents itself through language difficulty.  Like ELLs, LDs often do not have the vocabulary knowledge needed to understand grade-level texts written in English (Salend, 2008).

Several approaches are suggested in assisting students with LD.  These approaches include collaboration with service providers and paraeducators, use of instructional technology, and differentiating instruction according to students’ needs.  By incorporating these suggestions, meaningful subject content can be achieved (Salend, 2008).

Gifted/talented students make up the third group of exceptional students in this discussion.  They add to the class’s diversity due to their complexity and abilities.  Spencer J. Salend (2008) explains that these students may differ vastly from one another in their strengths, learning styles, and learning needs.  Gifted/talented students are discovered through teacher referrals and intelligence testing.  Also, the definitions of gifted and talented have changed over time.  While at one time, the gifted/talented classification was only given for academic intelligence, Gardiner’s multiple intelligences are now being used to create a more holistic definition of this classification.  Finally, emotional intelligence now plays a factor in modern classification.

In order to differentiate instruction for these learners, Salend suggests such strategies as curriculum compacting and problem-based learning.  The former strategy allows students to show achievement through more challenging curriculum, sometimes selected by the students.  The latter strategy sees curriculum in terms of problem-solving opportunities; students explore complex solutions to open-ended content area issues by way of research and in-depth thinking.  These instructional ideas address motivation, which is often the primary concern with gifted/talented students (Salend, 2008).

***

The ideas discussed in the research above only outline a few examples of diversity among students inside and outside of the classroom.  Those examples must be applied to planning and instruction in order to be effective.  In the following paragraphs, I will demonstrate three ways in which I previously took into account such diversity and implemented it in my teaching.

First, in learning the culture and background of one student from the fall semester’s student teaching experience, I conducted an informal interview with him during lunch.  The main point of this interview was to learn more about the person so that I could better understand the student.  Though keeping his attention was a challenge, I was able to learn a great deal about his home life, interests, and attitude about homework during the weekends.  This information gave me the ability to understand some of his inattentive behavior and incomplete homework in class.

Second, I was able to learn about an entire class of students regarding a topic that involves opinions both inside and outside of school:  reading.  I accomplished this learning experience by administering a reading attitude survey to each student of a civil rights history class last fall.  The students ranged from grades five through eight, and varied greatly in learning abilities and styles.  The results of the survey were pretty varied, too.  While almost every student enjoyed reading, some students preferred assigned books from school and other students preferred books of their choosing.  Additionally, some students enjoyed reading with older siblings, whereas some students liked reading alone.  Only one student admitted in his survey that he disliked reading, which was due to his struggle with doing so.

Finally, in understanding the diversity of students in any given classroom, I take into account various disabilities my students possess.  Some of these disabilities involve learning and some involve other disorders.  While in the research portion of this essay I addressed learning disabled students, I would like to address demonstration of other disabilities in order to provide a fuller picture of the diversity that can exist in an inclusion class.

During the fall semester student teaching experience, I created a lesson plan that modified curriculum for four high-incidence disabilities:  hearing impairment, visual impairment, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  The lesson topic was Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, which is the case that began the official Civil Rights Movement.  In the lesson plan, I included specific modifications to each section, so that students with the four mentioned disabilities could receive the same learning opportunities as the rest of the class.  Changes such as large-font type, and speaking and writing activity directions; as well as environmental changes like strategic seating, closing windows, and adjusting lighting accounted for the various needs in the class.

In closing, every student in a classroom is different and unique.  No two students possess identical abilities, backgrounds, or learning styles.  For this reason, educators must get to know their students as people, as well as learners, to be effective in guiding them toward success.  The research and application mentioned in this essay provide evidence of this crucial need.

REFERENCES

Carrasquillo, A. L. & Rodriguez, V. (2002). Language minority students in the mainstream classroom. Clevedon: Multilingual Materials.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). Yes, but how do we do it? Practicing culturally relevant pedagogy. In J. Landsman & C. Lewis (Eds.), White teachers/diverse classrooms: A guide to building inclusive schools, promoting high expectations, and eliminating racism (pp. 29-41). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Salend, S. J. (2007). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and reflective practices for all students. Boston: Pearson Education.

Development is defined in a somewhat holistic light, by separating it into three distinct categories:  intellectual, social, and personal.  As explained by Robert E. Slavin (2003) in Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, adolescence begins with the onset of puberty but includes more than simply physical development.  Intellectual development during this age introduces the student into Jean Piaget’s “formal operation stage”, in which abstract thought begins to form.  Social development moves students from adults to peers as chief influences in their lives.  Finally, personal development involves the formation of identity and self-concept—ideas identified with Erik Erikson (pp. 86-90).  The following discussion will further explain each of these three developmental categories, suggest proven strategies for addressing accompanying factors in adolescent teaching, and provide examples of how specific instruction can be applied in the classroom to positively meet the needs of each category.

First, in developing teaching strategies to meet the intellectual needs of students, educators need to identify and understand how intellect develops during adolescence.  As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, students begin to form more abstract analytical skills, meaning they are better able to think critically and construct their own learning from information and ideas presented to them.  Child psychologist Jean Piaget calls this concept the “formal operation stage” of development.  The onset of this stage averages around age eleven—once students begin to use logic in solving problems instead of only copying directly-modeled steps in doing so.  Strategies such as deductive reasoning and propositional thought enter students’ arsenal of cognitive problem-solving tactics (Berk, 2001, pp. 370-71).

Intellectual strategies that take intellectual development into account must first involve capturing student interest.  As Paul R. Burden and David M. Byrd (1999) explain in, Methods of Effective Teaching, student curiosity and interest must be obtained and maintained in order to appeal to their intellectual needs.  Some teaching activities that achieve this goal are those which incorporate students’ personal interests, are active and interactive, and involve questioning and/or opinions (pp. 283-86).

Second, this discussion turns to adolescent social development and how classroom instruction meets students’ needs within this category.  As with intellectual growth, educators must know and identify how social growth occurs within this age group.  In explaining social development, Laura E. Berk (2001) identifies formation of peer relationships as the primary factor impacting this category.  Students spend less time with family member and other adults, and spend more time with classmates and friends during this period of life (p. 403).  In fact, she reports that most positive emotional experiences among adolescents occur during time with friends (Larson & Richards, 1991, as referenced in Berk, 2001, p. 403).  Berk also notes benefits of peer social development as deeper explanation of self and others, better ability to deal with the stress of growing up, and improved attitude about school and academic success (p. 404).

In creating curriculum that accommodates and assists in social development, teachers should provide ample time for students

to interact with, and learn from, one another.  One suggestion to accomplish this task, mentioned by Burden and Byrd (1999) is peer tutoring.  Peer tutoring can involve pairwork within the class or one-on-one interaction outside of the formal class.  In either scenario, benefits of peer tutoring include engaging students who do not respond well to adults, and students discovering how to both teach and learn.

Finally, the third category of adolescent development involves the personal growth of the student as a unique and important individual.  It is during middle and high school years that students form their own definitions of who they are and what they are about.  To further expound on this observation, Erik Erikson sees this stage of development as one of a series of dilemmas people experience in approaching adulthood.  Stage Five of Erikson’s psychosocial development model is called, “identity versus role confusion.”  During the teenage years, students try to answer the question, “Who am I?”  To answer, they must analyze their own motives, abilities, and beliefs.  Failure to do so results in identity crisis.  Successful identity development is called either identity achievement (commitment to pursuing life goals) or moratorium (delay of commitment to pursuing goals).  Unsuccessful identity development falls into either identity foreclosure (commitment to goals without exploring options) or identity diffusion (lack of both commitment and exploration) (Erickson, as referenced in Woolfolk, 2004, pp. 68-69).

Academic instruction that includes consideration of personal development must allow students to explore their own beliefs, goals, and talents.  Burden and Byrd (1999, p. 287-89) believe developmental instruction involves making subject matter relevant to students as more than students, but as people.  Such lesson should include having students set learning goals, helping students assess their progress, and allowing students control over their learning.

***

Now that the three categories of adolescent development are defined, and the instructional needs of these students are explained, I would like to demonstrate specific ways in which these aspects of development can be applied to classroom lessons.  In doing so, I will provide examples of how I accomplished this task via my student teaching experiences in New York during the 2008-2009 school year.  My hope is that these activities exemplify progressive methodology and effective application.

To begin with intellectual development, I present an experiential activity facilitated in a tenth grade global history class during the Spring 2009 semester.  The activity took place during a unit I created on “The Spread of Communism”, and opened a lesson on the Berlin Blockade and Airlift.  The objectives of this activity were for students to identify problems associated with political opposition between countries, how everyday life can be affected as a result, and to make predictions about possible options countries have in resolving opposition.  The activity opened with two students dividing the classroom in half with duct tape, essentially blockading the room from certain supplies and materials.  Next, I explained the necessity of these supplies for a map activity on NATO and the Warsaw Pact.  Following, students discovered firsthand that the items needed were only available to one side of the room.  The neglected side was forced to think through its steps in solving this problem.  After a few minutes, I stopped the activity and we discussed what happened as a group.

Through experiencing this activity without explanation of its historical relevance prior to participating, students engaged in an activity that forced them to think critically and move into abstract analysis.  They began with the concrete details (tape, divided room, no supplies), built upon those details to state a problem (inability to complete the map project), to finally thought critically about solutions (sneak under the barrier, secretly convince the other side to pass supplies through the barrier).  By making the activity experiential, students’ interests were captured.  They were not just “doing” the activity, they “were” the activity, therefore personal interests were involved.  By discussing their participation and thoughts afterward, students were able to better connect the abstract idea of effects of political conflict to their concrete quality of life and success.

Next, in applying the instructional needs that accompany social development, I created an activity that combines primary resources with peer teaching.  In the same unit on communism, I taught the importance of the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences to the Cold War through using the jigsaw learning strategy.  The goal of this activity was for students to explain how their given conferences resulted in conflict that led to the Cold War.  To begin, students were paired up.  Next, each pair was given a copy of one conference’s transcript.  Each document was scaffolded by providing definitions alongside difficult words.  Students also received graphic organizers with guiding questions to further support learning.  Third, one student in each pair read his/her document to the other, while the other student recorded answers on his/her organizer.  Fourth, pairs discussed their answers with each other to obtain a consensus.  Finally, each pair shared their answers with the rest of the class, as a jigsaw that allowed students to continue teaching each other.

It was through the pairing and sharing strategies in this activity that students demonstrated peer tutoring or teaching.  They

collaborated with one another in pairs and taught each other in order to get a greater understanding of their documents and the documents of other pairs.  I think this activity was more effective than a simple lecture or presentation because the need for students to interact with each other was fulfilled.

Finally, in demonstrating how instruction can assist adolescents with personal development, I will explain a survey I administered to my middle school students during the Fall 2008 semester.  In order to become more acquainted with individual students in a Civil Rights History course, I handed each person a reading preference questionnaire.  The questionnaire includes items on reading preferences, self-assessment of reading ability, and opinions about reading with others.  After receiving completed surveys from my class, I learned that all but one person enjoys reading, most of the girls enjoy reading with family members while most boys like reading alone, and that one student does not think he is an effective reader. In addition, students named books they enjoy, which gave me a sense of their personal interests and motivators.  It was a very fun and useful activity.

The biggest benefit of the survey is that it allowed students to tell me about themselves and share things in their lives they feel are important.  In doing so, they continued to develop their identities through analyzing personal interests, beliefs, and preferences. They also demonstrated openness in sharing parts of themselves with me in doing so—further forming trust.  I certainly want to administer this questionnaire with every student I teach in the future—to build relationships and to learn how better to differentiate my teaching.

In closing, making lessons interactive, taking into account each student’s learning needs, and involving students’ interests creates great motivation in students to participate in lessons, as well as provides a springboard for their development from children into young adults.  Making students feel like important individuals and contributors will make your lessons important to them.

REFERENCES

Berk, L. E. (2001). Development through the lifespan. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Burden, P. R. & Byrd, D. M. (1999). Effective teaching. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Slavin, R. E. (2003). Educational Psychology: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Woolfolk, A. (2004). Educational Psychology. Boston: Pearson Education.

It is a new month, a new year and a new semester.  Evaluation of goals set and met in 2009 is taking place, and new goals and resolutions for 2010 are being created.  Ambitions are high and follow through is of great concern.

The holiday season has passed and schools are back in session.  Thoughts on the minds of teachers and students have changed from winter break to spring break, summer, and – for some – graduation.  Teachers are beginning to prepare for year-end state standardized tests and lessons plans that prepare students for such assessments.  Administrators are looking ahead to the next academic year, considering their staffing needs and budgets.  New professionals entering the education field are readying their resumes.  It’s now open season for teaching positions – may the job hunt begin!

For a second year, I find myself a player in the search for a classroom position.  I, too, have set high goals and ambitions for 2010 along these lines.  In setting these goals, I first compared the education environment in which I resided last year with that of this year.  Last year, I lived in New York City and was entering my second of three semesters at Fordham University.  I began creating my graduate thesis and formulating a resume for use in my upcoming job search. To enhance this resume, I was about to embark on a student teaching internship that would allow me much classroom and planning experience, as well as the eventual invitation to two academic honor societies, a professional association membership, and two teaching certificates. Despite these achievements, I hit a major roadblock.  During that semester, I attended a recruiting session for the local public school district, but soon after learned that strict hiring restrictions were to be established – greatly prohibiting me from achieving my goal of becoming a classroom educator in New York.  This year, I note the much improved situation in which I reside here in the Virginia/DC area.  First, there are no hiring restrictions in effect.  Second, there are several school districts that are growing due to the population explosion in Northern Virginia and Maryland.  Finally, I have a larger network of educators and people with resources that can help me achieve my goals than in New York.

Next in setting my professional goals for 2010, I am able to assess what experience I have gained since applying for

teaching position in early 2009.  I have added to my classroom experience by substituting for two school districts in Northern Virginia, and the site coordinator and elementary reading teacher for a Saturday supplemental education program, and am helping teach two Sunday school classes of children ranging from ages 3-18.  In addition to providing much enjoyment to my life, my hope is that the added experience will make me more well rounded and intriguing to administrators seeking teachers.

Finally, in setting and attempting to achieve my professional goals for 2010, I need to explore next steps.  I have picked 10 public school districts in the area, and a plethora of private/parochial/Christian schools, with which to pursue a position.  I am keeping alert to job fairs, employment offerings, and word of mouth for the 2010-2011 year, in addition to posting my resume online through Monster.com and a state employment agency.  Additionally, I am applying to schools and districts, so as to be added to applicant pools – knowing that not all teaching vacancies are advertised to the public.  All in all, I feel that last year was an intense learning experience and this year is a chance to better and more effectively apply that learning.  I’ve traded feelings of being overwhelmed with feelings of being eager and excited.

In conclusion, open season for filling teaching vacancies has begun.  Through experience, achievements and wisdom gained in 2009, I feel confident and ready for my goals to be achieved in 2010.  Though I’ve alluded to my goals for 2010, they are really the same as 2009 (achieving a classroom teaching position for next year).  In 2010, I am better prepared for the challenge of the hunt and more confident that I will come home with the prize.  Let the adventure begin!