At the start of this class, I wasnāt sure what my question was.
- I was thinking who am I as a science teacher?
- How can I make students interested in science?
- How can I make science accessible?
But it was all really content based, rather than about me as a teacher. So, with some guidance, and feedback, I started looking for something that would be more applicable to me, because there is a good chance you are going to be teaching a lot of things.
At this point thought back to my previous favorite teachers: which ones did I like, which ones made me work harder, which ones made me care about the learning. This lead to my inquiry question, which I think I was kind of dancing round with my original questioning.
My inquiry question was:
āWhat was it about the people, the āstuffā and/or, the context that made it impactful?ā.
Basically, what was it about the teachers that we have had in the past that gave them the āitā factor?
Methods…
So, the way I went about looking into this question, was through empirical research in journal articles, looking at stories through blog posts, and reflecting back to my own stories and experiences
Findings from research..
In terms of what I was able to determine through research and reading articles (which was somewhat unsuccessful), I found 2 general trends.
The first being the way that education programs that set up to ensure teachers are successful.
In order to have well rounded teachers coming out of school (and I assume meaning that they will create meaningful / impactful classrooms) is through having āstrong core curriculumā¦ extended clinical experiencesā¦ well defined standards of professional practiceā¦ extensive use of case methods, teacher research, performance assessment and portfolio evaluation that apply learning to real problems of practiceā¦ explicit strategies to help students to confront their own deep seated beliefs and assumptions about learning and studentsā (Darling-Hammond, 2006, p. 306)
However, this finding, I didnāt really feel connected to the depth of my original inquiry question, but does describe how you would begin choosing a university to attend. Ā
The second trend included instructional ways of creating meaningful educational experiences, focusing on the content and the act of learning.
Overall, what I found was to create experiential learning experiences (like a practicum, or internship, or co-op), creating realistic learning situations (modeling a real world) and utilize project based learningĀ (Speier-Pero & Schoenherr, 2020).
This was helpful to my question in terms of planning, and what kinds of activities to do in the classroom.
Findings from story ā¦
I read stories of students reflecting on teachers that had an impact on them and found a few themes that all related to more the emotional and relational side of teaching (4 Inspiring Stories of How Great Teachers Changed Somone’s Life, n.d.; Galazka, 2014)
- Having teachers that āseeā their students
- Having teachers that believe in them
- Having teachers that show interest in their students. Teachers that ask about students and that is going on in their lives and students interests.
- Teachers that show a passion for learning that they pass on to the students.
Overall, I felt like these results related to my question a lot more than the journal findings for the sake of my inquiry question but also related to my own experience and reflection.
Findings from my own reflections…
In terms of my own reflection experiences and teachers and found the ones that I think of for being impactful really matched more the findings from the emotional and relational side.
- Personally, I had one teacher, my Biology 12 teacher, who always told stories, and students were always engaged. She had high expectations of us, was strict, and had a really defined way of running her class. I think for her, that āitā factor was the relevance of her stories to the learning.
Where does my inquiry align with FPPL
- Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.
- I feel that the purpose of my research question is to support the myself.
- Ā Finding a way to approach teaching in a way that can make my class ācareā may be a way to sustain myself in teaching and find a purpose to what I am doing in the classroom.
- I think this inquiry also supports the community. The idea that my own perspective, and learning is essential to creating a better learning experience for all learners, and in turn hopefully through that also supporting the community.
- Ā Learning involves recognizing the consequences of oneās actions
- I think that this principle really applies to my inquiry because I am looking into the impact that I have on my classroom, outside of just the curriculum.
- I think part of becoming an impactful teacher also comes from the understanding that there are a lot of outside influences that can impact oneās actions. So, understanding that actions donāt happen in isolation.
- I think this may help make the connection with students through several different ways to be that impactful teacher.
- Learning involves patience and time
- I think this also acknowledges that this inquiry process takes time.
- ButĀ I want to acknowledge that these self growth inquiry are going to continue with me into the classroom and practicum experiences.
How has this inquiry impacted myself as a teacher?
Personally, in my teaching practice, I always want to improve. I want to see what worked, what didnāt and how can I make it better for student learning the next time. I want to create experiences that are meaningful and not wasting the students time either. So, I think this inquiry really supported my ideals that hands on learning is important to creating meaningful practices. But at the same time, itās the relationship and seeing each student for who they are and what they need.
In conclusion, I feel like I have somewhat found a small fraction of what that impact factor is ā but at the same time I still think it depending on each teacher and on each student. At this point, I donāt feel my inquiry is over, and I am going back to reassess my methods. I feel that I left out a crucial step (because of time and resources) but I would have really liked to interview teachers and students in my community and hear their stories of impactful teachers.
References
4 Inspiring Stories of How Great Teachers Changed Somone’s Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wabisabi Learning : https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/mindfulness-wellbeing/4-stories-great-teachers
Chrona, J. (2016, April). First Peoples Principles of Learning. Retrieved from First Peoples Principles of Learning: https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com/
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st Century Teacher Education. Journal of Teacher Education, 300-314.
Galazka, K. (2014, September 10). 8 Heartwarming stories of teachers changing people’s lives. Retrieved from Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/teacher-appreciation
Speier-Pero, C., & Schoenherr, T. (2020). Creating Impactful Student Learning in a Business Analytics Program through Leveraging Scholar-Practitioner Engagement . Decisions Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 59-89.
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