ENTRY 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practices
The candidate engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others
(learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
The candidate should complete a reflective essay demonstrating how they can develop professionally based on situations from their student internship.
(learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
The candidate should complete a reflective essay demonstrating how they can develop professionally based on situations from their student internship.
I recognize that continued professional learning and growth is a very important part of being an educator. I will seek out opportunities to continue to grow myself as an educator, a performer, and a person, in order to give my students the best experience possible.
I hope to continue my professional learning in both a performance and an educator capacity. As a performer, I think it is extremely important for me to keep my own instrument up. This means practicing good vocal hygiene, continuing to take private lessons, and find at least some kind of ensemble to perform in during the school year. Joining an ensemble is something I think of as one of the most crucial things for music educators to do once they are in the field.
In addition to continuing my performance, I think continued professional learning and development as a teacher is just as important. Times are always changing, and with them so are the students and the instructional strategies we must use to be effective in the classroom. In order to keep up with all of these factors, we educators need to attend as many in-service workshops as possible. Being members of KMEA, KNEA, ACDA, NAfME, and any other organization that could provide us with valuable information to use in our classrooms is of the utmost importance. If we want to offer the best to our students, we can’t get stuck in the past, we need to move swiftly into the future.
Throughout my student teaching semester, I had the opportunity to attend many district-led professional learning days. All of the days I attended were focused either directly on music or were building learning days to better the staff and give them tools to be more successful in their environment. At one of the music professional learning days, I was part of some discussions geared towards re-writing the district’s music curriculum, from K-12. This is a massive undertaking and I was pleased to see a district have all hands on deck, working towards creating a better curriculum for the students.
Through professional learning experiences, we continue to learn as musicians and educators. Learning from others gives us new ideas that can be incorporated into our classrooms. This allows teachers to keep up with technology, stay current with music and curriculum, and find new and innovative ways to advance education.
I hope to continue my professional learning in both a performance and an educator capacity. As a performer, I think it is extremely important for me to keep my own instrument up. This means practicing good vocal hygiene, continuing to take private lessons, and find at least some kind of ensemble to perform in during the school year. Joining an ensemble is something I think of as one of the most crucial things for music educators to do once they are in the field.
In addition to continuing my performance, I think continued professional learning and development as a teacher is just as important. Times are always changing, and with them so are the students and the instructional strategies we must use to be effective in the classroom. In order to keep up with all of these factors, we educators need to attend as many in-service workshops as possible. Being members of KMEA, KNEA, ACDA, NAfME, and any other organization that could provide us with valuable information to use in our classrooms is of the utmost importance. If we want to offer the best to our students, we can’t get stuck in the past, we need to move swiftly into the future.
Throughout my student teaching semester, I had the opportunity to attend many district-led professional learning days. All of the days I attended were focused either directly on music or were building learning days to better the staff and give them tools to be more successful in their environment. At one of the music professional learning days, I was part of some discussions geared towards re-writing the district’s music curriculum, from K-12. This is a massive undertaking and I was pleased to see a district have all hands on deck, working towards creating a better curriculum for the students.
Through professional learning experiences, we continue to learn as musicians and educators. Learning from others gives us new ideas that can be incorporated into our classrooms. This allows teachers to keep up with technology, stay current with music and curriculum, and find new and innovative ways to advance education.
ARTIFACT 1: Professional Development PowerPoint
This PowerPoint was presented by Beth Richey-Sullivan at this year's KMEA. While I was unable to attend this year's KMEA State Music Convention, I was able to have a hour-long period in which I got to work with Beth and she presented this to me. I had previously emailed her asking for advice on picking up a program from someone who was widely loved and how to teach in another state (CA, which she has experience teaching in). She sent me this presentation and we went over it, as well as discussing her ongoing thoughts about teaching in Southern California. Though not the traditional form of "professional development" as it was on an individual basis rather than in a group, I look forward to applying this to my teaching as I look for a job and eventually take over a program. It has already impacted my outlook on taking over a program, in terms of keeping traditions and giving students time to adjust.
ARTIFACT 2:
In March 2018, K-State Concert Choir performed at SWACDA (Southwest Region of the American Choral Directors Association). This performance followed a rigorous audition process. As a member of the ensemble, not only did I have the opportunity to perform at such a prestigious event, but I also got to hear other amazing ensembles, network and connect with phenomenal educators and performers, and attend numerous seminars that bettered me as a performer and educator. One seminar that stood out to me was about running a vocal jazz ensemble at the secondary level (6-12) and how to make it happen. I look forward to attending more state, regional, and national conventions of this nature. This experience showed me how important it is to keep performing and give your students as many opportunities as possible to experience live music making. I will always make time to find opportunities like these for my students, though I didn't understand just how important it was until attending SWACDA.
ARTIFACT 3: Professional Development Schedule
This screenshot was taken of an email I received detailing the schedule for a district-wide professional learning day while completing my secondary placement. It was that morning that I traveled to Overland Trail Middle School and helped to rewrite some of the district music curriculum. In the afternoon, we came together as a building to talk about SES and how we can ease financial burdens of our students. We also took time to speak as teams on current issues such as the addition of time to make up for snow days, the new furniture initiative, integrating the Chromebook technology into our classes, etc. I had previously considered SES but mostly in terms of field trips and extracurricular activities. Now, I see how things like last minute projects that need poster board and other supplies would impact my students. I will give students the supplies they could need for any projects or activities and I will continue to be sensitive about the SES of my school.