Chapter 14: Synthesis, Goals, and Lifelong Learning

A smile spread over Ms. Mason’s face upon entering the PLC meeting. Here were the faces that had been instrumental in making this year a success. They had looked at reams of student essays together; planned a complicated, yet successful interdisciplinary project with the ninth grade social studies teachers; attended regional and national conferences, trainings, and workshops; and celebrated the immense growth that they and their students had made during the year. There were plenty of challenges and frustrations, but everyone in the team agreed that it was worth it when they looked at just how far their students (and they) had come in one short year.

One big idea that may come in the future (especially if you grew up in one place or have not had the chance to travel much): the world is wide. Education looks wildly different in all corners of the United States and beyond. Social media can be another window into the varying practices of teachers in different kinds of settings.

In this book we have shared many details about how to plan effective instruction and assessment. Hold these varied lessons and knowledge in your mind and also envision the metaphor of a tapestry. Just as a weaver can pull together many strands of fabric or yarn to create a beautiful picture, so too can teachers craft thoughtful lessons, units, and assessments that combine what they know about instruction to make a harmonious product. Do not forget that there is more than one way to weave; there is also more than one way to develop effective instruction. Similarly, the finished product may not be beautiful–it may show evidence of shortcuts or lack of skill; the same is true of teaching.

Just as we are taking a moment to pull together all of these threads of learning, teachers can help students do the same thing during instruction. One effective teaching method to help students synthesize their learning on a topic is the Synectics model, which was developed by William J. J. Gordon and George Prince (Gordon, 1961).

There are different versions of the Synectics model; in another version, the teacher gives students the analogy first, and the students develop explanations for why it is an appropriate choice. One local teacher asks her students: “how is colonialism like a fire?” To this, students might respond that both fires and colonialism can be extreme (a forest fire) or limited (a candle), they spread across land, and while some are damaging, others might change existing structures in a way that makes room for new structures. In previous chapters we have used images to convey metaphors about the content we discussed–LEGO for kinds of knowledge, a cat in a box for backward design, and many others–by seeing something in a new way like this, it can help us think more deeply about these things and also retain that knowledge for longer. Take a moment to go back through the image at the beginning of each chapter and consider what led us to choose that particular picture. How are the subjects of those photos related to the content of the chapters?

Goals and Lifelong Learning

In teacher education programs and school districts, students and teachers are evaluated according to a set of standards. This evaluation is aligned with some professional and state standards, such as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Other states likely use similarly aligned standards. In recent years our faculty has gathered together to identify what we might look or listen for to identify the various levels of performance for graduates of our programs; often, teams of teachers and administrators will do the same for K-12 students. Reflective practice is one of the most important ways that a teacher can constantly improve.

One of the first things to internalize when you leave your teacher training program is that new teachers should no longer say “no one taught me that.” You will teach about things that you did not learn in your prior training, or even things that you have never encountered. Thankfully it is not a current practice, but in a past (but surprisingly recent) teaching position, I was expected to teach about sentence diagramming. I had to learn it for the first time in order to teach it. I had made it through all of my years of schooling–at that point, including a Masters degree–without that bit of knowledge. Since that time, it is rare to encounter this kind of requirement as a part of our writing curricula, because we know that it’s not the best way to learn how to write well. Still, there will be teachers and writers who remember sentence diagramming fondly and wish that it were still a part of teaching. Never forget that because a teaching method worked for you, that doesn’t mean it’s the best method for your students.

Teachers are constantly learning about not just their content, but also the best way to teach it–and what the research says about what works. You will be asked or expected (or you may want) to teach–or the students may wish to learn more–about cloud formations or the color wheel or order of operations or the Bay of Pigs or a book that you have never read. Go learn about it. You can teach about new things; indeed, you must do so, because knowledge builds and changes over time as we learn more about the world around us.

How do we know the best place to learn more about a topic in a specific content area? In just the last 40-50 years has led to extreme changes in how people find information. From encyclopedias and the public library to interviewing experts and taking courses to searching the internet on our computers or phones–whether a search engine or an app like TikTok–times have changed. Teachers must evaluate the sources they use for accuracy and they must teach their students to do the same.

Goal Setting

There are several different kinds of goals that teachers can set for their personal and professional lives. Goals can be for the short- or long-term; they can address how we will do a task or what task we will complete. With the advent of social media, there are millions of videos that share the ways that people have reached their various goals, whether it is through strategies like bullet journaling, short- and long-term plans, apps that track habits, and supportive communities.

A popular type of goals that are used in some school divisions is SMART goals.  The acronym “SMART” stands for

Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound

It became evident just how far the idea of SMART goals had traveled when a local coach asked a U-13 girls’ soccer team to develop their own SMART goals. The young soccer players considered things they wanted to improve such as how far they could kick the ball, how fast they could run, and how often their passes connected with their intended target.

When you think of setting goals, whether as a New Year’s resolution or just a personal target, you might not have considered elements such as how you would measure progress or how long it would take you to reach certain milestones along the way. Take a moment each day, and more time each week, to check in with yourself about how you are making progress toward your goals.

The Value of Practice

Consider sports, theatre, art, music, or other extracurricular activities in which you might have participated (or maybe you still do!) The first day you laced up a pair of roller skates or threw a wedge of clay on a wheel was likely very different from the last time you did it. What changed? In nearly every case, the answer is practice. I recall the time a fellow athlete described the upcoming off season: while everyone else is taking lots of time off, she used that time to improve. She wasn’t required to go to practice, but she did because she wanted to get better. Teaching is the same way. You will not be an expert or even always a success in your first day or year or even three years of teaching; you will get better if you work at it. So many people leave the profession of teaching because it can be challenging, frustrating, and exhausting. There is paperwork and demands on your time and parent emails or texts to send. Students will need constant communication and support with a wide variety of needs. Sometimes it can feel as if recognition or incentives for hard work are limited or non-existent; however, teachers can and should develop their own systems to measure their progress and reward themselves for a job well done.

Sources of Learning

Where are some places to learn more about how to teach? There are myriad options; the following section offers those that are mostly free or low cost. Your district, regional resources such as museums and theatres, and professional organizations will offer additional options. Sometimes these can be expensive, but districts may be able to subsidize your training, especially if it can be linked to your instruction and demonstrated student or school needs.

Social media such as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook can be a powerful source of learning and connection for teachers. It can feel like a minefield to wade into the world of social media, and sometimes it can lead to negative feelings, but if we think back to the point made at the beginning of chapter 14: the world of education is wide. There is no faster, better way to see what schools and teachers are doing across the country than to read what teachers, students, and district leaders post about their classrooms. In some divisions the Gay-Straight Alliance is the largest student group on campus, while in other schools the students might be unable to access books with LGBTQIA characters in them.

Websites like those linked below offer a wealth of videos, podcasts, and resources for teachers. These sites are often developed by teachers or former teachers who wish to share their experiences with the public. Some of them sell ad space or products, but most of them offer the chance to locate and read a quick article or watch a short video, which is the kind of “bite-sized” professional development that any teacher can find the time to do.

Reading articles, research, and books on topics related to your areas of interest or need is another important source of free or low-cost professional learning. Classroom management and communicating with families are just two common challenges for new teachers; when you complete your internship, you may not feel prepared to begin as a full-time teacher. Luckily, there are many resources that are designed to help you on this journey.

Professional Organizations

The following are a sample of professional organizations that offer a variety of useful resources for teachers. While membership is usually not free, there are often discounted rates for students, and members will have access to conferences, publications, and discounts.

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)
• International Reading Association (IRA)
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
• Literacy Research Association (LRA)
• National Center for History in the Schools (NCHS)
• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
• National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE)
• ASCD 
• Educational Theatre Association (EdTA)
• National Art Education Association (NAEA)

Many of these organizations will also have guidance about teaching content, methods, and resources.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of sources that support student-centered learning, metacognition, and evidence-based practice:

• General
  • Cult of Pedagogy
  • Smithsonian Institution 
  • Edutopia
  • Brainpop
  • PBS Learning Media 
  • Khan Academy 
  • IXL
• ELL support
  • Colorin Colorado
• Literacy/Language Arts
  • Readwritethink
  • Two Writing Teachers
• Science/STREAM
  • Journey North – science, the natural world, and citizen scientists
  • Science Bob
  • Watersheds in Virginia – Agriculture
  • NASA Kids Science News
  • Design Squad Global
  • Engineering is Elementary
• History/Social Studies
  • National Archives
  • National Geographic Society
  • National Council for Social Studies Position Paper
  • Library of Congress: Getting Started with Primary Sources
  • VDOE: History and Social Science Learning Resources
  • Teaching History.org: National History Education Clearinghouse
  • Storyline Frameworks for Educators
  • Project-Based Learning Projects
• Other content areas
  • National Gallery of Art 
  • Google Arts and Culture 
  • Carnegie Hall Music Educators Toolbox

Teacher Evaluation and Support

Schools, districts, and states have various methods of evaluation for teachers, staff, and administrators. More information about the system in Virginia can be found here. It is a common practice to pair new teachers with veteran teachers to support their development within the context of their school building and division; indeed, asking about the structure of the mentoring you will receive is a reasonable question for teachers who are beginning the job hunt. You should also understand how you will be evaluated, and what kinds of support will be provided to help you experience success. Another question–perhaps not for the interview committee, but for teachers whom you know who are working in the district–is what happens when a teacher is put on an action plan. While some schools and divisions might view this as a time to work closely with teachers to remediate areas of need, other places might view these with less of a growth mindset. Mentoring, evaluation, support, and continued success are inextricably linked: consider that in some districts, the mentor for new teachers will report back to the principal about the challenges those new teachers are facing and how they are handling them. New teachers should use the supports available to them, but also understand the full scope of the mentor’s role.

Stress, Burnout, and Self-care

You are most likely aware that teaching is challenging, complicated work. It is not uncommon to hear statements like “how can we convince anyone to become a teacher in the current climate?” Political pressures in some states affect the degree to which teachers feel comfortable sharing details about their personal lives or even what books they can teach to students or keep in their classroom library. It is crucial that teachers set limits and care for themselves so that they can be fulfilled in all aspects of their lives. Teaching is not for everyone. We know that many teachers leave the profession after just a few years. But for those who want to have a major impact on our future society, experience a career that is rarely boring, and make a difference in others’ lives every day, teaching is an excellent career choice. By reading texts and other resources like this one, keeping an open mind, collaborating with and learning from your peers and future students, and yes–taking good care of yourself and your loved ones–you will have taken a major step toward a long and successful career.

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

Nationwide, there has been an alarming increase in the number of students who are struggling with trauma. Some attribute this to the losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are likely several factors. As teachers, it is vital to be aware of this and to be ready to proactively plan for it. Remember, the behaviors that stem from trauma are a symptom. They are not the problem. The National Center for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments categorizes trauma into four types: Acute, Chronic, Complex, and Historical & Racial. Table 14.1 provides specific examples of each of these kinds of trauma. As educators, our ability to understand these and recognize that negative student behaviors often are a result of these will help us become more sensitive and responsive to students’ needs, rather than reactive to the behaviors.

Table 14.1: Types of Trauma (adapted from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments)

Trauma-Informed Instruction is the utilization of competencies enabling teachers to recognize signs of trauma in their students, provide appropriate support strategies, and to proactively plan for and implement instructional practices that support all students, not just those who have experienced trauma. Like the Universal Design for Learning framework (see Chapter 10 for a review of this framework) and the Response to Intervention tiers, trauma-informed practices may benefit all students, even if they are intended to support students who have dealt with or who are dealing with trauma. As teachers set out to become more aware of how to be sensitive to students who have dealt with or who are dealing with trauma, it is important to gain clarity on what trauma-informed instruction is and is not (Table 14.2).

Table 14.2: Trauma-Informed Instruction

(Table modified from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/trauma-sensitive-schools-training-package)

Remember too that teachers and other adults with whom you will work have also experienced trauma, so an awareness of how trauma manifests and how we might adjust our interactions is important.

Final Thoughts

We bring a multitude of experiences to our daily interactions. This is especially evident in the work of teaching, where each day might bring hundreds of exchanges with students, families, and colleagues. It is a popular adage that we do not know what is going on in other people’s lives when we interact with them. By being intentional, thoughtful, and reflective, you can be a skilled, fulfilled, successful teacher who will help make a difference in the lives of hundreds or even thousands of students and their families. You have most likely just begun the journey to a teaching career, but remember that as time passes and you develop your skills, you will have the opportunity to take on more leadership roles to support the new teachers who were once in your position. Some possible leadership roles to consider include the following:

• Mentor teacher for local student teaching interns
• Department chair
• PLC lead
• Grade-level or content area lead
• Building or division mentor for new teachers
• Committee member for text selection teams or other groups
• Search committee member
• Assistant principal
• Principal
• Curriculum developer
• Division office coordinator

What other leadership roles have you seen during your time in schools? Consider what qualities you admire in a leader, and how you might go on to develop those same qualities in the future.

References

Gordon, W. J. J. (1961). Synectics: The development of creative capacity. Harper.