KEYS TO A FOCUS ON LEARNING

CREATING A LEARNING SCHOOL

1. MISSION AND VISION

To what extent does your school’s mission and vision statement meet the characteristics of well constructed mission and vision?

MISSION:

The school mission seems to be accurate and to meet the characteristics to be well constructed in it you can clearly identify what we do (serving and preparing students), for whom (diverse students), how (with an accredited USA/Colombia college preparatory program) and to achieve (their fullest potential for excellence). 

VISION: 

The school vision clearly states what it was to achieve and it is quite ambitious and thinks in the future, however in our group discussion we also talked about how it seems to be too general and abstract. 

2. POLL OF CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING SCHOOL

Question 2

Question 1

1. I work in Primary school mainly with pre and kindergarten so an active partnership about learning happen differently and is just a brief introduction to accomplish this in higher grades, however I can see that in High School but also in the other schools this is very strong, teacher develop collaborative programs, in which students are able to develop skills and acquire concepts through projects of their interest and propose new ways to develop those concepts. 

2. I feel like we need to get stronger in Differentiated Learning even when we have a Learning Centre and diversity is a main mission for the school in the real practice teachers are not strong in the process of adjusting the learning to the students, many times because the program is quite demanding and the professional developing usually covers other topics more related to character but not on this topic that should be a priority to be an effective learning community. 

So a key need is not only to have more professional developments but to support and guide teacher in the practice of planning, executing and assessing a goal.

3. PURPOSE

My compelling purpose

After reading the Belief System Definitions I definitely feel like my results match with my personal and professional values, even though as mentioned at the end of the reading, that all schools and education systems should be a balance between all of them, this is because each one complements and contribute to creating the most effective learning experience for all children. 

I also think that my results are highly influenced by my professional journey and experience, being an Occupational Therapist drive me to work in helping all human beings to participate in their environments being functional and independent as much as possible, therefore Self Actualizer shows this humanistic side of my career in which my main goal is nurture each child potential, to be able to identify, understand and respect that we are different, we learn in different ways and we have different capabilities, so when as a teacher I am able to guide my students in their own journey is the best way to assure that they are all having the opportunity to learn and to grow.

School Compelling Purpose

I think that both my compelling purpose and the school´s are pretty much align and that is something that I like from the begging when I was in the process in getting hired and I read about the school their mission and vision immediately made me feel that it was the right place for me. As the school highlights that each individual has his/her own potential that we will help them to reach but also because they do not only pay attention to the mind (academic and cognitive process) but they do see the student as a whole person. 

When looking at the academic rationalist it is higher for the school than mine, and I feel sometimes that the school tends to be quite academic something that I disagree from at least in Primary School as sometimes it does not align with the developmental expectation, and again being an OT gives me the vision that in order to learn other skills have to be already developed, skills that are not usually part of the curriculums or programs and it impacts children that have a slower development as it is a bigger challenge for them to achieve the academic learning. 

Something that looks different in both diagrams is that the school´s is more balanced in between the five system of beliefs, which I think should be what the schools aim for, having a clear view of what represents them but with a good balance in the systems to have a more complete approach to learning that responds to the different needs of the students as part of a society. 

 4. EFFECTIVE LEARNING

DISPOSITION OF AN EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT TEACHER

This reading displays the characteristics of a teacher that is always committed to find more ways to help the students, to create new ideas and to find other ways to help especially those who are having difficulties in any area.

HATTIE RANKING

I found this study pretty interesting and much more the strategies that are rated as the more effective which includes a lot of strategies that are focused on being intentional when teaching, establishing the learn goals and letting the students participate and be active participants of their own learning process, on the contrary demographic characteristics and specific programs show the less efficacy which to me is associated with past beliefs that have minimal information about how the learning happen in our brains.

EFFECTIVE TEACHERS. Tomlinson C. and McTighe J. 2006

This reading takes us through a step by step on how to be effective teachers, it takes into consideration and priority establishing the learning objectives and planning how to incorporate, assess, modify and make flexible the lessons so it is accessible. 

STANDARDS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

This rubric shows 8 different standards in areas that are important to build appropriate teaching/learning processes that are in constant evaluation in collaboration with the school community. 

According to these reading the main characteristics to be an effective teacher are: 

1. Has a clear view of where the students are going, has in mind clear goals according to the expectation, students characteristics and school mission and vision
2. Is able to form a team with the students to provide meaningful strategies according to the students interest, needs and motivation towards the learning
3. Can design and adapt the professional path according to his/her own values, as well as the school´s, being able to contribute to the school and work peers.
4. Is willing to adapt, learn new strategies, and be guided by others in order to enrich the teaching/learning process
5. The teaching practices reflect a previous, and an analytic process where the learning happens according to planned goals, knowledge, skills and evidence for the unit
6. Consistently evaluates the teaching practices, the outcomes and adjusts when needed 
7. Recognises the importance of the development and how it impacts the learning process
8. Has a special bound with the students that enriches the process of teaching/learning.

JOURNAL REFLECTION

Reflexion: As I reflect on my experiences as a teacher, I realize that my perception of what a teacher should be like is influenced by a variety of factors, including my past experiences, personality, and the school where I work. 

However, I strongly believe that it's essential to have a connection between my values and the values of the school I work in. 

This alignment is crucial for me to adapt and align with the school's expectations. Working in an international school, I have had the privilege of meeting amazing teachers from different countries. However, some of them have struggled to align their professional journey and profile with the school's expectations, especially when their teaching focus differs from what the school expects. 

Every teacher has room for improvement, and the willingness to improve is driven by the passion and motivation for teaching, as well as the support and encouragement provided by the school. It's not only up to the teacher, but the school also needs to guide their staff to help them grow. As a teacher, I continuously strive to improve my practices. I believe that this mindset is essential in creating opportunities for students to learn and grow.

Daily Action: Pay attention during the classes to identify a student who is struggling in any way and it is not obvious, approach the student and try to find out if he/she needs any help.