Research Overload

This week has brought the normal load of homework along with 2 tests, 3 papers to write, 5 articles to read, and a whole lot of research in not just one, but several of my classes. Overloaded only begins to describe my stress levels. I can't tell you how many times I have thought "I'll just do it later" or "what's it matter if I do this?" Of course, after a little bit of procrastination, I completed the work that needed to be done. I know that the assignments I'm doing in my EDUC and MATH classes are only meant to benefit me as a future teacher, even if they seem rigorous and annoying at the moment. There will come a day when those 2 tests turn into 2x10 (or more) tests to grade, those papers turn into lesson plans to write, and all that research becomes a search for a new method to teach a concept that my students didn't get the first time around. 

Luckily we are getting a head start on some of that research. This week in our EDUC 316 class we began looking at our BPH (Best Practices Handbook) assignment. Specifically, we are unpacking standards from the Common Core Literacy Anchor Standards and applying research based instructional strategies to teach those standards. Each person in the class is assigned a couple of different standards. However, the exciting part is that by the end of the semester we will have a collaborative piece of work that unpacks the Anchor Standards, and provides us with strategies to teach those standards! This is a great resource that we can take with us throughout the rest of our college career and into our future classrooms. 

I can apply several of the NC Professional Teacher Standards here. The first standard addresses teachers as a leader, which includes working collaboratively with other teachers. We can also look at the third standard which states that teachers know the content they teach. This includes that teachers should align their instruction with the North Carolina Course of Study, along with making the information relevant to the students. Thirdly, we can see standards 4 here, which instructs teachers to facilitate learning for their students. To accomplish this, teachers must always be utilizing and researching a variety of instructional methods.