Blog #6: TPGP

Professional Growth Plan

Goal #1: Maintain and continue to develop appreciation for the language arts.
Objectives to track progress:
- I will set aside two hours of time to read for pleasure (nothing related to school) every weekend
- I will try to stay “current” by reading books and watching movies that are popular with my students
- I will set aside one hour every week for writing poetry and fiction
- I will try go to at least 3 live performances (spoken word, drama) each year
It is very important that I continue to enjoy reading, writing, and viewing language arts texts. It was my passion for these pleasures in my personal life that convinced me to pursue a teaching career in this subject area so it will be important for me to continue to build on the joy I derive from the language arts so that I may share it with my students.

Goal #2: Focus on inquiry-based learning.
Objectives to track progress:
- I will continue to build units using Intelligence Online to develop my understanding of what makes a successful inquiry project and to build my repertoire of meaningful and engaging projects, activities, and tasks
- I will include at least one meaningful and relevant inquiry project that will provide students with an enduring, empowering, and memorable learning experience each time I teach a course
Although it is difficult to conceive how inquiry-projects will succeed in a classroom environment that is hypothetical, it will increase my understanding and proficiency in terms of planning and assessment. Even if these units will need to be modified to meet the needs of future students, the process of planning and designing will be beneficial in terms of building resources and confidence in my ability to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students through inquiry.

Goal #3: Continue to develop strategies for effective use of current technology.
Objectives to track progress:
- I will continue to identify tools that can contribute to learning, and seek to discover there potential to be incorporated into an ELA classroom by engaging with them in my personal life
- I will participate in any use of technology that I expect my students to engage in (ie. Blogging)
- I will compile a collection of resources of current technological tools and software that I determine might be useful in the future
I believe it is important not to rely on students to instruct you on how to use technology in the classroom. This is not to say that they can’t contribute and be an ally to teachers when they are less familiar with technology than the students, but it is important to complete the same process as the students in order to anticipate learning opportunities as well as challenges. Consequently, I am determined to engage with the technologies I will incorporate into the classroom in my personal life, so that I might make experiences as relevant and meaningful as possible for my future students.