Learning Outcome 13: Continue to develop professionally as reflective practitioners who are committed to an on-going scholarly inquiry
Even though my time as an undergraduate student in the Adolescent English Education Program at SUNY Cortland is coming to an end, my time as a learner is just beginning. I am constantly learning everyday how to expand and hone my craft of teaching as well as expanding my understanding of English Language Art, inquiry, discourses, technology and how that all interacts within society, schools and students. This continued development begins with reading the current experts in the field. I find myself turning to works written by Linda Christensen, Timothy Gillespie, Bob Sullo and Lois Tyson. While the list does not end there, it is where I believe it begins. These masters have developed and understanding of blending literary theory, discourse inquiry and social justice in their teaching. I found that they are the practitioners that I turn to for inspiration and understanding.
Continuing to have a steady appetite for reading scholarly literature is just one part of the developmental buffet. I find that talking to fellow learners and teachers is one of the easiest and beneficial ways to continue developing. Social media like Ning sights, Twitter and Facebook make this communication easier and more interactive because of the immediacy of it all. Through this constant interaction teachers can develop, learn and continue to feed this passion for their profession.
NCTE Annual Convention- Conventions like this are great for teachers to new aspects of teaching, making connections with other teachers and gain insight into what the new ideas on teaching are going.
NCTE Student Affiliate Facebook Page- Social media like Facebook and Twitter are great places for teachers to connect and engage in great conversations about how to better their crafts.
English Companion Ning- Being a part of communities like the English Companion Ning is another way to be a part of a larger teaching community. On sights like these you can create blog post, comment on others inputs and connect with educators all over creating a flow of new ideas that is unlike anything that ever came before it.