1. What are your current strengths as a teacher in regards to content knowledge (the subject or subject you teach)?
My strength as a teacher is storytelling and reading children books aloud. I enjoy interacting, listening, and engaging in conversations through stories. By reading aloud, and telling original stories, I create opportunities for emergent literacy development.
2. What are your current challenges as a teacher in regards to content knowledge? Are there topics that you wish you knew about? Why?
My current challenge as a teacher is in the content area of social-emotional development. I want to acquire knowledge, attitudes, and skills to understand the process to help children manage emotions, show empathy, and establish positive relationships. By learning the strategies of social-emotional development, I can create a powerful learning experience for the students.
3. Are there topics or content areas for which you have have a particular passion? Why?
When I was a child, my grandmother told me stories every night. When I became a mother, I followed this tradition of telling stories and reading books to my children. As a kindergarten teacher, my passion grew, and I have learned the art of storytelling and reading aloud through mentors, tutorials, and observations.
4. At this point, if you had to choose, what is the single subject/content area that you would like to learn more about during the MAT program? What are some specific questions or subtopics that you would like to investigate in this content area? Please note – these should be questions that you learn more about the content nor your students.
Although I am comfortable with storytelling and reading books aloud to children, I would like to learn more about how to include meaningful activities, concrete experiences, and concept development in this program? How can I use storytelling and reading to teach vocabulary and comprehension? How can I use scaffolding strategies to introduce new topics to children through a narrative?
5. Think about the subject/content area you chose for question 4. What are some questions that you have about teaching this content? Do you have any current challenges in teaching this content? Are there things about student thinking, learning, or misconceptions that you would like to learn more about?
Storytelling is an art, and I would like to teach the children how to express themselves through content and imagination. My current challenge is managing interactive session during storytelling and reading a book? I want to investigate and figure out how to help children comprehend and develop stories?
Featured Image: Bhansali, V. Lake. 2019. Photograph. Hanoi, Vietnam.
An Art Infused Education 