Growth Reflection and Plan
Growth Reflection and Plan
Throughout my student-teaching experience, I have grown substantially in my ability to design structured, engaging, and student-centered instruction. Early in my placement, I focused primarily on delivering content clearly and efficiently. Over time, I developed a stronger understanding of how to scaffold complex skills, facilitate meaningful discussion, and balance rigor with accessibility. Working with ninth-grade honors English and eleventh-grade AP Language and Composition students strengthened my classroom management, pacing, and differentiation. I have become more confident using formative assessments and data to inform instruction, and I now view relationship-building and intentional planning as essential to promoting deeper learning.
A professional development activity that significantly deepened my content knowledge was my independent reading of The English Teacher’s Companion by Jim Burke (2013). Burke emphasizes that English teachers serve as “architects of meaning” who integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening as complementary skills (Burke, 2013). His discussion of modeling critical thinking, in order to move students from literal comprehension toward analytical and interpretive reading, reshaped how I approached close-reading lessons of Beowulf and Grendel by John Gardner.
Burke’s recommendations for scaffolding writing through mentor texts, sentence frames, and revision for clarity rather than only correctness informed how I structured essay workshops. These strategies enhanced my ability to teach disciplinary thinking and language in ways that empower students to write with purpose and confidence.
My pedagogical understanding deepened through my study of The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units by Wiggins and McTighe (2011). This text reshaped how I approach lesson and unit planning by emphasizing backward design, which advocates beginning with clearly defined learning outcomes and aligning assessments and instruction accordingly. I learned to frame lessons around enduring understandings and essential questions that encourage students to make conceptual connections rather than simply recalling information.
For example, while designing my Beowulf and Grendel unit, I used the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to identify key transfer goals, such as helping students analyze how authors develop themes of heroism and morality across time periods. I then built assessments and daily objectives that aligned to those goals. This process ensured that every activity served a clear instructional purpose and that students understood not only what they were learning, but why it mattered.
During student teaching, I collaborated closely with my mentor teacher to analyze pre-assessment data on students’ understanding of literary elements and devices. Together, we reviewed results from a digital diagnostic quiz that measured skills such as identifying conflict, theme, and figurative language. The data revealed that many students could define terms but struggled to apply them in context.
Based on these findings, we co-planned targeted mini-lessons, created visual exemplars, and provided guided practice opportunities. The adjustments led to measurable improvement on the subsequent formative assessment. This collaboration strengthened my ability to use data to refine instruction and reinforced the importance of teamwork and continuous reflection in promoting student growth.
As a student member of both the National Education Association (NEA) and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), I have benefited from a wide range of professional materials. The NEA’s online resource Advancing Racial and Social Justice in Every School (NEA, n.d.) provided concrete strategies for embedding culturally responsive pedagogy in English classrooms. Using these ideas, I developed discussion prompts that connected literature to broader social and cultural issues, helping students recognize diverse perspectives within texts.
NYSUT’s professional articles on teacher well-being and induction for new educators (NYSUT, n.d.) have also guided me in establishing sustainable professional routines. These organizations have grounded me within a supportive professional community and emphasized that effective educators continually seek growth through shared learning.
My short-term goal is to secure a full-time English Language Arts teaching position in New York City, where I can refine my craft within a diverse learning community. I plan to strengthen my expertise in differentiation and cultural literacy to ensure that every student can access and relate to complex literary texts.
To achieve this, I intend to pursue a Master of Arts in English Literature with a focus on international and multicultural texts, furthering both my content knowledge and global perspective. I also plan to participate in professional learning communities, attend NEA and NYSEC conferences, and complete professional development on culturally responsive teaching and assessment. My long-term vision is to combine advanced literary study with classroom experience to design inclusive, globally minded curricula that inspire empathy, analysis, and effective communication.
Burke, J. (2013). The English teacher’s companion: A completely new guide to classroom, curriculum, and the profession (4th ed.). Heinemann.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high-quality units. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
National Education Association. (n.d.). Advancing racial and social justice in every school. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/social-justice
New York State United Teachers. (n.d.). Educator resources. https://www.nysut.org/resources