Self-Assessment and Reflection of Growth

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As a final assignment for my course, I was asked to create a self-assessment based on what I learned and how I did in the different components of the course. I decided to design my own personal survey with the help of surveymonkey.com. In my survey, I asked myself questions based on what I believe the big ideas are around the course. Then, I answered the questions based on the activities we did in class, the discussions we had, and the literature we read. Doing this, helped me to see the knowledge and skills I have learned throughout this course.

When assessing and determining how you have grown and changed as a result of new knowledge, I find it beneficial to compare where you started from to where you have ended up. On the first day of the course we were handed a syllabus that contained the KNOW, DO, and BE that we were to develop by the end of the course. Looking at it on day 1, I realized that lot of what was already on the list were things I already knew and did as a teacher. However, I still believe I have learnt a lot from this course and have witnessed a big change in response to each of the 3 categories. In order to assess my growth and development throughout the course, I will compare my KNOW, DO, and BE from the beginning of the course to the end.



By comparing how I have changed in each aspect of the course, I am able to see how I have grown and what new skills I have acquired. Below is my self made report card explaining how I have changed in each area and how I can continue to improve.

Allison's 21st Century Learner Report Card

One of the biggest ways in which I believe I have changed is that I now think everything we teach within the classroom needs to be based within the real world. No longer should we as teachers be forcing students to memorize knowledge that may have no application to them later on in life. We need to be teaching today’s students how the knowledge they are learning fits within their world and how they can apply it. I also see the value in global learning. Not only having students collaborate with others in their own classroom, but from around the world. In today’s world we are more connected than we have ever been before. That being said, we need to harness that connection and teach today’s young people how to use it to better tomorrow. By working together, we can develop innovative solutions for the betterment of our world.

Lastly, as I discuss in my report card, we must be open to taking risks and failing. For too long we have thought of failure as a "bad thing" as something we need to avoid at all costs. Why??? Think about every time you have failed in your life (I bet you can remember most). Now think about what you learned every time you failed, how you were able to move forward and how you grew because of it. I think failure is something that we should strive for, encourage from our students. With the endless possibilities that technology provides, there is no doubt that we will struggle, however there is also no doubt we will create many great and wonderful things. For another look at why failure is necessary for success watch this Nike commercial, one of my favourites of all time.

Next Steps 

Now that I am at the end of my M.Ed program, I feel as though I am in a place of wonder and new beginnings. This is a place that is terrifying and also exhilarating at the same time. As a brand new teacher stepping into the world, I feel as though I am seeing it much differently from the lenses I saw it as a student. As a student, I saw school as a very boring place that I could not wait to leave. As a teacher, I now see it as a place with endless possibilities that I cannot wait to go back to. As part of my self-assessment, I wanted to create something personal for myself that I can continually refer back to. I decided to make a Wordle as a reminder for myself of all the aspects of a 21st century learner. My plan is to hang this Wordle up in my classroom in a place where my students and I can view it everyday. This will serve as the learning goals for both myself and my students as we embark on the journey of learning in the 21st century.  

As a 21st century educator, I will make the commitment to embracing technology in my classroom. However, I will not be able to do this alone. I will rely on my students to help me through this transition. After all, they are the experts when it comes to interacting online. I will model for my students what it's like to take risks, be passionate about something, and how learning never stops. Yes I will make mistakes (probably a lot!), but I will keep going and learning. I will engage my students by bringing real-world problems and social justice issues into our classroom and encourage them to see how they contribute as a global citizen to our world. I will support my students as they try out different roles and different passions and encourage them to never give up on their dreams. As George Bernard Shaw says: 

This is what I believe the 21st century is all about. Creating and designing our own destiny through the digital world.