As teachers we often wear many hats; caregiver, supporter, leader, advocate. We have a plethora of responsibilities and take on many roles as educators of young children. But what is at the heart of this job? What is the overarching process that leads to quality teaching? Through the process of observing, questioning, researching, reflecting, and sharing through technology, I have learned that these are the key elements of a successful teaching practice. Teaching is an ongoing process with infinite opportunities for growth and learning.
The Cycle of Teaching
I believe the cycle of teaching includes observing, questioning, researching, reflecting, and sharing. I have had the opportunity to put these important processes to work through observing a preschool classroom and reflecting on my observations. Throughout the process I have learned a lot about the different parts of the cycle of teaching, and how they fit together.
In the beginning, observation was difficult because I was very active in my preschool classroom. In my first podcast: Exploratory Play in Preschool, I took time out of my day to observe children in the dramatic play area. I stood just outside of the center, observing the materials and watching children play. While this was useful for gaining a detailed observation, it took time out of my day that could have been spent interacting with children. As I got deeper into the process I was better able to make smaller observations while interacting in other activities. I have learned that observations do not need to be a scheduled period of time where you stop everything and passively watch. They can be small moments where you are still interacting with children, but perhaps write a quick note or keep a mental note to reflect upon more deeply later.
Questioning is one of the most important parts of the cycle of teaching. It is always important to ask questions to help improve teaching and learning. Establishing an environment where questions are welcome can also encourage children to ask questions as well. Throughout this process I have learned the value of asking many questions, and how to create good questions. At first I was asking “what is” questions about activities I was observing in the classroom. While a “what” question is certainly fine, I was looking to move deeper in my questioning. I was able to move to more deeper topics by asking the question: “do kids really need to play?” in my second podcast. As teachers we need to ask deep questions to move our practice forward and grow as educators.
What do the experts have to say? The next part of the cycle of teaching: research, is a key element to integrating classroom activities and techniques in an informed way. When I first started this cycle of teaching process, I was using research in a brief and disjointed way. I would cite an article or two briefly and move on. I have learned through this process that it is important to weave research throughout the process. It is easy to quickly quote an author and move on. But real growth comes when we take a closer look at the research and how it relates to our own observations and questions. In my fourth podcast: The Dramatic Play Experience, I was able to use research throughout my story. In this podcast I share the importance of dramatic play, and then how research shows the ways children use dramatic play to learn.
In my opinion, reflection is the most important part of the cycle of teaching. Reflection is what helps us constantly evolve and change to meet the needs of our students, because their needs will always be growing and changing. Throughout this process I have learned to broaden my reflection techniques and encourage others to reflect with me. In my first podcast I reflected only on my own experiences and observations, stating: “In my experience… I have always had the personal belief that it’s very important to allow children to come to their learning and their conclusions on their own.” While this statement does help me reflect on my personal philosophies of education, it does not help me move forward and reflect on how to use this knowledge in the classroom. I am now more able to create reflection questions and ideas that help me move forward in my thinking, and encourage others to reflect as well.
Putting it all Together
The cycle of teaching is a process that each teacher might go through on his or her own, but sharing discoveries and challenges from the cycle of teaching with other educators is important as well. Through this process I decided to share my experiences with the cycle of teaching through a podcast. I enjoy listening to podcasts and wanted to explore making one on my own. I have learned that whatever technology you choose to use, there are many ways to enhance the technology to make the experience more engaging for your reader or listener. In my first podcast I shared my observation, question, research, and reflection separately. By the fourth podcast I was able to weave all of the pieces together into an engaging story about the dramatic play experience.
Moving Forward
This experience of practicing and perfecting the many processes of the cycle of teaching has allowed me to grow as an educator and learn many kills that I can place in my teacher toolbox. If I were to experience this process again, I would try different kinds of technology to share my ideas. While creating a series of podcasts was a great experience, I would have learned more skills for a variety of mediums if I had explored different forms of technology.
There are many ways I can improve my practice as a teacher after this learning experience. I am going to take the processes of the cycle of teaching: observing, questioning, researching, reflecting, and sharing through technology with me into my future classroom. I look forward to using these skills to reflect on my practice and continue to grow and evolve with my students. I will also consider using a podcast as a way to communicate information to the families of my students. This could be an easy way for families to learn information about our classroom because podcasts can be listened to on-the-go. This is one way to try and fit into the busy schedules of families.
For students who will be engaging in the process of moving through the cycle of teaching; I would encourage open-mindedness and a trust in the process. While multiple observations including questioning, research, and reflection may seem daunting, it is a worthwhile experience. My ability to observe, question, research, reflect, and share has grown vastly during this process. If you are willing to be open-minded and trust that the cycle of teaching is an important process to learn, then there are a lot of strategies available to keep and be placed in the teacher toolbox for later use. Be willing to reflect on your own learning and grow as a future teacher.