Educational Autobiography |
Post-June Autobiography |
This assignment prompted the new fellows to write about five chapters of their educational history and helped me to understand how my own educational background might influence the way that I approach teaching. Turned in before our first week of the program in June of 2017, it was our first opportunity to introduce ourselves as learners to the faculty at our schools and at Penn.
Portrait of a LearnerOur first major assessment in our first year of the program was to write a portrait of a particular student at our school. I chose a student who I did not teach or coach, but who was recommended to me by other faculty members as someone with an interesting educational and personal story. I followed him around for two class days and interviewed him in an attempt to get a glimpse into who he was, both as a person and as a learner and how those two aspects were woven together in his story as a student. This assignment was eye-opening and engaging for me as a new teacher because I was able to meaningfully interact with one student who I did not teach in order to discover how students may learn and self-identify, as well as some of the challenges that come with being a student at an all-boys' school.
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After the June week in 2017, the Fellows were tasked with re-writing a chapter of their educational autobiography with a greater attention to the pedagogy and research we had learned, discussed, and engaged with during the week in Philadelphia. This assignment challenged us to think about our own educational background in the context of some of the most important educational and adolescent research, particularly with the research of Michael J. Nakkula and Eric Toshalis in their book Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators (2008).
The Gilman Cohort for 2018-2019. Courtesy of Gilman School and Jake Scott.
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