Cody Meyers Professional Growth Reflection

Prior to enrolling in the Master of Education program at Saint Marys

University (SMU), I felt like I was an effective communicator, technologically adroit,

and well-versed in the science of learning. While I initially had some strong teaching

skills, the work I have completed as a Masters student has transformed me into an

even more effective educator. During the program, I have experienced tremendous

growth in a variety of areas including: technology usage, vocabulary instruction,

and making content accessible to diverse learners.

Regarding technology, there are three programs that I have learned to use to

improve student achievement. Through applications like Quizizz and Quizlet, I have

been able to increase collaborative learning experiences in a high energy and

engaging environment. Additionally, I use these programs to monitor and analyze

student learning trends, which has helped me identify needs to consider when

planning for future instruction. Finally, Padlet is another application I use to promote

student collaboration, which produces an environment of cooperative learning.

These applications are discussed in greater detail on my EDUW-694 web page. As a

result of this Masters program, I have grown in the way I use technology to teach,

provide practice opportunities and to inform future lesson planning.

As a teacher of English Language Learners (ELLs), I have also grown in

helping students to better acquire new vocabulary. Over the past year, I have

frequently referred to Marzanos six-step process for vocabulary instruction. Rather

than simply teaching an isolated term and providing practice worksheets, Marzanos

ideas have helped me expand on my teaching abilities. Beyond teaching isolated

terms, students in my classes now see and use key terms in a variety of ways

including: partner dialogue, reading selections, interactive journals, and games.

Additionally, I have begun to infuse Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles
Cody Meyers Professional Growth Reflection

into my instruction to provide multiple paths for learners to achieve vocabulary

acquisition. Guided by Marzanos findings, I have continued to diversify the

activities used to teach and practice new vocabulary, which has maintained student

interest and improved overall comprehension.

Finally, an area of enormous professional growth deals with my ability to

support students from diverse backgrounds. Having ample experience working with

the Latino culture, I have had to step up my game as an educator to meet the needs

of my primarily Hmong ELL students. While I struggled initially, my interest in

culturally-responsive teaching and learning strategies has developed my ability to

reach diverse students. By learning to identify cultural behaviors and patterns, I

have developed a more open-minded understanding about why my students might

be speaking or acting in a way that seems non-traditional or off-task. I have also

been able to design activities that align with students cultural interests, thus

creating a more authentic and meaningful learning experience. Ultimately, taking

culture into consideration has fostered a safe learning environment where students

are engaged and excel in culturally-relevant learning activities.

While the SMU program has allowed me to expand my professional abilities in

these specific components, I still have a long journey ahead as an educator. There is

no particular area in which I felt I did poorly. However, there are professional skills in

which I still have an opportunity to grow. For example, I would like to dig further into

strategies to help students take greater ownership over their own learning. The

following are abilities that I need to work on teaching to students: goal setting, self-

monitoring for progress, identifying and developing personal study strategies,

employing growth mindset principles, and learning how to reflect on learning

experiences. My next steps would be to research and implement these strategies

Cody Meyers Professional Growth Reflection

and ascertain their effectiveness on student achievement. After identifying the most

useful strategies, I will develop better ways to introduce and support their usage in

my classes. While I have improved in specific areas or need to continue working in

others, the SMU Master of Education program has ultimately taught me to keep

exploring and testing out new strategies to increase student achievement. While

challenging, the continuous process of researching and implementing new

strategies has molded me into a more effective educator.