4-1 Professional Learning and Ethical Practices

The candidate engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually
evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others
(learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the
needs of each learner.

Part of being a professional is growing and improving in your craft. One the ways to do this is
through self-evaluation. As a teacher you should be a model for your students when it comes to
learning. Through self-assessment and analytical reflection, one should be able to determine
areas to improve. Especially after teaching a lesson, a teacher should take time to reflect on how
the lesson went. What went well, what didn’t. What worked, what didn’t. Ultimately, how did
your actions effect your students. This simple observation can be done with any interaction
including families, other professionals, and the community. While all of this analysis is
important, what is even more important is the conclusion that is reached afterward. That is, now
that you have more experience and a greater understanding, how can you adapt your practice to
meet the needs of each learner. That being said, it is important to take time to reflect, but it is
equally important to take time to reevaluate and problem solve areas of difficulty.

During my time student teaching I was able to learn many things from my cooperating teacher
that went beyond the classroom. For instance, I would learn what to do and what not to do
through stories and random insight. I also had more structured learning about the profession. I
had the opportunity to sit in on a PLC meeting one evening with my elementary cooperating
teacher. I received wonderful resources and experienced what that was like to be a part of PLC. I
also learned what it was like to be a director who had students in the Elementary All-State Choir
at KMEA. Other professional learning experiences I have had can be seen in my artifacts.
Artifact one was an opportunity I had last summer to learn from and network with some big
names in music education such as Dr. Tim. Artifact two was one of many times it seems like
have been able to attend KMEA. With each consecutive year that I am further along in my
journey of becoming a music educator, I learn more and more as I become more mature and
experienced as a young educator. Finally, I got experience at my first professional development
days within a school district. During those days I got experience with the Leader in Me training
(7 Habits of Highly Effective People), as well as time spent focused on developing specifically
as a music educator. I was also able to attend a student teacher workshop through the Olathe
school district that covered many areas in the profession of teaching.