1. Teachers make reasoned decisions about teaching and learning based on their ongoing analysis of contextual variables.

3. Teachers use the programs of study to inform and direct planning instruction and assessment.

6. Teachers plan for instruction, translating curriculum and outcomes into meaningful activities.

9. Teachers use a broad range of instructional strategies.

13. Teachers identify and use relevant learning resources.

 

Planning and preparation would have to be one of strengths that I offer both as a professional and an individual. I believe that all classes need to be properly prepared for to ensure the most meaningful and effective learning will occur. Flying by the seat of your pants may be an interesting, fun, and eventful technique but students will see right through you as a teacher – planning an preparation when done in moderation is the key for your respectability as a professional.

 

This being said, I do not believe that planning and preparation are the answer for everything in the classroom. It is a classroom and it is full of children who might oppose every wonderful activity that you have planned out for them; however, having a plan to go in with gives you a launching point from which you can move in the direction that needs to be followed. Sometimes in a classroom full of diverse students you will see an invaluable learning opportunity arise that cannot be ignored for any amount of lesson planning, preparation, and timing that you have done prior to the class.

 

It’s kind of like going into battle – you need a plan or you are basically committing suicide. You need to know if you go on the offensive, be on the defensive, and have a retreat in mind but you never know 100% what you are getting yourself into. A weird analogy, but fitting in my opinion after seeing all division levels in action in my practicum and classroom experiences – sometimes the class is like a battlefield, or maybe an environment of guerrilla war depending on the day. You have to try your best to be readt, but be prepared to make concessions and know when to back down.