Teacher Change and development via research

After reading Robinson's article one of the ideas that struck me was videotaping yourself teaching as a means of self analysis.  Your perception of the teacher you want to be versus the teacher who you are is something that a video can display.  It is important to receive feedback from external sources, but it is equally, if not more important to receive feedback internally.  I also enjoyed the section on incorporating group activities into mathematics lessons as it seems to be a common emphasis throughout all of our education courses.  It is good to see some first hand experience and verification of this being extremely beneficial.

There are obvious problems that come with group work such as certain students contributing to much or to little, not being respective of other students opinions, of conversation begins to go off topic.  Robinson seems to tackle a lot of these problems by designating each student a responsibility within a group and getting students to complete a synthesis evaluation.  One question I would ask Robinson would be, are there other major problems you experience by incorporating group activities?  If so, how do you manage them?

How will I continue to develop as a teacher after the education program?  

One way I will continue to develop is by having an online presence.  I think the internet, social media, and technology are all great tools and resources for students and teachers.  It's a great way to bounce ideas off other teachers, find, use and tweak creative lesson plans, as well as it allows for an easier learning experience as you don't have to go through all the same hardships that other teachers already went through.  I have yet to attend any major conferences but I think going to these events, not only just the math specific conferences but other disciplines as well will be informative and help me keep up with the current pedagogical trends.

Also, I will try and get feedback from my students on a consistent basis.  Students are the reason why we teach so their input is the most important.  Being willing to change and manipulate lessons based on who I am teaching is something I will always try to do.