Melissa Farias

Map

Personal Reflection of Standards Concept

Reflection
After going through the process of connecting standards individually, discussing them in
my group, and creating a mapping with my group, I have deepened my understanding of what
the standards really are and how they relate to one another. I noticed one common theme, across
all standards, which was commitment to student learning. Unsurprisingly, every CCTC CSTP
had connections to Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to students and their learning, and
Standard I (NBPT): Commitment to Mathematics Learning of All Students. This is quite
interesting as it brings me back to my ideas about expert practice from Module 1. An expert
teacher not only knows their content, but knows their students and supports their students. There
is no bias involved, as all students have a right to an education that fits their needs. Thus, as
educators we have to analyze every lesson we give and make changes so that all students are
reached. This is a difficult concept, but an important one.
Some standards on the map differed in that some were directed more toward developing
as a teacher, while others were directed more toward understanding how to manage students and
create safe learning environments. Several of our standards were mapped to Proposition 5:
Teachers are members of learning communities, because without learning communities, we
cannot grow as educators and give our students what they need and deserve. The other standard,
related to learning environments, was Standard V (NBPT): Learning Environment, which very
directly connected to Standard 2 (CCTC): Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for
Students Learning, but did not directly connect to the other CCTC Standards; however, this is
important in all aspects of teaching and the standards because without an effective environment
for ALL students, students will not feel safe and will not learn the content or be engaged.

Melissa Farias
Map

Personal Reflection of Standards Concept

Our last task was to connect the 8 Mathematical Practices, which was a much more
difficult task, as they are geared more toward what students should be doing, rather than what
teachers should be doing. In reality, when it came down to it, we could connect many of the
Mathematical Practices, because while we are planning we must have these practices in mind.
Will our tasks allow students to utilize the 8 practices? We must engage and support students,
create effective environments, create lessons that support student learning, know how to assess
students, and develop as educators. To do this, we have to take into account the practices, and
make sure that we are giving students opportunities to use the 8 practices.
After doing this assignment, I realize my ideas are very closely connected to the
standards. Everything that was read and connected makes sense to me and is important to me;
thus, reading the standards does not necessarily change my ideas about teaching and learning. It
seemed like common sense to me, though I probably do not think about the standards often
enough. So, doing this has only made me realize the importance of practicing everything I have
learned and everything I value. For instance, I do feel that all lessons should reach every student,
but I do not always take the time to make this possible. Thus, doing this mapping reinforced this
idea and has made me question my teaching strategies. It has made me realize that I need to be
more considerate and take the time to use strategies and methods that reach different types of
learners. This is not something to take lightly or ignore.
It is quite funny how when this assignment was initially assigned, I thought it was a
simple mapping that had no real meaning to my teaching practices; however, after completing
each step and now going back to reflect on it, I see its importance and am very challenged by it.
I feel it has helped me realize my flaws, given me things to work on, and changed my outlook on
teaching.