Category: Course Work

I plan on utilizing my ePortfolio as a resource to show evidence of my work. In the future, I plan on creating a tab to show off some of the dynamic learning that goes on in my classroom. In the more distant future I hope to also use this site when I am searching for a new position when I leave the classroom. I feel like this is a great tool for future schools to look at because it gives a great sense of who I am as an educator, and where I would like my career to grow. It hopefully will also show the different digital platforms that I excel at. As I look into how I can continue my learning, I plan on blogging more so I can openly share my reflections, of my day, lessons, year, etc. I also, plan on working with website templates and designs since that is one aspect of my ePortfolio that I still am not 100% satisfied with as the end of this course is approaching.

Growth Mindset

This is an area that I sometimes can struggle with. In the moment when  things are “tough” I do not initially believe that they will soon get better automatially, such as believing in the “power of yet.” When a little time has passed, I can reflect enough to believe that I will overcome something if I allot proper time to focus on it. For example, when I am stressed with deadlines, in the moment I am only stressed out. However, usually, after whatever hurdle or after the deadline has passed, I reflect to realize how much time I should have given myself to truly be  prepared and I work towards achieving it the next time.

In a professional setting, I am planning on sharing “the power of yet” with colleagues on my campus and hopefully lead by example with our students as well.

COVA Model

I feel that I try my best to integrate the COVA model in  my classroom daily. I however struggle when I am provided with the same opportunity. During my educational career, and even in my undergrad program, the courses were set up mostly as a check for compliance. I usually did well with this, because I knew exactly what was expected of me and how my rater wanted my work to be displayed. Now I know that I did not put my best work on display, because I was not working for me, I was working for whomever was rating me. As I move on in the Digital Learning program, I am working on being more comfortable in expressing myself in non-traditional way and through different platforms.

Learning Manifesto

Creating my Learning Manifesto was an interesting assignment for me. Currently in my district we have been striving to develop our why’s at the district, campus, committee, and personal levels. In addition to inculding this into the manifesto, I was given the chance to reflect on the current education system we have in the state of Texas, as well as the nation and thought of some ways that we can improve certain aspects of it.

 

 

Learning Philosophy

Hello, my name is Jillian Trimm. I am a fifth year educator in a Title I district in East Texas. I have taught third grade Math and Science for four years, and I taught first grade for one year. I love being able to teach Math and Science because it gives me the opportunity to incorporate STEM/ STEAM into my classroom model as well as challenges me to find new ways to incorporate technology. I wanted to become an educator because of the interactions I had with teachers when I was in school. I was often the shy and quiet student who made good grades, behaved well, and honestly seemed to disappear in the classroom. I remember a handful of teachers who actively tried to make me stand out and embrace their class. Now, I appreciate their effort and know that they were doing that for my own good. Their classes made me happy when I was in school and they often gave me choice and applauded effort and out of the box thinking.

In my classroom, I strive to see each child as an individual and help them embrace their own learning. I have embraced flexible and alternative seating in my room so that students can feel comfortable and have some choice in their day. Also, I try to assign projects that are flexible in ways to show what students know and I try my best to encourage risk taking. I want my students to be lifelong learners, so I try to make sure that what I’m teaching is engaging and meaningful to them.

See more about my Personal Learning Manifesto here.

 

Main Interest

Although I do wish to venture outside of the classroom as an instructional coach and eventually an administrator I do not feel that I am finished teaching yet. As previously mentioned I have taught the same subject areas in one upper elementary grade for a few years and wish to gain more experience before starting a new chapter in my journey. I wish to continue developing my digital learning skills by figuring out new ways to use them in the classroom as well as working to share my knowledge with others. Additionally, I would like to gain more experience in ELAR education in both upper and lower elementary grade levels. Currently, I have a passion for Math education, bringing back numeracy, fluency, and making it a priority in the lower grade levels of my district. Since I am a teacher in a tested grade level, often times we find testing more of a stress for us. This has made me discuss needs that our campus has with our instructional specialist as well as interventionist. We have noticed that in the lower grade levels they have not always had ample time to teach Math daily as in depth as it needs to be. I have enjoyed being able to help create a Guided Math framework, common assessments, and be a resources for other educators.

 

COVA and Growth Mindset

In a traditional classroom, students have very little say in their own learning; If more teachers adapted to accommodate thoughts such as COVA they could potentially see fewer behavioral problems, more authentic learning, and higher engagement in their classrooms. Also, allowing choice in the classroom does not have to be the choice in how something is completed, but rather the materials used; something so small can mean so much to students. During a mentor training I was a part of, the presenter showed an interview of our high school students and asked them how allowing choice, authentic learning experiences, and accountability impacted their learning. It was eye opening to see how the students at that age level appreciated being more in control of their learning.

One part of COVA that I already have taken back to my classroom is choice. I try my best to allow my students to choose how their work is completed and in what format. However, in regards to me using choice in my DLL program, I  have not yet experienced getting to use most of the COVA ideals in my courses so I am excited to have more options in my learning, and a little hesitant since I have not had this opportunity before. I believe that all of the COVA aspects are beneficial to me in this program as I can apply them in my classroom to better benefit my students, and potentially one day take this to my teachers to help their students. The only challenging aspect I see is that in my education I haven’t had as much of an opportunity experiencing COVA aspects and they will be a little foreign as I am used to essentially completing templates of work that is not as authentic.

“Students’ beliefs about intelligence have important consequences for how they experience school and how they respond to setbacks and adversity” (Mindset Scholars Network, 2015).

A growth mindset relates to the “power of yet” and builds the logic that any setback is temporary and can be overcome with time or with practice. It is important that adults within a school have a positive outlook on their students and classrooms, because their students will adopt that same mindset. Students need this positive thinking regarding their education so that they understand that they are smart, it might just take more practice for them to master something since everyone learns at their own pace and has their own learning styles.

Continue reading my Growth Mindset Plan here.

As I continue in the Digital Learning and Leading program I plan on integrating the COVA model more in my own classroom and embracing it as a student throughout the program. I have really enjoyed being encouraged to take risks and not being penalized if they did not go as planned. It has encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and try new digital platforms that I wish to keep exploring and eventually bring back into my classroom. I plan on embracing a growth mindset and instilling it my students as well as my fellow colleagues to help encourage them. Also, I want to encourage others to truly embrace this so that it can hopefully give them and their students more of a positive outlook on their education.

Links

Professional Learning Networks

Growth Mindset Plan

Personal Learning Manifesto

 

Social Media Connections

Twitter: @jillian_trimm

Instagram: @trimmsthirdgrade

Here’s a list of my top follows for Twitter and Instagram.

 

Contact

Email: jilliantrimm@gmail.com

 

Reading List

The Culture Code: The Secret of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

Kids Deserve It! Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Todd Nelsoney

The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator’s Creative Breakthrough by Wade and Hope King

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess

 

Resources

Mindset scholars network (2015). Growth mindset. Retrieved from      http://mindsetscholarsnetwork.org/learning-mindsets/growth-mindset/#