Gabriel Metzger's Portfolio
My Goals in Learning Essay
What Were My Educational Goals and Did They Change Over Time?
My Initial Educational Goals
I wanted to learn as much as I could about leadership and the field of Education. This is why I chose the MAED program (Masters in Educational Leadership.) I want to know how educational leaders thought or acted. I wondered about what knowledge was out there, in the field of education. My other goal was to find interesting subjects and not be too bored. I wanted to learn and succeed in my courses so I could graduate. The focus of the program was broad but I was peeking at courses in technology and because of my love for computers and learning and the tools computers provide for teachers, and so I went and applied for the program. I had used YouTube quite a great detail to get conversations started in courses and to get students focused for science topics especially, and also maths, and even phonics. I have taught English as a Second Language but have taught pretty much all subjects, such as: art, history; religion, math; science, English, etc. I have taught about every subject here in Thailand.
Did My Goals Change?
My goals haven’t changed but are “stacking up.” By this this, I mean that I knew what I wanted to achieve educationally but I found out why I love teaching in the first place. I like to teach and help others but educationally I didn’t know the Social Justice Theory would be such an important subject and how it affected all my classes and myself. That course in Multicultural Education and Strategies was a surprise because I enjoyed it so much and that the subject matter was so important and I have always been a ‘fighter’ for equality and equal access in education. I have had many friends with learning disabilities and my own son with autism and my experience with working earlier with an autistic teenager. And I had the goal of learning about technology and learning but teaching became a welcome surprise.
My courses in Teaching with Technology and Creativity in Teaching were a bonus of the program. My life long learning beyond getting my degree only changed to intrinsic learning for Technology in teaching, creativity in teaching, and working towards and focusing on teaching for all and thinking critically about how I choose my methods of teaching and what I teach.
My Educational Goals Now
I’m grateful that I picked up intrinsic goals so I can continue with lifelong learning because I want to be better at teaching and using technology in the future. I teach about intrinsic motivation for my learners but did not think it would affect my teaching and lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is an educational term about learning forever over your lifetime. I know that students learning in the language of English needs to find their own intrinsic motivation for learning. It has to happen or no learning occurs. Well, some may occur as being a participant in my classes but the deeper the intrinsic motivation, the better learning and the longer and deeper learning can occur in the brain.
My goals are to keep my lifelong learning going and to study technology for teaching better in the classrom. I also want to explore student motivation and come up with lessons that can be interesting to students and make it almost impossible not to stay involved in the lesson. I teach primary grades and this can be very challenging because young students now love stimuli that is visual or exciting through computer software tools. I also want to teach for a school that demands a lot from their students in terms Iof academic and social goals. I want to teach a drama course and eithor or creative writing course that is partly done online.
Closing
I know that my goals now and in the years to come may change due to the fact I want to teach in Vietnam or in Spain. I also try and learn the first language of the country where I live. Linguistics is a passion of mine for many years and the goals I mentioned above will remain the same.
My goals in pdf format.
This is what I found on the Internet to help with my educational goals. I did an exhaustive look and actually tried for another program at Oregon State but they weren't friendly and in the end the program was not as interesting.
Gabriel Metzger's Portfolio
I want to work at an excellent school that strives for excellence in academics as well as social activities at school that can help students learn about the arts and change socially in the best ways. Some students get a bit introverted and need outlets to express themselves s and this could include a drama class like the one in the picture below.
Text Found in 'Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education by Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo.
These students that I teach may be "well off" but students wear uniforms here so students can't be judged on the outside only. As a student of Social Justice Theory and practice in schools I endorse the ideas in one of my favorite texts that I learned from in this program about Social Justice Theory and practice. Before judging someone think about these ideas. I will quote from 'Is Everyone Really Equal?' p.380-381
(1): "All people are individuals, but they are also members of social groups."
2. "These social groups are valued unequally in society."
3. "Social Groups that are valued more highly have greater access to the resources of a society"
4. "Social injustice is real, exists today, and results in unequal access to resources between groups of people."
This a type of a school here in Asia and around the world where I could teach and making a better wage and savie for retirement. International school are the way to explore teaching and trying to earn a better living and even in Europe.
