Conceptual Framework of Education and its Importance

Conceptual Framework in Education and it's Importance

Introduction to the Conceptual Framework:

Conceptual framework defines the qualities the school wishes to instill in their students as they progress through their program. It also defines the progress through the program, what they will experience and allows them to be viewed as more professional. I think that it is important because it outlines the goals of the program and allows for students to see how they grow and learn throughout that program. SUNY Cortland developed a conceptual framework in order to lay out the necessary goals in order to qualify to become a NCATE accredited school. The conceptual framework prepares me as an early childhood teacher at SUNY Cortland to be able to teach diversely in any classroom and to be a well rounded teacher whom graduated at one of the top teaching schools in New York. This will give me more support for situations that are less structured and step up to be a leader and help create some structure. It will also be beneficial to me as it aims to get us out in the community and become positive and active role models in our communities. My intention in writing this essay is to gain a better understanding of the conceptual framework of my school and to apply it when I learn to the best of my abilities to become the best teacher and person I can be.

Summary and reflection on Knowledge Base and learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5:

The area and expected learning outcomes emphasize a good, solid base structure of liberal arts education. It is important for a student who intends to become a teacher to have a strong and broad base of knowledge to take with them into the classroom. Every education student should be required to study many courses, U.S. and world history, English composition, a foreign language, and literature. Furthermore, studying a broad range of topics—liberal arts—the student will begin to view the world and peoples’ actions differently. It should allow them to think more expansively thereby allowing them to respond to people and situations more sensitively; often they will consider problems from many different aspects. A teacher who is well rounded in his or her education will have more to offer students, and will find more opportunities available.

Prior to beginning my academic experience at the college level, I felt that learning a second language, math, and science were a waste of time. I did not see a use for a second language at all, and felt that a minimum of math and science was all that I or anyone else really needed; unless of course, they were planning to become engineers or physicians for example. However, I have changed my view on this completely due to what I have learned in some of my classes and during my time working in the day care field and as an L.P.N. The need for students to learn a second language is more important than just knowing Spanish in an ever-increasing population of Mexican immigrants. Learning a second language allows one to open doors for those who are limited in English or who are deaf and would use sign language to communicate. Many people have pointed out over the last few years that knowing a second language would make me more employable, but I feel that it would do more for the children I hope to teach than for me. Many schools try to mainstream students as much as possible and having an understanding of Spanish and a comfortable use of the language would be beneficial for those students whose primary language is not English. In addition, the more one learns about math and science, the more they are able to learn and thereby teach comfortably. Children easily notice an adult’s nervousness or discomfort and may lose respect for a teacher who is uncomfortable with those subjects. Studies in sociology are also very important, as the student learns about society and unique customs based on religion, geographical regions, and race. These are essential bits of knowledge when working with a diverse student body.

Summary and reflection on Professional Commitments 6, 7:

This area emphasizes the importance of commitments from both the teacher to the student, parents, and community as well as the commitment received back. It emphasizes the importance family plays in the child’s education and the benefits of being active in the community. This is important to emphasis due to the lack of commitment today. With an increase in commitments to the family, students, and community there will be an increase in the teacher’s moral and the student’s (or other party’s) as well. I did not know the importance family played in the child’s life when it pertained to education. I used to believe that it did not make a difference if the parents partook in the child’s education that they would learn what they were going to learn regardless if the parents were active in their school life. Upon starting this program I learned that the parent’s role in education were some of the most influential. I work at a day care in the school age room and I have seen students that went from not caring about a subject at hand because their parents had little to no interest in such to really getting into it all because their mother or father or some other family member suddenly took some interest in their work. When it came down to a planning a family tea at the end summer to show off the work we had completed I had several students ask me if they could make up projected that they had missed so that they could display them for their parent’s to see. Agreeing, I took the time to help them make up projects and when the family tea came I was not disappointed. I was very pleased to see the students telling their parents information about the volcanoes we had recently discussed and made models of and teaching their parents about the colored salt we made with just salt and sidewalk chalk. I think the most popular topic were the glow in the dark water beads we made with the innards of a highlighter, water, and water beads. It was very rewarding to me to see the interactions between the students and their families. The fact that the parents take time to come to their children’s classrooms and show interest in their work makes the children feel important and reinforced what we had learned and what it all meant. If I had not committed myself to the education of my students and told the students who missed the work that they should have been in class, they would have missed out on the enrichment they were able to enjoy during the family time.

Summary and reflection on Standards 8, 9:

The area and expected learning outcomes emphasize the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to learning and instructing. The student is expected to learn how to incorporate a variety of approaches to instruction, relying on information learned and evaluated by past educators. In addition, the student will need to learn to evaluate that information and be able to blend historical research and theory with the current information and analysis he or she will be presented with.

I knew of the multiple intelligences that Howard Gardner introduced but until recently I did not know them in depth. I thought that there were just 4 intelligences not 8. Now that I know more about them I intend to use them in the classroom in the future to help reach all of my students and not just some of them. By understanding Gardner’s intelligences I can offer a more diverse curriculum in my classroom.

A second, but no less important expected outcome of this area is the expectation that students will demonstrate good moral character. Ethics are a very important part of the foundation of a person’s character as they give one a way to understand the concept of right and wrong; and a way to show others by example what to do or not do. Additionally, ethics help us to prepare ourselves to react to a situation long before it happens and to correct mistakes made.

Coming into this my view on importance of good moral character was that it was important to be the person you want people to see you as. The way you are viewed in the community can benefit or hinder you goals and plans. Not only can it have an effect on your life it can also have an effect on other’s lives and the community as well. After reading this I think that good moral character is ever so important. Your moral character can make or break your career. As an L.P.N I have seen nurses lose their license to practice nursing for driving while intoxicated, taking drugs that were not prescribed to them among other things. It is imperative that while out in the community you keep in mind the image you are portraying, no one wants their child being taught by someone with poor moral character, they want someone whom is a good role model for their child and will set good examples for them as they continue to grow and develop their moral character.

Summary and reflection on Diversity 10, 11:

The area and expected learning outcomes emphasize the importance and the need for an education student to learn, understand, and work with a diverse student body. The educator must be able to see the learning differences based on race, socio-economic class, gender, and religion and incorporate those differences in a positive manner when instructing. The educator must learn to go beyond standard teaching practices and integrate methods that will reach all students without singling out one or more students as this could lead to other problems and hindrances in the learning environment.

I have found through my own experiences in the classroom, at the day care center, and through my mother’s internship at her local elementary school, that beyond the differences and needs discussed in this article, the educator must also be aware of the students’ home life and family needs as this often has a direct impact on learning and socializing. Without violating confidentiality, we were able to discuss some of these same issues as they related to the students’ abilities and willingness to learn and how important a strong support system at home was to the student. This means that the education student must be open minded and have the ability to see the whole student, not just a disability or ability. In my classroom in the future I will try and tailor my teachings to the students needs, I will develop that parent-teacher relationship that is so vital to the benefit of the student. If I develop that trust with the parent I may learn why a student is struggling to sit still or complaining they are hungry all the time and so one. People are so quick to judge and don’t look at reasoning’s behind the image they see. As a teacher I am going to be someone who is open minded and I will keep in mind that there is a reason for everything. Here having good community relationships may benefit me as well if a student is constantly wearing the same cloths or the mother does not supply a snack for her day I can look to my community partners and ask for help if I have good relations with them.

Summary and reflection on Assessment 12:

Assessing the situation and child in your classroom is very important. You need to be able to observe a child and manipulate your lesson plan to accommodate for that child’s needs. If you see they are struggling with a certain subject by observing their work then perhaps this student needs a different view on the subject. Being able to assess this and knowing your students can help you make manipulations in your lesson to reach more students. By being able to assess students properly with the right assessment I can adapt my teachings to be more sensitive to a culture or ethnicity or (dis)abilty.

I currently agree with the fact that having assessment tools is a benefit to both the students and the teachers. In addition it’s a benefit to the parents too if there is something that needs to be addressed. Prior to learning about assessment tools I had to idea that teachers even used them. I thought it was all specially trained people who used them. I can see befits to being able to use the assessment tools in the classroom as you would not be able to make the proper assessment and adjustments for your students. As a teacher it is my job to offer the best education possible to the students and these tools will help me do this.

Summary and reflection on Technology 13:

The area and expected learning outcomes emphasize the importance and necessity of a good general knowledge and skill in technology in the classroom. Because of the wide availability of personal computers, video games, smart phones, and other recent technological advances, the instructor must have a broad knowledge of these forms, and the willingness to use these in the classroom. However, just as important as the proficiency of using these is the judgment of knowing how and when to use them as teaching tools. SUNY Cortland has reinforced the belief in the necessity and effectiveness of technology as learning tools with a large number of classrooms dedicated to that subject.

I was and still am split on the use of technology in the classroom. I know as a teacher I can do simple math in my head but the generation I have the privileged to help at the day care this summer could not do math without a calculator. I like the idea and see the benefit of putting it to use in the classrooms but I don’t like the idea that people have become dependent on technology to get through life. Teaching the students how to use technology to help them can be beneficial to them as they grow because we do as a whole become more dependent on it to get things done. I know my company I work for doing flu clinics has now become paper free and does all the registrations on the computer. Sadly this has placed some of the older nurses out of the loop. Some of them have taken classes in order to learn to manipulate a computer but others have not returned to work. This is a classic example of technology advancing and leaving behind the generation that did not get the education necessary for its use. By offering the newest technology in the classrooms and being well trained to use it I can offer more to my students.

Conclusion:

The conceptual frameworks are the ‘four walls’ to which students are constructed and shaped to be the best teachers possible. Understanding what SUNY Cortland and its’ factuality expects of me gives me goals to aim for and a new appreciation towards the strict curriculum. This had helped me to shape my view on offering an open classroom open to all diverse populations. I also have learned a lot about the importance of using the assessment tools through self exploration after reading the section and plan to use them in my future classrooms. This school as helped to shape my views on teacher-parent relationships and their importance. It has also taught me that incorporating parents in a child’s education is important and has a significant impact on them. As a future educator I plan to use this knowledge to the best of my abilities to offer the best environment possible for my students and families. Pertaining to the conceptual framework, I think it’s very important for me, as a student of education, to know what is expected and to understand where and why the conceptual frame work was written. The back ground information of Cortland and how the school started was very interesting to me, the fact that you include it in the framework shows the reader that you value your history and think that it’s important for the students to understand the school’s roots.

References

State University of New York College at Cortland. (2010). Conceptual framework

for the teacher education program. Retrieved from

http://oira.Cortland.edu/ncatedocs/conceptual-framework/CF EXP

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