Content Knowledge:

Since I was a child, I've always been a voracious reader. This hobby has served me well in the ELA classroom, as I now possess a wealth of literary knowledge to pull from. Beyond just the books I've read, my undergraduate degree was a major in English, so I also have a nuanced understanding of various literary terms and devices, which again serves me well. Following graduation, I taught English as an additional language for 5 years, which gave me a better understanding of English grammar and its functions, my life experience has made me confident in my content knowledge, and I often remind myself that with ELA especially, it will be very easy for me to brush up on aspects I am less familiar with or to read or study what I plan to do with my class prior to teaching. For these reasons, I do not feel my content knowledge has increased greatly over the term, but only because I was confident with it to begin with.

 

Pedagogical Knowledge:
 As mentioned I had a base level of pedagogical knowledge at the outset of this course, but it has definitely increased throughout the term. Working with my CoP cohort was instrumental in this. My group members often had ways of approaching teaching I had not previously considered, or were able to direct me to various resources, scholars, or educational theorists who offered a wide variety of pedagogical knowledge that in turn increased my own understanding. The CoP assignments were beneficial in more ways than one and as I previously mentioned are representative of one of the most meaningful experiences I've had at the Mount. 

 

Technological Knowledge:

As I stated in my introduction, many people feel that technology integration in the ELA classroom is unnecessary. I too used to feel this way. As a millennial I have a base level of technological abilities. I can navigate the internet with ease, use various word processors, social media, and other basic computer-based things. I did not, however, have a wealth of education specific technology knowledge. This class has shown me that there are vast amounts of tech for use in the classroom, and integrating them into my class will be engaging and meaningful for my students.