Vision Statement

School visions have several components, including the following:

• A vision features a compelling picture or image of what the school can become in the future.
• A vision is feasible and attainable.
• A vision is connected to and articulates deeper values and hopes for the future.
• A vision needs to be translated into actions and plans that can be and are implemented.
• A vision will die if it is not regularly communicated. Putting a mission statement into a drawer will achieve nothing and might be counterproductive.

www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/vision.htm

www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/howwill.htm

Where Do You Want To Go?

In this module you have spent some time focusing on the importance of articulating your educational vision. For this journal entry use the Web site we visited from NCRTEC at www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/vision.htm to more fully develop your vision for your professional practice. Please use the two major bullet points along with the subpoints as a guide.

A word of caution: this is harder to do than you might initially think when asked to write in a concise manner. We can talk fairly easily about what we want to do in our professional work, but it is much more difficult when putting it in writing. Take your time - and revisit it over several days before submitting the final version.

Here are some guiding questions about your practice that can help frame your Educational Vision statement and defining your goals and values for your students as well as yourself. We discussed these in our face-to-face meeting.

1. What is my professional practice?

My professional practice focuses on student comprehension. Based on the research in multiple intelligences and direct instruction I will aim to aide students in personal comprehension of the curricular content presented in my class. I will implement accurate and meaningful assessment that will help in determining the effective use of my teaching practices.

2. What are the values that are important to me as an educator?

The values I believe are important as an educator are effective and meaningful instruction followed by intense practice by the student and accurate assessment.

3. How do I want to improve my professional practice?

I wish to effectively implement my skills with technology and visual communication.

4. What are some possible research questions I can ask about my practice?

I would like to know how effective my practices are and how to make them more meaningful and effective. I want to find out how to implement effective comprehension and understanding aides to make my classroom a more productive environment for students.

Email your completed Vision Statement in a word document to me by Tuesday, October 2. Please focus your statement on YOU, not your whole school, and try to be succinct. Think about your vision for you as a teacher personally, think about your vision for your students, and think about your vision for your parents. Your statement should be no more than three paragraphs total.

Once your paper has been approved, convert the document into a PDF and post it to the doc sharing area here in our virtual classroom. (Make sure you share your document with the entire class.) This will provide the opportunity for us to share with each other what we deem important to us in our professional work.