Gwendolyn Starnes

GCU: SED – 480NA

February 11, 2018

Jack Kahn

Professional Dispositions Assessment

Please indicate your level of agreement with each statement listed below using the
response scale of 1-5. Use this assessment to inform your Professional Dispositions
Statement.
1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Undecided 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly Agree
Professional Dispositions Criteria 1 2 3 4 5

I believe a teacher must use a variety of instructional

5
strategies to optimize student learning.
I understand that students learn in many different ways . 5

I demonstrate qualities of humor, empathy, and warmth. 5

I am a thoughtful and responsive listener. 5

I assume responsibility when working with others. 5

I believe that all students can learn. 5

I believe it is important to involve all students in

5
learning.

I believe the classroom environment a teacher creates

5
greatly affects students' learning and development.

I view teaching as an important profession. 5

I understand that teachers’ expectations affect student

5
learning.

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I view teaching as a collaborative effort among educators. 5

I understand that students have certain needs that must be

5
met before learning can take place.

I am sensitive to student differences. 5

I communicate caring, concern, and a willingness to

5
become involved with others.

I am punctual and reliable in my attendance. 5

I maintain a professional appearance. 5

I believe it is my job to create a learning environment

conducive to the development of students’ self- 5
confidence and competence.

I respect the cultures of all students and am sensitive to

5
cultural norms.

I honor my commitments. 5

I treat students with dignity and respect at all times. 5

I am willing to receive feedback and assessment of my

5
teaching.

I am patient when working with students. 5

I am open to adjusting and revising my plans to meet

5
student needs.

I communicate in ways that demonstrate respect for the

5
feelings, ideas, and contributions of others.

I believe it is important to learn about students and their

5
communities.

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 Self-Reflection Response to Professional Disposition Assessment

The role of teaching demands that the teacher to have a multitude of aptitudes. Some

abilities are learned, such as the material required to effectively teach the content, while others

come from the intuition of knowing appropriate and meaningful ways to interact with students

and colleagues. A professional disposition must always be consistent for teachers, as well as the

willingness to adapt and learn so that students will be able to absorb the content and move

forward to higher learning and adulthood while mirroring a positive role model.

When starting my studies with Grand Canyon University, there was much I knew that I

would need to learn, and throughout the program I have learned about helping exceptional

children, English language learners, childhood psychology, classroom management, and much

more. Personal, professional growth has also been an area of focus during my studies. Fairness,

respect for diversity, honesty, and compassion were areas that I always felt I was strong in. The

greatest area of growth for me were with professional conduct and high expectations, and when I

eventually began student teaching, I found I had additional strengths in reflection, curiosity,

advocacy, and dedication.

Growing in high expectations does not mean that I did not have high expectations for

students to begin with, but that I needed to learn how to better scaffold and recognize what

practices worked and what did not. Seeing how students struggled as both low and high parts of

the spectrum is helping me understand what best practices are needed to reach both levels of

students. For instance, when working on class work, I learned that high students finished work a

great deal faster than others and needed an extension. My mentor teacher helped me find an

extension for them by making them try to figure out how to make a perpendicular bisector with

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just a line and a compass. This kind of all brain work really challenged the students who were

quick to finish.

I grew with professional conduct by consciously bringing this concept to the front of my

mind while going to the classrooms. My main foci while being conscious of professionalism

was exhibiting initiative, demonstrating responsibility, and accountability. By being conscious

of this thought I exhibited the trait better and better until it became an unconscious process.

While student teaching I learned that there were other traits I exhibited fully, as well.

Throughout the education program with Grand Canyon University, I have visited many

classrooms to see how teachers perform for their students and exhibit professional dispositions

for learners. As I watched, I learned their styles and absorbed the characteristics that stood out

as the best processes to help their students. For example, I valued when I witnessed teachers not

answer student’s questions directly, but instead asked them another question to help them extend

their thoughts and make connections. As I began teaching and working with students, I began

noticing myself doing these actions because I wanted to see how far they could work to find

mental pathways.

While I am innately an introverted person, I found that making conversations with the

students came very easily and were so interesting. I have not yet had a situation where I have

had to help students make resolutions to their problems, but my experience as a parent will help

me work with students to meet this situation. Recently I witnessed a teacher expertly explain to

a large group of students who were not showing respect during a rally, the importance of why

what they were doing was wrong and how their actions affect their peers in lower grades. The

teachers of these students collaborated and decided to have the students in the higher grades sit

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with the lower grades to help be mentors of the students. I will continue to observe their

examples to bring my ability to a higher level of development.

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