"We believe that the novice teacher should be a reflective practitioner."
The "big ideas" Presented in this statement relate to how novice teachers should reflect on their practice. Basically, this characteristic expresses the urgent need for expert teachers to look inward at their own techniques and look for ways to improve their practice. If a novice teacher does this, then they can continue to hone their skills and become a more effective educator.
My artifact that currently embodies this character trait is my researcher notes and notebook. This document helps me keep track of things that go on in my PDS, as well as creates space for me to reflect on how I could improve. For instance, if I have a particular set of problems which arise in my teaching experience, I can make note of those problems. Then, through research or collaboration with other teachers, I can search for effective solutions to these problems.
This artifact relates to this characteristic because it, at its core, is literally the definition of reflection on one's practice. If used correctly, a researcher notebook can help educators think deeply about meaningful ways to improve their instructional methods.
"We believe that the novice teacher should have in-depth knowledge of content."
This is a rather straightforward characteristic, yet is among the most important. Clearly, knowing your content is paramount to being an effective educator. The better that you know your content, the better you can answer questions and illuminate important themes in your content. For instance, an in-depth knowledge of history goes miles towards creating interesting lessons and inspiring meaningful learning, as well as fosters comprehensive knowledge of key facts.
I would contend that my overall body of work (tests, essays, grades, etc) in core content classes lends credibility to my knowledge of content. For instance, I have papers where professors have lauded my research and analysis abilities.
This relates to the characteristic quite directly in that it literally deals with my content knowledge. I would not have such a good GPA or other high scores if my knowledge of content was weak.
