Practicum Plan

At the beginning of the semester when we were assigned the practicum plan, I admit that I felt a little overwhelmed. The four sheets of paper that showed the outline of the practicum plan were slightly confusing because of all the different columns and also because some of the columns had the same title. After meeting with our small group facilitator, I was able to understand what was expected of us and the practicum plan seemed like a great planning tool. Working on the practicum plan forced me to look at some of my strengths and weaknesses as an educator and to determine what I need to do to improve as a teacher. I love the practicum plan because of this. I was able to make learning goals for myself that were always in the back of my mind. A few times throughout the semester I did view my learning goals to make sure I was on track. I am very glad I had the practicum plan for this reason. The practicum plan also allowed us to identify and organize all assignments that were due for all of our courses this semester. I do think it is a must for students to view their syllabi and to make notes on when assignments are due. For the type of person I am, I would rather make notes in my planner as opposed to having assignments in chart form, but I can see how this is beneficial for some. In fact, I did write when assignments were due in my planner and don't believe I viewed the practicum plan assignment sheet once. Also, completing this assignment during the first few weeks of classes is stressful because some teachers haven't gone into discussion about the assignments yet. I think it might be a good idea to wait until we have had time to work with our professors.