Donald Robinson II

Meeting the needs of every student can appear to be a challenge at first, but after looking at the onset, and further exploring ways to expand approaches to students' learning, it can be a fun and rewarding experience for teachers to provide alternative ways in reaching the students to meet, and in many cases exceed, their expectations in learning the material. 

Every student learns differently, and we incorporate different techniques in our classroom, because we have a few students with IEPs, and we do not discriminate because they are bright and talented students who will most likely pass their FAA… >>>

Planning a curriculum helps students in a great way, but also helps teachers greatly in being prepared and effective in both the classroom and for having the students retain and utilize the information of what they learned.  CTE is an excellent way for students to learn concepts for real-world application, yet fulfill academic requirements in an innovative approach that makes what they learn much more relevant.  I like the idea of having the curriculum plan and map become "working" models, ever adaptable and being updated rather than just a static document that could easily become outdated in the near future. … >>>

Student assessments are necessary to make sure students are maintaining progress in the respective programs they are in.  Assessments are basically "check-ins," to determine if students are understanding the material covered, as well as gaining the work experience involved with the respective discipline studied.  Along with that includes the effectiveness of how the technical experience helps the student relate to the academic material, so that the student will have a better understanding of the academic studies by way of the technical studies and experience.  Through our drone program, we help our students with studying the material necessary to know in… >>>

Understanding Instructional Alignment in CTE helps a CTE teacher realize the importance of how academics and technical education can align under CTE in a powerful way.  It helps the student be more proactive in their education path, and also leads to more participation and interest if that student knows the knowledge he/she receives will lead to a tangible result, such as a job opportunity, post-secondary education credits, experience that can be documented on a resumé, along with the knowledge received that lasts a lifetime

In teaching aviation, in particular drones, I always stress to the students about safety in flying, because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a major concern about safety in the airspace, airspace that's shared among airplanes, helicopters, jets, fighter planes, along with drones.  My teaching partner and I also have the students perform pre-flight and post-flight checks each time they use the drones, and we take very good care in supervising the students in-flight to ensure they are also using best practices while flying the drones.  Using encouragement and techniques to make the class a fun experience helps us to… >>>

Student engagement is the most important key in a teacher helping the student be successful in their academic studying.  Helping the student recognize their role in the process of their own learning is the main goal of an effective teacher.  The more engaged the student will be, the better chances of their academic success.

What I've learned is how to build strong networks and relationships for instruction and classroom support, from other teaching professionals with experience and knowledge in how to effectively run and manage a classroom.  Also, business partnerships are key in not just keeping up to date with trends in the workplace and training/education requirements, but also to help make the education relevant to the students through real world experience and work based learning.

Becoming a CTE teacher allows one to provide real world experience to students beyond the traditional academics that everyone experiences in their education paths.  What was once known as vocational education has become a more intricate pathway for students to be able to both pursue particular interests in a career, and be able to make the academic aspect relevant to that career...and the real world.  But the CTE teacher is the glue that makes it all come together.  It's very rewarding to be involved in helping students pursue successful careers.

I have learned what particular components make up the framework for CTE, and its effectiveness.  I also understand what the framework of an effective CTE program does for academic and technical learning for students, and how a well-balanced combination of this type of learning can give students a proficient advantage in education and work experience, in beginning their careers and pathways to a wealth of experience in their respective chosen fields.