Dear LTM 611/612 Student,

Congratulations on beginning your education to become a teacher!

You have chosen such an amazing and rewarding profession. Alvernos
education program will provide you all the instruction and tools necessary to
becoming an effective teacher. I will never forget the feeling of
overwhelmed and nervousness that youre probably feeling right now. Im
here to tell you that its okay! You can do it! This journey will be
challenging, but your instructors, peers, and cooperating teachers will guide
and support you every step of the way. In your beginning courses, you will
become familiar with the five Alverno Advanced Education Abilities and the
ten Wisconsin Teaching Standards. These standards and abilities will be the
foundation in helping you become an effective teacher.
There is an increase in learners developmentally when they have a
sense of why they are learning, and that is why the faculty designed the
Alverno Advanced Education Abilities. These abilities serve as standards that
we must meet, and they allow us to see what we are learning. The five
abilities are, Conceptualization, Diagnosis, Coordination, Communication,
and Integrative Interaction. These abilities may seem intimidating and
difficult to integrate into the classroom at first, but after a while, it will
become a natural part of your teaching process. Now that I have finished all
of my courses, field work, and am preparing to student teach, I am able to
integrate all of these abilities without even thinking about it. For example, in

the classroom I am always diagnosing students abilities in order to

determine the needs of each student, and then planning instruction to meet
those specific needs. Also, I am constantly using multiple modes of
communication during my lessons in order to meet the needs of all
learners. These are just a few examples of how the Alverno Advanced
Education Abilities have become such a natural part of my teaching process.
You will also become familiar with the ten Wisconsin Teaching
Standards. These standards serve as a guideline to developing the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed as a future teacher. As you begin
to learn these standards, you will notice that the Alverno Advanced
Education Abilities and the Wisconsin Teaching Standards are very closely
related. For example, the ability of diagnosis is similar to Wisconsin Teaching
Standard #8: teachers know how to test for student progress. Both are
related to using a variety of informal and formal assessments in order to
determine where your students are at. Wisconsin Teaching Standard #6:
teachers communicate effectively, both verbal and nonverbal, in order to
support student learning, is also very closely related to the Alverno Ability of
communication. As you progress through the program, its important to
think of the standards and abilities as connected. Understanding the
standards and abilities, and integrating both of them into your lessons will
help you become a successful teacher.
Part of your growth to becoming an effective teacher will be the ability
to evaluate yourself, which demonstrates Wisconsin Teaching Standard #9.

At Alverno College, you will become very familiar with self-assessments.

When I first began at Alverno, I dreaded completing a self-assessment. Now
that I am preparing for student teaching, I look forward to reflecting back on
my teaching practices. I want to know what went well with a lesson, what
didnt, and things I would change if I taught that particular lesson again.
Becoming a reflective practitioner has taught me to always look for
opportunities to grow and to never stop learning.
Looking back on my two years at Alverno, there are a couple of things I
wish I would have known in the beginning. With that said, here are some
pieces of advice that I wish I would have known in the beginning: 1) Save all
of your work and take pictures of the work your students do in your lessons.
This will help you when it comes time to complete your portfolio. 2) Spend
as much time in your fields as possible. The more time you spend in the
classroom, the more you will grow as a future teacher. 3) Dont be afraid to
jump right in at your fields and start teaching. 4) Get to know your students
right away and build relationships with them. This will help you plan
appropriate lessons that will meet all of their needs. 5) Lastly, be open to all
feedback from your instructors and cooperating teachers. As I mentioned
earlier, part of your growth to becoming an effective teacher is being able to
evaluate yourself and look for those opportunities to grow.
I want to congratulate you again on taking these first steps towards
becoming a teacher! You have made a great decision in choosing Alvernos
education program. This will be a challenging journey, but know you will

have a tremendous amount of support along the way. Hang on tight and
enjoy the ride!
Good Luck!

Sincerely,
Karla Wolf