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Hi readers! If you are like me, then you know how important it is to connect with educators, administrators, colleagues, and peers using social media. I want to introduce you to Ariana Moschini, this week's feature preservice teacher! Read more to learn how she connects with professionals in the field to gain ideas, perspectives, and strategies to use in her classroom!
Hi teacher friends! A soon to be student teacher and undergrad student here, majoring in special education. If you’re anything like me, you’re an avid Pinterest user and have too many very specific boards with even more specific sections to count! Aside from using Pinterest for my personal life and interests like fashion, food, home decor, etc. I LOVE using Pinterest to find inspiration for all things education related. I’ve found Pinterest to be a great resource to use as an undergraduate student and future educator.
My college requires hundreds of field hours at different practicum sites, hours that I’ve doubled with getting an ESL endorsement. Being in so many different classrooms with different students who have a wide variety of needs from semester to semester can seem so overwhelming. But Pinterest has allowed me to find ideas and inspiration for lesson plans, behavioral strategies, education apps & technology, and more to implement into my own classroom.
This past semester I had the pleasure of Novice teaching (pre-student teaching) in a high school working with sophomores and juniors in a supplemental geometry class. Now math is not my subject at all, especially high school math for students just receiving that additional push to help them succeed in their core math class.
My cooperating teacher handed me the textbook and told me to plan as I’d like, try new things, and not be afraid to make mistakes.
This was the first time I was handed to reigns of a whole class - and to say I was terrified would be an understatement. Along with the textbook as my guide, Pinterest saved my life in incorporating engaging, modified and fun lessons for my students. By using Pinterest, I was able to find lesson plans, activities, and a breakdown of the material I would be teaching (which helped me be prepared to teach my students).
I’ve had my “For the Future Classroom” board for a while now (which is my main teacher Pinterest board) and that’s where I’ve compiled everything I’ve found regarding my life as a special educator.
On Pinterest, you can have a board and then create sections within that board, for example, my “For the Future Classroom” is my board and within that board, I have the sections of apps & tech, data & progress monitoring, behavioral/social, classroom decor, and core subjects, just to name a few!
My other boards include Independent work systems (used for one of my college courses) and a Student Teaching board that I’m currently using to prepare for student teaching next month! It’s truly a great source to find countless ideas, inspiration, and even other educators! One thing I love about Pinterest is that I can find “pins” that link to educators’ teacher's pay teacher’s pages, blogs, and more which helps grow our teacher community even closer!
No matter where you are in your journey as an educator, whether a long-term experienced teacher, admin, or future teacher and undergrad like me it’s not too late to start using Pinterest as one of your go-to resources!
My name is Ariana Moschini and I am a senior at Bradley University majoring in Special Education with an endorsement as English as a second language (ESL). I’ll begin student teaching in January in a 3rd and 4th grade instructional and cross-categorical room. I’m passionate about inclusivity, all things education related, and focusing on the ABLE, not the LABEL. Find Ariana on Insta and Pinterest!
Take it from Ariana, my friends it is never too early or too late to get connected. Pinterest is a great way to start adding to your teacher tool belt with strategies, ideas, and educational technology tools to use in your classroom.
Now what? Share below in the comments some of your favorite pinners, boards, or topics to follow on Pinterest? Add them to the comments below! Remember my friends, you have the EduMagic in you!