- Content Knowledge
- Human Development and Learning
- Diversity
- Planning for Instruction
- Learning Environment
- Instructional Delivery
- Communication
- Assessment
- Collaborative Relationships
- Reflection and Professional Growth
- Professional Conduct
The teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to the students.
Throughout my student teaching experience, I have incorporated several hands-on activities within my lessons. I believe that it is important to include hands-on because it makes the concepts that the students are learning more concrete. The students will be able to see the concept and manipulate it in order to understand it better. To make the concepts meaningful, I used stations for math concepts, as well as incorporating technology to help the students understand even further. With the math stations work, the students were able to see a certain skill in multiple ways. I introduced time as a station. Some students played time bingo, played a matching game, played with a virtual clock, and used step boards. The students really enjoyed moving around the room to engage in a new skill.
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Human Development and Learning
The teacher understands how individuals grow, develop, and learn and provides learning opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.
I believe that over the course of the semester, I have learned so much about planning and preparation for the students. I realize the importance of considering each student and creating lessons that will help the students to not only understand the second grade material, but also to grow as an individual and strengthen social skills. Many of the hands-on activities that I planned for the students include partner and group work. I collaborated with the other second grade class and developed a station rotation when we made globes. They enjoyed the different stations to prepare for making their globes. The stations were paper mache globes, coloring the continents, geography bingo, and computer work. They enjoyed activities that didn’t include the direct instruction.
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Diversity
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
As a teacher, it is important to realize that not all students think in the exact same way. We need to consider all teaching strategies and what approach works best for each individual student. During my student teaching experience, I have continuously thought of each of my students and made modifications to adapt to their needs. I have one particular student with an IEP and I consider what he needs from each lesson. Students may need one-on-one interaction in order to understand the materials better and I have tried to provide this. For the diverse learner, I have also made lessons that include auditory, visual, and tactile approaches to reach all students. It is important to consider each student when planning lessons.
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Planning for Instruction
The teacher understands instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
For the past 4 months, I have been fully incorporated into a second grade classroom. I began with simply planning one subject a week until I had taken over ever subject and was planning full days. With each lesson plan that I have created, I have always considered the Pekin district 108 "I Can Do It" standards. These standards align with the Illinois State Learning Standard. It is important to make the students aware of the goals that they will meet during the year. The students are basically graded from the "I Can Do It" standards by either receiving a plus mark if they have met the standards or a check mark if they are still working. I realize now how important it is to understand the learning standards and incorporate them into each lesson in order to have the students learning all of the appropriate material.
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Learning Environment
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
I have learned throughout my student teaching that one of the most important aspects is to create a learning environment that is warm and welcoming. Students need to feel comfortable and safe in order to succeed in school. It is also important that the students know that school can be fun it is also a place where rules exist and consequences are met if the rules are not followed. In my classroom, the I-Care Rules are posted as well as my classroom management plan. The students know exactly what is expected of them because they can visually see it and I am consistent with discipline. My management play consists of a piggy bank with a dollar a day. Students can loose a quarter for speaking out, turning around, and not following directions. After a few weeks the students are able to “purchase” an item by using the money they have earned.
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Instructional Delivery
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
I feel that one of the best ways to teach students is through the use of hands-on activities. During my student teaching experience, I have used several hands-on activities during lessons. I feel that it makes the material real for the students. Even though many students learn hands on, not all students learn in the same way. There are several different teaching methods that can be used in order to reach all of the students. I started my plant unit with a KWL chart and planted seeds. The students review the chart and look at their plants daily. We have done experiments as well as the direct instruction on plant parts and their function.
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Communication
The teacher uses knowledge of effective written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Communication is a key element as an elementary school teacher. It is important to have clear communication with students as well as parents. Students need to know that you are the teacher, and they must follow the rules, but also that you are there for them to talk to. Students need to feel safe and warm. It is also important to have good communication with the parents of the students, in good times and in bad. This semester, I have kept the parents involved with letters that I have sent home. I sent home a welcome back letter that re-introduced me and what was going to be changing throughout the semester. I also sent home letters attached to homework. These letters informed parents what was needed and how they could help their student with a skill. I have also worked with my mentor and contacted parents to help during class projects. I had a few parents help with a social studies globe station well as with our holiday parties. Parents are a key element in the students' education and I they need to be informed of their students learning experience.
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Assessment
The teacher understands various formal and informal assessment strategies and uses them to support the continuous development of all students.
During my student teaching experience, I have used a variety of assessment tools during my lessons. I understand that it is important to have formal as well as informal assessments. Formal assessments are the ones where the students know they are being tested. Some examples of these assessments have been chapter tests, CARS tests, math time tests, spelling tests, and formal writing samples. Some types of informal assessments that I have done have includes simple questioning and thumbs up or thumbs down responses. I monitor to see which students understand the material and which students need more work with a particular subject. I have also used student progress charts in the classroom for spelling scores, reading homework, and math timed tests graphs. Both of these assessment techniques have taught me the importance’s of assessment and the many varieties that can be used in the classroom.
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Collaborative Relationships
The teacher understands the role of the community in education and develops and maintains collaborative relationships with colleagues, parents/guardians, and the community to support student learning and well-being.
I believe this internship program has taught me the importance of collaboration and communication. During my student teaching phase, I worked with my mentor teacher daily. We collaborated and planned many lessons together. I collaborated with the other second grade teacher Lauri Bauer and intern Leah Tangye. I also had clear communication with the principal, secretary, and literacy specialists. I came in contact with other personnel when I attended district, building, staffing, SILT, and At-Risk Children (ARC) meetings.
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Reflection and Professional Growth
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally.
I began the Pekin Professional Development School in August and was immediately introduced to being a reflective person. I began my first semester with observation of other teachers management plans and teaching styles. I had a reflective journal that I wrote in every day. I went back at the end of the day and reflected on what I saw and heard. When I started student teaching, I began reflecting daily with my mentor teacher. We would talk about my lessons and what I could change and what could work well. As well as reflecting daily, I also reflected weekly with my mentor and my liaison. My mentor teacher evaluated a lesson a week and followed the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Assessment. Every Friday morning we would discuss my lesson. Once a week my liaison would come and evaluate my lesson by also using the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Assessment. He would come in the next week to go over my lesson and what went well and some helpful hints for me to work on. This internship taught me how to be reflective and not every lesson will succeed By reflecting I can find ways to make my lesson better the next time around. .
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Professional Conduct
The teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.
Professional conduct is extremely important in the professional world. I believe that the way in which I present myself to the staff, fellow interns, liasions, parents, students, and community members speak a lot about my professionalism and my commitment to my career. I want others to look at me with respect and the way in which to receive that is by being respectful of others and maintaining a level of professionalism. I feel that I have kept all of this in mind during my student teaching experience. By being a part of all of the same meetings as my mentor, being consistent with the students, having open communication with parents, and having an overall friendly personality has reflected my level of professional conduct. I will continue to act professionally in the future and maintain an excellent rapport with co-workers and families in order to benefit all of the students.
