Content Knowledge
Human Development and Learning
Diversity
Planning for Instruction
Learning Environment
Instructional Delivery
Communication
Assessment
Collaborative Relationships
Reflection and Professional Growth
Professional Conduct

 

 

Content Knowledge

The competent teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.

During our study of polygons, I had the students search the room for all the different types of polygons we have around the room.  They also had to measure the perimeter of these polygons.  This helped the students see that math is all around them,how important it is to know their polygons, and how to measure their perimeter. Sometimes the students had to combine objects in order to make the harder to find polygons, such as pentagons and hexagons. 

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Human Development and Learning

The competent teacher understands how individuals grow, develop, and learn and provides learning opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personally development of all the students. 

I decided to do literature circles in my classroom.  This allowed the students to choose books that fit their reading style and level.  They worked in groups of 3-4.  All groups got a schedule and list of their tasks that were to be completed.  They worked together to meet their deadlines, and complete their tasks successfully.  I would meet with the groups on a regular basis to make sure they were on track and answer any questions they had about their books or their tasks.  I found that giving the students the responsibility of working at their own pace empowered them, and they were able to complete their books and projects successfully.   

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Diversity

The competent teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and created instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

All the literacy circle groups had to complete a project that showed off their book to the class.  The students were given choices of what type of projects they would like to complete.  I was sure to include projects that included all of Gardner’s multiple intelligences.  Some of the choices included choosing a soundtrack for the song, creating an ABC book, acting out a scene of the story, and gathering objects that related to the characters and themes in the book.  The groups were all able to bring out their strengths and they completed wonderful projects. 

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Planning for Instruction

The competent teacher understands instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals.    

All my lessons are aligned with the state and district standards.  The Pekin School District uses “I Can Do It” sheets to track the progress of the students.  Three times a year students and teachers look at the standards and decide if they have mastered that standard by using evidence of their work. These district standards are aligned with state and national standards. 

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Learning Environment

The competent teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive and social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.

In order to have an effective classroom there needs to be rules and procedures that make the classroom run smoothly.  At the beginning of the year my mentor teacher and I created rules with the student’s participation.  We used a behavior system where each student starts with three cards a day.  If a student breaks one of the rules, I ask them to take their card to my desk. Their first card is a warning.  If they get their second card taken a way, they lose recess privileges the next day.  If they get a third and final card taken away, they get a yellow alert, which is part of the school’s discipline plan.  At the end of the day I write on the back of their card what classroom rule they have broken.  I do this for two reasons.  One reason is so I have record of their behavior if I need to have a conference with them or their parents.  The other reason I record their misbehavior is so they can see what they need to improve on, so they do not get their card taken away again.  I have found this plan is be very successful in my classroom.

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Instructional Delivery

The competent teacher understands and uses a variety of instruction strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills.  

During student teaching I used a variety of instructional strategies in order to reach a majority of the students.  During our study of plate tectonics I was able to find many different resources that illustrated the concepts.  We read our science book and discussed the topics, I found videos on United Streaming, I found animations on websites, and I demonstrated the plates with pieces of clay.  I found that using a variety of instructional strategies a majority of my students really understood the concept of plate tectonics.

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Communication

The competent teacher uses knowledge of effective written, verbal, non-verbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive instruction in the classroom.

As a teacher, I communicate daily with my students, their parents, and other teachers.  I am in daily communication with some of my parents through e-mails and short notes.  It is important that I maintain professional wording when communicating to parents about their children.  It is also important that when I create hand outs for my students they have proper grammar.  As their teacher, I need to set a good example of what writing and speking properly.. 

Click Here to view my letter to parents. 


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Assessment

The competent teacher understands various formal and informal assessment strategies and uses them to support the continuous development of all students

When I created my literature circles I used many different formats of assessments.  I had them take objective quizzes on their books.  I had them write analytical responses in their journasl everyday.  They had to use their knowledge of literary elements they have learned and locate them in their books.  They also had to create a project, where they were able to choose the project that best suited their group’s abilities.   They also had to perform a presentation, which brought out the abilities of the auditory learners.    I was able to see the many talents of the students in classroom through their literature circles. 

Click Here to view the handout for literature circle final project.

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Collaborative Relationships

The competent teacher understands the role of community in education and develops and maintains collaborative relationships with colleagues, parents/guardians, and the community to support students’ learning and well-being.  

Families are an extremely important part of the educational process.  Parents are a child’s first teachers.  It is important that the teacher includes families in their classroom.  Parents need to be sure that their children are in a good environment when they are away from home, while they are at school.  Parents need to be informed of what their child is doing in the classroom, and the parents need to be involved as much as possible.  I attended a showcase the music teacher put together to show the parents what their students learn in music.  It was wonderful to see the students show off what they learned in music class to their parents, peers, and teachers. I also attended the Young Authors Conference.  This was a great celebration to congratulate students on their writing.  It gave me an opportunity to show my students that I care about the work they do in the classroom. 

 

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Reflection and Professional Growth

The competent 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.   

Teachers need to be reflective.  They need to reflect on the lesson they are currently teaching and reflect on the lesson when the lesson is over.  They need to monitor if their students are actively engaged in their lesson or if they need to change their approach to engage more students.  During lessons, you should include informal assessments to check your students’ understanding.  If you notice everyone understands, you may want to extend or expand on the lesson.  If students do not comprehend, you may need to rewind and start over with a new approach.  It is important to look at student’s formal and informal assessments and change your lesson plans accordingly. 

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Professional Conduct

The competent teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.

It is important to show your students that you are serious about your job as a teacher.  I do this everyday by dressing and acting professionally.  The more they realize you are serious about teaching the more serious they will be about learning.  Even though I am serious about teaching and expect my students to be serious about learning, I think school should be an enjoyable experience.  I have created many opportunities that have shown my students that learning can be fun.  We play educational games every morning.  One of their favorites is academic football.  


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