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.

It is the responsibility of a teacher to have the knowledge of the content needed to be taught in order to give students the best education available to them. If a teacher possess this knowledge they will be more likely to provide their students with lessons that are more engaging thus giving their students more meaningful experiences.

I believe that students will have more memorable and meaningful experiences if they are engaged in hands-on learning. That is why in my classroom I incorporated hands-on learning activities wherever possible. When I was teaching parts of a circle, such as chords, diameters, radii, etc., I made two circles on the floor where each student created either a chord, diameter, or radius. We then looked at the finished product and recorded each that we saw within the circles. I feel that my students learned a lot more because the activity created a memorable experience.

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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 personal development of all students.

It is important for a teacher to participate in professional development opportunities in order to learn about new teaching strategies. Through attending professional development opportunities, a teacher is able to enhance his/her instruction. As a new or experienced teacher, I feel, this is key element in a teacher’s career. Teachers need to continue their learning so that their students are able to get the most out of their education.  

In order to do enhance my content knowledge and pedagogical skills, I attended and presented at the Illinois Reading Conference. After attending the conference, I learned a lot of new strategies that I was able to implement in my classroom. I also obtained many helpful resources that I was unaware were available to me. I feel that by learning new strategies and obtaining resources I was able to improve my instruction therefore enhancing my students’ learning.

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Diversity
The competent 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 know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student in order for each student to succeed. Through knowing the strengths and weaknesses of individual students a teacher is able to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of his/her students. Through differentiation and the knowledge of individual students in the classroom a teacher is able to effectively reach all students.

I feel that in order to be an effective teacher it is essential to know each students’ individual needs. I think that what one does with this knowledge is also critical to becoming an effective teacher. I feel that by knowing the individual needs of each student I am able to help my students build upon their strengths and improve their weaknesses. I feel it is my duty to make sure that all students in my classroom are reaching their full potential. I have demonstrated my knowledge of individual needs by altering assignments for individual students or varying my instruction to help each student reach their full potential and be successful.

 

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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.

When planning and preparing for a lesson a teacher must make sure that they are creating lessons that are centered around and geared toward meeting an instructional goal. This needs to occur for students to learn and for their teacher to be able to measure their learning.

I often spent many hours planning and preparing my lesson plans. There were many elements that I considered while planning such as instructional goals and the individual needs of my students. I derived instructional goals for my lessons from the district's I Can Do It goals. The I Can Do It goals are written in language that students and parents can understand and are aligned with the state standards. The students are well aware of their I Can Do It goals and that they need to meet these goals. Instructional goals helped me focus and form appropriate assessments for my lessons as well. I feel that this was necessary for the success of my students.

 

 

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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 social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

An effective teacher realizes that in order for learning to take place a safe environment needs to be established. One way to ensure that a classroom is a safe place is to have rules and procedures. It is also important to have a classroom management plan that all students are aware of and familiar with.

My mentor and our teaching partner had created a management plan that every student as well as their parents were familiar with from the beginning of the year. Not only did we have a classroom behavior mangament plan, but there is also a schoolwide management plan called the SCORE code. The "S" stands for safety, the "C" stands for cooperate with others, the "O" stands for ownership, "R" stands for respect, and "E" stands for etiquette. Having the building wide plan along with a classroom plan helped the students feel a sense of continuity of what was expected of their behavior wherever they may be within the building. I feel that by enforcing both management plans and by having rules and procedures I created an environment conducive to learning for my students.

 

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Instructional Delivery
The competent teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills.

An effective teacher needs to believe that all students have the potential to learn and that it is his/her duty to teach all students. It is vital for a teacher to know that his/her role as a teacher depends upon believing this truth. Also, a teacher needs to realize that the impacthe/she has on each student will vary depending on individual interests, styles of learning, and many other factors that affect and shape a child’s life.

I truly believe that every student has the ability to learn. I know that the strategies that I use while teaching along with my enthusiasm to teach will impact my students’ education. Also, I believe that each student is an individual with differing experiences, interests, and modalities of learning. Some students learn better through the use of hands-on activities while others may learn better through seeing or listening. I use as many modalities that I can in every lesson I teach in order to try to reach all of my students.

 

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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 interaction in the classroom.

As a teacher it is important to provide students with feedback regarding their learning using written, verbal, or nonverbal communication. Throughout a lesson if a student is off task a teacher can provide that student with nonverbal communication by using proximity, standing by the student, to get them back on task. On assignments it is important to write comments regarding the students’ performance in order for the students to know what they need to improve on or if they did great. It is essential to use verbal communication the most. This could include praising students during a lesson for participation or correct answers or talking with a student about a behavior that needs improvement.

I constantly incorporate written, verbal, and nonverbal communication in order to effectively manage and teach my students. I feel that even a simple “Super!” on an assignment is a great way to provide students with feedback on their performance. I also feel that by using all different forms of communication my students know that I am there for them and am open to them communicating with me. On the same note, I feel that if a student did poorly on an assignment it is imperative to communicate that to a student either through writing a note on the assignment or talking with that student. I have found that nonverbal communication can be the hardest to guarantee a student to fully understand the meaning behind it. For example, if I am standing with my arms crossed to some students that might mean that I am mad, but I don’t necessarily have to be mad to stand with my arms crossed. I believe it is important as a teacher to make an effort to be aware of the nonverbal cues that I am sending a student or students.

 

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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.

It is important for a teacher to use various methods to assess student learning. By using multiple assessment strategies students are given more opportunities for success. Varying assessment strategies allows the teacher to see a broader spectrum of individual students’ performance.

In my classroom I try to use a variety of methods when assessing my students. One example of this is a rubric I used to grade a project the students completed in math. After studying geometric concepts in math I had my students create a Geocity that included geometric figures. I gave each student a rubric to use as a checklist while they completed the project. I then used the rubric to grade the students. I believe my students were more successful on the project because they had the rubric to tell them exactly what they needed to do in order to receive a passing grade.

 

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

As a teacher it is necessary to have positive working relationships with other teachers and support personnel. This is necessary because other teachers and the support staff are valuable resources. They can provide new ideas, strategies, and make one know of available resources that may provide help. It is also important to create a positive working relationship with all teachers and staff in order to create a welcoming atmosphere for all those in the school: teachers, support staff, and students alike.

After talking to other teachers about their experiences at Wilson and other schools, I am grateful that I have developed positive working relationships with the teachers and support staff at Wilson. I feel as though we are all working towards a common goal which is helping every student be successful. Because of this, I feel I can go to a teacher, other than my mentor, to ask for help with a situation with a student or for help developing a lesson. If this wasn’t the case, I would not be as successful with my internship and student teaching.

 

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Reflection and Professional Growth
The competent teacher is a reflection practitioner who contunually evaluates how choices and actions affect students, parents, and other professionals, in the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally.

It is vital as a teacher to constantly reflect before, during, and after instruction. In order to plan an effective lesson, a teacher needs to reflect upon his/her previous instruction and students’ strengths and weaknesses. During instruction, a teacher should constantly be monitoring students’ understanding. Then, after instruction a teacher should reflect upon whether the students met the desired teaching goal and what could the teacher have done differently.

I am constantly reflecting in order to improve my instruction as well as my students’ learning. I make my decisions about upcoming lessons based upon my reflections of how well or not well my previous lessons have been perceived by my students. One particular instance stands out in my head above all others. During a math lesson I had modeled problems on the overhead for the students. I had also had the students show their understanding of the lesson through the use of personal whiteboards. The students seemed to understand, so I gave their assignment. While the students were working on their assignment it was apparent through the questions my students were asking that they did not fullyunderstand the lesson. Immediately I had the students stop doing the assignment and reconvene in order to receive more instruction. I feel that reflecting upon instruction is vital in order to be an effective teacher.

 

 

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

I believe it is imperative as a teacher to conduct one's self in a professional and ethical manner at all times. As teachers, we are public figures and must remember this wherever we may be. We are also role models for our students and should hold our profession in high regard as we shape the futures of our students.

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