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 teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) and create learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.
As a teacher, it is important to display accurate and extensive content knowledge and to make connections across the disciplines. We must be knowledgeable about what we are teaching. It takes time to research lessons in depth, but it is worthwhile for both the teacher and the students.
In my third grade class, I prepared an in depth integrated unit on the desert. This unit was all about deserts and covered all areas of the curriculum. I was able to connect lessons to the real world and since I once lived in the desert, I had first- hand knowledge to share. The students were actively engaged in the lessons and were able to learn about an environment that they had never before experienced.
Attached is the integrated Desert Unit that I taught over a two week period of time.
[Back to top]
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.
Realizing that students learn in different ways and using a variety of modalities to help them process and apply what they learn is a mark of an effective teacher. To be truly successful I know that I must use an extensive repertoire of strategies and resources to encourage all students to develop to their potential.
During my internship I successfully accommodated the different modalities of my students in spelling instruction. Each week I prepared a PowerPoint slideshow of images that represented the spelling words. This gave students the opportunity to see the words and connect them to an image. By doing this, they were also able to build their vocabulary skills. In the lessons, students took their lists of words with the definitions and guessed which word the image represented. They then wrote the words in their spelling packet. With this activity, I reached the visual learners, the auditory learners, and the tactile learners. By not focusing on one modality, I know that I am able to reach many more students who will retain what they are learning.
Attached is a Spelling PowerPoint that I used in my 6th grade class.
[Back to top]
Diversity
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
Teachers must assess individual needs and appropriateness of accommodations and incorporate that knowledge in planning and teaching. I demonstrated this in my third grade class when making spelling lists for the class with special accommodations for a student with an IEP.
I believe that an effective teacher does what she can to make sure every student succeeds. I had this opportunity during my third grade placement. One student had an IEP that called for a reduced spelling list. Of the 15 spelling words, the student with the IEP was to only receive 8 words each week. When it was my decision to make, I always chose words that I thought were important. These words were not always the easiest on the list. I believe that it was important for my student to be exposed to high frequency words that he will see again and again throughout his schooling.
Attached is a spelling list with the student’s 8 chosen words underlined.
[Back to top]
Planning for Instruction
The teacher understands instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
During our World War II Unit, students brought in Japanese artifacts when we studied the Japanese-American Internment Camps.
It is important to develop lessons that are creative, innovative, and capture students’ interests. If students are interested in the lessons, they will retain more and be able to apply it in the future.
I believe that an effective teacher should take the time to learn about the interests of the students. Once their interests are known, it is time to plan and prepare the lessons based on those interests. During the planning and preparation stages I check the state standards or district “I Can Do It” sheets to see how lessons can be developed to follow standards based instruction. I believe it is so important to combine those steps to meet the needs of the student while following the guidelines of the state. There may be teachers that teach straight from the texts, but I feel it is more worthwhile to build lessons around real-world, hands-on activities that the students will enjoy while they learn. I am certain that these lessons will be remembered long after the text book lessons have faded away.
Attached is a copy of a Social Studies lesson/activity that shows standards based instruction for a hands-on lesson. This was a culminating activity for the World War II unit we were completing. The students were thoroughly engaged in the activities as they experienced a bit of history come to life.
JapaneseAmericaninternmentlesson
[Back to top]
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.
Here are the third grade classroom rules, created and voted upon by the whole class.
As a teacher, it is imperative to consider all variables that impact student behavior. Standards of conduct must be developed with student participation. Monitoring of behavior must be subtle and preventative and any response to misbehavior must be highly effective and sensitive to individual needs.
I believe that to be an effective teacher one must have a classroom environment that is safe, warm, and caring. Students must feel like an important part of the classroom community, and rules must be made and followed for that to happen. When I began my student teaching in third grade I implemented a new behavior plan that included rewards for good behavior. I revisited the rules with the students and introduced my Button Jar. Students were able to earn buttons in many ways. They would have some success every day just by attending school. Buttons were added to the jar for each student who was there for the day. They earned buttons for good behavior in the halls, the lunchroom, and in PE or Music class. Buttons were removed for bad behavior in these same rooms or classes. Throughout the day buttons could be removed for talking or misbehaving during lessons. Often the misbehavior would cease when I picked up the jar. The reward for a full jar of buttons was voted on by the class. One reward earned was Popcorn and a Movie. Although misbehavior didn’t totally end in the classroom, I noticed a marked difference in the room. I could see more students trying their best to do what they should be doing, and they became good at monitoring each other as well.
Attached is a copy of my Button Reward sheet that outlines the plan for the students
[Back to top]
Instructional Delivery
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.Engaging students in learning is a valuable and important part of instruction. I incorporate daily “Thinkers” for my students. These “Thinkers” are activities that invite students to “think outside the box”. Many involve cooperative groups which in turn encourages team building. Student participation and interest shows that students enjoy hands-on learning and thrive in that environment. They are learning and using problem solving techniques that help them in regular standards based instruction.
The following “Thinker” was a class favorite. As in all “Thinkers”, the first group that solves the problem gives clues to the other groups. They must try to come up with clues that don’t give away the answer. In this activity, all groups were invited to act out the situation.
“A man lives on an island with a fox, a chicken, and a bag of corn. He wants to go across the ocean to another island. His boat only holds 2 things (including himself), so he can only take one thing at a time. If he leaves the fox with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken. If he leaves the chicken with the corn, the chicken will eat the corn. How does he get everything across the ocean?”
As a teacher, it is very important to demonstrate an interest in exploring new content, make connections, and question ideas. It is always rewarding when students show their enthusiasm through their words and their work. This enthusiasm was very evident in my 3rd grade classroom. They were passionate about science and were very excited when we studied Extreme Weather.
Students worked with a Lightning Ball, made tornadoes in a bottle, and created Lightning in their mouths.Attached is my Extreme Weather Lightning lesson.
[Back to top]
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.
A student presents his "Big Business Presentation" during the Stock Market Unit.
As an teacher, it is important to demonstrate enthusiasm, fluency, and accuracy across curriculum areas and show pride in the use of proper communication tools. I demonstrated all of these in my unit on the Stock Market. Not only did I involve the students, I involved their parents, as well.
I sent a letter to the parents before the Stock Market Unit to involve families in our lessons and to portray the excitement that I hold for the unit. From the beginning, students discussed these lessons with their parents and were excited about what we were doing. They really enjoyed the real-world activities and showed their feelings through their actions each day.
Attached is a copy of the letter I sent to parents before we began our Stock Market Unit.
[Back to top]
Assessment
The teacher understands various formal and informal assessment strategies and uses them to support the continuous development of all students.
Here is a bulletin board I created for the upcoming ISAT test. We had ISAT Bootcamp to prepare the students for the testing. By making the learning interactive and fun, the students actually looked forward to the test!
With assessment, it is important to use a variety of materials, media and strategies to continually assess student learning. It is also important to use reflections of assessment findings to guide future instruction.
As a teacher, I must assess my students in many ways. I will need to use such assessments as teacher observation, student conferences, rubrics, quizzes and tests, and student portfolios. The most important factor is to choose the best assessment for the lesson/task. During my student teaching experience I created many assessments such as rubrics and unit tests/quizzes. I learned that though time consuming, a teacher created test or quiz is very worthwhile because you know exactly what has been taught, so there are no surprises for the students. The goal of an assessment is not to trick the students. The goal must be to check student understanding. It is important to note that if several students fail an assessment, the topic or concept should be re-taught.
Attached is an example of a test I created for my third grade class after a reading unit.
[Back to top]
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.
During the Illinois Reading Conference in March, I collaborated with a fellow intern on a lesson. We presented this lesson at the conference.
It is important to support and cooperate with colleagues and vital to develop professional relationships. With my year-long internship in two different school settings, I had the opportunity to develop these professional relationships with mentors, administrators, professors, my PDS liaisons, staff members, and fellow interns.
I believe that the professional relationships I developed since beginning my internship have helped to mold me into the teacher that I am today. I am comfortable in both seeking assistance and advice and giving it if asked. I am a team player and support the schools and their policies. I have developed close working relationships with my mentors and fellow interns. We had opportunities during planning time, lunch, and before and after school to collaborate and discuss our lessons, achievements, and even our disappointments. I truly feel like a member of the District 108 team.
[Back to top]
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.
As a teacher, it is imperative to not only respond to written reflective analysis, but to also respond with appropriate changes when necessary. I believe that reflection is a vital component of teaching. Being able to reflect upon what does and does not work has made me a better teacher. Sometimes it is difficult to admit that lessons don’t always work out as planned, but what one does about it is what sets effective teachers apart from ineffective teachers.
Attached is a portion of a mentor evaluation referencing my reflection.
[Back to top]
Professional Conduct
The teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.From the beginning of my PDS experience, I have presented myself in a professional manner. I believe it is important to dress professionally, arrive on time for work, and stay as late as needed to prepare for the next day and beyond. Since we are role models for the students, we must display a professional demeanor and attitude. It is vital to collaborate and form relationships with parents, staff, and members of the community. The experience I have had as a PDS intern has prepared me well for my professional career as an educator.
LetterofrecommendationfromMaryLange supervisor
LetterofrecommendationfromMadeleineDecker mentor
