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 creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.
Having a content of knowledge to me is something that every teacher must have. It only makes sense that teachers understand the curriculum they are teaching their students. Students depend on their teachers to do their jobs, and being prepared as far as learning the material is part of that. I think that teachers also should be required to continue their learning on an ongoing basis. This might include going to workshops, professional events, and taking classes. There are always new discoveries and ideas out there, and if teachers do not actively seek them out, they could be missing out on a lot to pass along to their students. Keeping current will keep teachers fresh and on top of the most effective teaching strategies and procedures.
When I think about the year, I know that I have grown in this area. Gaining knowledge of the content of the third grade curriculum just happened along with all the planning, preparing, and teaching I completed. I feel much more comfortable teaching new concepts now than I did at the start of the year.
Below is a picture of a class quilt that the students created during a unit on family.
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.
Teachers need to provide opportunities for all learners to succeed in the classroom. It is inevitable that there will be students that need extra attention for some reason. Sometimes, this may include students with behaviors that they cannot control. Other times, it may be a student that does not get much attention at home, and craves every last minute of a teacher’s time. Either way, some students do need to be noticed more, and it is up to the teacher to not only notice this, but act on it. Students range in their needs and abilities, and we need to do our best to address all of them accordingly.
Because each child is unique, a teacher cannot be prepared for what his or her students may need before meeting them. It is challenging, but rewarding to learn how to deal with students effectively.
Below is a picture of a student doing a "hands-on" spelling lesson.
Diversity
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
No one child is the same as another. Therefore, in the classroom, this fact has to be acted upon in the correct way. To do students justice, teachers must plan for and teach to all their students. When I say all, I mean all students at their own individual levels. This is a must, and will help the students succeed to the highest level they can. Students also should be celebrated in the ways that they are physically and socially different from their classmates. Every student should be made to feel special, and it is their teacher’s job to help them do so.
Not only have I learned how to teach to a diverse group of learners, I have also learned how to teach to a culturally group of diverse learners. For example, I have planned and taught a wide range of units so that I can hit the many interests in my class. I have strived to make students feel important for their own uniqueness. For example, I had a student in my class who is an immigrant from the Ukraine. She moved to the United States when she was in first grade and could not speak any English. As an outsider, one would be shocked to learn this of this child! She is a very bright girl, and has learned the English language perfectly! I chose to spend time teaching a unit on immigration because of this student. I let her talk about her past and what it was like for her to move to the United States. She really felt proud and was happy she was able to share her life with the class.
Another way I have celebrated cultural diversity in my class was during a unit on nutrition. We read and completed an activity over a story about a Japanese family, and how they eat. We talked about the differences and similarities of what it is like to eat in the United States and Japan. I brought in plates of rice and chopsticks for each student and had them try to eat with them. It was a powerful lesson, and the children really enjoyed it!
Below is a picture of a student and me learning how to use chopsticks.
Planning for Instruction
The teacher understands instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Creating varied lessons are so important for students! We all know that our students have different interests, strengths, difficulties and goals. So how can we expect all students succeed if we do the same things, every day for the same students? The truth is, some students learn better by doing, some by seeing, and others by hearing. It is only fair for a teacher to mix-up his/her own instruction to reach as many of his/her students as possible. Not only does a teacher need to teach in different styles, but also to be creative in what he/she teaches. Students should not be limited to worksheets! There is so much more for them to do, and so many neat ways for them to learn!
Below is a picture of a student measuring the length of a "noodle" from a bowl of "spaghetti and meatballs."
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.
Good classroom management is a must! I not only learned this in my classes but most importantly in the classroom. Students crave and need routine. Children feel comfortable when they know what to expect. As teachers, I think it is important to try to make our students lives as structured and routine as possible. By doing so, it will help them feel more secure and confident.
Here is a link of the daily schedule that I followed in the classroom.
Below is a copy of what a part of the classroom looked like. The classroom was a very inviting and warm place for the kids to come each day.
Instructional Delivery
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Technology changes every day. There seem to be trends that stay and some that go. I learned a grea deal this year, but am going to continue to learn forever!
I was very fortunate to have been placed with a mentor teacher who was not only brilliant, but also had a SMARTboard in her classroom! I have seen and learned so much about how the board works and it has amazed me. I am continuing to find new ways to use it for lessons. The students absolutely love it as well!
I also had practice with technology by utilizing Timeliner and Photostory in my classroom. I did notre alize how much time it would take the students to actually complete, but both turned out so well! We tackled this as a class during literacy, and I am so glad we did!. For the Photostory, I had students choose a president, research him, and then complete a Photostory on that president. The projects turned out so great that I will definitlely use it again with another class!
I also used timeliner with my students. The program worked well during our immigration unit. Students chose from a list of immigrants, researched him or her, and then created a timeline of his/her life from the program. This also worked wonderfully, and was a learning experience for us all!
Below are two lessons that I taught using different technology in the classroom. The first lesson used the SMART board, and the link is below:
The second lesson was taught using Photostory in the classroom. The link is below:
Both were very successful and the students loved them!!!
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.
Teachers absolutely must be connected with students’ parents or guardians. This seems obvious, but it is true. I have learned this just by being in the classroom and teaching this year. Parents and teachers need to work as a team as much as possible. Even if some parents do not agree or want to work with the teachers, the effort still needs to be made by the teacher. Everyone is rooting for the student/child, and working together is very important for the success of the child in school.
Thankfully, I was given the chance to work with parents this year through my student teaching experience. It was important for me to show the students' parents that I was on their side, and wanted what was best for their children. It was not easy to tell a parent that their child was having trouble at school or misbehaving,, but each time I did it, it got easier!
I tried very hard to keep parents informed. Through newsletters and assignment notebooks, I let parents know what was going on in our class on a daily basis.
I really encouraged parents to be involved and talk with me openly. As a parent myself, I expect full communication with my children's teachers. Therefore, I try to provide the same for the parents of the students in my class.
I will continue to communicate as much as possible with parents in my future school. Parents need to know how their child is at school, and likewise, it is helpful for teachers to know how children function at home.
Below are copies of a student's assignment notebook. The notebook was a daily communication tool between me and the parents.
Assessment
The teacher understands various formal and informal assessment strategies and uses them to support the continuous development of all students.
Just as creating varied lessons is important for teachers to do for their students, so are creating varied assessments. I find it interesting that many teachers do not do this. Personally, I find this a bit challenging myself. I think many teachers might struggle with this because it is something that many do not do. It is much easier and less time consuming to test a student or give them a A-B-C grade. But, giving students a rubric or guideline to assess them by is a nice change of pace, and will keep the students on their toes.
I tried really hard to use rubrics and authentic assessments with my students. For the integrated unit that I taught on the solar system for example, I used a checklist of concepts I wanted the students to master in the two weeks I taught the unit. As long as they learned eight of the ten llisted, they received an A for the two weeks. We did of course do activities, lessons, research, and a Power Point during the two weeks as well, but the students did not get a formal grade on every activity.
I also practiced using a varied way of assessing when I covered my unit of “Mouse and the Motorcycle,” in literacy. Students were to choose three activities from nine to complete in the three weeks. This also turned out successful, and I believe the children felt empowered that they were able to have choice over their assignments.
I know that I will continue to work on varying my assessments, and thinking of ways to assess students without using letter grades. Students deserve creativity and new ideas, and enjoy it too!
Below is a picture of facts students learned about immigrants.
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.
To anyone in the education field, it seems obvious a teacher must get along with his/her peers and surrounding staff to be an effective teacher. Positive working relations with others are crucial for the success of a teacher. This is important because of the collaboration teachers have with each other, the help they provide one another, and the support they have for everyone around them. From my experience this year in the classroom, I have realized this first hand. I learned that teachers that are flexible, helpful to staff, and open communicators with their peers yield advantages to those that do not. Teachers that work together have twice the amount of ideas and brainstorming for whatever the purpose may be. For example, two or three teachers collaborating together might come up with many more ways to teach something in their classroom, or help a student that is struggling than the teacher who always works alone.
Below is a picture of me with other interns in the Professional Development School. We had a "teach-in" on the Civil War Unit, and delivered our hands-on instruction to a 5th grade class.
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.
Reflection is so very important in teaching! This is obvious because without it, teachers would not realize what is really successful or unsuccessful in their classrooms. I am a natural reflector in every area of my life, so for me, this comes easy. I think this is actually a strength for me as a teacher. I am always looking for ways to make my instruction more effective. Even if I get through a lesson and it seems to have gone all right, I constantly critique myself on ways I could have done things in a better way. I have reflected often throughout my entire student teaching process, and believe that I will continue to do this years into teaching in the future.
This year on the whole has been such an incredible experience! I have really gotten so much out of each and every step I have taken during the entire PDS program; but especially student teaching.
Since I am constantly reflecting upon my instruction, I actually changed around many lesson plans on my own while teaching. There were times that I taught something (such as volume, probability, ect) to the class, and thought I had beautiful lesson plans for each. I would not say either really “bombed” when I taught them, it was more of the looks on the students' faces when I was teaching them. They were clearly lost, and I could not think of anything else but to keep going on with the same lesson. I came back the next day with better ideas and ways for them to understand using hands-on manipulatives. This worked! The kids got it and had fun learning the concepts too! It has become pretty easy to me to see when changing up a lesson plan or way to teach a concept is needed.
After reviewing grades and progress, my mentor teacher and I created a master list of students who needed certain math concepts re-taught. Here is the list that was used in my class. The students that had mastered the re-teach concepts were taught extension lessons.
Professional Conduct
The teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.
I think that every teacher has their own personal thoughts about what makes a good teacher. There is no doubt that most teachers have similar viewpoints on the philosophies of teaching, but not all teachers follow them to teach. I personally think that teaching is simply all about the students. Everything I can do as a teacher must benefit the students I am teaching. I believe that all teachers should do whatever it takes to make them the most effective teachers they can be for their students. This would include staying current with practices and research. Part of being a teacher is being up to date with what is going on in the teaching world.
Every day, I tried my hardest to show my students that I would do whatever I could for them. My philosophy of teaching is simple but true: Teachers need to show students the way. What I mean by this is that without teachers, students would fail. Teachers need to prepare themselves as best they can to guide, lead and teach their students. Teachers have many jobs, but these are the most important of all of them. Students have a right to receive the best education possible, and as teachers, we need to give it to them.
Every teacher should really put themselves in the place of their students’ parents. They should ask themselves, “Would I be thrilled to know what my son/daughter does every day in school? Are they doing things in the classroom that is enhancing what they are learning?” We all want what is best for our own children, so by reflecting and realizing that our students’ parents want the same things for their children, we need to do what is right and be the best teachers we can possibly be.
Here is a copy of an assessment my mentor teacher completed on a comprehension project I taught: Comprehension assessment page 1, page 2, page 3.
