A. Reflects and evaluates the effect of his/her personal and/or professional choices on others (students, parents, and staff) in the learning community, and
Reflecting on the work that has been done and seeking out opportunities to grow professionally are signs of an efficient teacher. A teacher's ability to reflect on their work is an invaluable part of becoming a more efficient instructor. A teacher's willingness to seek opportunities to grow professionally is a strength that results in improved teaching, as well. A teacher's reflection on a lesson is incredibly important; each class period is completely different, and the ability to alter shortcomings allows an instructor to get the most of the time he or she has in the classroom. Seeking out opportunities to advance professionally can be done in multiple ways; for instance, reading articles published by educational journals will allow a teacher to stay up to date, and seeking out conferences will allow teachers to experience new methods of instruction. In the English classroom, reflection can be seen through evaluation of lessons that have been taught. For example, if I were to teach my first period class and discover many of the students are having trouble with the novel we are reading, I may find it necessary to do a summary with the rest of the classes reading that text, or at least have on readily available. Professional growth can be achieved by staying up to date in the field you are teaching, as well as staying up to date in educational practices. Membership in the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) provides resources to improve teaching. INTASC 9 is very important to the performance of students in the classroom. Reflection will ensure students are getting the best out of their lesson. Parts of lessons that did not work can be removed, while parts that work well can be given more time. Professional growth will help the instructor become a better teacher, and in turn improve the experience the students have in the classroom. Instructors needs to stay current in their field, and need to seek better ways to lead the classroom.
Artifact A is the notes that I received after an observation during the student teaching of my professional year at Towson University. The observation notes were given to me after a lesson on high school dropouts. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I used these notes to plan future lessons for my students. The observation notes provided me with feedback on my lesson and gave me a basis of which to plan further lessons. I used the positive remarks on my observation notes as reinforcement for what I have done well and need to continue doing in the future. The observation notes list parts of the lesson that were done well, and these positive portions were then repeated in further lessons. If the observation notes had included negative comments, I would have used these to plan further instruction, too. For example, in an earlier observation I received feedback that my students were not given clear instruction on an assessment. I used this information when preparing future instruction. Learning that I had a tendency to assume too much from my students, I used the observation as an opportunity to change future instruction. Aware of my problem, I spent more time during lesson planning to create in depth instructions for assessments. It is necessary for educators to receive feedback on their lessons to grow, and the observation notes provided me with this opportunity. The observation notes had a positive impact on student achievement because it allowed me to alter my teaching to offer better instruction for my students. If I never received feedback from my mentor I would not have noticed this problem. I could have gone the whole rotation thinking the students were simply not understanding the material due to low grades; the feedback provided through observations allows me to make changes that directly impact the learning of students. Students directly benefited from the observations I received during student teaching from the changes I made in lesson planning and instruction. This observation demonstrates the "reflect" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I reflected on the observations made by seasoned educators. The notes provided to me allowed me to make changes to future instruction and have a positive impact on student learning.
Artifact B is a handout from an English department meeting I attended during the student teaching portion of my professional year at Towson University. The department meeting was focused on effective lesson planning and a classroom dedicated to learning. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because it is an example of my willingness to learn from others. Attending meetings with other instructors of the same content area can be a great way to get new ideas to implement in the classroom. Experienced teachers have a lot to offer those just starting out, and a novice teacher's desire to learn from them will be instrumental in ensuring they are successful. I used the information gained during the content meeting in my own classroom in the weeks after. For example, I started to use the "Instruction" portion of the worksheet as a checklist when lesson planning in order to ensure I was completing what the department chair thought was necessary. By using this as a checklist, I was not only making sure the department chair's goals were met, but ended up creating lessons that were centered around students having practice with the content. Often I would assume all students worked at the same pace and rush into assessment directly after instruction. I was reminded that students need time to make mistakes before they are graded on material, and that students need to complete similar assessments with an opportunity to pose questions before I can expect them to perform their best. This artifact had a positive impact on student achievement because the environment of the classroom became focused on students utilizing time to practice and make mistakes before they were immediately thrown into an assessment. A simple reminder that students need time to practice moved me away from giving assessment right after direct instruction or group work and ensured that I gave students ample time to ask questions about material and clarify what was expected of them. This classroom checklist demonstrates the "planning" portion of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I used information gained during the meeting to plan further instruction for my students. The core to a successful day of teaching is an effective lesson plan, and the meeting reminded me of the important of basic pieces. The checklist became a regular tool when planning lessons and helped ensure I met basic classroom needs.
Reflection/ Professional Growth
A. Reflects and evaluates the effect of his/her personal and/or professional choices on others (students, parents, and staff) in the learning community, and
B. Seeks out opportunities to grow professionally
Reflection
Reflection on INTASC 9.docx
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Reflecting on the work that has been done and seeking out opportunities to grow professionally are signs of an efficient teacher. A teacher's ability to reflect on their work is an invaluable part of becoming a more efficient instructor. A teacher's willingness to seek opportunities to grow professionally is a strength that results in improved teaching, as well. A teacher's reflection on a lesson is incredibly important; each class period is completely different, and the ability to alter shortcomings allows an instructor to get the most of the time he or she has in the classroom. Seeking out opportunities to advance professionally can be done in multiple ways; for instance, reading articles published by educational journals will allow a teacher to stay up to date, and seeking out conferences will allow teachers to experience new methods of instruction. In the English classroom, reflection can be seen through evaluation of lessons that have been taught. For example, if I were to teach my first period class and discover many of the students are having trouble with the novel we are reading, I may find it necessary to do a summary with the rest of the classes reading that text, or at least have on readily available. Professional growth can be achieved by staying up to date in the field you are teaching, as well as staying up to date in educational practices. Membership in the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) provides resources to improve teaching. INTASC 9 is very important to the performance of students in the classroom. Reflection will ensure students are getting the best out of their lesson. Parts of lessons that did not work can be removed, while parts that work well can be given more time. Professional growth will help the instructor become a better teacher, and in turn improve the experience the students have in the classroom. Instructors needs to stay current in their field, and need to seek better ways to lead the classroom.Artifact A
Jackson Observation.tif
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Artifact A is the notes that I received after an observation during the student teaching of my professional year at Towson University. The observation notes were given to me after a lesson on high school dropouts. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I used these notes to plan future lessons for my students. The observation notes provided me with feedback on my lesson and gave me a basis of which to plan further lessons. I used the positive remarks on my observation notes as reinforcement for what I have done well and need to continue doing in the future. The observation notes list parts of the lesson that were done well, and these positive portions were then repeated in further lessons. If the observation notes had included negative comments, I would have used these to plan further instruction, too. For example, in an earlier observation I received feedback that my students were not given clear instruction on an assessment. I used this information when preparing future instruction. Learning that I had a tendency to assume too much from my students, I used the observation as an opportunity to change future instruction. Aware of my problem, I spent more time during lesson planning to create in depth instructions for assessments. It is necessary for educators to receive feedback on their lessons to grow, and the observation notes provided me with this opportunity. The observation notes had a positive impact on student achievement because it allowed me to alter my teaching to offer better instruction for my students. If I never received feedback from my mentor I would not have noticed this problem. I could have gone the whole rotation thinking the students were simply not understanding the material due to low grades; the feedback provided through observations allows me to make changes that directly impact the learning of students. Students directly benefited from the observations I received during student teaching from the changes I made in lesson planning and instruction. This observation demonstrates the "reflect" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I reflected on the observations made by seasoned educators. The notes provided to me allowed me to make changes to future instruction and have a positive impact on student learning.Artifact B (Student Teaching)
Learning Environments.tif
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Artifact B is a handout from an English department meeting I attended during the student teaching portion of my professional year at Towson University. The department meeting was focused on effective lesson planning and a classroom dedicated to learning. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because it is an example of my willingness to learn from others. Attending meetings with other instructors of the same content area can be a great way to get new ideas to implement in the classroom. Experienced teachers have a lot to offer those just starting out, and a novice teacher's desire to learn from them will be instrumental in ensuring they are successful. I used the information gained during the content meeting in my own classroom in the weeks after. For example, I started to use the "Instruction" portion of the worksheet as a checklist when lesson planning in order to ensure I was completing what the department chair thought was necessary. By using this as a checklist, I was not only making sure the department chair's goals were met, but ended up creating lessons that were centered around students having practice with the content. Often I would assume all students worked at the same pace and rush into assessment directly after instruction. I was reminded that students need time to make mistakes before they are graded on material, and that students need to complete similar assessments with an opportunity to pose questions before I can expect them to perform their best. This artifact had a positive impact on student achievement because the environment of the classroom became focused on students utilizing time to practice and make mistakes before they were immediately thrown into an assessment. A simple reminder that students need time to practice moved me away from giving assessment right after direct instruction or group work and ensured that I gave students ample time to ask questions about material and clarify what was expected of them. This classroom checklist demonstrates the "planning" portion of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I used information gained during the meeting to plan further instruction for my students. The core to a successful day of teaching is an effective lesson plan, and the meeting reminded me of the important of basic pieces. The checklist became a regular tool when planning lessons and helped ensure I met basic classroom needs..Reflection