ELED 410 Work Sample Science Education nd
2 Grade Spring 2011 ELED 410 Western Teacher Work Sample: Spring 2011 1
TEACHING PROCESS 1 -­‐ CONTEXTUAL FACTORS Definition: The teacher candidate uses information about the learning-­‐teaching context and student individual differences to set learning objectives and benchmarks and plan instruction and assessment informed by their understanding of relevant major schools of thought. Task 1.1: Describe community, district, and school factors that may impact student learning. 1. What type of geographic community does the school primarily serve? * The school primarily serves a rural community. 2. What type of social community does the school primarily serve? * The school primarily serves a working/middle class. However, 53% of the school population is on free or reduced lunch. 3. In what type of school district is the school embedded? * The school district is middle of the road. It is not a real big or real small school district. The town has about 15,000 residents. 4. What are the specific characteristics of the school itself? * This building was built in 1978 and has been remodeled several times since then. The school was updated with a geo-­‐thermal heating and cooling system in 2007. All classrooms have either a window or a skylight to enhance the classroom lighting. The school is divided into three pods centered around the school library, computer lab, and office area. Pod A houses all kindergarten and first grade classes. Pod B contains second and third grade classes. Pod C consists of fourth grade classrooms along with art, music, Title I, and behavior adjustment classes. Each pod is filled with student and professional artwork. Books on shelves and extra chalkboards are also found in each pod. One large table is in the center of each pod and is used by the reading and behavior aides. Each pod also contains a large screen television that is used for educational purposes as well as for indoor recess. The cafeteria and gym are located on the west end of the school. Task 1.2: Describe classroom factors that may impact student learning. 1. What grade level and content areas are you teaching? * I am teaching 2nd grade, all content areas. 2. Describe the physical space of the classroom. * This second grade classroom has 20 students seated in groups of six students per group. The students sit facing each other in order to encourage cooperative learning and student discussions. Each chair has a chair pocket, which contains library books. A numbered mailbox system is next to the entrance of the classroom. This system encourages the students to be responsible for putting away and picking up worksheets and important notes to go home. The teacher’s desk is in the corner of the classroom next to the window. There is a bookshelf in front of the desk, which contains Accelerated Reader books. Two large chalkboards run along the south and east walls of the classroom. A word wall is used on the eastern chalkboard. The other chalkboard is used for lessons, educational posters, and the lunch menu. A bulletin is along the north wall of the classroom; it changes monthly and includes student work. The poem of the month and artist of the month are also placed on the north wall. A reading corner is in the northeast corner of the room. A rug is there along with shelves, which contains reading games and books. Next to the reading corner are two computers. The computers are used by students to take Accelerated Reader quizzes. A graph with stickers is displayed to show each student’s progress with the Accelerated Reading Program. The classroom also has a bathroom and a sink. 2
3. 4. Students are encouraged to use the restroom during independent work time. Underneath the sink are two blue cabinets that contain more educational games and miscellaneous supplies. Describe the classroom atmosphere. * The classroom is bright especially with a window in the classroom. It is always at a constant comfortable temperature, which helps the students to remain comfortable. The classroom is usually quiet, however the walls are paper-­‐thin so you can hear the teachers on either side of the classroom if they get loud. Also, the door opens up to the pod so there is some outside noise if the door is open. Other than that, the room is very organized and welcoming with seasonal decorations and artwork. Describe the classroom management system. * The teacher has a very well management system that works in the classroom. There are very strict procedures that students follow all day long. They know what is expected of them from the moment they walk into the classroom until the 3:00 bell rings. They know when to sharpen their pencil, when they can go to the bathroom, and when they are allowed to get out of their seats. Students know that if they misbehave, they must move their frog to the warning box and then to the lost box if the bad behavior continues. When they lose their frog they must stay in for recess and then they are not allowed to attend Friday Reward on Friday afternoons. The teacher also has a clapping technique that works to get the students quiet. 5. Is this a single teacher classroom? Are any other teachers, teaching aides or assistants present? * There is just one main teacher in the classroom, however there are paraprofessionals in the pod to deal with the behavior kids when needed. There is also a speech teacher that helps a couple students and then a reading teacher who will come in during reading and sit with one of the students. Other than that, the students will leave the classroom to go to their specialized teachers. Occasionally, there are parent volunteers who will read with students or work with them independently. 6. Are any new initiatives or curriculum changes impacting your classroom? * There is RTI being implemented in the class as well as the use of a microphone while teaching and the Accelerated Reader, reading program. In addition, there is a lot of differentiated instruction taking place because of the wide variety of achievement levels of the students. Task 1.3: Describe student characteristics that may impact student learning. 1. How many students are in the classroom? What percent are male? female? What is the ethnic composition of the class? How many ELL students are there? What languages do they speak? How fluent are they in speaking English? * There are 20 students in the classroom. Eight of the students are male and twelve of the students are female. Nineteen of the students are Caucasian and one student is Asian. I have no ELL students in my class. 2. Are there students needing special accommodations? If so, what are those accommodations? (How many students have IEPs? How are the needs of ELL, Title 1 Reading/Math, IEP students, advanced/gifted students, students with learning disabilities, students with ADD or ADHD, students with physical disabilities, etc. met? Does the district use a pull-­‐out or an inclusion model to accommodate each of these groups of students? ) * There are five students with IEP’s in the classroom. Out of the five IEP’s, two are for speech and three are for learning disabilities. Two students are pulled out for extra help and reinforcement. There are B.D aids in the hallway for assistance with the two behavior students we have and we also have reading aids that come into the room to help struggling students. Seven of the 21 students have ADD or ADHD and only two are on 3
medication. The others have extra attention given to them by the teacher and willing volunteers. The district uses an inclusion model, however Tier II and III students are pulled out. 3. What differences have you observed in the developmental levels of the students? What factors may influence the developmental levels of your students? How do these developmental differences impact their learning? * Some of the students are a lot higher than others in the class. There is a huge range in this class, which is partially due to the fact that all students with behavior problems in the district are sent to this school. Other factors are broken families, non-­‐supportive families, immature parents, uneducated parents, unmotivated parents, bad parenting skills and emotional problems within the children. 4. Identify and discuss all groups in your classroom in terms of their ability and motivation to learn. * This class is really divided into three groups. The group that can focus long enough to learn, the group that can learn in short bursts and then those who constantly are off task. Task 1.4: Identify and discuss the potential instructional implications of one or more contextual factor(s) identified above. For example: 1. Given the sociocultural/multicultural theories discussed in EIS 302, describe any key social and/or cultural/multicultural factors specific to your classroom that may impact student learning in your setting. * I think that ADD and ADHD are becoming increasingly widespread with each generation. This has been a bad trend in the education world. Also, the community where I am at is more of a poverty stricken area. Therefore, the education level of the parents seems to be rather low which really reflects back on the students. This is a cultural trend in this area, which is really unfortunate for these children. Also, there isn’t much diversity in the community, which could have a negative impact on these students because they aren’t exposed to anything, new or different. I think they would benefit from some diversity in the community. Not many of the students have great social skills, which also affects their speech and then their learning as well. 2. Given the psychological theories (e.g., learning, motivation, development, etc.) discussed in EIS 201 and EIS 301, what student characteristics specific to your classroom do you need to keep in mind as you select benchmarks, objectives, and begin the process of designing your instructional strategy? * I will have to keep in mind the wide variety of achievement levels in my class while I am creating my unit. I will also need to keep in mind the amount of students who have attention issues and what I can do to keep their attention throughout the lesson. I will need to create lessons that get these students involved so that I can get them to retain the information. In addition, I will keep in mind that each student has a different learning style, so I will need to incorporate as many of these as possible. I will need to be able to reach each student from high achieving to low achieving and I will keep this in mind as I create my unit. 3. Given your knowledge of legal and ethical issues as discussed in EIS 401, what student characteristics specific to your classroom do you need to keep in mind as you select benchmarks, objectives, and begin the process of designing your instructional strategy? * I will have to keep in mind that each of these students comes from a different home and background. I will note this while I am making my lessons so that I make sure no student is offended in any way. Also, I will need to keep in mind that certain students may need special attention or help and this cannot be ignored. I will follow IEP’s and take all necessary precautions when teaching these students. While teaching my unit and while teaching in general, I will always have my students’ best interest at heart and I will abide by all rules. Task 1.5: Describe three focus students. 4
Identify three students who have different learning needs. One student should be a typical student. The other two should represent different populations in your classroom (e.g., LD, BD, struggling, gifted, ELL, etc.). DO NOT use their real names in this discussion. 1. Typical Student A. Discuss specific physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic characteristics; preferred learning style; and unique cultural attributes of this student. * Student E has brown hair, she is of average height for second grade and she has brown hair. She seems to have many friends and all the students seem to like her. She gets emotional if she gets in trouble, which is hardly ever, and if she does poorly on an assignment or test. She is a very bright young lady. She is very good at figuring things out on her own and when she does have questions she is not afraid to ask. She also stays on top of work and it an all around good student. She can speak clearly and fluently and seems to have a good knowledge of words and vocabulary. She likes to read with others and she is generally ahead of the class considering most of the class is below average. B. Discuss the student’s prior knowledge, experiences, and skills related to this unit that might impact his/her learning and whether he/she finds the lessons easy or difficult. * Student E seems to have a wide background knowledge in most subjects. She loves to read so she learns a lot through reading. She has showed some interest in science, which is what my unit will be on, and so far has done well in that subject area. She has good parents that have taught her a lot and taken her places so she can experience things. She, along with the rest of the class, has witnessed the complete frog life cycle as well. She also mentioned that she has always wanted to learn about Mercury, which we will be doing in this unit. 2. First Atypical Student (High achieving) A. Discuss specific physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic characteristics; preferred learning style; unique cultural attributes; and any special needs that must be addressed. Include a statement that explains why this student was selected as an “atypical” student. * This particular student, student C, is atypical because he is a high achieving student. He has short blonde hair, blue eyes, is very slim, and is one of the taller boys in the class. He is very quiet, but he seems to talk when he isn’t supposed to. There are very few students that he does talk to, but when he does, it is hard to get him to stop. He loves sports and video games. He gets upset when he is in trouble and will cry if he is really upset. He works very diligently if he can stay on task. He has a hard time focusing, but when he applies himself he is a remarkable student. B. Discuss the student’s prior knowledge, experiences, and skills related to this unit that might impact his/her learning and whether he/she finds the lessons easy or difficult. * Student C has showed an immense amount of interest in science. When we do a science lesson he gets extremely excited. He also loves to read and learns a lot from reading. He has good parents who have helped him through school and teach him outside of school. He seems to have a very broad knowledge of science and mentioned he loved the solar system. C. Use the information discussed in A & B to identify the specific techniques that you will use to accommodate this student as you teach this unit. Then explain how each of these techniques will enable this student to achieve the objectives of this unit. * I will offer student C more challenging readings and books that he can explore to learn more in depth information about the planets. I will also offer him more challenging worksheets in which he can apply his knowledge. These activities will challenge him and force him to use his brain so that he can stay focused and learn what the other students are learning, just at a more advanced level. 5
3. Second Atypical Student (Low achieving) A. Discuss specific physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic characteristics; preferred learning style; unique cultural attributes; and any special needs that must be addressed. Include a statement that explains why this student was selected as an “atypical” student. * Student C2 is atypical because he is a below average student. He is tall, has blonde hair and brown eyes, and usually smells because his family is very uneducated and they do not force him to shower. He only has one real friend in the class but still he likes to talk. I think this is for attention because he doesn’t get much of that at home. He seems to be a pretty reserved child due to the lack of home support. He is slower than most of the students in the class but yet he likes to do extra homework and he cant figure things out quickly. He is very far behind with his speech. He cannot say many words correctly and he works with the speech teacher at the school. He likes to work on his own but likes to work with parent volunteers. He does participate often though. B. Discuss the student’s prior knowledge, experiences, and skills related to this unit that might impact his/her learning and whether he/she finds the lessons easy or difficult. * Student C2 had very little background knowledge in any subject. His parents are very uneducated and are drug addicts. This student struggles with every subject because of his poor background knowledge. So with this unit, I will be teaching him a lot of things he never knew about. C. Use the information discussed in A & B to identify the specific techniques that you will use to accommodate this student as you teach this unit. Then explain how each of these techniques will enable this student to achieve the objectives of this unit. * For this student, I will have to give him a lot of extra help to make sure he understands the concepts we will be learning. I will also have models of the moon and the solar system for him to look at. In addition, I will read the worksheets to him and guide him through the assignments and projects so that he has the best possible chance at learning. TEACHING PROCESS 2 – LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND BENCHMARKS 6
Definition: The teacher candidate sets significant, challenging, varied, and appropriate learning objectives and benchmarks. Task 2.1 Identify benchmarks 1. State one or more specific benchmarks for each Illinois Learning Standard that will be addressed in this unit. Day 1-­‐ 12.F.1a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and describe characteristics of the sun, Earth and moon as familiar objects in the solar system. Day 2-­‐ 12.C.1a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and compare sources of energy. 12.F.2b for a 2nd grade unit: Explain the apparent motion of the sun and stars. Day 3-­‐ 12.F.1a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and describe characteristics of the sun, Earth and moon as familiar objects in the solar system. 12.F.2a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and explain natural cycles and patterns in the solar system. Day 4-­‐ 12.E.1b for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and describe patterns of weather and seasonal change. Day 5-­‐ 12.F.2c for a 2nd grade unit: Identify easily recognizable star patterns. Day 6-­‐ 12.F.2a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and explain natural cycles and patterns in the solar system. Day 7-­‐ 12.F.1a for a 2nd grade unit: Identify and describe characteristics of the sun, Earth and moon as familiar objects in the solar system. Day 8-­‐ 12.F.3b for a 2nd grade unit: Describe the organization and physical characteristics of the solar system. Day 9-­‐ 12.F.3b for a 2nd grade unit: Describe the organization and physical characteristics of the solar system. Day 10-­‐ 12.F.3b for a 2nd grade unit: Describe the organization and physical characteristics of the solar system. 1.B.1d for a 2nd grade unit: Read age-­‐appropriate material aloud with fluency and accuracy. Task 2.2: Create daily objectives 1. State one or more objective(s) (as appropriate) for each of the ten daily lessons you will teach during the unit. Day 1-­‐ Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. Day 2-­‐ Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. Day 3-­‐ (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that this takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. Day 4-­‐ Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Day 5-­‐ Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. Day 6-­‐ Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Day 7-­‐ Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. Day 8-­‐ Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. Day 9-­‐ Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. Day 10-­‐ Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. Task 2.3: Provide a rationale for benchmarks and objectives 1. Provide a rationale for the objectives identified in Task 2.2 What information about students’ characteristics, needs, developmental levels, and prerequisite knowledge/skills did you consider when creating the objectives? * Days 1-­‐10: Earth and space science are essential for all students to learn. Students interact constantly with Earth in their everyday lives. Therefore, students have the opportunity to observe, question, and study Earth and space sciences beyond the classroom. Earth and space sciences is an integrated science, incorporating components of other science areas into the study of Earth and space and has the potential to reinforce the learning of science concepts from these other science disciplines. In this unit, students will understand why we 7
have seasons, why the moon seems to shine, what the sun is, the different planets, and much more. All of which is information needed to be an informed citizen. There are primary facts that even some adults do not know. So the younger we can teach them, the better. The students will learn key information needed to understand our home planet, Earth. While teaching this unit I will keep in mind the wide variety of development levels I have in my class and will constantly differentiate instruction. Task 2.4 Identify content knowledge needed for teaching the unit 1.
Describe the content background knowledge YOU need to teach this unit and how you will acquire it. * I will need an immense amount of background knowledge for this unit. I will need to know about the sun and how it shines as well as what the sun does for both plants and animals. Also, I will have to know what causes day and night and why the earth rotates. I will also need to know what causes the seasons to change and how the Earth orbits around the Sun. I will then need to know about constellations and how they came about and how they are formed. I will also need to know about the Moon and Moon phases. Finally, I will need to know about the solar system and the different planets that are in it. A lot of this information I know from my science methods classes. The rest of the information I will obtain from the science book and miscellaneous websites.
Task 2.5 Identify activities/instructional techniques that may be used in the unit. 1. Describe activities and instructional techniques that will be used in the unit. This provides an overview of the unit. You will create lesson plans after analyzing pre-­‐assessment data. * In this unit on space science, I will be doing a variety of activities. I will start the unit off by doing a vocabulary activity with important words from the unit. Then I will go on to the Sun and students will learn all about the Sun while doing an activity book. Next, I will teach about what causes day and night and then the students will make orbits. We will then move on to seasons in which I will have an activity set up for them to do. Then I will move to the night sky and have students create their own constellations. After that I will teach about the Moon phases and they will see a real life model of the moon and I will show them the different Moon phases. After that they will do a fun Moon jumping activity. Finally, we will finish by learning about the solar system, making a model of the solar system and then doing a readers theater about the Moon landings. TEACHING PROCESS 3: ASSESSMENT PLAN 8
Definition: The teacher candidate uses multiple assessment modes and approaches to assess learning before, during, and after instruction. Task 3.1: Provide an overview of the assessment plan using a visual organizer such as table 3.1 below. 1. Use the benchmarks and objectives from Teaching Process 2 -­‐ Learning Objectives and Benchmarks to complete the first column. The objectives for the pre-­‐assessment, formative (during the unit) assessments, and the post assessment will be identical. 2. In the “type and/or nature of assessment” column of the table, briefly describe the types of assessments that will be used (e.g., test with multiple choice questions, short answer questions, quickwrite, observations of student performance, etc.) for the pre-­‐assessment, formative assessments, and post-­‐assessment. Consider student characteristics as you select and/or create assessments. 3. In the “adaptations” column, list the modifications that you will need to make in each assessment to enable all students, including your atypical focus students to represent what they know and/or have learned. Table 3.1 Benchmark/Objectives Benchmark: 12.F.1a Objective 1: Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. Phases of Assessment Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment Benchmark: 12.C.1a 12.F.2b Objective 2: Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment Benchmark: 12.F.1a 12.F.2a Objective 3: (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. Benchmark: 12.E.1b Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment Pre-­‐assessment Type and/or Nature of the Assessment Assessment Adaptations * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which the students must draw a picture for each vocabulary word. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which students must fill in key words in sentences and then make connections from the text. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which students must fill in key words in sentences and then make connections from the text. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same 9
For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. Objective 4: Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Benchmark: 12.F.2c Objective 5: Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which students must fill in key words in sentences and then make connections from the text. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will guide my struggling student one on one with the activity. For my high achiever, I will offer him a special challenging constellation worksheet. Benchmark: 12.F.2a Objective 6: Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Benchmark: 12.F.1a Objective 7: Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment will consist of an activity in which students must make their own constellation and then name in. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which students must fill in key words in sentences and then make connections from the text. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will help measure my struggling student’s jump and help him to calculate the height of the jump on the Moon. For my advanced student, I will have him figure out the multiplication problems for the class. Benchmark: 12.F.3b Objective 8: Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment Benchmark: 12.F.3b Pre-­‐assessment * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment will consist of an activity in which the students will measure how high they can jump and then convert that number to see how high that would be on the Moon. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of a worksheet in which students must fill in key words in sentences and then make connections from the text. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will once again read the questions out loud as well as walk around to make sure each of my students understands. For my high achieving student, I will offer him a challenge worksheet. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same 10
Objective 9: Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment Benchmark: 12.F.3b 1.B.1d Objective 10: Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. Pre-­‐assessment Formative Assessments Post-­‐assessment * The formative assessment will consist of the students completing a Solar System book in which they must place facts about the planets in their book and then assemble it. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * Pre-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. * The formative assessment consists of each student reading a part in the reader’s theater and then writing one fact from the story. * Post-­‐assessment: composed of 20 multiple-­‐choice and true/false questions. time. For the formative assessment, I will assist my struggling student with cutting out the facts and figuring out which planet it belongs to. For my high achieving student, I will let him research one planet of his choice to add more information to his book of planets. For the pre and post test, I will read the questions to my struggling learner so that he can see it and hear it at the same time. For the formative assessment, I will go back through the mini story and help my struggling student find facts from the story. For my high achieving student, I will have him write a story about a trip to the moon when he is finished with his facts from the story. Task 3.2: Provide a rationale for the assessment plan (and) Task 3.3: Describe and include a copy of the pre-­‐ and post-­‐assessments for the unit. 1. Use the information in your plan for assessment in Task 3.1 to create the pre-­‐assessment. Guidelines for creating appropriate pre-­‐assessments, post-­‐assessments, and formative assessments: A. Items/questions/tasks included in the assessment should clearly address the objectives of the unit and the content/skills that you will teach. Objectives, assessment, and instruction must align. B. The number of items /tasks for each objective should be roughly equal and/or proportional. C. An item analysis should be conducted (both difficulty and discrimination indexes for each item). 2. Complete Table 3.2 to show how the pre-­‐assessment aligns with your instructional objectives. Table 3.2 Pre-­‐Assessment Analysis Learning Objectives Instrument P – Proportion of total items in the assessment Objective Objective Objective Objective Objective 1 2 3 4 5 P=10% P=5% P=15% P=10% P=10% 14,15 1 2,3,4 5,6 7,11 Specific items # of items 2 1 3 2 2 Total items = 20 Pre-­‐Assessment Analysis Learning Objectives Instrument P – Proportion of total items in the assessment Objective Objective Objective Objective Objective 6 7 8 9 10 P=15% P=5% P=10% P=10% P=10% 8,9,13 16 10,12 17,18 19,20 Specific items # of items 3 1 2 2 2 Total items = 20 3. Explain the qualities/characteristics of your pre-­‐assessment that indicates it is an accurate, consistent, 11
and fair evaluation of student learning. Information from Table 3.2 and the “guidelines for creating appropriate pre-­‐assessments, post-­‐assessments, and formative assessments” listed above can be used to develop this explanation. * My pre-­‐assessment is accurate, consistent, and fair because the questions on the assessment clearly address the objectives of the unit and the content that I will teach. My objectives, assessment and instruction all align which also shows that my pre-­‐assessment is a fair evaluation of student learning. For the most part the number of items for each objective is proportional. Therefore, this is a fair assessment for the students. 4. Include the answer key if a test or worksheet is used for the pre-­‐assessment. If an activity/task is used for the pre-­‐assessment, include it and the rubric that will be used to evaluate it. Include the criteria you will use to determine if the students’ performance for each objective (1) exceeds expectations, (2) meets expectations – adequate mastery of the objective, (3) does not meet expectations – did not achieve the objective, or (4) indicates significant weakness related to the objective. The following criteria could be used, but adapt as needed after consulting with your mentor teacher: 90% or above: student exceeded expectations for the objective. 80% to 89%: student met the objective. 79% to 62%: student did not meet the objective. 61% and below: student has a significant weakness in this content/skill. THE SAME CRITIERA MUST BE USED FOR THE FOCUS STUDENTS AND THE WHOLE CLASS. 5. Create the post-­‐assessment. In some cases, the pre-­‐assessment and the post-­‐assessment may be nearly identical. However, if the pre-­‐assessment indicates that most students have already mastered one or more of the unit objectives, you will need to revise your objectives and revise your post-­‐assessment. 6. Complete Table 3.3 to show how the post-­‐assessment aligns with your instructional objectives. If the post-­‐assessment and pre-­‐assessment are identical, you do not need to provide this information again. Simply indicate that the pre-­‐ and post-­‐assessments are identical. * The pre and post test were identical. 7. Explain the qualities/characteristics of your post-­‐assessment that indicates it is an accurate, consistent, and fair evaluation of student learning. Information from Table 3.3 and the “guidelines for creating appropriate pre-­‐assessments, post-­‐assessments, and formative assessments” listed above can be used to develop this explanation. If your post-­‐assessment and your pre-­‐assessment are identical, you do not need to provide this information again. Simply indicate that the pre-­‐ and post-­‐assessments are identical. * The pre and post test were identical. 8. Include the answer key if a test or worksheet is used for the post-­‐assessment. If an activity/task is used as the post-­‐assessment, include it and the rubric that will be used to evaluate it. Include the criteria you will use to determine if the students’ performance for each objective (1) exceeds expectations, (2) meets expectations – adequate mastery of the objective, (3) does not meet expectations – did not achieve the objective, or (4) indicates significant weakness related to the objective. The following criteria could be used, but adapt as needed after consulting with your mentor teacher: 90% or above: student exceeded expectations for the objective. 80% to 89%: student met the objective. 79% to 62%: student did not meet the objective. 61% and below: student has a significant weakness in this content/skill. 12
THE SAME CRITIERA MUST BE USED FOR THE FOCUS STUDENTS AND THE WHOLE CLASS. Task 3.4 YOU WILL CREATE AND PROVIDE A RATIONALE FOR THE FORMATIVE ASSESSESSMENTS AS YOU CREATE THE DAILY LESSON PLANS (See Teaching Process 4: Design for Instruction). Task 3.5 Provide a rationale for adaptations of assessments based on the individual needs of students. 1. Describe how the adaptation for the pre-­‐assessment will enable individual students to demonstrate what they know. * Reading the questions aloud will help the students comprehend the questions because they will both be hearing the questions and reading them. This will stimulate two sensory inputs, which will allow them to comprehend the questions better. Also, this allows them to hear words that they may have misread or misunderstood if they were just reading it by themselves. Also, if I walk around the room, I can make sure that the students are in the right spot and I can make sure they are on task throughout the test. 2. Describe how the adaptation for the formative assessments will enable individual students to demonstrate what they know. * Constantly helping my struggling student will keep him motivated and on task. Also, this will ensure that he does his work to his best ability. With me constantly walking around the room, I can make sure all students are on task and completing their work. This will also allow them to easily ask questions. Giving my high achieving student challenging work will keep him focused because he will have to think a little harder to complete the work. He will also learn more by being challenged. 3. Describe how the adaptation for the post-­‐assessments will enable individual students to demonstrate what they know. * Once again, reading the questions aloud will help the students comprehend the questions because they will both be hearing the questions and reading them. This will stimulate two sensory inputs, which will allow them to comprehend the questions better. Also, this allows them to hear words that they may have misread or misunderstood if they were just reading it by themselves. Also, if I walk around the room, I can make sure that the students are in the right spot and I can make sure they are on task throughout the test. TEACHING PROCESS 4: DESIGN FOR INSTRUCTION 13
Definition: Based upon previously identified benchmarks, objectives, and assessment(s), the teacher candidate designs a unit of instruction targeted at student needs and characteristics (including behaviors) specific to the learning context. Task 4.1: Present and discuss the results of the pre-­‐assessment(s). 1. Provide copies of the pre-­‐assessment(s) completed by each of the three focus students. Delete the students’ names from these copies. 2. Create a data analysis chart (see Table 4.1.1) that shows the individual results of the pre-­‐assessment for each of the three focus students. Indicate the number of correct items/total number of items or the number of points awarded/total number of points available for the assessment of each objective. Complete this for each objective for each focus student. Do not include the students’ names in the charts. Table 4.1.1 Student 1: Typical Student-­‐ Student E Phase of Objective 1 Assessment Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. Pre-­‐Assessment Phase of Assessment Pre-­‐Assessment 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 6 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 0/3 (significant weakness) Objective 2 Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. 1/1 (exceeded expectations) Objective 7 Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. 1/1 (exceeded expectations) Objective 3 (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 1/3 (significant weakness) Objective 8 Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. 0/2 (significant weakness) Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 1/2 (significant weakness) 1/2 (significant weakness) The following criteria could be used, but adapt as needed after consulting with your mentor teacher: 90% or above: student exceeded expectations for the objective. 80% to 89%: student met the objective. 79% to 62%: student did not meet the objective. 61% and below: student has a significant weakness in this content/skill. Student 2: Atypical Student-­‐ High Achieving Student, Student C 14
Phase of Assessment Pre-­‐Assessment Phase of Assessment Pre-­‐Assessment Objective 1 Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Objective 6 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 3/3 (exceeded expectations) Objective 2 Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. 1/1 (exceeded expectations) Objective 7 Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. Objective 3 (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 1/3 (significant weakness) Objective 8 Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. 0/1 (significant 2/2 (exceeded weakness) expectations) Student 3: Atypical Student-­‐ Low Achieving Student, Student C2 Phase of Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Assessment Students will Students will (1) Students will know that define the describe each time the Earth vocabulary words characteristics completes one rotation, needed for the of the Sun and one day has passed and unit. its importance that it takes 24 hours. (2) to the Earth. Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. Pre-­‐Assessment 1/2 (significant 1/1 (exceeded 1/3 (significant weakness) weakness) expectations) Phase of Objective 6 Objective 7 Objective 8 Assessment Students will know Students will Students will know that that the Moon apply basic stars and planets are moves around the math concepts always in the sky. Earth, the Earth to figure out moves around the how high they Sun, and the Moon could jump on is visible when it the Moon. reflects the light from the Sun. Pre-­‐Assessment 1/3 (significant 0/1 (significant 1/2 (significant weakness) weakness) weakness) Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 0/2 (significant weakness) Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 0/2 (significant weakness) 0/2 (significant weakness) 15
3. Discuss what you learned from the pre-­‐assessment data about the current level of mastery of the knowledge/skills identified in each objective for each of the three focus students. * After analyzing the pre-­‐assessments, I noticed that overall, my high achieving student is as expected high achieving. He got one of the best grades in the class. My other two focus students got a low score, which was also expected. Student C, my high achieving student, exceeded expectations on objectives 1, 2, 5, 6, 8-­‐10. He showed significant weakness on objectives 3, 4, 7. Student E, my average achieving student needs help with objectives 1, 3-­‐6, and 8-­‐10 in which she showed significant weakness. She exceeded expectations in objectives 2 and 7. Student C2 who is my low achieving student showed significant weakness on objectives 1, and 3-­‐10. He exceeded expectations on objective 2. 4. Discuss what the pre-­‐assessment data indicate about the prior knowledge/skills, patterns of errors, and misconceptions of each of the three focus students. This requires an in-­‐depth analysis of the specific responses each student provided. * The pre-­‐assessments showed me that these students don’t know much about the solar system. With the exception of my high achieving student, they had very little background knowledge of space science. I noticed that most students and two of my focus students didn’t know that the Sun was a star. Also, I noticed that it was common for the students to have no idea what causes day and night. In addition, I observed that they had a misconception that the Sun only shined during the day. Finally, I noticed that the students didn’t know why we have seasons, therefore missing that question the most. All three of my focus students missed these questions on the pre-­‐assessment. 5. Tally the pre-­‐assessment scores for the whole class (including the three focus students) using the table below. 4.1.2 Student Data Tally of scores (Adjust the % as indicated by the information you provided in Task 3.1) Pre-­‐test # of students scoring # of students # of students # of students 90% or above scoring 89% -­‐80% scoring 79% -­‐ 62% scoring 61% and (exceeded expectations (met the objective) (did not meet the below (indicates for the objective) objective) significant weakness) Objective #1 8 12 Objective #2 16 4 Objective #3 3 17 Objective #4 6 14 Objective #5 8 12 Objective #6 4 16 Objective #7 3 17 Objective #8 8 12 Objective #9 14 6 Objective #10 7 13 6. Total # of students 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Use the data from your tally chart (4.1.2) to create a data analysis chart (Table 4.1.3) that shows the results of the pre-­‐assessment for the entire class (including the three focus students). 16
Table 4.1.3 Whole Class Data Analysis Phase of Objective 2 Assessment Objective 1 Pre-­‐
Assessment Phase of Assessment Pre-­‐
Assessment Objective 3 Objective 4 Objective 5 (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 3/20 or 15% exceeded 17/20 or 85% showed significant weakness Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 6/20 or 30% exceeded 14/20 or 70% showed significant weakness 8/20 or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. 8/20 or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness 16/20 or 80% exceeded 4/20 or 20% showed significant weakness Objective 6 Objective 7 Objective 8 Objective 9 Objective 10 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 4/20 or 20% exceeded 16/20 or 80% showed significant weakness Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 3/20 or 15% exceeded 17/20 or 85% showed significant weakness 8/20or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness 14/20 or 70% exceeded 6/20 or 30% showed significant weakness 7/20 or 35% exceeded 13/20 or 65% showed significant weakness 7. Discuss what you learned from the pre-­‐assessment data about the current level of mastery of the knowledge/skills identified in each objective for the class as a whole. * After analyzing the scores of the pre-­‐assessment from the whole class, I noticed that objectives 2 and 9 had over 50% who exceeded expectations. Objectives 1, 3-­‐8, and 10 all showed significant weakness as a whole. I will make sure that I spend more time on those objectives for this is where the class as a whole needs the most help. 8. Discuss what the pre-­‐assessment data indicate about the prior knowledge/skills, patterns of errors, and misconceptions of the class as a whole. This requires an in-­‐depth analysis of the specific responses students provided. * The pre-­‐assessments showed me that these students as a whole don’t know much about the solar system. They have very little background knowledge of space science. I noticed that most students didn’t know that the Sun was a star. Also, I noticed that it was common for the students to have no idea what causes day and 17
night. In addition, I observed that they had a misconception that the Sun only shined during the day. Finally, I noticed that the students didn’t know why we have seasons, therefore missing that question the most. Task 4.2: Describe the instructional technologies you plan to use in your unit. 1. Identify the specific instructional technologies that you will use during the implementation of the unit. * We don’t have access to much technology at my school. However, I will be incorporating technology, just not in the form of computers. We will be using models to depict Moon phases so that it provides a real life experience for the kids. Also, they will be creating their own life size model of the solar system to demonstrate the order of the planets and their size ratio. Also, I used the computer to find hands on activities for the students to do while learning. 2. Discuss how the use of these instructional technologies has the potential to positively impact student learning. * These instructional technologies have the potential to positively impact student learning because learning hands on has a much bigger impact than just learning from the book. Having real models to see the science concepts instead of just reading about them will help the students to apply and remember the information easily. Task 4.3: Create Lesson Plans 1. Using what you have learned about students’ strengths and weaknesses from the pre-­‐assessment data, create at least ten consecutive lesson plans. Days use to administer pre-­‐ and post-­‐assessments cannot be used to fulfill this requirement for ten lesson plans. At least one lesson should integrate skills/concepts from at least two content areas. 2. Include the following components in each lesson plan A. Daily objective(s) (Stated in Task 2.2) B. Materials needed for the lesson C. Instructional technology used in the lesson D. Techniques that will be used to address student behaviors that may negatively impact student learning. E. Sequential instructional procedures that will enable students to achieve the objectives. Include the processes/questions you will use to check for understanding and promote critical and creative thinking. F. Procedures you will use during the lesson to accommodate the needs of students who may struggle to learn, who speak English as their second language, who may grasp the content quickly, or who may have a disability that affects this particular lesson. Minimally, these accommodations must address the needs of the two atypical focus students. Include the procedures needed during the delivery of the lesson as well as the accommodations you will make during independent practice. These procedures should be inserted in the sequential instructional procedures (E) at the point they will be used. G. Classroom management procedures that will be used to ensure that the lesson proceeds smoothly, efficiently and without confusion. These procedures should be inserted in the sequential instructional procedures (E) at the point they will be used. H. Formative assessment used to measure students’ achievement of the lesson of the objective(s). 18
I. Rationale for the formative assessment. (Explain the qualities/characteristics of the formative assessment that indicates it is an accurate, consistent, and fair evaluation of student learning. Information included in the “guidelines for creating appropriate pre-­‐assessments, post-­‐assessments, and formative assessments” on page 4 can be used to develop this explanation.) J. Complete the daily reflection and include a copy with each lesson plan in this section. Information that must be included in each daily reflection is included in Process 5. The formative data discussed in Task 5.3 and Task 5.4 does not need to be included with each daily reflection . This data only needs to be included in the charts presented in Process 6. K. Insert a copy of the “formative assessment” completed by each focus student during this lesson. Task 4.4: Discuss how the contextual information and pre-­‐assessment data were used to select appropriate activities, assignments, and resources. 1. Identify any relevant community, district, school, and /or classroom factors discussed in Teaching Process 1 that you considered when designing the lesson plans. Discuss how these factors influenced your selection of activities, assignments, and resources. * I took into the consideration the variety of achievement levels in my class when determining the activities and lesson to do. Also, I took into consideration that most of these students have little or no background in space science. I kept all that in my mind while creating my lessons, activities, and assessments. 2. What information about students’ characteristics, needs, and developmental levels (Teaching Process I) did you consider as you created the lesson plans for this unit? Discuss how this information influenced your selection of activities, assignments, and resources. * When creating my activities and assessments, I took into consideration the wide variety of achievement levels I had in my class. I made sure my information wasn’t too far above their heads but that it challenged them some. I made accommodations for my lower achieving students and extension activities for my high achieving students. 3. Discuss how you used the pre-­‐assessment data to make decisions about the activities, assignments, and resources for this unit. * After looking at the pre assessment, I decided which lessons I needed to spend more time on and which lessons I could spend less time on. Also, I used the data to figure out which objectives I needed a good activity for to reinforce the concepts and which I could do without. Task 4.5: Provide a rationale for your instructional design. 1. How does this unit reflect what you know about specific theories of how students best learn? Discuss what you know about children and their learning and development and what you know about best practice in the content area(s) you are teaching. Use specific examples from lesson plans as evidence. * This unit reflects what I know about specific theories of how students learn best by including a variety of hands on lessons and activities. Children learn best through hands on experiences, which is provided for them in this unit. For example, one of my lessons has students learning about the different gravitational pull on the Moon and so we did Moon jumping in which we measured their jump on Earth, multiplied it by six and then saw how high they would be able to jump on the Moon. Also, we did an activity in which they got to make solar system models out of foam balls. All of these, and more are activities in which they got the students active and engaged in their learning. 2. Discuss the cognitive processes that students will use during this unit, such as critical thinking, problem solving, decision-­‐making, drawing conclusions, creative thinking, etc. Which activities and/or teaching strategies in your lesson plans require students to use each of these processes? 19
* Students had to use problem solving in lesson 1 because they were given some of the vocabulary words from the unit and they had to figure out where to find the answers. We then went over how to use the index and glossary. In lesson 5, students had to use creative thinking to come up with their own constellation and draw it. Then they had to name in and describe it. In lesson 7, they had to apply concepts of jumping on Earth to jumping on the Moon. Once we did the calculations, they had to see what item they would be able to jump over if they could jump as high here, as they could on the Moon. 3. Which specific instructional activities in this unit are most likely to promote active engagement in learning? Why or how do you think these activities will promote active engagement? * In lesson 7 students got to get their jump on Earth measured to see how high they would be able to jump on the Moon. This got them up and out of their seats while being engaged in learning. Also, with lesson 9, students got to cut out planet facts and glue them to a planet sheet and then they assembled the planets into a book. This was a fun and interactive lesson that got students engaged while also learning about specific planet facts. 4. Which techniques, strategies, or activities in this unit best reflect your ability to create and implement instruction that is achievable, meaningful, motivating and, therefore, provide an opportunity for all students in your classroom to learn? * I believe all my activities reflect my ability to create and implement instruction that allows all students to learn. My activities are fun and interactive. They are interesting and enjoyable for students. They are short and meaningful and I have accommodations for both the low achieving students and the high achieving students, which allows all of my students to learn at whatever level they might be. 5. How does this unit reflect meaningful interdisciplinary instruction? In what ways will this unit integrate your primary content area with other curricular areas and help your students to see connections, generalize, and transfer knowledge to a variety of problem solving situations? * I was able to integrate both math and language arts into my science unit. This helps the students to see that all subjects are important and they are all connected. In my Moon jumping activity, students had to use measurement and multiplication to complete the activity. These are two very important skills to know. In my last lesson, we read a readers’ theater about the first man to walk on the Moon. This connected reading and comprehension into science as well. TEACHING PROCESS 5: INSTRUCTIONAL DECISION-­‐MAKING 20
Definition: The teacher candidate uses ongoing analysis of student learning and student behaviors based upon daily assessments to make instructional decisions. DAILY REFLECTION ON TEACHING AND ANALYSIS OF STUDENT LEARNING (INSERT AFTER EACH LESSON PLAN) Task 5.1: Describe the changes you made, if any, to each lesson while teaching it and provide a rationale for the changes you made. 1. Clearly describe any change you made to your lesson while teaching it. * In journals 2.
Discuss the specific data/evidence/observations that prompted you to make these changes. * In journals Task 5.2: Discuss the impact of the changes made during the lesson citing evidence or examples to support your assertion. 1. Discuss the impact of these changes on student learning for each of the three focus students as well as the whole class . Be sure to identify the evidence on which you base your claim(s). * In journals Task 5.3: Describe any changes you need to make for the class as a whole in the next lesson in the unit and provide a rationale for the changes you intend to make. 1. Calculate the formative assessment data for the whole class using the “Student Data Tally” (see Table 6.1.2) and then add this data to the “whole class” data analysis chart (Table 6.1.3) in Teaching Process 6 (see pp. 12-­‐13). 2. What does the formative assessment data from this lesson indicate about the achievement of the lesson objectives for the class as a whole? Draw conclusions about why you think the class as a whole was successful or may have struggled with specific objective(s). * In journals 3. Based on the results of the formative assessment for this lesson and your observations of students, describe any changes you will make in the next lesson for the whole class. Discuss why these changes are needed. * In journals Task 5.4: Describe any changes you need to make for any of the focus students and provide a rationale for the changes you intend to make. 1. Add the formative assessment data to the data analysis chart for each focus student (Table 6.1.1) in Teaching Process 6 (see pp. 11-­‐12). 2. What does the formative assessment data from this lesson indicate about the achievement of the lesson objectives for each of the three focus students? Draw conclusions about why you think each of the focus students was successful or may have struggled with specific objective(s). * In journals 3. Were the planned modifications for each of the atypical focus students effective? Why or why not? 21
* In journals 4. Based on the results of the formative assessment, describe any changes you will make in your next lesson for any of the focus students. Discuss why these changes are needed. * In journals TEACHING PROCESS 6: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF STUDENT LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE 22
Definition: The teacher candidate uses assessment data collected from all students in the class to analyze student learning and performance and communicate this information about student progress and achievement. Task 6.1: Describe the results of the post-­‐assessment. 1. Provide copies of each post-­‐assessment completed by each focus student. 2. Add the post-­‐assessment data to the data analysis charts (6.1.1) for each of the three focus group students. 3. Calculate the growth of each focus group student by comparing the pre-­‐assessment and post-­‐assessment data. Record this information in the charts (6.1.1). Please note: The pre-­‐assessment section of each chart below was completed in Task 4.1. Simply copy those charts and add rows for the formative and post-­‐assessment data. Table 6.1.1. Student 1: Typical Student-­‐ Student E Phase of Assessment Objective 1 Students will define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. 1/2 (significant weakness) 1/1 (exceeded expectations) Objective 3 (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 1/3 (significant weakness) Formative Assessment 7/7 Post-­‐Assessment 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 7/7 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 6/6 2/3 (did not meet expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Growth Phase of Assessment 0% Objective 7 Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. 33% Objective 8 Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. 50% Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 0/2 (significant weakness) 1/2 (significant weakness) 10/10 3/5 10/10 Pre-­‐Assessment Pre-­‐Assessment 50% Objective 6 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 0/3 (significant weakness) Formative Assessment 6/6 Objective 2 Students will describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 1/2 (significant weakness) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 50% Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 1/2 (significant weakness) 5/5 23
Post-­‐Assessment 3/3 (exceeded expectations) 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Growth 100% 0% 100% Total Test Pre-­‐Assessment 8/20 or 40% Post-­‐Assessment 19/20 or 95% Growth 55% increase Student 2: Atypical Student-­‐ High Achieving, Student C Phase of Assessment Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Students will Students will (1) Students will know define the describe that each time the Earth vocabulary words characteristics of completes one rotation, needed for the the Sun and its one day has passed and unit. importance to the that it takes 24 hours. Earth. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. Pre-­‐Assessment 2/2 (exceeded 1/1 (exceeded 1/3 (significant expectations) expectations) weakness) 50% Formative Assessment 7/7 Post-­‐Assessment 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 7/7 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 6/6 3/3 (exceeded expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Growth Phase of Assessment 0% Objective 7 Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. 67% Objective 8 Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. 50% Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 0/1 (significant weakness) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Formative Assessment 6/6 Post-­‐Assessment 3/3 (exceeded expectations) 10/10 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 10/10 2/2 (exceeded expectations) Growth Total Test Pre-­‐Assessment 100% 0% 0% Pre-­‐Assessment 0% Objective 6 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 3/3 (exceeded expectations) 0% Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 1/2 (significant weakness) 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 50% Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 0% Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 0% 16/20 24
Post-­‐Assessment 20/20 Growth 20% increase Student 3: Atypical Student-­‐ Low Achieving, Student C2 Phase of Assessment Objective 1 Objective 2 Students will Students will define the describe vocabulary words characteristics of needed for the the Sun and its unit. importance to the Earth. 1/2 (significant weakness) 1/1 (exceeded expectations) Objective 3 (1) Students will know that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 1/3 (significant weakness) Formative Assessment 6/7 Post-­‐Assessment 1/2 (significant weakness) 6/7 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 6/6 1/3 (significant weakness) 3/5 1/2 (significant weakness) Growth Phase of Assessment 0% Objective 7 Students will apply basic math concepts to figure out how high they could jump on the Moon. 0% Objective 8 Students will know that stars and planets are always in the sky. 0% Objective 9 Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. 0/1 (significant weakness) 1/2 (significant weakness) 0/2 (significant weakness) 10/10 1/1 (exceeded expectations) 5/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 10/10 1/2 (significant weakness) Pre-­‐Assessment Pre-­‐Assessment 0% Objective 6 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 1/3 (significant weakness) Formative Assessment 6/6 Post-­‐Assessment 3/3 (exceeded expectations) Objective 4 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. 1/2 (significant weakness) Objective 5 Students will be able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 0/2 (significant weakness) 5/5 1/2 (significant weakness)) 50% Objective 10 Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 0/2 (significant weakness) 4/5 2/2 (exceeded expectations) 100% Growth 67% 100% 100% 50% Total Test Pre-­‐Assessment 6/20 Post-­‐Assessment 14/20 Growth 40% increase 4. Based on the post-­‐assessment data, for which objective(s) was each of the focus group students most successful? * My high achieving student was most successful with objectives 3 and 7. For objective 3, he showed a 67% growth and for objective 7, he showed a 100% growth. 25
* My average achieving student was most successful with objectives 6 and 8. She showed 100% improvement on these two objectives. * For my low achieving student, he was most successful at objectives 6, 7, 8, and 10. For objective 6, he showed 67% growth and for objectives 7, 8, and 10, he showed 100% growth. 5. Based on the post-­‐assessment data, for which objective(s) was each of the focus group students least successful? * My high achieving student was least successful on objective four in which he only showed a 50% growth. * My average achieving student only had a 50% growth on objectives 1, 4, 5, 9, and 10. She also had a weakness on objective 3 where she only had a 33% growth. * My low achieving student was least successful on objectives 1, 3, and 4 where he showed no growth. Also, he wasn’t as successful on objectives 5 and 9 where he showed only a 50% growth. 6. What modifications/adaptations were most helpful for each of the atypical students? * For my high achieving student, having him do extra research or help those around him seemed to work the best. Also, I had a special space encyclopedia for him to read which he thoroughly enjoyed. For my low achieving student, reading directions out loud and walking him through the directions and or steps seemed to work best for him. 7. Tally the post-­‐assessment scores for the whole class (including the three focus students) using the table below. Table 6.1.2 Student Data Tally Formative Assessments Objective #1 14 Objective #2 18 Objective #3 18 Objective #4 17 Objective #5 20 Objective #6 17 Objective #7 20 Objective #8 17 Objective #9 20 Objective #10 17 Post Test Objective #1 10 Objective #2 16 Objective #3 18 Objective #4 17 Objective #5 16 Objective #6 18 Objective #7 19 Objective #8 19 Objective #9 19 Objective #10 20 8. 4 1 1 1 3 2 1 3 1 3 2 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 10 4 2 3 4 2 1 1 1 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Add the post-­‐assessment data from your tally chart (6.1.2) to the data analysis chart (Table 6.1.3). Table 6.1.3 Whole Class Data Analysis Phase of Assessment Objective 1 Objective 2 Students will Students will Objective 3 Objective 4 Objective 5 (1) Students will know Students will know Students will be 26
define the vocabulary words needed for the unit. describe characteristics of the Sun and its importance to the Earth. Pre-­‐Assessment 8/20 or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness Formative Assessment 14/20 or 70% exceeded 4/20 or 20% met 2/20 or 10% did not meet 16/20 or 80% exceeded 4/20 or 20% showed significant weakness 18/20 or 90% exceeded 1/20 or 5% met 1/20 or 5% did not meet Post-­‐Assessment 10/20 or 50% exceeded 10/20 or 50% showed significant weakness Growth Phase of Assessment that each time the Earth completes one rotation, one day has passed and that it takes 24 hours. (2) Students will know that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth every 24 hours. 3/20 or 15% exceeded 17/20 or 85% showed significant weakness that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. able to describe objects that are visible in the night sky. 6/20 or 30% exceeded 14/20 or 70% showed significant weakness 8/20 or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness 18/20 or 90% exceeded 1/20 or 5% met 1/20 or 5% showed significant weakness 17/20 or 85% exceeded 3/20 or 15% did not meet 20/20 or 100% exceeded 16/20 or 80% exceeded 4/20 or 20% showed significant weakness 18/20 or 90% exceeded 2/20 or 10% showed significant weakness 17/20 or 85% exceeded 3/20 or 15% showed significant weakness 16/20 or 80% exceeded 4/20 or 20% showed significant weakness 2/20 or 10% increase in the number who exceeded; 2/20 or 10% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 0/20 or 0% increase in the number who exceeded; 0/20 or 0% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 15/20 or 75% increase in the number who exceeded; 15/20 or 75% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 11/20 or 55% increase in the number who exceeded; 11/20 or 55% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 8/20 or 40% increase in the number who exceeded; 8/20 or 40% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness Objective 6 Objective 7 Objective 8 Objective 9 Objective 10 Students will know that the Moon moves around the Earth, the Earth moves around the Sun, and the Moon is visible when it reflects the light from the Sun. Students will Students will know that apply basic math stars and planets are concepts to figure always in the sky. out how high they could jump on the Moon. Students will know the different planets and the order of the planets. Students will read with fluency to find out who the first person to land on the Moon was. 27
Pre-­‐Assessment 4/20 or 20% exceeded 16/20 or 80% showed significant weakness 3/20 or 15% exceeded 17/20 or 85% showed significant weakness 8/20or 40% exceeded 12/20 or 60% showed significant weakness 14/20 or 70% exceeded 6/20 or 30% showed significant weakness 7/20 or 35% exceeded 13/20 or 65% showed significant weakness Formative Assessment 17/20 or 85% exceeded 3/20 or 15% showed significant weakness 20/20 or 100% exceeded 17/20 or 85% exceeded 1/20 or 5% met 2/20 or 10% showed significant weakness 20/20 or 100% exceeded 17/20 or 85% exceeded 3/20 or 15% met Post-­‐Assessment 18/20 or 90% exceeded 2/20 or 10% showed significant weakness 19/20 or 95% exceeded 1/20 or 5% showed significant weakness 19/20 or 95% exceeded 1/20 or 5% showed significant weakness 19/20 or 95% exceeded 1/20 or 5% showed significant weakness 20/20 or 100% exceeded Growth 14/20 or 70% increase in the number who exceeded; 14/20 or 70% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 16/20 or 80% increase in the number who exceeded; 16/20 or 80% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 11/20 or 55% increase in the number who exceeded; 11/20 or 55% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 5/20 or 25% increase in the number who exceeded; 5/20 or 25% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 13/20 or 65% increase in the number who exceeded; 13/20 or 65% decrease in the number who showed significant weakness 9. Calculate the growth for the whole class by comparing the pre-­‐assessment and post-­‐assessment data. Record this information in the data analysis chart (6.1.3). 10. Based on the post-­‐assessment data, for which objective(s) was the class as a whole most successful? * The class as a whole was most successful with objectives 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10. There was a 75%, 55%, 70%, 80%, 55%, and a 65% increase respectively. 11. Based on the post-­‐assessment data, for which objective(s) was the class as a whole least successful? * The class as a whole was least successful with objectives 1 and 9. There was only a 10% and a 25% increase respectively. Task 6.2: Analyze all student data to explain progress and achievement toward lesson objectives and ILS benchmarks. 28
1. Summarize, in narrative form, the post-­‐assessment data for each of the three focus students. Be sure to discuss each objective. * My high achieving student had an overall growth of 20%. After analyzing the post assessment data, I was able to break it down into growth per objective. For objective 1, he showed no growth. He got a 2/2 on the pre and post assessments. For objective 2, he also showed no growth because he got them all right for the pre and post assessments. For objective 3, he showed 67% growth. He went from a 1/3 to a 3/3. For objective 4, he showed 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 5 he showed no growth because he got a 2/2 on both the pre and post assessments. For objective 6 he showed no growth getting them all right for both the pre and post assessments. For objective 7, he showed 100% growth going from a 0/1 to a 1/1. For objectives 8, 9, and 10 he showed no growth getting them all right for the pre and post assessments. * My average achieving student had an overall growth of 55%. After analyzing the post assessment data, I was able to break it down into growth per objective. For objective 1, she showed a 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 2, she showed no growth because she got them all right for the pre and post assessments. For objective 3, she showed 33% growth. She went from a 1/3 to a 2/3. For objective 4, she showed 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 5 she showed a 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 6 she showed a 100% growth going from a 0/3 to a 3/3. For objective 7, she showed no growth because she got them all right on both the pre and post assessment. For objective 8, she showed 100% growth going from a 0/2 to a 2/2. For objective 9, she showed a 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 10, she showed a 50% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. * My low achieving student had an overall growth of 40%. After analyzing the post assessment data, I was able to break it down into growth per objective. For objective 1, he showed no growth because he got a 1/2 for both the pre and post assessments. For objective 2, he showed no growth because he got them all right on the pre and post assessments. For objective 3, he showed no growth staying at a 1/3 for both the pre and post assessments. For objective 4, he showed no growth staying at a 1/2 for both the pre and post assessments. For objective 5, he showed 50% growth going from a 0/2 to a 1/2. For objective 6, he showed 67% growth going from a 1/3 to a 3/3. For objective 7, he showed a 100% growth going from a 0/1 to a 1/1. For objective 8, he showed 100% growth going from a 1/2 to a 2/2. For objective 9, he showed a 50% growth going from a 0/2 to a 1/2. For objective 10, he showed a 100% growth going from a 0/2 to a 2/2. 2. Summarize, in narrative form, the post-­‐assessment data for the whole class. Be sure to discuss each objective. * Overall, the post assessments looked much better than the pre assessments. For objective 1, 10/20 exceeded and 10/20 showed significant weakness. For objectives 2 and 5, 16/20 exceeded and 4/20 showed significant weakness. For objectives 3 and 6, 18/20 exceeded and 2/20 showed significant weakness. For objective 4, 17/20 exceeded and 3/20 showed significant weakness. For objectives 7, 8, and 9, 19/20 exceeded and 1/20 showed significant weakness. 3. Analyze and evaluate the growth data for each of the three focus students. Be sure to discuss each objective. * My average student showed an overall growth of 55%. She showed a 50% growth on objective 1, 0% growth on objective 2, 33% growth on objective 3, 50% growth on objective 4, 50% growth on objective 5, 100% growth on objective 6, 0% growth on objective 7, 100% growth on objective 8, 50% growth on objective 9 and a 50% growth on objective 10. She got an 8/20 on the pre assessment and a 19/20 on the post assessment. * My high achieving student showed an overall growth of 20%. He showed a 0% growth on objective 1, 0% growth on objective 2, 67% growth on objective 3, 50% growth on objective 4, 0% growth on objective 5, 0% growth on objective 6, 100% growth on objective 7, 0% growth on objective 8, 0% growth on objective 9 and a 0% growth on objective 10. He got a 16/20 on the pre assessment and a 20/20 on the post assessment. * My low achieving student showed an overall growth of 40%. He showed a 0% growth on objective 1, 0% growth on objective 2, 0% growth on objective 3, 0% growth on objective 4, 50% growth on objective 5, 67% 29
3.
growth on objective 6, 100% growth on objective 7, 100% growth on objective 8, 50% growth on objective 9 and a 100% growth on objective 10. He got a 6/20 on the pre assessment and a 14/20 on the post assessment. Analyze and evaluate the growth data for the class as a whole. Be sure to discuss each objective. * Overall, the class did a great job with this unit. Students showed significant growth throughout. For objective 1, the class showed a 10% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 2, students showed 0% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 3, students showed a 75% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 4, students showed a 55% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 5, students showed a 40% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 6, students showed a 70% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 7, students showed an 80% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 8, students showed a 55% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 9, students showed a 25% increase in the number who exceeded. For objective 10, students showed a 65% increase in the number who exceeded. Task 6.3: Provide an interpretation of the data and discuss implications. 1. What does the post-­‐assessment data indicate about the learning and performance of each of the three focus students? * My typical student did great on this unit. She received a 19/20 on the post assessment showing me that she understood the unit and is knowledgeable about the solar system. She achieved each objective by the post assessment. She is more than ready to move on to the next topic in science and would be capable of entering 3rd grade space science curriculum. My high achieving student is the same way. He received a 20/20 on the post assessment and could easily move on to another science topic or 3rd grade space science curriculum. My low achieving student received a 14/20 on his post assessment, which shows me he still struggles in some areas. I would want to work with him one on one before starting something new with him because he would benefit from further instruction on some of the more complex topics. 2. What does the post-­‐assessment data indicate about the learning and performance of the class as a whole? * As a whole, the class did amazing with the post assessment. They are ready to move on and learn about more science topics. I think they are even ready to go into more detail about some of the space topics. They did really well with this unit. 4. Based on these conclusions, what should you do differently if you teach this unit again? * Honestly, if I were to do this unit again, I really don’t think I would change anything. Given the materials, time and help I had, I did the best I could. I thought the class did great and they really enjoyed learning about space. TEACHING PROCESS 7: REFLECTION AND SELF-­‐EVALUATION Definition: The teacher candidate reflects on his or her instruction and student learning to improve his or her teaching. Task 7.1: Discuss your implementation of this unit in terms of its impact on student learning in light of the major schools of thought that you previously discussed under contextual factors. 1. Briefly summarize the unit you taught in terms of (1) student characteristics considered, (2) content, (3) objectives, and (4) ILS benchmarks. 30
* I taught a 2nd grade unit on the solar system. I took into consideration many student characteristics such as attention issues, behavior problems, and academic levels. My students were all at different levels so I made sure that each activity I did was tailored to meet each students needs. The content was 2nd grade material in which all students could understand. They learned about the Sun, the Moon, the planets and everything in between. My objectives were clean and concise and were easily attainable for each student. Finally, I made sure that each of my objectives aligned with one or more of the Illinois Learning Standards so I made sure my students were learning exactly what they were supposed to be learning. 2. How effectively were you able to utilize your pre-­‐assessment and formative assessment data from the three focus students and the whole class to provide appropriate instruction and activities? * I was able to use the pre assessment data to make my lessons. After giving the pre assessment, I knew where the students needed more help and where they needed less help. This helped me when I decided which activities to do daily and which formative assessments to give. I was able to use the formative daily assessments to decide whether or not I should review the next day before starting a new lesson or not. This was very useful because then I could easily see where the students were struggling. 3. Discuss successes and challenges your students experienced during this unit and the role your teaching skills (content knowledge, strategies used, behavior management approach, etc.) played in the students’ learning. Please provide specific examples. * Students experienced both ups and downs in this unit. Some lessons were easier and some were harder. The students really struggled with the concepts of the Earth’s tilt and seasons. This was when I found a cool, catchy song online to help them remember that the Earth’s tilt causes the seasons to change. On the other hand, students loved shouting out the Moon phases with the Moon model I brought in. So throughout the unit there were both challenges and successes, but overall they did an amazing job.
4. Given your experience, describe and discuss any general insights into the nature of student learning and motivation processes you have gained that will make you a better teacher. * I learned throughout the unit, that students loved to be involved and they love to actively learn! Also, students need to be randomly called on because this ensures that each student have a fair chance at answering questions. Also, candy is a great motivator! I realized that any lesson that involved candy always turned out to be better than those that didn’t have some sort of external motivation. Task 7.2: Discuss what you learned about yourself as a teacher. 1. Briefly describe what you learned about your teaching/leadership style, ability to manage the classroom, organize classroom routines, and student behavior during your experience. * I learned that teaching could be very difficult. Sometimes lesson don’t go according to plan and as a teacher you have to be able to make very quick decisions on what to do if a lesson isn’t going well. I feel like I have a good teaching style and this can be seen in the improvement of the students. Everyday I would review first before starting a new lesson. Also, I got the students involved as much as possible. They were up at the chalkboard and they were constantly doing activities at their desks. Also, I created a very welcoming and comfortable environment so they were not afraid to ask questions. Routines are so important because without them the classroom will be complete chaos. These students were very good with following the rules and following the procedures of the day. Had the teacher not put those in place the first day of class, things would have been totally different. The behavior of students in my class was a challenge, but I know that is a factor in teaching and being able to deal with that is key. As a teacher you must be able to handle any behavior problems that may come your way. 2. What did you discover to be your greatest strength(s) as a teacher? Provide specific examples. 31
* I feel like I have several strengths as a teacher. I am very comfortable in front of the students. I can act natural and have fun with them and I don’t have to be nervous or worried. Also, I am very comfortable with technology. In addition, I feel like I have an adequate background knowledge, which helps me to be confident while teaching. I love the solar system and I enjoy science, therefore I have the ability to teach it well. 3. What did you discover about yourself as a teacher that you still need to improve? * Obviously no teacher is perfect. There are some things that I still need to improve on. One of those is time management. When you are only given a certain amount of time, it is hard to really do everything that you want to. Another thing is that I need to use a system such as the frog cup where I draw names and randomly call on students so that I can make sure each student is following along and understands. 5.
Now that you have completed this experience with the WTWS, what have you learned about your commitment to do what it takes to become an effective teacher? * It takes a lot of time and preparation. Teaching is not a job in which you can just slack off. Throughout the whole experience and work sample, I learned that you must be patient, be concise, and plan ahead. Teaching is a lot of work regardless of what anyone may say and lessons need to be made in advance so that all materials are ready for the next day. Also, you must be prepared in case you get sick and have a sub. Task 7.3: Reflect on possibilities for your own professional development. 1. How can you best use your strengths as a teacher to maximize the positive impact you will have on student learning? * I will use my strengths to create the best lessons in order for students to learn. I will use my organization and classroom management skills to maintain a calm and positive working classroom. Also, I will use my strengths to promote success and a fun learning environment so that students are comfortable and welcomed. 2. Having identified the areas of your teaching most in need of improvement, discuss what you will do to strengthen and cultivate needed improvement. Be specific. * One area in which I need to show improvement on is time management. I feel this can be achieved through more experience and careful planning. There are always more activities I want to get done, but with time restraints cannot get them done. I can work on this weakness by picking the best activities and just sticking to those. Then if I get extra time somewhere I can throw in another fun activity. 3. In what ways do you intend to insure your continual development as a teaching professional in order to be prepared to positively impact student learning? Be specific. * To insure my continual development as a teaching professional, I will continually work on professional development by attending conferences when possible. Also, I plan to attend graduate school so that I can further my knowledge of how students learn and how I can teach them better. I will always look for ways to improve my teaching skills and methods to better those students I will have in the future. 32