Professional Ed. Reflection
Angela Rossi
The Professional Education courses have afforded me many opportunities to develop my
skills and abilities and to help frame my thinking in directions that will enable me to be an
effective educator. In Learning to Teach, it is stated, to be effective tomorrow’s teachers must
be able to create classroom learning communities that are democratic and socially just and
where high expectations are held for all students. (Arends 2009) The combination of classes and
projects I have completed have instilled in me the knowledge and tools I will need to create
these democratic, socially just environments where students can attain the high expectations
held for them. As I moved through the courses I gained invaluable insight and experience
which helped form me into a well-rounded and nurturing future educator. It is from this bank of
experiences that I have chosen four artifacts that I feel demonstrate specific areas of aptitude
and strength.
The first artifact I would like to highlight is my Colonial America Unit Plan. The Colonial
American Unit Plan was developed in my Instructional Design course and was a collaborative
effort in which I worked closely with a peer to incorporate the numerous web 2.0 tools we
learned throughout the course into an interactive, web based unit. In Instructional Design I
learned students will be entering school with a greater, more advanced understanding of
technology and it is our responsibility, as educators, to keep students engaged by incorporating
this technology into their daily classroom experiences. This is also stated in a.3.g- The effective
educator applies varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate
technology, to provide comprehensible instruction, and to teach for student understanding.
The web 2.0 tools I was introduced to in Instructional Design will enable me to effectively apply
these varied instructional strategies and include appropriate technology to deliver engaging
and challenging lessons. a.3.a
We developed our second grade, Colonial American Unit to be engaging and challenging and
to give students a foundational understanding of American history as well as to increase their
technology and language arts skills. Using carefully selected standards and benchmarks we
developed an outline, objectives, and activities that would first engage students in an
interactive fact finding mission to learn the historical content associated with Colonial America.
Next, the students used links provided in a webquest to research what life was like in colonial
times, specifically focusing on clothing, food, school, games, and chores. Finally, the students
integrated all the information learned by creating an electronic journal which they wrote
through the use of Storybird, a web 2.0 tool. The students intertwined their language arts skills
with the Colonial American history content to produce a story depicting a week in the life of a
student in colonial times. Our unit’s instruction was carefully designed to ensure information
was given in stages. Students could then successfully complete each stage before moving
forward and final mastery was achieved as they completed the final story writing step, which
tied the whole unit together. This is evidence of my ability to a.1.c design instruction for
students to achieve mastery.
Developing this unit strengthened my effectiveness as a teacher in several important ways: I
experienced the benefit of working collaboratively with my peers, I learned the skills necessary
to incorporate technology into my lesson plans, and I saw that I was able to take a typical paper
and pencil unit, combining history and language arts, and I could turn it into an engaging,
interactive, web based unit that would stimulate my students to a much greater degree.
The next artifact I would like to showcase is my Test Construction Project which I completed
for my Tests and Measurements course and I found to be very enlightening and challenging.
While I have taken numerous tests over the course of my life, this was my first opportunity to
think through and develop one. The experience gave me greater understanding of the process
necessary to develop an effective assessment that accurately measure student progress and
incorporates higher order thinking skills.
In completing this project I developed a summative test for a third grade social studies unit
on Communities Long Ago. I began by developing an outline detailing all the categories that
would be included on the test. Using my outline I then determined the general learning
outcomes and the specific learning outcomes, which helped me to focus on and clarify the most
relevant information. I developed my test questions based on my learning outcomes and
included multiple choice, true/false, matching, and short answer questions as well as a
restricted response essay and a performance based task. My test questions were developed in
conjunction with a table of specifications which listed the learning outcomes, the levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the test questions that corresponded to each level. Developing this
table helped me ensure the different domains of learning had been addressed and that
students would demonstrate a range of understanding including higher order thinking.
The final step in this project was completing the rubrics and checklists for the essay and
performance based task portion of the test. This step illuminated the importance of
determining students’ abilities to conceptualize the meaning of the material presented and
then their ability to apply the material in situations that would be new to them. As the essay
and performance based tasks synthesized all the information learned in the unit and
represented the higher order thinking skill of analysis, I was careful to prepare an accurate tool
to measure the students’ mastery of the information.
The Tests and Measurements course enlightened me to the numerous intricacies involved in
designing an effective assessment. I learned important details such as including clear and
concise directions, designing each item to measure a learning outcome, and detailed
instructions on how to write good multiple choice, matching, true/false, and supply item test
questions. Integrating all that I learned into completing the Test Construction Project highlights
my strengths in AP 4 Assessment as it pertains to a.4.b-Designs and aligns formative and
summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery as well as my
commitment to holding high expectations for all students.
My third artifact is my Classroom Management Vision project, where I found the combined
experience of participating in the daily activities of my Classroom Management course and then
synthesizing the information learned into my Classroom Management Vision to be invaluable in
terms of building my confidence and strengthening my ability to be an effective teacher. In the
book The First Days of School-How to be an Effective Teacher, Wong states classroom
management consists of the practices and procedures that a teacher uses to maintain an
environment in which instruction and learning can occur. (Wong 2009) It is through the
development of my Classroom management Vision that I identified key practices and
procedures I will incorporate to ensure my students are in an environment where instruction
and learning are occurring.
Developing my Vision began with a detailed description of the physical space of my
classroom. In creating a floor plan of my room I determined how I would arrange student
seating as well as an instructional area that allowed all students full visual access and freedom
of movement for myself. I strategically thought through each area of the room including center
areas and a quiet section designated for a peaceful library space. Placing this great emphasis on
the details of my room addresses my strengths regarding a.2.a-organizes, allocates, and
manages the resources of time, space, and attention.
I further developed my Classroom Management Vision by determining specific procedures
and plans I will proactively implement to ensure students know the daily routine and my
expectations for their conduct in my classroom. Detailed thought went into the collaborative
classroom rule determining process I will implement and the behavior management plan that
will coincide with it. My Classroom Management Vision includes attention to how I will foster a
sense of community and mutual respect, which will encompass the democratic and socially just
environment needed for effective teaching. Plans are outlined for class meetings each morning
to inform students of the day’s activities as well as time at the end of each day to reflect on
what was learned. It will also be communicated that students can request a class meeting if
they feel something of importance needs to be addressed. Drawing from Alfie Kohn’s model, I
will strive to develop a sense of community by drawing students into meaningful decision
making and open communication. (
) My plan culminates with explanations of the
organized systems I will implement to manage student work and how special groups will be
handled in my classroom.
Wong also states that how you manage the classroom is the primary determinant of how
well your students will learn. (Wong 2009) I believe my Classroom Management Vision provides
clear indications that my future students will learn and thrive in the environment I will provide
for them. Additionally, my Vision is a strong example of my mastery of a.2.b-manages individual
and class behaviors through a well planned management system.
My final artifact is my Language Sample and it represents a culmination of learning and
growth in the field of speech and language development. Throughout the Language
Development and Speech Disabilities course I was exposed to in-depth instruction regarding the
stages children go through as they acquire language. Much detail was given to the major
theories of language development, the major features of language development form birth
through school aged years, and identifying common speech and language disorders affecting
children. I then synthesized this information as I analyzed a speech sample from a twenty-seven
month old girl.
To begin my Language Sample Project I obtained a language sample containing twenty-five
utterances and then I transcribed each utterance to determine the number of morphemes
within each utterance. Using the total number of morphemes I was able to determine where
the child was according to Brown’s stages of development. The language sample was further
analyzed in terms of phonology, syntax, pragmatics, and grammar. All this analyzed information
was then synthesized into a final assessment indicating the child’s language development
progress.
This artifact and the knowledge I gained in this class will prove invaluable as I enter the
classroom. My desire is to teach young children and having an intimate understanding of
speech and language development will allow me to evidence b.1.b-examine and use datainformed research to improve instruction and student achievement to better evaluate the
language development of my students and recognize potential areas of delay. Recognition of
these delays will allow me to get the student the needed intervention and remediation
necessary for their future academic success.
The four artifacts I have highlighted are a small sample of the broad array of growth and
development I have gained as a result of my Professional Education courses. The combined
experiences have heightened my awareness of what is necessary to be an effective teacher and
has equipped me with the skills, abilities, and tools I need to create that democratic, socially
just environment where students meet and exceed my high expectations.
References
? Ask Dr. Davis for Alfie Kohn information
Arends, R.I. (2009). Learning to teach (8th ed.).Boston, MA:McGraw-Hill.
Wong, K. T. (2009). The first days of school-how to be an effective teacher.Singapore: Harry K.
Wong Publications.