Artifact Reflection
Title: _Any Old Bag Speech in Speech Communications for Teachers_
Date Completed: _January 29, 2013__
Description:
We were to give a 3-5 minute speech on ourselves and why we are who we are today. After
completing this part of the assignment, we had to reflect and comment on our presentation ina typed
report. The objective of the assignment was to understand what we do well while presenting and what
we can improve on to become more efficient teachers.
Alignment Reflection:
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment
The assignment aligns with Standard 9 of the Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment, which
states, “The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices
and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively
seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.” By evaluating myself, my behavior, and how I would
come across to others, I addressed Standard 9. I found that while presenting, I do not portray the
confidence that should be found in a teacher. This would cause a problem in the classroom because
students have a tendency to not listen to teachers who do not appear confident about what they are
teaching. I realize I need to work on this and I can improve on this skill by a more thorough preparation,
rehearsing, and using stress techniques like taking a deep breath when I become unsure of my next
thought, This improvement will help me to become a more effective teacher.
UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment
This artifact best aligns with the UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition
Statement 4.a.; Reflects on Teaching, which articulates “The candidate makes an accurate and
thoughtful reflection of his/her teaching effectiveness, is aware of specific elements of his/her teaching
that contributed to successful instruction, and can offer alternative teacher action to predict the future
successes of alternate approaches.” With my assignment, I was told to reflect on what I did well and
what I needed to improve upon to become an effective teacher. I used many filler words like “um” and
“so” which made me sound like I was unsure of what I was saying. I also fidgeted and shifted from side
to side out of nervousness. I found that I lack in areas that I thought myself to be proficient in, especially
in portraying confidence. The confidence I portrayed in the video looked forced and unnatural. When
originally presenting, I thought I sounded and acted very confident in myself, which was not the case. I
am working on portraying the confidence more effectively. I plan to give myself more wait time in
between thoughts so that I do not use filler words as a crutch anymore. I also will work on standing still
and center to portray a more confident air about what I am lecturing on.
Personal Reflection:
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator:
I realized that my confidence needs to be shown more thoroughly any time I am in front of a
crowd and lecturing. The only way I realized that I needed to work on this was through self-reflection
and evaluation. Without the reflection, I would have never realized that I need to work on showing more
self-confidence in what I am discussing with my class. I think of myself as a very confident person and
felt I was fairly confident in my presentation, so I was surprised to see that my confidence was not
portrayed the way I thought it would be in the video footage. However, I can utilize this feedback to
make changes to my present level of public speaking in order to become a more effective teacher.
What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience:
I learned that even a teacher with an immense knowledge about their subject can appear to be
unsure and nervous if they do not hold a certain poise about themselves. I learned that I need to stand
centered when I communicate with my students and not shift from foot to foot because this makes me
look nervous in front of my students. My future students will have a hard time believing what I am
teaching if I appear unsure or nervous about what I am saying. Becoming and appearing more confident
in front of a full classroom is something I will strive for in my upcoming speeches and in my future career
teaching.