INTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments
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The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
In order to review our introduction of Area (covered by eight short lessons). I created Mission Math. The objective of this developmental activity was to help Mr. John Rockefeller keep his money safe from the mysterious criminal by solving a series of area problems. As the students progress in the "escape room", the level of difficulty increases. In order to get the next clue, indicating where they could find the next problem, students must collaboratively work on the problems together. Students must also work together when assigning responsibilities within their groups and deciphering the clues they earned.
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INTASC Standard #1: Learning Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
I cannot deny that current research on the positive correlation between data and instruction is beyond insightful and useful for modern day education. However, I believe that emphasizing the importance of data in the classroom can either be meaningful for the students or detrimental to them. Students face the daunting reality of getting defined with grades and test scores, which in turn, affects how they view themselves in a learning environment (i.e. this consequently has caused them to be so fixated in what they believe they are capable or incapable of doing). I believe that in order to get through to my students, who constantly put themselves down when it comes to academic learning, I needed to target their deep-rooted problems of having a "fixed mindset". Every morning, I give short lessons about the differences between growth and fixed mindset and how to foster a "growth mindset"; my instruction varies, from directed, whole group learning to collaborative, small group learning.
Most recently, I have taught them the power of "yet". This concept allows students to face what they cannot do, and change their perspective in a way to view that same matter as a task they cannot do "yet". By just enforcing this simple little concept, I am allowing my students to give themselves an opportunity to grow, rather than automatically determine their level of achievement. I had students write down what they cannot do "yet" on a slip of paper and put it in my growth mindset bucket. From there on out, every morning before we start our day, I randomly choose one or two slips, read them out loud (anonymously) and ask the rest of my students how we can help a certain student achieve their goal.
Teaching growth mindset, in my perspective, requires students to become vulnerable, transparent and honest about their mistakes and their feelings about them. In order to establish a safe environment in my class, I always openly try to demonstrate those same traits. One lesson from my unit emphasized the "Magic of Mistakes"; students were able to recognize that mistakes are okay (as long as you learn from them and persevere) and reflect on how they could transform their mistakes into lessons. At first, they were not comfortable enough to openly talk about their past mistakes. However, after I let them in on my biggest mistake in the past year (i.e. crashing into my dad's car), they started to shoot up their hands in excitement to talk about their mistakes.
One outcome that came from teaching this unit, that I am most proud of, was the accountability of it all. Now, I have students constantly reassure each other (and me) when we mistakes and have fixed mindsets at times.
Most recently, I have taught them the power of "yet". This concept allows students to face what they cannot do, and change their perspective in a way to view that same matter as a task they cannot do "yet". By just enforcing this simple little concept, I am allowing my students to give themselves an opportunity to grow, rather than automatically determine their level of achievement. I had students write down what they cannot do "yet" on a slip of paper and put it in my growth mindset bucket. From there on out, every morning before we start our day, I randomly choose one or two slips, read them out loud (anonymously) and ask the rest of my students how we can help a certain student achieve their goal.
Teaching growth mindset, in my perspective, requires students to become vulnerable, transparent and honest about their mistakes and their feelings about them. In order to establish a safe environment in my class, I always openly try to demonstrate those same traits. One lesson from my unit emphasized the "Magic of Mistakes"; students were able to recognize that mistakes are okay (as long as you learn from them and persevere) and reflect on how they could transform their mistakes into lessons. At first, they were not comfortable enough to openly talk about their past mistakes. However, after I let them in on my biggest mistake in the past year (i.e. crashing into my dad's car), they started to shoot up their hands in excitement to talk about their mistakes.
One outcome that came from teaching this unit, that I am most proud of, was the accountability of it all. Now, I have students constantly reassure each other (and me) when we mistakes and have fixed mindsets at times.
INTASC Standard #5: Application of Content
The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
This science lesson revolved around the concepts of inheritance. This topic could easily be connected to any student because despite their individual differences and cultures, they all share one thing in common: possession of genes. This was a scientific way of introducing and implementing inclusivity in the classroom because it allowed my students to not only explore their physical traits but also consider and discover where their friends' traits derived from. I introduced this lesson by asking my students what physical traits I had in common with my parents, then went in depth with how my engagement dealt with the science topic of the day. I later used "differing perspectives" to "engage learners in critical thinking" by having them consider where their inherited and environmental traits came from.
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INTASC Standard #6: Assessment
The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
In Tier 1 and 2 instruction, I use Plickers to formatively assess their understanding of certain learning targets and standards. Plickers is a technological tool that allows a teacher to track data in real-time, as opposed to looking at the data after a lesson. The benefits of using this program is being able to use the results in order to drive discussion and future lessons and look at reports to check their understanding over time. Using this tool correlates to this INTASC standard in several perspectives. It "engages learner in their own growth" because it allows me to inform the students whether they got the question correct and to give them more time to analyze the choices in front of them. The tool also lets students look at graphs of their results (as a whole class) on the board; the graphs that the students can see do not explicitly show who got the questions correct and incorrect; it shows a bar graph of the multiple choices and the amount of students that answered each choice. The results are recorded and are listed as score reports on the site, which helps me, as a teacher, "monitor" their "progress" over time. The questions I create on this site are especially formulated to hit certain learning targets. If a majority of my whole or small group gets a question incorrect, that informs me that I need to cover that specific learning target again and differentiate my instruction in order for them to understand the concept a second time around. In other words, I also use this tool to "guide" my "decision making" in regards to what standards and skills I need to teach again and which ones I can considered as "mastered" by the class.
INTASC Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community) and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
My mentor and I complete Collaborative Assessment Logs (CALs) biweekly (hence, an "ongoing professional learning" experience). These logs allow both of us to acknowledge and critique my work and actions as a student teacher; specifically, we have to discuss what's working for me and what's challenging me. On top of that, my mentor has to provide questions and suggestions in order to help me inform and differentiate my future instructions. These opportunities also require that I make goals and action steps in order to improve on the areas we find myself weakest in. In my evidence, I also provided my first and last Field Experience Performance Dispositions because I wanted to emphasize my mentor's values on growth. She always believed that there was room for improvement, no matter how skilled you are in that particular area. Although she thought I was a great teacher, she did not give me a perfect score, for she knew that it would drive me to become greater than what I already am.
INTASC Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance in the profession.
In third grade, students should be able to write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. My last writing project required my students to develop a well-written narrative story that included the following elements: plot structure, transition words, action verbs, thoughts, feelings and dialogue. When students finished drafting their first "sloppy copy", I scheduled conferences with them to collaborate on the Revising and Editing portion of the writing process. At the end of their drafts, I noted what I loved about their writing and what they could improve on; I thought starting the conferences on a positive note would help them feel more confident and comfortable with the progress on their paper. In their packet, they were given checklists that specifically covered the expectations I had on the project; the items in each list were described in first person so it was easier for the students to make sense of both of the stages.
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