IC Standards 6-10
As a graduate student of Ithaca College, I strive to base my professional practice mainly around the 10 professional standards set forth by my graduate program standards. In my time at IC, I practiced as a student teacher at two wonderful schools that helped me immensely in expanding my understanding of my own practice. In my first placement, I taught 5 periods of 93 seventh graders at Horseheads Middle School, a fairly large suburban school of mostly middle-class students. In my second placement, I went to Spencer Van Etten High School, a smaller rural school in which about half of all students come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. While there, I taught 3 U.S. History classes of about 71 eleventh graders, and assisted my mentor teacher with other duties including our student advisory period, a college-credit senior economics class, and an elective sports history class.
Standard Six: Assessment
"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 learners' decision making."
In both of my placements a big question I asked myself was how to assess student learning in an ongoing manner, to measure individual understanding as we went along. I was drawn to this question because of an experience I had in which I taught an entire lesson, only to be asked a question afterwards that told me that the student had missed a crucial concept in the previous lesson. To ensure that this would not happen again, I began exploring a number of options. In my first placement, I used note taking packets, because I noticed my seventh graders had not yet developed the note taking habits that I had gone in assuming they would have.
In order to better conceptualize what I wanted to achieve from my assessments and my lessons in general, I began looking into research regarding assessment. To establish an overall goal for what I wanted to achieve in my planning and instruction, I looked at the models of backward design proposed by Wiggins (1998). By focusing on the goals I wanted to achieve, and working back from there, I began to find planning a great deal easier, which I will speak to more in the next standard. As for means of assessment, I began looking at the work of Blythe et al (1998), in which they lay out what ongoing assessment should look like. In that work, Blythe and associates make it clear that ongoing assessment relies heavily on students understanding what is expected of them. In addition, ongoing assessment follow the pattern of a dialog between student and teacher in which students are kept up to date on how they can improve their work, and in which the teacher is kept up to date on the student's understanding of the concept. To pair this with my use of story telling as a means of teaching history, I ended up developing an ongoing assessment centered around the use of timelines.
Artifacts for Standard Six
In my second placement, I decided to try using timelines as an ongoing assessment of student learning as I employed storytelling as a means of teaching history. In its first iteration (top left), we used it as a tool for review, rather than a tool for assessment, and we worked together to fill it out on the whiteboard (see bottom left), as well as on their timelines. In the second part of our discussion of the Cold War, the timeline became a multifaceted device (top right). It provided students with an incentive to stay engaged with the narrative, served as an ongoing assessment of their learning, it became a tool for them to establish chronology between the events we were discussing, and finally, it could be used as a means of showing students who were absent what they missed while they were out. By the time we brought in the third timeline (middle right), students had become proficient in their use. They no longer needed to be prompted to fill out a part of the timeline, and would often reference past timelines in discussion. As our time together, came to an end, we were able to draw the timeline blank on the board and students could work together to fill it out mainly from memory (bottom right).
"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 learners' decision making."
In both of my placements a big question I asked myself was how to assess student learning in an ongoing manner, to measure individual understanding as we went along. I was drawn to this question because of an experience I had in which I taught an entire lesson, only to be asked a question afterwards that told me that the student had missed a crucial concept in the previous lesson. To ensure that this would not happen again, I began exploring a number of options. In my first placement, I used note taking packets, because I noticed my seventh graders had not yet developed the note taking habits that I had gone in assuming they would have.
In order to better conceptualize what I wanted to achieve from my assessments and my lessons in general, I began looking into research regarding assessment. To establish an overall goal for what I wanted to achieve in my planning and instruction, I looked at the models of backward design proposed by Wiggins (1998). By focusing on the goals I wanted to achieve, and working back from there, I began to find planning a great deal easier, which I will speak to more in the next standard. As for means of assessment, I began looking at the work of Blythe et al (1998), in which they lay out what ongoing assessment should look like. In that work, Blythe and associates make it clear that ongoing assessment relies heavily on students understanding what is expected of them. In addition, ongoing assessment follow the pattern of a dialog between student and teacher in which students are kept up to date on how they can improve their work, and in which the teacher is kept up to date on the student's understanding of the concept. To pair this with my use of story telling as a means of teaching history, I ended up developing an ongoing assessment centered around the use of timelines.
Artifacts for Standard Six
In my second placement, I decided to try using timelines as an ongoing assessment of student learning as I employed storytelling as a means of teaching history. In its first iteration (top left), we used it as a tool for review, rather than a tool for assessment, and we worked together to fill it out on the whiteboard (see bottom left), as well as on their timelines. In the second part of our discussion of the Cold War, the timeline became a multifaceted device (top right). It provided students with an incentive to stay engaged with the narrative, served as an ongoing assessment of their learning, it became a tool for them to establish chronology between the events we were discussing, and finally, it could be used as a means of showing students who were absent what they missed while they were out. By the time we brought in the third timeline (middle right), students had become proficient in their use. They no longer needed to be prompted to fill out a part of the timeline, and would often reference past timelines in discussion. As our time together, came to an end, we were able to draw the timeline blank on the board and students could work together to fill it out mainly from memory (bottom right).
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Standard Seven: Planning for Instruction
"The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context."
Going into my placements, planning was a challenge for me. Given my strong content knowledge and comfort speaking in front of people, it took some time for me to learn how to plan effectively for my classes. As one of my favorite undergraduate professors once said, "You're like a paratrooper that jumps out of a plane, and finds all his equipment on the way down." In my first placement, I struggled to plan lessons that appropriately addressed the learning needs of my students, until I began to better understand the thinking behind Bloom's Taxonomy and where in that framework my students fit. After working with my cooperating teacher, and reviewing my notes and case studies from my graduate program classes, I began to get a better idea of how to better plan my lessons.
A point of further progress for me, and what really marked a shift in my thinking, was reading more about backward design suggested by Wiggins (1998). As I learned more about the needs of my students, based also on Scigliano and Hipsky's principles of differentiated instruction, I began to set better, attainable, and educationally valuable learning goals for my students. In addition, I adopted the practice of outlining those goals at the beginning of each lesson so students would have a better idea of why we were doing what we did. This allowed me to better keep our lessons on track, and, perhaps even more beneficial, it helped my students stay on track with me by given them a greater sense of purpose and direction.
"The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context."
Going into my placements, planning was a challenge for me. Given my strong content knowledge and comfort speaking in front of people, it took some time for me to learn how to plan effectively for my classes. As one of my favorite undergraduate professors once said, "You're like a paratrooper that jumps out of a plane, and finds all his equipment on the way down." In my first placement, I struggled to plan lessons that appropriately addressed the learning needs of my students, until I began to better understand the thinking behind Bloom's Taxonomy and where in that framework my students fit. After working with my cooperating teacher, and reviewing my notes and case studies from my graduate program classes, I began to get a better idea of how to better plan my lessons.
A point of further progress for me, and what really marked a shift in my thinking, was reading more about backward design suggested by Wiggins (1998). As I learned more about the needs of my students, based also on Scigliano and Hipsky's principles of differentiated instruction, I began to set better, attainable, and educationally valuable learning goals for my students. In addition, I adopted the practice of outlining those goals at the beginning of each lesson so students would have a better idea of why we were doing what we did. This allowed me to better keep our lessons on track, and, perhaps even more beneficial, it helped my students stay on track with me by given them a greater sense of purpose and direction.
Standard Eight: Instructional Strategies
"Teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways."
As a teacher committed to self evaluation, and a person who believes in being highly adaptable and prepared for any situation, I try to vary my instructional strategies as much as possible, while maintaining common themes and features between lessons. In most lessons, I employ at least in part, a high energy storytelling approach to teaching history in which I encourage cooperative, discussion-based learning activities as we progress through our story. This strategy took a certain degree of development, and the work of Rowe (1986), dealing with wait time during class discussions went very far in helping me develop this approach to teaching. A area for improvement that was pointed out to me by my cooperating teachers in my placements was to "not be afraid of the silence", and to give students time to process their thoughts and formulate answers. In this pursuit, I have greatly improved in putting more of the workload on students during in class discussions.
I have varied my instruction in a few ways, one of the more fun ways that I did this was by the use of a game to illustrate themes in our lesson. I posted about this in my questions moving forward blog, which describes the strategy I used in that lesson as well as the game itself. I believe strongly in the constructivism of Piaget, which is why I try to make my lessons relatable for my students and why I constantly review prior knowledge with them. In addition to storytelling in games, lessons I have planned included watching and discussing videos, and listening to song lyrics, and using small-group discussions to analyze and answer prompts about them. Small group activities like this allow me to directly engage with students in order to monitor their learning and their developing understanding of the concepts discussed in lessons.
"Teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways."
As a teacher committed to self evaluation, and a person who believes in being highly adaptable and prepared for any situation, I try to vary my instructional strategies as much as possible, while maintaining common themes and features between lessons. In most lessons, I employ at least in part, a high energy storytelling approach to teaching history in which I encourage cooperative, discussion-based learning activities as we progress through our story. This strategy took a certain degree of development, and the work of Rowe (1986), dealing with wait time during class discussions went very far in helping me develop this approach to teaching. A area for improvement that was pointed out to me by my cooperating teachers in my placements was to "not be afraid of the silence", and to give students time to process their thoughts and formulate answers. In this pursuit, I have greatly improved in putting more of the workload on students during in class discussions.
I have varied my instruction in a few ways, one of the more fun ways that I did this was by the use of a game to illustrate themes in our lesson. I posted about this in my questions moving forward blog, which describes the strategy I used in that lesson as well as the game itself. I believe strongly in the constructivism of Piaget, which is why I try to make my lessons relatable for my students and why I constantly review prior knowledge with them. In addition to storytelling in games, lessons I have planned included watching and discussing videos, and listening to song lyrics, and using small-group discussions to analyze and answer prompts about them. Small group activities like this allow me to directly engage with students in order to monitor their learning and their developing understanding of the concepts discussed in lessons.
Standard Nine: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
"Teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his practice, particularly the effects of his choices and actions on others, such as learners, families, other professionals, and the community. Teacher adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner."
In order to make sure I stay as sharp as possible as a professional, I have archived everything from my graduate program, along with many things from my undergraduate experience. This includes notes, pictures, readings, and in some cases, audio recordings. As a historian, I know that something can be gained from going back and reading over past records, and reviewing what one has already learned. In both of my placements, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of professional development seminars, presentations, and activities. One of my favorite examples, was a presentation on creating healthier, more supportive school communities, given by the Sweethearts and Heroes organization. In it, they spoke about different strategies for fostering more positive relationships between students, and between students and teachers, outside of class. It is an presentation that I found to be one of best I have ever attended, noting a high degree of student engagement with what the speakers were discussing.
I also recognize the value of establishing communication with the homes and communities of my students, which is why in both my placements, I sent home letters of introduction, inviting parents to meet with me if they so desired. For an example of one such letter, you can see the document attached below. As I have stated in multiple places, my philosophy of teaching relies upon gaining as much knowledge as possible regarding my students, and another aim of this is to practice culturally responsive teaching, using my knowledge of students' backgrounds to influence my lesson planning.
"Teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his practice, particularly the effects of his choices and actions on others, such as learners, families, other professionals, and the community. Teacher adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner."
In order to make sure I stay as sharp as possible as a professional, I have archived everything from my graduate program, along with many things from my undergraduate experience. This includes notes, pictures, readings, and in some cases, audio recordings. As a historian, I know that something can be gained from going back and reading over past records, and reviewing what one has already learned. In both of my placements, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of professional development seminars, presentations, and activities. One of my favorite examples, was a presentation on creating healthier, more supportive school communities, given by the Sweethearts and Heroes organization. In it, they spoke about different strategies for fostering more positive relationships between students, and between students and teachers, outside of class. It is an presentation that I found to be one of best I have ever attended, noting a high degree of student engagement with what the speakers were discussing.
I also recognize the value of establishing communication with the homes and communities of my students, which is why in both my placements, I sent home letters of introduction, inviting parents to meet with me if they so desired. For an example of one such letter, you can see the document attached below. As I have stated in multiple places, my philosophy of teaching relies upon gaining as much knowledge as possible regarding my students, and another aim of this is to practice culturally responsive teaching, using my knowledge of students' backgrounds to influence my lesson planning.
| letter_of_introduction_pdf.pdf |
Standard Ten: Leadership and Collaboration
"The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with leaners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession."
I have a great deal of experience in leadership positions, from sports and clubs in high school and college, and I believe strongly in collaborating with fellow professionals to deliver consistent and effective instruction. I have had a few opportunities to deliver co-taught lessons, a few of which were in front of a class of 11th grade students at the Frederick Douglas Academy in Harlem. In my high school placement, I was also able to observe my mentor teacher, who worked with the 11th grade ELA teacher to deliver co-taught lessons to their AP students. Moving forward in my professional development, I would like to explore and experiment more with the idea of co-taught lessons. Ladson-Billings (1995) endorses cooperation between teachers, especially in creating culturally responsive and accessible lessons for students, which I found very helpful in my Harlem experience as well as in my placement in Spencer, where culturally diversity was low, but there was a great need to collaborate with my Special Education TA in order to make sure that all of my students found lessons accessible and could effectively follow along with them.
"The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with leaners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession."
I have a great deal of experience in leadership positions, from sports and clubs in high school and college, and I believe strongly in collaborating with fellow professionals to deliver consistent and effective instruction. I have had a few opportunities to deliver co-taught lessons, a few of which were in front of a class of 11th grade students at the Frederick Douglas Academy in Harlem. In my high school placement, I was also able to observe my mentor teacher, who worked with the 11th grade ELA teacher to deliver co-taught lessons to their AP students. Moving forward in my professional development, I would like to explore and experiment more with the idea of co-taught lessons. Ladson-Billings (1995) endorses cooperation between teachers, especially in creating culturally responsive and accessible lessons for students, which I found very helpful in my Harlem experience as well as in my placement in Spencer, where culturally diversity was low, but there was a great need to collaborate with my Special Education TA in order to make sure that all of my students found lessons accessible and could effectively follow along with them.
