Before our midterm evaluation meeting my cooperating teacher and I both filled out the assessment. I tend to rate myself harder than I deserve and gave a lot of two’s and three’s. However, my co-teacher brought up the point that this is a formative assessment of how I was doing at this time. At this time and with the knowledge that I have my co-teacher marked me as more three’s and four’s on the assessment. I took this to heart and greatly appreciated all of the feedback that I received from both my teacher and university mentor. Listed below are my goals and in blue I have highlighted my growth and progress for each.
1. Demonstrates knowledge of the disciplines and subject matter related to curriculum.
At this time I am taking in as much about the curriculum as I can. It is difficult to immerse myself in it and become an expert for a few reasons. Montana is in the process of adopting the Common Core curriculum. There is some carry over but a lot of things are switching, and it is exciting! I have been taking what I can for the old standards and integrating Common Core as much as possible. Also, I am not sure what grade I will be placed in when I do get hired. While subbing and observing different grades I have gained an overview of what benchmarks students should be at per grade but until I have a set position it seems overwhelming to dive into one curriculum. Finally, I might leave Montana and find a position in a different state or even abroad. With the adoption of Common Core it will make this transition easier but we are not quite there yet. So as of right now I feel I have gained better perspective of curriculum.
2. Designs interdisciplinary and discrete subject area instruction to achieve curriculum goals.
§ Establish clear and useful objectives.
§ Students have an understanding of objectives and purpose.
§ Specific objectives.
I have not designed as many lessons and met curriculum goals prior to the midterm because we have been hitting CRT prep so hard. Unfortunately, the test has been our goal for the first eight weeks of my experience. I have picked up how to extract specific goals for each lesson and I like that at Hedges the students are responsible to know what they are learning and why they are doing so. After the CRT things should be looking better.
3. Engages students in learning activities that promote critical and creative thinking.
§ Engage students in discussions rather than lectures
§ Think-pair-share model
Again, because of CRT prep we have been working on review rather than creative and critical thinking. Things are looking up and I have big plans for after the tests.
4. Implements instructional and behavioral management strategies to promote a safe and positive learning environment.
I am a firm believer of pre-assessments to be used in a formative way to gain insight of what your students already know. During my teaching time I always have the students summarize or reflect on what we learned yesterday. That way I know what they retained, if there were misunderstandings, and where to start the next lesson. With Common Core and Power Teacher grading system there are so many benchmarks per objective it can get a little overwhelming when trying to grade an end of unit assessment, like math. These grades are good for teachers to see and use so they know where each student really stands. However, I feel they overwhelm parents. It’s been interesting learning how to create meaningful assessment for the students and presenting meaningful data for the parents.
5. Selects and designs appropriate and authentic means of assessing student learning and progress.
§ Understand the rubric system of grading (1-4)
It is important to make work meaningful for students. My co-teacher and I talk a lot about the new grading system based on a 1-4 rubric rather than grades. The parents of this generation struggle to make sense of the advanced, proficient, nearing proficient, and novice rubric and try to equate it to grades. Personally, I prefer the rubric because there are set descriptions of what each level means and there is more wiggle room per individual. You have the ability to look at an objective and ask yourself, ‘was the student proficient or advanced and did they do the best work for their ability’. Also, we are moving into a process-based system of learning where each step is looked at and considered rather than just the final project. I feel rubrics are the norm for the next generations.
6. Designs and organized learning environments to accommodate learners.
I am very excited about this aspect when I gain a full-time position. I love the thought of having students working together and teaching one another. If you can teach someone then you are an expert. During my student teaching we do a lot of individual work and teacher centered learning. We do modify lessons to fit individuals as it is needed, such as allowing slow writers to do one rough draft rather than two, using handwriting or typing a paper rather than cursive, and modifying the small group reading materials. But I want more. I want to incorporate more group projects that take teamwork, cooperation, and planning to complete. The group members would be at similar ability levels and we would create the rubrics together so there is more ownership and drive behind the project. By working on a long-term project rather than worksheets or small reader books the students would gain more worth for their ability and less excluded from the elitist gifted and talented students. All children can learn and thrive, especially when given the right tools and motivation.
7. Communicates clearly, accurately, and professionally with students and their families, colleagues, and community members.
I have not had as many opportunities to meet with families as I would in the beginning of the year. There have been a few parents that have questions about their son or daughter and I sit in on those meetings. This is a very touchy subject and my co-teacher has grace when meeting with parents. This is an area where I do not feel totally comfortable yet because of my lack of experience but with time, and a few parent-teacher conferences under my belt, it will only get better.
