Of the numerous ways I am able to demonstrate my knowledge of content and pedagogy, the most apparent way is through my constant review of the Common Core standards when planning my lessons. Each lesson taught in the Rochester Public Schools is directly tied to a Common Core Standard. Because of this, intimate knowledge of these standards and content is a necessity to be able to relate these standards to students. This requires careful review of the standards and the lessons to ensure that the standard for the lesson is being met.
Another way I demonstrate my knowledge of content and pedagogy is through continuing learning of the standards through classes and seminars. For the course of this current school year, my lessons are reviewed and given feedback on how well they meet the standards I am covering. This is continually building my knowledge of the content I am teaching.
Finally, I also keep close tabs on my students to see who is meeting and not meeting standards and adjusting my instruction to help these students. This could be done through meeting one-on-one or in small groups with students after a whole group lesson.
1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Getting to know my students and having a personal connection with them is something I put at the forefront of my teaching early in the year. I find it incredibly important to have a deep connection with my students in order for them to feel comfortable and at ease in the classroom, and therefore, a better learner. Looking back at all the teachers I liked, and learned from, the most, I realized that all them took the time to really get to know me and my peers, and to go out of their way to make me feel important and valued within the classroom. I strived to do the same in my classroom by doing a number of activities in the classroom early in the year that emphasized getting to know the students, and helping the students get to know each other. There were also a number of activities in which the students were able to get to know me, along with a slideshow documenting a lot of information about myself playing at meet the teacher, so the students would be able to start getting to know me right away.
Slate Practice
One of the ways I get information on my students to see where they are at with learning the material we are working on is through Slate Practice. I started using this only in math class, but expanded it to other subjects once I saw the effectiveness. During this time, I will pose questions to the class, and the students record answers on their slates and then "chin it," to hide their answer from other students. Once I see everyone is ready, I have the students "spin it," and show me their answers. I will then either make quick mental note or jot down names of which students did not answer correctly, did not answer at all, or did not understand the question, and move on to the next question and follow the same procedure. Later in the lesson, during independent work time, or at another point in the day, I will pull those students to a small group and work with them on the skill.
 |
| Artifact 1: Students participating in Slate Practice during the "Spin It" phase. |
1c: Selecting Instructional Goals
As mentioned above, each lesson within the Rochester Public Schools is to be tied to a Common Core Standard. It was also emphasized to us this past summer that was important to make sure students are aware of the goal of each lesson. At Gibbs Elementary, we were provided with a large "Today's Learning Target" magnet for our whiteboards. I placed this magnet next to my daily schedule, and for each standard covered in a lesson, I modify it into an "I can" statement for each lesson. I put it into terms that my students can comprehend. At the start of each lesson, we discuss what we will be covering in that lesson. At the conclusion of the lesson, time-permitting, we will discuss how we feel about the learning target and whether the students feel as though they have achieved the learning target.
 |
| Artifact 2: I Can statements aligned to Common Core Standards and prominently displayed in classroom. |
1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
I am able to demonstrate knowledge of resources through the variety of mediums of resources I use within my classroom. One of the resources I have been using since the start of the school year is called "Xtra Math." It's a website which students are able to log in and practice their math skills. My team selected a time of day for our para to pull kids from each classroom to work on this site as remedial and extra practice for math. More recently, my team opted to spend grant money on getting licenses to IXL math website. This is more applicable to our district in that it ties in more closely to the Common Core Standards and focuses on each standard in turn. Because of this, students are able to get extra practice in the standard area where they are struggling the most, as opposed to a general sampling of all the standards, as provided by Xtra Math.
 |
| Artifact 3: A list of the Common Core Standards which my students can practice. Taken from the IXL website. |
Another way I use additional resources is through an item I received from Teachers Pay Teachers, which lists each Reading and Language Arts standard for 5th grade and includes an activity to go with each to demonstrate students' ability to understand the skill.
I also constantly research other resources online, and ask fellow teachers for resources they might use, and save them to a databank for me to use as needed.
1e: Designing Coherent Instruction
One way I ensure I provide coherent instruction is through the use of my SOMIEs lesson planning format. Each lesson is planned for, and the full week is listed on one page to ensure that I can plan ahead for any hiccups that occur throughout the week. The Common Core standards are listed first, as a reference to what the whole lesson should be tying into. It also lists any materials needed, objective of the lesson (transferred to an I Can statement on the board later) and especially important: a semi-detailed description of the instruction portion of the lesson. Finally, the format also provides space for the evaluation portion of the lesson, as well as any instructional language used in the lesson, and Higher Order Thinking questions asked within the lesson. Another benefit to using this format is that it is easy to make quick changes, whether that is by alternating one day to another, or adding notes for a substitute if needed, this format, seen below, is very beneficial in designing coherent instruction.
 |
| Artifact 4: SOMIEs template with Instruction Lessons. |
1f: Assessing Student Learning
Assessing student learning is done on a near constant basis within my classroom. While most of it is informal, there are a number of ways that are more formal and measurable. One of the informal ways I assess student learning is through the use of "Shot from the hip" Higher Order Thinking, or "HOT" questions. I often will not plan for these questions, but rather let them come organically, and tie them in with the lesson where most appropriate to ensure maximum effectiveness. Another more informal assessment technique I use frequently is the use of exit tickets. I will pose a question to the students on the board relating to the standard and the lesson covered in a given subject and then have the students write their name and answer on a card to pass back to me. This helps me to see where the students are at and how they are handling the material. It also allows me to adjust instruction to fit the students' needs.
Other, more formal, methods of assessing student learning is through the use of end-of-unit assessments and standardized testing. Upon receiving the scores back from either one, I know what material I will have to focus my lessons on and what material might need a re-teach lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment