3.17.17

Week of Reflection: 3.17.17

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 4
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe
    This week, I was glad to continue getting my artifacts together. I was also pleasantly surprised at how my hooks have been working. They've been getting better and better and I've noticed how they've drawn my students into the lesson (especially ELA).
    
    
  • Reflect
    Next week, I want to work on being able to ease up on my classroom management. It is so important to maintain the figure of authority, but now that my students are used to me, I want to be able to have that relationship where we can effectively learn in a classroom that has more freedom.
    
    
  • Focus:
    Short term, I have been analyzing my observation checklists to see what I need to focus my time and effort on. Not to ease off on anything I have already gotten, but more so to work smarter.
    
    
  • Be Productive
    This week, I spent a great deal of time working on edTPA. Because of that, I managed to get a great deal of edTPA done, but I think I sacrificed time that I might have usually spent on my lesson reflections. So, I'll have to go back and get my reflections done as well.
    
    
  • Have Courage
    This week, I had told myself that I wanted to make a difference not only in all of my students, but specifically one student who is currently struggling with behavior and mental issues. This student is a sweet kid but has tried to
    
    
  • Begin Anew
    Next week, I want to begin working on my diversity standard in my classroom. I've been acknowledging the diversity in my classroom, but I think I can take it a few steps deeper. I also definitely want to have edTPA squared away BEFORE Monday so that is not still on my plate by the beginning of the week.

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
• At a behavior/safety plan meeting with my CE, administration, and county psychologists, we looked at behavior data that belonged to a student in my classroom. We had to determine ways to tweak the student's current behavior/safety plan as well as progress that is being tracked.
  
  
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

We are almost there! Student teaching has been one of the hardest things I believe anyone can do in their life, but I truly feel that I wouldn't be the teacher I am today without the push and movement from this experience.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    I've really been trying to create positive change within our School Improvement Plan by pushing for proficiency on our math skills. 4th grade math was a concern in the SIP and I am taking a role in that as a stakeholder in that plan. Recently, my class has had some of the highest math grades in the grade level, so I'm proud of that.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    This week, I had a small discussion/mini lesson on mutual respect of people despite their differences. At this stage of fourth grade, students are starting to hit that stage of "immature maturity", and so I did an exercise with them that taught the importance of respect.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    We started a new math skill this week (fractions) and I've made sure that all of my materials and references have been aligned with 4.NF.1, the 4th grade fractions standard. This has made a difference in how straightforward my instruction has been. There has not been any sidetracking or backtracking, which has been good.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    I've definitely had to tweak the way I assess students given their ability. For instance, with our Cold Read/Vocabulary quizzes, we have recently began to have our students bubble their answers onto a scan card in addition to marking in their actual test. For students with IEP accommodations, I did not have them bubble. Instead, they strictly marked in their actual test.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    I can definitely say that this experience, and more specifically this week, has brought me the gift of flexibility. My school site is a dynamic environment, and I've had to make changes to my instruction based upon the needs of my students. More specific, in regards to the student referenced above, my classroom has changed somewhat abruptly because of the behavior/safety plan.
    
    
• Other:
• What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
  Other than edTPA and my artifacts/student work, I have not focused my time on much of anything else! However, edTPA is a huge part of our portfolio. I have also continued to analyze behavior student data as the data plan has been in effect.
  
  
• What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
  None at this time
  
  
• What support do you need from your university supervisor?

None at this time