Internship | HOPE Principle Reflection

E1: Exemplify professionally-informed, growth-centered practice.

The HOPE principle E1 states, exemplify professionally-informed, growth-centered practice. Examples of professional teachers are ones that continually strive to better themselves in a way that benefits students and the school community. Teachers are given many opportunities to accomplish short-term and long-term goals toward improving planning, instruction, and assessment, acquiring new knowledge and skills, collaborating with colleagues, assuming leadership roles, and making upward career advancement. In the Internship Seminar course this spring the topic of professional development and growth was highlighted because this language is part of most teacher evaluations, including the Danielson model, and in the SPU Internship Evaluation which is used as a template to produce a draft professional growth plan.

As the summative assessment for internship, my performance was evaluated across eight criterion which are aligned with Washington Teacher/Principle Evaluation Project (TPEP) expectations for practicing teachers and principals. Piloted in 2010 this project is the driving force behind the state evaluation frameworks which have been adopted by most districts, and include Danielson, Marzano, AWSP, and CEL 5D+. All of the evaluation frameworks assess how teachers are growing their professional practice and participating in their professional community. For teacher-candidates the SPU Internship Evaluation also includes a rubric for professional practice; however it is greatly abbreviated by comparison.

When it came time for the final evaluation conference with my mentor and university coordinator, the most discussion revolved around the language for criterion 8.

SPU Internship Evaluation Criteria 8

As you can see in the image, the rubric states that in order to receive a level 4, the teacher [candidate] is a recognized leader in facilitating the team/group in resolving conflict for effective functioning. Both my mentor and coordinator had a great deal of trouble answering the third prompt which asks what evidence there is to show the goal has been achieved. To help answer this I found it useful to look at the Danielson model “critical attributes” in the related rubric.

Danielson Criterion 8:4d

In it I found the language to be helpful, the teacher has supportive and collaborative relationships with colleagues, because there could be evidence in emails or other documents which support a teacher’s efforts to support and collaborate with other teachers. After discussing, my mentor, coordinator and I agreed that in order to be a recognized leader for this criterion, a teacher would need to show evidence from multiple sources or have been instrumental in resolving issues collaboratively during the internship period. While I did not achieve a distinguished level of performance under the evaluation criteria, I did gain understanding of its purpose, to use every opportunity to model a high level of cooperative professionalism and positive growth in your teaching practice throughout your career.

As a goal, I will strive to make modeling professionalism and growth-centered practice a repeating refrain in my day-to-day thinking. Finding ways to utilize my strengths and the strengths of others within the learning community by volunteering to participate and lead events or committees will provide me opportunities to grow and learn through cooperative collaboration. At times, teaching can feel like an individual task, especially when having few counterparts as do many art teachers. I think to become a true teacher professional, I will need to recognize that every teacher, administrator, family and friend can be a positive contributor to improving my performance, and ultimately impact student learning.

Complete Danielson’s Framework Rubrics with Critical Attributes

Internship | Teacher Observation #4

Principle E3: Professional Responsibilities and Policies

Principle E3 asks teachers to exemplify an understanding of professional responsibilities and policies. This means that teachers practice and model responsible behavior by adhering to policies and procedures which have been set to make school a safe, productive and inviting place to learn. I think including the term professional used for this principle is especially important because teachers and other adults who work in the school system are a child’s first access to an example of what it means. According to Merriam-Webster (20144), professional is characterized by conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession, and exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. In schools there are numerous policies, procedures, and responsibilities to which educators must adhere and understand. As I observed my mentor teacher, Ms. Hall, I realized that years of experience has taught her how to evaluate a situation quickly, enabling her to react appropriately in an emergency. Depending on the type of emergency or situation, I learned that it is absolutely necessary to know who to call and what to say to get help for students or yourself in unexpected situations such as the one I describe next.

At the beginning of 5^th period one day, I noticed student, “E”, was at his desk and several other students were surrounding him. I walked over and asked E if he was okay, and he did not respond. I asked the other students to please sit down and leave him alone. After a few minutes my mentor teacher and I noticed the boy was not working and so I went to check. After nudging E, and asking multiple times for him to respond, another boy offered a confession of hitting him on the neck. I asked E, once more to respond and when he would not move or talk I walked to my mentor teacher and told her what was going on. Immediately she told me to call the office and she went to get our other administrators who she had seen just moments ago. I called the office and they promptly called an ambulance. Moments later the campus officer, school principal and Mr. Hall were in the classroom attending to E, who thankfully was alright. Later I filled out an incident report because the student reported an injury during my class. This incident was a very good reminder for me to be aware of every emergency procedure or to know where I can quickly find the information.

The image shows the Redmond Middle School procedures for emergencies such as the one I experienced. I asked Ms. Hall to show me the schools procedure for medical emergencies and we looked in the Policy Handbook. As you can see these procedures are not very extensive or detailed. The other negative we observed together was the lack of specificity for an emergency vs. a non-emergency. The procedures give no examples and do not address how to handle the rest of the class if there is an emergency. Ms. Hall and I agree that sending students to the classroom next door would be better than having them surround an injured and/or anxious student. Based on the information we had during the incident with student E, we followed the emergency procedures correctly. I was glad the student did not end up needing medical attention and I also learned how important it is to learn and know all emergency procedures because there isn’t going to be time to flip through a notebook or look on a website.

A final observation made after this incident was good advice Ms. Hall had concerning procedures in general. She reminded me that in the case of illness, I would need to prepare notes for a substitute teacher that would enable them access to emergency procedures, phone extensions, specific student needs in each class (such as IEP or physically limited students), in addition to lesson plans and assessments. This teacher observation enlarged my awareness of how teachers must constantly honor and adhere to professional responsibilities and policies. In time and with experience I will learn to fully exemplify the moral and professional characteristics that describe a professional teacher, and I am glad I was able to observe my mentor who often made her professionalism and high moral character evident.

Internship | Extra-Curricular Observation

Principle H4: Honor Family & Community Involvement

The Hope Principle H4 asks teachers to honor family/community involvement in the learning process. In my belief, family and community is a critical feature of learning for every student, and as teachers it is important that education be accessible and in relation to the social world that revolves around the young people we work with. Students do not learn and grow up in a vacuum, the people and groups of people that live, work and play with each student are a part of the learning process and so must not be dissociated with the process of student growth.

There is an opportunity for teachers and schools to broaden and expand on academic or social learning outside of the classroom, to involve parents, family, community, etc. in the learning process, and that opportunity can be with extra-curricular activities. The Redmond Middle School athletics department summarizes its goals for students that also honor family and community involvement in the learning process:

When we stop and analyze the athletic experience, the reason we want our kids to participate is to provide an opportunity to develop physically, emotionally and to enjoy themselves. The side benefits are they have a terrific opportunity to learn how to work and get along with others and to take good risks in a public arena and survive. They learn to set and achieve goals by developing positive work habits, learning how to succeed and fail with dignity, and develop friendships outside the family unit that last for a lifetime. 

This week after school I spent some time observing after school Girls Junior Varsity Tennis practice and a match. The coaches, who are volunteer teachers, help facilitate what I feel are very important social skills learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom. There is an obvious contrast between the structure and attitude of students when they are in this different role as team member. I observed a much more open and informal social atmosphere between the girls and their coaches, and I especially noticed that some girls I considered “shy” in class (ones I know) were not so shy in this situation. The dynamic of power shifts to the students because they are doing something that is optional and extra, and they recognize their level of participation and effort are purely their responsibility. It is evident that some students are there to practice the sport, while others (the majority) are there for the fun social environment. Family and community are a big part of social learning, and through extra-curricular activities, students can invite parents and peers to observe, or assist in practice for these activities, even if it’s just talking about it or inviting them to watch. Parents especially can benefit from seeing their child socialize and interact with peers and adults, because they will know how well their child socializes and participates, an observation not easily made otherwise.

I think the importance of extra-curricular activities is very high, and I realized that after this observation, because it gives students a chance to practice being themselves in a safe, but much less structures situation than the classroom. Students get to interact with adult coaches on a more informal level which is very beneficial for communication and social learning. Finally sports and extra-curricular activities are a window for parents and community to look through to see how students interact and achieve as individuals. Students must learn to keep score, communicate differences, ask for help, and push themselves to achieve goals and successes they choose to pursue.

In the future, I would like to volunteer to be a coach or leader of an extra-curricular activity or sport. I think it would give me a better, broader, opportunity to connect with students and the greater community on a more “real-world” platform that is casual and honest. I think I could be a good role-model for students as a leader outside of my expert discipline, as a person who likes to have fun and who can get along with other people in any situation, especially when there is competition.

Redmond Middle School Athletic Roles Document

Internship | Teacher Observation #3

Principle H3: Community & Classroom as a Milieu for Learning

The HOPE principle H3 requires that teachers honor the classroom/school community as a milieu for learning. To me this means teachers are to utilize the environment of a classroom, within the community of school, in a way that helps creates a physical and inclusive social setting conducive to learning.  As far as the physical space, teachers can follow the basics outlined by Marzano, Marzano & Pickering (2003), such as ensuring students can easily see the teacher and front of the room, frequently used materials are accessible, pathways are clear, students can easily be grouped, and the room is appropriately organized and not overly decorated. In terms of creating a positive social environment, teachers should use managements and instructional techniques that give students freedom to express themselves within appropriate boundaries set by the teacher and accepted by the class.

How teachers relate to students both one-on-one and within the instructional atmosphere can have positive effect on learning. Students who feel safe and comfortable in the room, and who feel that their ideas and questions will be heard and respected tend to engage more in learning and gain valuable skills in socialization. Last week I observed a long-time teacher, Mr. Crane, who teaches elective courses at Redmond Middle School including Robotics, Computer Applications, and Design & Modeling. In his Computer Applications class I observed multiple ways that Mr. Crane effectively honors his classroom as a milieu for learning. First, the classroom layout provides students clear views of the teacher and front of the room, and is open and efficiently spaced.

Mr. Crane’s Classroom Layout

As the illustration shows, students each sit in front of a computer with their back to the center of the room. This is effective because the teacher can easily see what is on every computer screen, and students can easily swivel in their seats for whole-class instructions. Mr. Crane has an open area in the front of the room which is used for instruction on the active board, which is used for presentation and demonstrations. Students all have their own dedicated computers so sharing is not necessary, however students are encouraged to look over each other’s shoulder to get help, suggestions, or to be inspired by peer work. Mr. Crane is highly effective when it comes to creating a social environment that enables students to engage and express ideas. During his class, students listened to video game music clips and considered how they were built using loops of beats and melodies. Mr. Crane put the learning goals into authentic context for 6th grade students and generated a lively discussion between students. The relaxed conversational, instruction style that he uses clearly helps students feel comfortable – and talkative – but his respectful yet firm management style is evident as I observed very good listening and on-task behavior during direct instruction and independent work time. For example, when students started having side conversations during his presentation, Mr. Crane easily regained attention and focus by directly asking them to stop, with a please and thank you.

Using my own instructional style, and within the classroom environment I plan to create, students will know that they can safely express their concerns or ideas, and that the classroom is an enjoyable and comfortable place to be. During my internship experience, I learned to smile, make eye contact with students, change my proximity, have variety in activities, be flexible and realistic, and clearly communicate my expectations for behavior and engagement. One thing I need to improve is how I plan to reinforce my expectations because at times I was not prepared to follow through with consequences. I must also consider the basic design of the classroom to ensure I am visible to students, and that they feel they can approach me with needs and ideas. I learned from my observation with Mr. Crane that even with a room full of computers and interesting application to use, students need a strong, consistent model of behavior and focus. I relate that directly to the art classroom because the tools and media we use is very engaging, but students must be focused with their use, and be able to feel safe and respected while they learn, and it is my job to facilitate those needs, through positive, structured management and engaging instruction.

Reference

Marzano, R. J., Marzano J. S.  and Pickering D. J. (2003). Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 

Internship | Teacher Observation #2

Principle P2: Practice Differentiated Instruction

The HOPE principle P2 directs teachers to – practice differentiated instruction. The word differentiation can have many interpretations in terms of practicing instruction. I believe the HOPE principle P2 refers to the act of revising or adapting instruction for specific students based on the teacher’s ability to take into account student assets, such as special learning needs, or features of personality and environment that affect learning. I believe the act of practicing differentiated instruction can occur during planning as well as during instruction, and teachers who take time to build rapport with students tend to have more ability to effectively modify tasks or provide options for students who are struggling.

Educator and author Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999) says differentiation means giving students multiple options for taking in information. Differentiating instruction means that you observe and understand the differences and similarities among students and use this information to plan instruction (Tomlinson, 1999). Within the dynamic of a classroom, differentiation can feel like an impossible task, especially when you consider how every student could potentially “need” some form of differentiation. I have come to recognize, however, this is a skill that teachers can improve with experience, creativity, flexibility, and a focused eye for students who perform below standard.

A few weeks ago I was privileged to observe a teacher who despite only 5 years of teaching experience, seems to have a natural talent to differentiating instruction both when planning lessons and during instruction. During Ms. Kelly Konicky’s 7th grade science lesson, I took notes that I feel offer evidence for the methods she used to differentiate during her instruction. The following is a list based on Tomlinson’s (1999) key principles of differentiating instruction accompanied by observation notes I made of Ms. Konicky’s instruction:

• Ongoing, formative assessment: Ms. Konicky continually assesses to identify students’ strengths so she can meet students where they are and help them move forward. I observed her doing this during the lesson by asking the same question in multiple ways, by asking multiple students to answer the same questions to provide multiple perspectives, and by simplifying the concepts for students who make errors.
• Recognition of diverse learners: Ms. Konicky clearly has developed a healthy rapport with her students in the class I observed, which was indicated by how she worked with them individually as she assessed for understanding.  She spent adequate time ensuring students could articulate themselves, and then rephrased or used visual aids to make the learning target more clear for students.Ms. Konicky supports her weakest students first, and does so in a way that is inclusive and friendly.

• Problem Solving: Ms. Konicky encourages all students to explore big ideas and expand their understanding of key concepts. Using a casual Socratic discussion model while illustrating concepts under a document camera, students voiced ideas freely on how and why the earth’s rotation effected global currents. Ms. Konicky also allowed students to solve their own problems, with hints and support, and by simply allowing them time to think – a nice approach.
• Choice: While my notes do not show this evidence, but Ms. Konicky also effectively offers choice to students as a form of differentiation. By simply negotiating the order of tasks, Ms. Konicky helped engage student interest (students chose the craft project to do before the writing task). This shows effective planning because my guess was that Ms. Konicky already knows her students preferences but offers them choice because they will feel more invested in their learning.

In less than 50 minutes, I was impressed to observe Ms. Konicky use a number of differentiation strategies to help students access and retain the information she was offering. Students were discussing, responding to inquiry, writing notes, drawing and labeling diagrams, cutting paper to create a model, and finally drawing conclusions about what they had learned. Ms. Konicky’s ability to create a casual and personable atmosphere with her students clearly makes adapting and being flexible with students easier, because she knows them and they know her. I think to improve my own instructional differentiation, I should continue to build my student-teacher rapport so that I can recognize diverse learners and use that knowledge to incorporate a variety of instructional methods to give students multiple modes of acquiring knowledge and skills I teach.

Reference

Tomlinson, C.A. (1999). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition). Alexandria, VA: Assn for Supervision & Curric Development (ASCD).

Internship | Unit Overview #2

Principle E2: Collaboration within the School

The HOPE principle E2 simply states, exemplify collaboration within the school. To collaborate means to work with another person or persons to achieve a common goal, and in the context of school, this is not always easy to accomplish. At Redmond Middle School, every month there is designated time for departments to meet for collaborative planning and resource development. During this time, my mentor meets with teachers from the other electives including drama, foods, computer applications, and woodworking. As I observed these meetings are not exactly productive or efficient uses of time, but they do provide the opportunity for a lot of brainstorming and goal forming between creative, professional teachers. One teacher, Mr. Crane, teaches sections of computer applications, and technology classes including design & modeling and robotics. He and I began discussing the multitude of parallels between our two disciplines and our shared interest in using technology to enhance learning and engagement. I mentioned that I would be starting a new unit on charcoal still-life drawing and drawing three-dimensional form, which he also teaches in the context of his design and modeling course.

Charcoal Still-Life Unit Plan

At the conclusion of our meeting Mr. Crane and I decided to help each other by spending some time searching for good resources for 3-D form drawing. That weekend I stumbled upon a wonderful series of drawing videos, called Proko, which feature a fresh-faced young artist who accurately and effectively demonstrates all the basic drawing and concept techniques I was hoping to find for my charcoal still-life unit. I sent Mr. Crane the link and he also thought they would be a wonderful addition to his collection of video resources. In addition, Mr. Crane offered some great advice for using the videos as instructional tools, including having students watch through the whole thing (a few minutes) and then having students attempt the technique step-by-step by starting and stopping the video at specific intervals. I used this strategy in my lessons and it worked very well, as the student work showed.

Through this collaborative experience I learned how valuable the teacher team meeting time is, even if it appears unstructured, because it provides a rare opportunity for teachers (especially the electives that have no actual “team”) to bounce ideas off each other and get alternative perspectives, and simply to ask and answer questions about school policies, community events, and learn about related opportunities for professional developments. I was pleased that I was able to be effective in our collaborative experience, and to offer a new and useful resource. I plan to make concentrated effort when I am at my own school, to work closely with my teaching team and to make good use of collaborative opportunities that will strengthen all of our teaching methods and resources.

 

Internship | HOPE Principle Entry

Principle P1: Practice Intentional Inquiry and Planning

The HOPE Principle P1 – States that teachers must practice intentional inquiry and planning for instruction. The “P” stands for practice effective teaching, and to me the P1 principle speaks to a broad topic of what is, or isn’t, effective teaching. When I think about the notions intentional inquiry and planning, I interpret them as two major features of effective teaching. In my view, effective teachers will:

• Plan learning targets and lessons with instruction methods that capture student engagement based on intentional inquiry of appropriate grade-level discipline specific content, school/district/state/national learning standards, knowledge of student assets, based on prior-knowledge and prior learning.
• Maintain engagement while bringing new information/skills/strategies/ideas into focus (through planned practice or learning activities for example) aligned to the planned learning targets.
• Intentional inquiry means that the teacher is formulating focused questions in anticipation of specific desired responses which will lead students to the learning targets.

Effective teachers plan by thinking/writing/drawing/recording/noting what students should know/learn for each lesson; indicate resources that will be used; plan what instructional methods that will be used; plan the supports and accommodations that can be offered for students who may need them; and finally plan assessment tools that show evidence of student progress toward achieving the learning targets.

Last week I completed my 4-lesson segment titled Color Symbolism which is part of a larger project-unit titled Expressionism Yourself. Long before I began teaching this segment I recognized that I would need to access student’s prior-knowledge on the targets, which were to define the vocabulary (realism, abstract, feeling, and emotion), and analyze and express feelings/emotions with color. On the first day of the semester, I administered the First Day Survey, which asked students to think of color associations. After collecting the data I turned the answers (red makes me think of…) into word clouds (shown above). I planned to use these clouds, in the Color Symbolism lessons, as a tool to visually present the frequency of responses to the color association questions. As I had anticipated, students became actively engaged in discussion when they saw the word clouds during my lessons this week. Along with show the visual, I practiced intentional inquiry by consistently asking, “Why?” Our discussions were fun and successfully helped students make connections between color and abstract or real concepts.

This example of intentional inquiry and planning for instruction shows my understanding of effectively demonstrating the P1 principle as a student-teacher.  I want to focus on improving planning how I assess that all students, not just those who volunteer to answer or share ideas during discussion, are engaged and understanding the discourse. Language learners and students on IEP’s are of specific concern due to the nature of a class discussion that relies on spoken and written words. With more experience I believe I can find effective methods to engage even more students in another fun discussion like this.

 

 

Internship | Hope Principle Entry

Principle P3: Practice Standards-based Assessment

The HOPE principle P3, compels teachers to – practice standards-based assessment. Standards-based assessment means that the strategies, tools, and methods I use to assess student evidence-of-learning are aligned with district, state, and national standards for grade-level learning expectations. In an earlier post titled, Principle O1: Organized Curriculum Aligned to Standards, I mentioned that I had been working on finding ways to organize and align my curriculum to the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) draft of “Power Standards” for Visual Art. Although these standards are still being conceived, they have been written to align with the Visual Arts Standards from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI, 2011).

Identity Print Project Rubric

During the past week I planned and taught a woodblock printing project unit, titled Identity Prints, which was planned to assess against the evidence I collected from students that purposely aligns with the LWSD Proficiency Scales for Visual Art. For this project, my mentor teacher and I co-wrote the rubric (link above) which shows how we will assess the Identity Prints project according to three of the LWSD Power Standards (PS1, PS3, PS), and how we can grade aligning to the 1-2-3-4 Proficiency Scale  model by converting to point score using the Angoff and Cut Scores for cut-scores (A requirement of the district’s scoring system). My mentor teacher and I are excited because we feel like this rubric can be helpful to all the performance-based disciplines (Music, Wood-Shop, Dance etc.) in aligning their assessments to the district standards and proficiency scales. We have since shown it to our building’s principal and it is now being evaluated at the district office.

This week I will apply our rubric as I grade the student’s finished Identity Prints project. My goal is that the graded rubric will clearly communicate how students demonstrated learning (or not) by providing evidence (or not) in their finished artwork, written self-reflection, and process sketchbook. Because I based the type of evidence on the LWSD Proficiency Scales and aligned the curriculum content to the district’s Power Standards, I am demonstrating my understanding of the HOPE standard P3, by practicing standards-based assessment. Going forward I want to try to integrate some of the language from the Common Core standards for literacy and presentation because it is an aspect that is missing from the LWSD standards. I want to integrate academic language into all of the curriculum and assessments I offer because I feel that literacy learning is foundational to success in school and life.

Internship | HOPE Principle Reflection

HOPE Principle H2: Honor Student Access to Content Material

The HOPE Principle H2 calls on teachers to honor student access to content material. Giving students access to content material means a teacher is planning lessons and assessments that effectively engage students, provide manageable goals, and support learning needs through flexible and adaptive methods. Throughout this course, I have examined several methods which should be integrated into planning, instruction, and assessment processes in order to honor student access to content. While student-teaching these past weeks, I have become more and more mindful of how and when I integrate the content methods examined in this course. The 9 best-practice methods (listed below) work together to provide students an accessible and engaging learning experience.

1. Assess student prior knowledge – When I assess prior knowledge, I reveal strengths and weaknesses, knowledge gaps or misconceptions, and student interests and questions. I use the information to plan lessons, activities and assessments which consider the students prior knowledge, and make use of it to engage the students with content they are ready for, and tasks that fit within their general skill level and interests.
2. Incorporate student assets – When I design lessons and activities, and in the midst of instruction or assessment, I have found that incorporating bits of information about students, the common culture, or their school culture, students engage more with the content because they connect to it.
3. Identify academic language – When I set learning targets and create assessment tools, I have include academic language learning as a critical feature. I model its use and provide impetus for students to practice speaking, writing, and thinking with academic art language.
4. Apply scaffolding techniques – When I design my lessons, I consider how I will first provide content material, building new skills and knowledge by supporting learning and then gradually transferring responsibility to the student as they apply the content to research, plan for, produce, and reflect on original art works.
5. Support student learning – When I design lessons, I make sure that I align the learning targets with the practice supports and assessment activities. I work hard to very clearly state what students are working to achieve, and how they can provide evidence to show they are learning. Students who have specific learning needs are given additional supports or adapted instruction, and students who excel are sometimes placed into a supportive role as a peer mentor to students who need additional help. Supporting learning can also mean offering options or providing multi-modal access to content.
6. Deepen student comprehension – When I engage students in content, I provide opportunities for deeper understanding through inquiry, practice, assessment tasks, and reflection activities. I ask students to rationalize, analyze, evaluate and reevaluate the choices they make as they follow the creative process.
7. Provide feedback – When I introduce new content, support understanding, assess learning, and show interest in students I am providing feedback. I ensure that students understand my feedback and that they can use it in some way to move forward in their learning process.
8. Have students reflect – When students are learning I ask them to reflect on what they are thinking, I ask them why and how, I ask them to think about their thinking. Through inquiry, and formative assessment activities, students reflect on their choices, process, and help them utilize their reflection to improve their own performance.
9. Reflect on student learning – Anytime I can take a moment to reflect on learning outcomes I do. I consider what I see, hear, read, and am told by students to evaluate the successes of my instruction and content delivery methods. When I am challenged by how to proceed, I reconsider my original intentions, and plan to adapt or realign instruction and activities to provide access for students to all targets and content. (EDU 6136 Content Methods, 2014)

This is an example of a Lesson Sequence for Visual Art I am planning to teach, which I feel effectively integrates most of the above best-practices for providing accessible content.

As I continue to learn best-practices for instruction and content delivery methods, I have chosen a few key areas on which to focus. I feel that it is most critical for me to be assessing prior knowledge (1), providing effective feedback to students (7), and reflecting on my teaching and on my assessment of student learning (9). I consider these three areas to be foundational to providing students access to content material. When I know what students know or believe about a topic (prior knowledge) I can plan to target learning at what is missing or inaccurate, and I can build of knowledge and skills students already have. When I let students know how they are performing (providing feedback) I must ensure that it is explicit, directive, understood, and aligns with the learning targets I have set. When I reflect on the outcomes of lessons, activities, or assessments, I am affecting my own ability to create a path toward accessible content and achievable goals for my students. The next steps for me are to make these methods concrete in my teaching practice, and then focus on another set of instructional methods, as outlined above, bringing me closer to becoming an effective and engaging art teacher.

Internship | HOPE Principle Entry

HOPE Principle H1: Honor Student Diversity and Development

The HOPE principle H1 asks teachers to demonstrate a positive impact on student learning by honoring student diversity and development. In my recent experiences in the classroom, it has become very clear that I must dictate one general set of expectations to the whole class, and still be flexible, ready with alternatives for students with special needs, for those who missed content, or for instances when students simply need re-teaching.  In a previous post, I cited Medina’s (2008) Brain rule #3: “Every Brain is wired differently” (p. 70). In my post I suggested that teachers can reach diverse classrooms of students:

While there is no way to provide a specifically suited learning experience for every student’s unique needs, teachers can use instructional strategies that will create  more opportunities for each student to access a high-quality education. (Jones, 2013)

Last week students in the 6^th grade art class turned in a project which was accompanied by a short personal written reflection. Students were given a printed worksheet with writing prompts which asked them to describe their experience and rationalize choices from their art project. There are two ELL students in the 1^st period class, and I noticed that neither of them had completed the written reflection piece. I asked if they needed more time, or if the questions were difficult to read, but neither one would admit that it was hard to read, so I asked if it would be ok if I wrote their responses for them. They both responded positively, and I realized it was the writing that was their greatest challenge. The image shows how one student’s answers were written for them, making the reflection accessible.

Self Reflection Sample

Both students could comprehend the reading, but were slow and unable to write the words they wanted to use. I decided that I will provide more time for them in the future to complete writing assignments. Another adjustment I have made is to give all ELL students print-outs of the presentation slides I use when they are asked to copy down vocabulary definitions. Now these students have time and access to the language learning targets, and they get to practice writing academic art language in English.

I learned that I must reach out to students that I know have IEP, 504, or other needs such as language or vison deficits. My job is to give every student an equal opportunity to succeed and have access to the content I provide. I also recognize that students who miss even one lesson can also need extra support, and some personality types (shy students for example) are sometimes unable to articulate their learning needs, so I should try to take a moment to ensure they are getting the skills and content as well. In a classroom of 32 students, with a variety of social, emotional, psychological, and personal needs, all learning and achieving at the same level is simply not realistic. I must still plan and instruct to the group, but special attention to individuals can also be critical in ensuring I honor the diverse group of learners in every class.

Reference

Jones, S. (2013). Reflection | EDU6132 | HOPE Principle H1: My Interpretation. Susanna Jones bPortfolio (August 8, 2013). susannajonesbportfolio.wordpress.com.

Medina, J. (2008). Brain rules. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.