Standard T

T: Knowledge of teaching 

 Teacher candidates positively impact student learning that is: 

1. Informed by standards-based assessment. All students benefit from learning that is systematically analyzed using multiple formative, summative, and self-assessment strategies.
2. Intentionally planned. All students benefit from standards-based planning that is personalized.
3. Influenced by multiple instructional strategies. All students benefit from personalized instruction that addresses their ability levels and cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
4. Informed by technology. All students benefit from instruction that utilizes effective technologies and is designed to create technologically proficient learners.

My Understanding

Only if I know what I’m doing can I effectively help students know or do anything.  Moreover, only if my instructional backpack includes enough valid options can I respond with useful flexibility to the diverse needs of my students.  First, I must know where I’m trying to lead my students and I must develop and use a valid positioning system to locate us on the trail and figure out how to move forward or whether we should backtrack to pick up lost hikers.  Second, I must be able to plot routes that get students who start at different trailheads all moving toward the same type of goal, even if their terrain may have to differ.  Third, I must provide a variety of signposts and maps in various learning styles so that every student has a personalized chance at reaching the goal.  And fourth, I should take advantage of technology and enable my students to use the technological tools of the trade for themselves.

Metareflection

RP progress report example

Unless teachers and students assess the progress of learning, they will get to the end of the term not knowing what standards have and have not been met.  Hence, ongoing assessment is critical to enable teachers to shape instruction and students to shape their learning. During my units, I employ a variety of formative, summative, and student self-assessment to discern learning gaps and help students patch them before I must assign a final score to their grasp of each standard.  For example, during the research paper process, students assessed their own progress with brief progress checks (see right), formatively assessed each other’s rough drafts with a peer review rubric, and had opportunity to revise before submitting a final draft for a summative assessment. Essentially, I know how to use different types of assessment at different stages of standard attainment so that both students and teacher can know where we’re going and how to get there.   

One of my favorite elements of teaching is the chances I get to truly personalize instruction for my students. While my content standards are the same for all my students, I often encourage students to demonstrate standard attainment in ways that make the learning relevant to their own lives.  That is, I personalize instruction from the planning side and from the student-product side.   For example, for a lesson in poetry writing based on newspaper articles, I sought articles that would appeal to specific students—specifically, quite a few sports articles and an article on a recent fire for one student who wants to be a firefighter. My rationale for this lesson documents my efforts to accommodate various ability levels, and my assessment of the range of student characteristics one of my classes can be found here.  That is, finally, understanding who my students are (e.g. student questionaire) and where their skills stand (see T1, assessment strategies) is prerequisite to being able to differentiate my planning for the range of my students. 

I effectively use multiple instructional strategies to meet my students at their own levels and on their own turf.  Whether it be tracking down a Bulgarian copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or researching current best practices for addressing diverse student needs in a general education classroom, I make it a priority to seek resources that will help my students succeed.  Also, during class time, I make sure students engage in the type of activities that allow them to use their backgrounds as assets instead of liabilities.  For example, they frequently share personal experiences in small groups when responding to questions that contribute to our curriculum goals.  The variety of their experience builds our collective understanding.  An especially comprehensive example of my instructional differentiation is the variety of options available for students’ summative Gatsby projects.  By drawing on multiple learning styles and cultural interests (such as fashion,  automobiles, and movies), I was able to design options that enabled each of my students to plug his or her individual skills into a unique means of demonstrating concept attainment. (student examples) 

As technology permeates the globe, more resources become available to students, and technological proficiency becomes more critical for people seeking to enter an increasingly information- and technology-oriented workplace. I regularly use PowerPoint and the internet during lessons, and I give my students opportunities to increase their skill with digital tools.  For example, I provide online references and audiobook links for Huck Finn and other readings, and students use the internet to research and PowerPoint to demonstrate their learning.  A computer lab attached to my student teaching classroom allowed me to send students to the computers whenever it proved useful, and I even allowed students to occasionally make legitimate use of their ever-illicitly-present iPods and cell phones to access audiobooks and lesson-supporting YouTube videos. As technology increases, I am committed to integrating new tools into my classroom in ways that give my students a leg up in this electrified world.