Knowledge, Skills and Attributes
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 1
KSA #1:
You understand that contextual variables affect teaching and learning. You know how to analyse many variables at one time and how to respond by making reasoned decisions about your teaching practice and students’ learning;
You understand that contextual variables affect teaching and learning. You know how to analyse many variables at one time and how to respond by making reasoned decisions about your teaching practice and students’ learning;
When I began my PS3 experience, I was worried about my ability to take steps in adjusting my teaching based on the variables that occurred during class time. During my planning phase, I wanted to ensure that I had an effective plan to address this particular shortcoming. I decided that I would take careful notes each day for each student after each lesson, addressing behaviour, engagement levels, comprehension and the student's day to day attitudes that affected their learning. The notes that I have kept allowed me make significant changes to my original planning in order to ensure that I am optimizing my time with the class as a whole and with individual students. I have also been able to use these notes to adjust how I interact with the students both in and out of the classroom to ensure that I am maximizing my ability to build a personal relationship and rapport with each student.
The artifact below has been altered to omit student names and other specific details. The document was originally an attendance sheet that has been expanded by using the 'add a note' feature, so please ensure that you are moving your cursor above each of the student/date grid in order to view the notes that I have made on each student on each day.
The artifact below has been altered to omit student names and other specific details. The document was originally an attendance sheet that has been expanded by using the 'add a note' feature, so please ensure that you are moving your cursor above each of the student/date grid in order to view the notes that I have made on each student on each day.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 2
KSA #7:
You understand students’ needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security. You know how to engage students in creating effective classroom routines. You know how and when to apply a variety of management strategies that are in keeping with the situation and that result in minimal disruptions to students’ learning;
You understand students’ needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security. You know how to engage students in creating effective classroom routines. You know how and when to apply a variety of management strategies that are in keeping with the situation and that result in minimal disruptions to students’ learning;
This week I was able to focus on developing a wider range of classroom management strategies. The first week of classes were over and I was reasonably familiar with the needs and personalities of the students in the classroom. Based on the notes and observations that I had so far, I began implementing classroom management strategies that I believed were the most appropriate for each classroom demographic. I began researching classroom management strategy resources online and found an appropriate list on Edutopia. I chose 3 items that I believed would be helpful within my classroom and implemented them throughout the week.
"5. Find things to appreciate."
After a particularly difficult class dealing with an excessively chatty student, I wanted to use this strategy for the sake of the student, as well as my own. I first took a step back and realized that his misbehaviour patterns, while disruptive and frustrating, were not horrible crimes in the grand scheme of things. I also reflected on how the student could be best brought into the classroom as a productive and contributing member and came to the conclusion that the student had a great talent for speaking in front of the class. With this realization, I now frequently recruit him as an example during lessons and have since developed a positive relationship with the student.
"6. Ramp up your enthusiasm."
I implemented this strategy during an ELA 7 review/formative assessment activity called "Putting bad introductory paragraphs on trial". Students were welcomed with the people's court theme song and were given the task of developing a case against a paragraph that was charged with the crime of being a poorly written introduction.
"10. Give students choices."
I was able to make use of this strategy many times throughout the week with a small handful of students in my classroom. Students who frequently had difficulty staying on task, or were consistently disruptive throughout the period were given choices: 1) the student could sit with a particular student in the future if they were able to prove their ability to stay on-task that day; 2) the student fails/refuses to prove their ability to stay productive in certain situations and loses their preferred seating.
After a particularly difficult class dealing with an excessively chatty student, I wanted to use this strategy for the sake of the student, as well as my own. I first took a step back and realized that his misbehaviour patterns, while disruptive and frustrating, were not horrible crimes in the grand scheme of things. I also reflected on how the student could be best brought into the classroom as a productive and contributing member and came to the conclusion that the student had a great talent for speaking in front of the class. With this realization, I now frequently recruit him as an example during lessons and have since developed a positive relationship with the student.
"6. Ramp up your enthusiasm."
I implemented this strategy during an ELA 7 review/formative assessment activity called "Putting bad introductory paragraphs on trial". Students were welcomed with the people's court theme song and were given the task of developing a case against a paragraph that was charged with the crime of being a poorly written introduction.
"10. Give students choices."
I was able to make use of this strategy many times throughout the week with a small handful of students in my classroom. Students who frequently had difficulty staying on task, or were consistently disruptive throughout the period were given choices: 1) the student could sit with a particular student in the future if they were able to prove their ability to stay on-task that day; 2) the student fails/refuses to prove their ability to stay productive in certain situations and loses their preferred seating.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 3
KSA #15
You understand the importance of career-long learning. You know how to assess your own teaching and how to work with others responsible for supervising and evaluating teachers. You know how to use the findings of assessments, supervision and evaluations to select, develop and implement your own professional development activities;
You understand the importance of career-long learning. You know how to assess your own teaching and how to work with others responsible for supervising and evaluating teachers. You know how to use the findings of assessments, supervision and evaluations to select, develop and implement your own professional development activities;
This week I was able to reflect on my progress as an interim educator in order to draft up and complete my first Teaching Professional Growth Plan. Using my previous KSA reflections, I was able to identify my point of focus for this practicum experience and drew up an appropriate Teaching Professional Growth Plan. The following TPGP focuses mainly on planning and developing classroom management strategies, as well as ensuring that I am using all the resources available to me in the classroom.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 4
KSA #11
You understand the purposes of student assessment. You know how to assess the range of learning objectives by selecting and developing a variety of classroom and large-scale assessment techniques and instruments. You know how to analyse the results of classroom and large-scale assessment instruments, including provincial assessment instruments, and how to use the results to benefit students.
You understand the purposes of student assessment. You know how to assess the range of learning objectives by selecting and developing a variety of classroom and large-scale assessment techniques and instruments. You know how to analyse the results of classroom and large-scale assessment instruments, including provincial assessment instruments, and how to use the results to benefit students.
This previous week, I had the opportunity to assign the practicum's first summative assessment piece with my ELA 7 class. The assignment was a simple argumentative essay proposal with a short presentation component. I had outlined the expectations of the assignment with a quick assignment checklist of things that we had previously covered in class, expecting the students to easily grasp the purpose and expectations of the assignment. But when it came time to mark the students' work, I found that the quality of their work ranged from 'not even close to meeting expectations' to 'going too far and beyond' of the assignment expectations. As I reflected on this issue, I realized that the checklist was nowhere near detailed enough, and that I over estimated the students' knowledge on the purpose of an essay proposal. I decided that I needed to guide the students more strictly in what my expectations are future assignments and drew up a detailed rubric for the upcoming Argumentative Essay assignment. The new rubric will assess the categories of Introductory/Concluding Paragraphs, Body Paragraphs, Overall Argument, Research, Mechanics(Sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization). The artifacts below are the assignment checklist for the failed Essay Proposal assignment and the detailed rubric for the current Argumentative Essay assignment that the students are currently working on.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 6
KSA #6
You understand the purposes of short, medium and long-range planning. You know how to translate curriculum and desired outcomes into reasoned, meaningful and incrementally progressive learning opportunities for students. You also understand the need to vary your plans to accommodate individuals and groups of students;
You understand the purposes of short, medium and long-range planning. You know how to translate curriculum and desired outcomes into reasoned, meaningful and incrementally progressive learning opportunities for students. You also understand the need to vary your plans to accommodate individuals and groups of students;
This week, I was able to reflect on the challenges of considering individual and group accommodations for students. I also reflected on the difference in the planning process once you are familiar with individual students, and the classroom itself. The first set of planning I found to be incredibly challenging as I had no background information on who the students were and what types of accommodations they needed. I found myself making educated guesses on how to set the expectations for assignments. With this second unit, I found that I was able to make considerations and adaptations on individual student basis.
The following documents are my unit 1 plan and unit 2 plan.
The following documents are my unit 1 plan and unit 2 plan.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 7
KSA #14
You understand the importance of contributing, independently and collegially, to the quality of your school. You know the strategies whereby you can, independently and collegially, enhance and maintain the quality of your school to the benefit of students, parents, the community and colleagues;
You understand the importance of contributing, independently and collegially, to the quality of your school. You know the strategies whereby you can, independently and collegially, enhance and maintain the quality of your school to the benefit of students, parents, the community and colleagues;
During the course of this practicum, I have had the opportunity to get involved with the board game club in Coalhurst High School. While Mr. Barwegen had already established a strong sense of community within the club, I feel that I have contributed and have helped further build that community. During my time with the board game club, I have been able to make some strong connections with students that I teach, as well as those that I otherwise would have little interactions with. I have also been able to bring students into the club who otherwise would not be interested. I have also been helping out with Mr. Moffat's guitar exploratory class. Due to the large class size and the hectic nature of teaching teenagers to play the guitar, I saw that there was a need that I could help fill and have taken over teaching half of the class. I have been working closely with Mr. Moffat to talk about student progression in the class and the common interest in music has given us some common ground to form a more amiable, professional relationship.
The first two images are the 'character sheets' created by a student who was introduced to the club through Dungeons and Dragons. The third picture is a snapshot from the end of a guitar class.
The first two images are the 'character sheets' created by a student who was introduced to the club through Dungeons and Dragons. The third picture is a snapshot from the end of a guitar class.
APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 8
KSA #5 You understand that all students can learn, albeit at different rates and in different ways. You know how to identify students’ different learning styles and when and how to engage other styles. You understand the need to respond to differences by creating multiple paths to learning for individuals and groups of students, including students with special learning needs;
Recently, a student in my social studies class has been put onto a K&E program and I was given the opportunity to take on the challenge of providing a completely modified program for this student. I have been working very closely with the student's assigned E.A. and have been building a very good rapport and working relationship with her in order to ensure that we are maximizing her learning opportunity with the modified materials. It has been a great learning experience working with the E.A. to really identify where the student's abilities are and identifying the student's learning style.
The artifact below is the most recent 'module' that we have been working with. By referring to Bloom's Taxonomy, we have identified that the student is most effectively able to learn at the 'Remembering' and 'understanding' levels. we have also integrated an illustrative and visual component to her 'modules' as we have also realized that she is quite proficient with illustrations and image recognition.
The artifact below is the most recent 'module' that we have been working with. By referring to Bloom's Taxonomy, we have identified that the student is most effectively able to learn at the 'Remembering' and 'understanding' levels. we have also integrated an illustrative and visual component to her 'modules' as we have also realized that she is quite proficient with illustrations and image recognition.
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APPLICATION OF THE KSA'S IN MY PSIII INTERNSHIP: WEEK 9
KSA #10 You understand the functions of traditional and electronic teaching/learning technologies. You know how to use these technologies and how to engage students in using these technologies to present and deliver content, communicate effectively with others, find and secure information, research, word process, manage information and keep records;
Throughout this practicum, I have relied heavily on various forms of technology and have developed a system of preparation, presentation and communication in order to maximize my available time as well as my effectiveness in teaching. In terms of preparation, I have been using electronic methods of research, using resources like TedEd, Teachervision, NewsELA, etc. In terms of presentation I have found the use of Google Drive incredibly effective as it gives me the ability to create, share, and present my lessons on nearly all devices connected to the internet. In terms of the communications portion, I have found Google Drive to be effective in helping me share, and collaborate with my Teacher Mentor and other staff members in the school. In the communication with students/parents portion I have been using the Schoology website that allows me to create an online classroom, post resources and class materials as well as keep a live updated feed of student progress.
The following links will demonstrate the use of electronic teaching/learning technologies in my class room:
The following links will demonstrate the use of electronic teaching/learning technologies in my class room:
The link above will take you to my complete Unit 2 Google Slides file that I have been creating for my ELA 7 class throughout the unit. The Google Slides contain videos, and concepts that have been researched online. The Google Slides file has also been shared with my Teacher Mentor where he is able to view, comment, and alter. Thanks to Google Drive's sharing features, this file has also been linked to the online classroom website: Schoology and has been made available to students as well as their parents.
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The document above is an example of the material that the students have access to in their online classroom via Schoology. The link above will take you to the Schoology website that I have been using in order to create an online classroom that students have access to in order for them to study, do homework, and catch up on missed days. I have also been able to use this website as a tool to keep parents up to date on student progress, as well as important dates (due dates, test dates, etc.) in the classroom. This website has also been a great tool in keeping an electronic record of student grades and was used heavily during our first reporting period.
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