EDUC 350: Instruction 1--Individualization and Management
This page addresses how I met the teacher quality standards for this particular course.
About the Course
The purpose of this course is to provide integrated theories of learning and teaching through practicum experience at Boltz Middle School (Poudre School District, Fort Collins, CO). Teacher candidates will learn to be responsive to the individual needs of all learners in the classroom. This course provides a basic understanding of the nature of middle school learners including students with educational disabilities, those who are gifted and talented, and students from culturally, ethnically, economically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Teacher candidates will be taught how to adapt instruction, creative inclusive classroom environments, and teach in a culturally responsive manner to reach all students.
Themes that were focused on for professional development included:
- Individualization and differentiation of instruction--to address the intellectual, social, and emotional needs of all student, including students with identified exceptionalities
- Instruction, assessment, leadership, safe and respectful learning environments that include reflection in a middle school classroom
- Adolescent learners: explore the physiological, cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and moral development of diverse adolescents.
- Professional growth through teamwork, professional development, and high standards of work
About Me
I am a Denver, Colorado native, and I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014 with a BFA in Painting. In addition to being a student in Colorado State University's art education department, I am also enrolled in an online Waldorf teacher training program. Most of the volunteer work experience I've done in the past served me well when working with diverse populations of students at Boltz Middle School. Some specific examples include:
- Seven years of fundraising and advocacy with the Autism Society of Colorado (2003-2010)
- An internship with The Joshua School, a private school in Denver specifically for autistic students (2010)
- Arts community engagement and renewal in Qwa Qwa, South Africa with Colorado State University (2015)
- Volunteer teaching assistant at Cherry Creek High School's Fine Arts department (2015-2016)
- Substitute teaching at the secondary level for the Cherry Creek School District (2016-2017)
- Volunteer work with the Sun Valley Youth Center, a non-profit organization in downtown Denver that offers recreational activities for low-income elementary children (2017)
Standard 1: Demonstrate mastery of pedagogical expertise in content
Though I do not have formal training on how to become an English teacher, I have secondary strengths in creative writing and critical thinking for research papers. I used these strengths to the best of my ability while working in Jane Phelan's eighth grade English class. Specifically, I focused on giving students a lot of interpersonal feedback to strengthen their confidence in their persuasion skills (argumentative essays) and their ability to tell a compelling story (whether it was about a fantasy character or a personal experience). When giving feedback, I was able to build trust with students by discussing my expertise in young adult fiction, honoring their desire to incorporate topics they were passionate about in their writing (such as the storytelling strengths of manga, anime, and video games) and encouraging them to write using stream of consciousness rather than mentally planning to the point of getting writer's block.
Examples of lectures that Jane discussed in her class:
Examples of lectures that Jane discussed in her class:
- flash drafting prompts based on social/cultural topics such as privilege and justice
- narrative writing based on personal memoirs
- developing characters for creative writing
- workshops on persuasion based on gathering evidence from a short story (Bargain by AB Guthrie, Jr.
Standard 2: Establish a safe, inclusive and respectable learning environment for a diverse population of students
One of the strengths I have as a teacher in training is providing individualized instruction and supportive feedback for student during their workshop time. By connecting with students interpersonally before class and during brain breaks, was able to establish trust and create a lesson plan that honored their interests in their writing. I also had an opportunity to work one-on-one with a student on the autism spectrum that needed a lot of individualized attention. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this student and saw a great deal of academic and social potential when he came to class. Working with him also required me to differentiate when it came to offering instruction and giving constructive feedback. Lorraine and Jane asked me to write a report about this students' academic performance, social skills, and behavior management, since Jane was not able to spend a lot of time with him during class.
Outside of my time at Boltz, I was required to attend multiple lectures on diversity and inclusivity at CSU. Some examples include:
Outside of my time at Boltz, I was required to attend multiple lectures on diversity and inclusivity at CSU. Some examples include:
- a discussion with Patrice Palmer (the College of Business's Diversity Leadership Alliance Coordinator) on socioeconomic differences when it came to privilege,
- a lecture led by Dr. L. Genise Pike on microaggressions when discussing race (particularly from the perspective of African-Americans)
- a vigil led by CSU's Pride Resource Center during Transgender Day of Remembrance
Standard 3: Plans and delivers effective instruction and creates in environment that facilitates learning for students
One of the things that I noticed about the students in Jane's class was that they were very hesitant about putting pen to paper. There was a heightened self-consciousness when it came to planning and writing. The students spent a lot of time ruminating their ideas in their head until they got stuck, feeling that they needed to have everything figured out before they started writing. They also felt that they needed to write their essays in a linear fashion, starting with the introduction paragraph and ending with the conclusion. I chose to create a flash draft assignment for my lesson plan because I wanted to encourage students to build more confidence in their intuitive writing skills.
Learning Target: I can flash draft at least one to two paragraphs of a personal narrative of an event that made me “rise from the ashes” like a phoenix, using the plot pyramid to outline my story. This means that I can write large amounts of content without getting stuck in my head, using a plot pyramid outline to help guide my intent.
Prompt: “Today, you will be flash drafting either a narratives short story or a poem about how you have risen above a challenge and became transformed as a result. Think of yourself as a phoenix, a creature that is constantly reborn and rises from the flames in the face of large obstacles. How do you relate to the phoenix?” It is important to note that the phoenix is the mascot for Boltz Middle School.
Learning Target: I can flash draft at least one to two paragraphs of a personal narrative of an event that made me “rise from the ashes” like a phoenix, using the plot pyramid to outline my story. This means that I can write large amounts of content without getting stuck in my head, using a plot pyramid outline to help guide my intent.
Prompt: “Today, you will be flash drafting either a narratives short story or a poem about how you have risen above a challenge and became transformed as a result. Think of yourself as a phoenix, a creature that is constantly reborn and rises from the flames in the face of large obstacles. How do you relate to the phoenix?” It is important to note that the phoenix is the mascot for Boltz Middle School.
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For the most part, students were engaged with both the prompt and the writing process required by the assignment--to the point where they asked for more time to finish their writing the next day. Some students wanted to jump straight into the flash draft and fill out the outline later. Others spent a greater deal of time working out the specs for their story on their plot pyramid before they had the confidence to start writing. When writing their outline, I told the students that their story needed to be clear enough that a stranger would be able to understand their entire story without reading their flash draft. I also encouraged students to write one particular scene in detail for their flash draft if they felt overwhelmed to write the entire story in the time I allowed them to flash draft. Students wrote their flash drafts in either their composition notebook or a document saved to their OneNote account. Though I was not able to keep their final flash drafts as evidence of learning, I was able to collect their plot pyramids. I've provided a few examples of their work:
Plot Pyramid
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Exit Ticket
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Standard 4: Reflect on Professional Practice
I provided a self-assessment on the CEPTC dispositions as evidence that I met this standard:
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My initiative, tact, and effectiveness with leading a lesson, managing a classroom, and communicating effective instruction was slightly compromised due my basic familiarity with English education at the middle school level and having a handful of opportunities to manage a classroom by myself as the leader rather than the assistant. However, I made up for this by valuing the power of interpersonal dynamics when working with students. I found that it was a lot easier for me to instruct content, connect with students, and offer feedback when I was able to work one-on-one with them. I was also open to receiving constructive feedback from Jane and reflecting on how I could use it to improve my teaching practice.
Standard 5: Demonstrate Leadership
The closest opportunity I had with exercising leadership at Boltz was working with Jane's student on the autism spectrum. This was a situation where I was called on to work with this student independently and report my experiences to compensate for Jane's limited time working with him in the classroom. I was also given an opportunity to teach a lesson on flash drafting to the students, even though I am not trained in English education. This demonstrated that Jane trusted that I had enough knowledge of teaching English to her students to lead her class for the day. Other minor instances of demonstrating leadership and initiative was being able to work with Jane's substitute teachers and help them figure out her lesson plans. Jane had to miss school a few times to attend or lead workshops for English teachers. Due to my prior substitute teaching experience, I was able to assist Jane's substitute teachers that had questions about her lesson plan or how to work with students.