Standard 8 Meta-Reflection: Exceptionality
Standard 8 Exceptionality: Addresses the unique learning and behavioral needs of all children, collaborating with other educators and professionals where necessary.
Inclusion Presentation
I created this artifact as the culminating project for the course on Educating Exceptional Students. To create this Inclusion project I needed to synthesize the information in the course on the benefits and pitfalls of including students with various disabilities in a general education course and summarize my knowledge into a few slides. I specifically focused on students with Emotional/Behavioral disorders because I work with a half-dozen students with EBD in my general education science classroom already, and I wanted to learn more about how to accommodate them in class. I discussed the pros and cons of full inclusion along with the research basis behind inclusion for students with Emotional and Behavioral disorders. Although there is not much research specifically in this area, inclusion is being done well in schools and I was able to glean recommendations and strategies at classroom and school-wide levels to help all of my students learn to their full potential.
The strategies I discussed, like “proactive classroom management” and consistent rewards and punishments will help all of my students to be successful, not just my students with Emotional and Behavioral disorders. Each article I read emphasized a team approach to working with students with EBD. I plan on working with my administrative staff and the special education department this summer and next year to make sure we collaborate to help all of our students be successful.
Standard 4 Meta-Reflection: Pedagogy
How Instructional Models Influence Student Academic Success
Standard 4: Pedagogy indicates I need to engage students in learning experiences that are meaningful, stimulating, and empirically proven to promote intellectual growth.
I created this artifact as part of the final course requirement for the Survey of Instructional Strategies. This paper was a reflection of the two teaching strategies that influence student achievement and well being in my classroom. Reflecting on why I use particular instructional strategies impacts student learning because I am more purposeful as I plan lessons. If I have set a clear target students are better able to reach that target. Using empirically proven teaching methods allows me to learn from the best practices of other teachers to improve student learning and well being in my science classroom.
As a science teacher I use Inquiry on a regular basis and expect students to construct their own knowledge and answer their own questions. This gives students ownership of their learning. I use direct instruction quite often as well. Direct instruction allows me to guide students through the metacognitive processes after their inquiry activities like analyzing and synthesizing their ideas. Using direct instruction after an inquiry activity also gives me opportunity to have students explain the evidence they have collected during their inquiry. Together we make connections between the activity and the standards. I have found that this empowers students to ask themselves questions about how they know what they know.
Both of these research-based instructional strategies give me a template to focus my instruction so that it is meaningful and stimulating. Incorporating research-based instructional strategies purposefully will increase student learning no matter what strategy I use for a particular lesson. Both of these strategies do not work in isolation. I also should use cooperative grouping, jigsaws, advance organizers, and other strategies, to access students’ multiple intelligences.
Standard 5 Meta-Reflection: Assessment
Philosophy of Assessment
Standard 5 Assessment indicates I need to assess students’ mastery of curriculum and modify instruction to maximize learning.
This paper articulates my personal philosophy of the relationship between classroom instruction, assessment, and student learning and was the culminating piece of work in my course on standards-based assessment strategies. This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of the “Assessment” content standard by addressing how closely related instruction and assessment are in my classroom. I wrote about the ways in which I assess students’ mastery of curriculum content and my ability to modify my instruction in order to maximize student learning based on the assessments I make during instruction.
This paper caused me to reflect on my teaching practices in light of current research in the area of assessment and grading in the classroom. Purposefully tying both formal and informal assessments into my instruction and then modifying my instruction using those assessments will have a positive impact on student learning. Students will get more feedback on their progress toward learning goals, and I will know better the areas we will need to review before a major assessment.
My philosophy of assessment is related to my daily life in the classroom as a science teacher and all of my interactions with students. I explain that I constantly assess students and I want to continue to have multiple forms of assessments guiding all of the phases of my instructional process.
