InTASC+9



"Arrive at school as early as you can. Never make it a habit to arrive on time; be early." - Yann Pirrone (9o)

InTASC Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice Knowledge is constantly shifting as new discoveries are made; this truth holds evident across all disciplines. In order to accurately instruct students, teachers need to remain engaged in the academic community by participating in seminars, reading academic journals, listening to the news or radio, and constantly talking with fellow educators (9a). Beyond professional learning, teachers interact on a daily basis with a wide variety of people; most importantly, they spend each day conveying their knowledge to their students. However, while an instructor’s method of communication may work for some students, it will not work for all; therefore, it is essential that educators consistently self-evaluate (9l). The ninth InTASC Standard, “Professional Learning and Ethical Practice,” states that an educator must engage in professional learning throughout his or her career, an aspect of such growth is that the educator must examine evidence that they gather through self-evaluation in order to determine the effects of his or her choices and actions on other people in order to adapt his or her practice to meet their needs. Specifically, educators should examine the reactions they garner from other professionals, students, families, and the community in order to determine if they need to modify their communication methods (9i). Typically, if a student does not feel that the teacher respects and attempts to know him or her as an individual then the student will not become engaged in the class. Likewise, if a student’s family, the community, or other professionals do not perceive that a teacher is genuinely interested in getting to know them then these individuals will not openly interact with the teacher. In both of the English classrooms I have observed, my mentors frequently interact with other professionals both in passing and by sharing their lunch hour. To engage with parents and students, teachers should greet each individual at the door, should consistently speak in a positive manner, and should always respond to questions or statements made by such individuals. Beyond personal interactions, teachers should look to their students' performances on assessments in order to gauge how effective their teaching method is; for example, if almost every student in a class failed an assessment it is likely due to a failure in communication from the teacher. To conclude, engaging in a continuous study of one’s discipline, especially education, encourages teachers to broaden their knowledge as well as engage in ethical practices; for in constantly learning people constantly grow and modify their actions and choices based on the new knowledge they have gained.

Mentor Evaluations





Artifact Description:

 This is where I was: The first observation my mentor conducted was on February 18th, 2014. In the review he noted that, "Danielle is on the threshold of developing good questioning techniques that require high order thinking skills."

 This is why I was scored this way: The lesson my mentor observed was taught to an 11th grade on-target class. The lesson focused on a discussion of the idea of class and The American Dream in modern culture and The Great Gatsby. Specifically, the questions students were asked were: Why does discussing class and social mobility evoke emotion? How does class and social mobility relate to The American Dream? How is class portrayed in The Great Gatsby? and Does the story present an idea of what The American Dream is? If so, what?

While these questions are valid for the text, they lead students toward a certain option. Additionally, the questions ask too much at one time and do not easily flow into each other; instead, the questions make jumps from one idea to another without always making clear connections. To begin students should have been asked the question: Does discussing class evoke emotion? This question should have been followed with the question: How do you feel when discussing social mobility? Finally, students should have been able to decide for themselves whether or not they thought that class and social mobility relate to The American Dream.

 This is how I changed: The second-to-last observation with my mentor was conducted on April 23th, 2014. In the review he noted that, "Miss Mayhew utilized excellent questioning techniques throughout the period." In the lesson students engaged in an analysis of the impact of war on human beings after reading Chapter 15 in The Giver. The questions students were asked in the lesson were: Describe Jonas before Chapter 15, How do we know what Jonas' reaction to the memory is even though we never actually get his reaction in the text? What does it mean to be alive but know that you are dead? Why does the Giver say to Jonas, "Forgive me"? pg. 120, If war is so hard on human beings, then why do we engage in it? and Why is it important to keep memories about war? These questions are clearly linked to the lesson's objective and encourage a full exploration of the lesson's topic.

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